CR: COVID-19 --Political Talk

[Born to Run 6568]

The craziest thing about COVID is that it inverted the CR and DT boards. Suddenly, CR is the home of data-driven analysis and DT is full of morons spouting off uninformed bullshit.
Half of that thread is convinced we have herd immunity and they support that view by claiming up to 10% of the US has been infected.  I don’t even know where to begin with such a Russian nesting doll of stupid.

No shit. I never came in here under Obama because this place was a cesspool of Bengazi Butter Emails and idiocy.

DT now is like TexAgs. "Well it's time to get back to work and save the economy."

Zero facts or science. Just shit.

[gmr548 16517]

How does anyone possibly defend that?

®.

[TexEx15 17487]

Initial results from the NY antibody test indicates that approx 13.9% of residents have had the virus.  That means over 2 million people in NY alone.  Appears this aligns with the Stanford study in Santa Clara and the USC study in LA county in that the virus is much more prevalent than positive cases would indicate.  Clearly testing is the key to opening things up.  Blows the mind how the trump admin has just completely fucked that up.

I mean it doesn’t really blow my mind considering how fucking inept this administration is.

Edited April 23, 2020 by TexEx15

[Gatorubet 30115]

Like you aren't already WELL aware of the phenomenon.....

Wait! Never has a headache???

[Brisketexan 104628]

How does anyone possibly defend that?

So....have you HEARD of the GOP? Defending this shit is their brand.

Initial results from the NY antibody test indicates that approx 13.9% of residents have had the virus.  That means over 2 million people in NY alone.  Appears this aligns with the Stanford study in Santa Clara and the USC study in LA county in that the virus is much more prevalent than positive cases would indicate.  Clearly testing is the key to opening things up.  Blows the mind how the trump admin has just completely fucked that up.
I mean it doesn’t really blow my mind considering how fucking inept this administration is.

What I really want to know is, using this data, what is the actual IFR? I mean, we know NY had it bad with fatalities no matter. But if we can get a ha doe on the IFR, we can make some more informed decisions.

[Red Five 40665]

55 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

 In fact, there are some Muslims who believe that coronavirus is a gift from Allah because it sounds like Koran/Quran. 

Can't argue with that logic. 

[MC Fresh Breath 4074]

19 minutes ago, Born to Run said:

No shit. I never came in here under Obama because this place was a cesspool of Bengazi Butter Emails and idiocy.

DT now is like TexAgs. "Well it's time to get back to work and save the economy."

Zero facts or science. Just shit.

 

 

The "no politics" mantra on a thread filled with politics and about a subject that inherently involves politics is really something. It gets compounded when you see Fox News clips and The Federalist articles linked in posts.   Then you add in the pissing matches/fights and unfortunately much of that thread has become worthless.

 

[BrickHorn 18194]

Those antibody studies are all fucked up. Two in California claimed a ratio of positive results to confirmed cases in the range of 50-80x.  Then NY came in with a ratio of approximately 10x. 
 

There are a number of possible explanations for the discrepancy, but I tend to believe testing inaccuracy is the main culprit. And it likely impacted the NY study as well - the distortion is just not as significant because the true rate of infection in NY is higher than in CA. So that 13.9% rate is probably a fair amount higher than the true infection rate, but it’s not as inaccurate as the 4.1% rate reported in the CA studies.

[WhatTheBuck 28713]

4 hours ago, Pig Bellmont said:

Don’t care if already posted. This tweet sums up the Trump administration perfectly. 
 

 

It's almost like appointing a former commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association to run FEMA. 

[Bama Chick 28596]

Terrible

[DixonHur 11227]

4 hours ago, Pig Bellmont said:

Don’t care if already posted. This tweet sums up the Trump administration perfectly. 
 

 

He failed like a dog - Trump

[Wanker Bob 379]

23 minutes ago, Gatorubet said:

Wait! Never has a headache???

Once they put quality programmable AI, sexy voice, fluid motion, and an off switch into one of those things I'm never going back 

[DixonHur 11227]

2 minutes ago, Bama Chick said:

Terrible

 

If that's him on the left....well, then fuck it, he deserved to die just for wearing that sweater.

#TeamFirst

[DixonHur 11227]

3 minutes ago, Wanker Bob said:

Once they put quality programmable AI, sexy voice, fluid motion, and an off switch into one of those things I'm never going back 

They already have on/off switches at the g-spot...you can just never find them

[RDCanecutter 26282]

1 hour ago, Steamboat1874 said:

The Hyatt downtown was serving beef and chicken fajitas in the mid 70's.

By the early 80s the fajita bug had jumped several state borders outside of Texas. It became a thing to have the waiter bring them out to the table popping grease like beef thrown onto the surface of the sun. Had my favorite shirt ruined by a spray of fajita grease. Maybe they still bring them out like that-- my grease-scarred ass doesn't know.

Fajita timeline, believe it or don't:

Genuine fajitas have developed throughout many decades. Out of Texas, fajitas became commercial sales by Sonny Falcon who operated the first fajita taco concession stand in 1969. Fajita became more popular by becoming an official dish in Mexican restaurants. German-born chef George Weidmann took fajitas to another level, by using more tender sirloin. Throughout the history of fajitas, identity of genuine fajitas became blurry with various fillings such as shrimps, chicken, and vegetables.

Wood, Virginia B. “Fajita history.” The Austin Chronicle. The Austin Chronicle, 4 March 2005. Web. 2 Feb 2016.

[TheStoicPaisano 9904]

13 minutes ago, Wanker Bob said:

Once they put quality programmable AI, sexy voice, fluid motion, and an off switch into one of those things I'm never going back 

[NWBuck 8548]

SIAP- Here's the whole video of that rant that was all over social media yesterday:

 

[henrygandorf 29177]

40 minutes ago, TexEx15 said:

Initial results from the NY antibody test indicates that approx 13.9% of residents have had the virus.  That means over 2 million people in NY alone.  Appears this aligns with the Stanford study in Santa Clara and the USC study in LA county in that the virus is much more prevalent than positive cases would indicate.  Clearly testing is the key to opening things up.  Blows the mind how the trump admin has just completely fucked that up.

I mean it doesn’t really blow my mind considering how fucking inept this administration is.

if the last couple briefings are any indication, he will avoid mass testing for one reason - because he thinks the dems/media are "going after him" over testing.  first it was the ventilators, now it's testing.  in his mind, the dems/media have turned this into a gotcha situation, and if he proceeds with a huge testing program, then that's admitting they were right.

remember, nothing is to govern.  nothing is to help people, or improve their lives.  every every everything is a personal score, vendetta, gripe, or grievance.  every move that he makes is based on his own personal opinion scoreboard.  seriously, the only reason he would improve testing is if the democrats got on tv and told him not to.

[Hookah Horns 3082]

25 minutes ago, BrickHorn said:

Those antibody studies are all fucked up. Two in California claimed a ratio of positive results to confirmed cases in the range of 50-80x.  Then NY came in with a ratio of approximately 10x. 
 

There are a number of possible explanations for the discrepancy, but I tend to believe testing inaccuracy is the main culprit. And it likely impacted the NY study as well - the distortion is just not as significant because the true rate of infection in NY is higher than in CA. So that 13.9% rate is probably a fair amount higher than the true infection rate, but it’s not as inaccurate as the 4.1% rate reported in the CA studies.

You expect us to believe the United freaking States would produce and utilize faulty covid tests??

[Hookah Horns 3082]

2 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

if the last couple briefings are any indication, he will avoid mass testing for one reason - because he thinks the dems/media are "going after him" over testing.  first it was the ventilators, now it's testing.  in his mind, the dems/media have turned this into a gotcha situation, and if he proceeds with a huge testing program, then that's admitting they were right.

remember, nothing is to govern.  nothing is to help people, or improve their lives.  every every everything is a personal score, vendetta, gripe, or grievance.  every move that he makes is based on his own personal opinion scoreboard.  seriously, the only reason he would improve testing is if the democrats got on tv and told him not to.

That's actually a fantastic idea. 

[Hookah Horns 3082]

10 minutes ago, TheStoicPaisano said:

[Hiphopopotamos 20865]

Video of Cuomo calling out McConnell's hypocrisy.

 

[Dnaguy 11777]

47 minutes ago, BrickHorn said:

Those antibody studies are all fucked up. Two in California claimed a ratio of positive results to confirmed cases in the range of 50-80x.  Then NY came in with a ratio of approximately 10x. 
 

There are a number of possible explanations for the discrepancy, but I tend to believe testing inaccuracy is the main culprit. And it likely impacted the NY study as well - the distortion is just not as significant because the true rate of infection in NY is higher than in CA. So that 13.9% rate is probably a fair amount higher than the true infection rate, but it’s not as inaccurate as the 4.1% rate reported in the CA studies.

[Dnaguy 11777]

43 minutes ago, Wanker Bob said:

Once they put quality programmable AI, sexy voice, fluid motion, and an off switch into one of those things I'm never going back 

[StruggleBus 3922]

1 hour ago, Born to Run said:

No shit. I never came in here under Obama because this place was a cesspool of Bengazi Butter Emails and idiocy.

DT now is like TexAgs. "Well it's time to get back to work and save the economy."

Zero facts or science. Just shit.

You don't have to like it, but allowing complete economic ruin for a virus with a mortality rate that is likely less than .5% could be a mistake. 

You're welcome to post your facts and science anywhere. Just because people disagree with your idea of how this should be handled doesn't mean they don't understand the facts. 

[Wanker Bob 379]

8 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

If they weren’t complete idiots, this is actually the kind of thing the Trump administration and corrupt red state “Open up!” governors should want to show.   Their best case argument for opening up would be that it turns out everyone has already been exposed to the virus anyway, its real mortality rate is much lower than if you just calculate using the serious cases that have been tested so far, and therefore the restrictions aren’t necessary.  I’m not saying that is or isn’t true, but that’s what they should be trying to prove in order to get people back to work.

But they’re insane and ignorant, so instead they just want to keep positive test results down as if anyone gives a shit or will actually believe the virus is contained so long as they just don’t test people.

 

That's the case we are all hoping for but the only way to know is to get the widespread testing out. No matter what well over 60k Americans have died from this virus in a couple of months time and good stupidity and petty behavior is the main reason why. 

[DigDug 1649]

21 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Video of Cuomo calling out McConnell's hypocrisy.

 

[HenryJames 65890]

The best people.

[F250 28691]

1 hour ago, Steamboat1874 said:

The Hyatt downtown was serving beef and chicken fajitas in the mid 70's.

Interesting, as a kid in the mid 80's I remember there were only a handful of places that served fajitas in San Antonio. We had to drive to the Southside for fajitas. Shit, I recall them being pretty scarce in Austin in the 90's.

[F250 28691]

3 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

The best people.

It makes you wonder how they target people for recruitment because there is definitely a pattern.

 

[Francisco 2.0 32342]

Hey look everyone, Nikki Haley is getting in on the fun.  I don't think she thought this out too much.

 

Take it away, Haley:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jive Turkey 12568]

Crazy times when ICP and the Juggalos are more sane and rational than Trumpsters. 

 

[DixonHur 11227]

14 minutes ago, Jive Turkey said:

Crazy times when ICP and the Juggalos are more sane and rational than Trumpsters. 

 

Especially when the Juggalo bar is literally this guy

[Continental Op 3934]

26 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

The best people.

LeT's NoT pOlItIcIzE tHis!  

[TheStoicPaisano 9904]

Pritzker/Illinois announced a month’s detention. Memorial Day should be fun.

[SameSame 1692]

25 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Hey look everyone, Nikki Haley is getting in on the fun.  I don't think she thought this out too much.

 

Take it away, Haley:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is amazing how many on the right receive subsidies in some fashion then scream at the left as some sort of socialist.

That old Craig Nelson quote summed up everything when he said he had to go on food stamps and welfare, but nobody ever helped him out.

[Mole 4320]

1 hour ago, Wanker Bob said:

Once they put quality programmable AI, sexy voice, fluid motion, and an off switch into one of those things I'm never going back 

Username checks out.

[hpslugga 4044]

19 minutes ago, SameSame said:

It is amazing how many on the right receive subsidies in some fashion then scream at the left as some sort of socialist.

That old Craig Nelson quote summed up everything when he said he had to go on food stamps and welfare, but nobody ever helped him out.

Yeah that and "get your government hands off my Medicare"

[ChiTownDoc 21102]

Johns Hopkins Daily Update, posting here too as this seems to be more of the science thread now. 

Spoiler

April 23, 2020

 

EPI UPDATE The WHO COVID-19 Situation Report for April 22 reports 2.47 million confirmed cases (73,920 new) and 169,006 deaths (6,058 new).

 

Spain again reported a slight increase in daily incidence. Overall, the epidemic has slowed since March. Italy reported increased daily incidence as well, but it also reported its third consecutive day of decreasing active cases, 10 fewer than the previous day. Austria’s reported COVID-19 incidence remains at a low level, and Germany continues its trend of declining case counts. After several weeks of consistently increasing daily incidence, Russia has reported several consecutive days of relatively steady incidence (4,774 new cases today), but additional data is needed before analyzing longer-term trends. Belarus reported 741 new cases, which appears to be elevated compared to daily incidence reported over the previous week. 

 

India reported 1,716 new cases, a considerable increase over the previous day, despite ongoing national “lockdown” measures. Pakistan reported only 298 new cases yesterday, a substantial decrease from yesterday. This is its lowest daily total incidence since April 14; however, the previous 3 days represented 3 of the 4 highest days since the pandemic began, so today’s low total may be an anomaly.

 

Singapore reported 1,037 new COVID-19 cases, including 982 among migrant worker dormitory residents. Migrant workers living in these dormitory facilities continue to drive Singapore’s accelerating COVID-19 epidemic. While reported “community cases” remain low, there is potential for transmission to extend beyond the migrant worker community into the broader public, especially considering the current case counts. Indonesia continued its overall increase in daily incidence, but it still appears that it could potentially be starting to taper off slightly. Bangladesh continued its elevated daily incidence, reporting its third-highest daily total (414 new cases). According to the WHO Situation Report, Japan updated its reporting for COVID-19 deaths to include both confirmed cases and cases “whose data matching and verification are in progress”—which presumably corresponds to suspected or probable deaths. Japan reported 91 new deaths yesterday, increasing the national total by 49%, but the daily total was back down to 10 new deaths today.

 

New York state and New York City both reported an increase in new cases for the first time in nearly a week. The state reported 5,526 new cases, 32% more than the daily incidence reported yesterday, and New York City reported 3,107 new cases, a 23% increase over the daily incidence reported the previous day. Notably, the number of tests performed in New York City and statewide were both also greater than the previous day.

 

The US CDC reported 802,583 total cases (26,490 new; 3,981 probable) and 44,575 deaths (2,817 new; 5,862 probable*) on April 22. This is the second consecutive day that the CDC reported a record high for new deaths—excluding the day New York City first reported probable COVID-19 deaths (April 14). In total, 17 states reported more than 10,000 cases (no change), and 27 states (no change) are reporting widespread community transmission. Based on recent daily incidence trends, the United States could reach 1 million cases by the end of April and 50,000 deaths by April 24.

*Based on the provided guidance regarding the reporting of probable COVID-19 cases, it is unclear how there could be more probable deaths than there are probable cases.

 

The Johns Hopkins CSSE dashboard** is reporting 843,981 US cases and 46,859 deaths as of 11:30am on April 22. The data for new daily cases reported yesterday was adjusted from the high value cited in yesterday’s briefing, and the updated value is consistent with other recent reports.

**The Johns Hopkins CSSE also publishes US-specific data, at the county level, on a dedicated dashboard.

 

US UNEMPLOYMENT Earlier today, the US Department of Labor released new information relating to the impact of COVID-19 on the US workforce. This report indicated that more than 4.4 million individuals filed initial claims for unemployment, owing largely to prolonged public health measures impacting companies’ ability to operate. While this number is a decrease from the previous week, it brings the national total to approximately 26 million new claims over the last 5 weeks, roughly 7.8% of the entire US population (not just those of working age). 

 

BELARUS After several weeks of an accelerating COVID-19 epidemic in Belarus the WHO deployed a team of experts to provide technical support and guidance for the country’s response. Belarus has already implemented a number of critical response measures, including testing, contact tracing, and isolating suspected cases. Additionally, the Belarusian government has engaged the private sector to increase production of supplies and equipment needed to support response activities. Beyond the current response measures, the WHO emphasized the importance of social distancing measures to reduce transmission in the community. The WHO recommended restricting large gatherings, quarantining contacts of confirmed patients, increasing remote work and education opportunities, and reducing non-essential movement and activities in the community. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko commented that he would take the WHO’s recommendations under advisement, but he will not be implementing nationwide measures at this time. He noted that the COVID-19 epidemic is not nationwide, so local measures are appropriate. This approach stands in contrast to many other European countries that elected to take national approaches to social distancing measures, some of which are now observing enough success that they are beginning to relax existing restrictions.

 

SWEDISH “HERD IMMUNITY” STUDY RETRACTED Closely following the debut of a report indicating high levels exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in Stockholm, the Swedish Public Health Agency retracted the report due to errors in the analysis. The initial announcement was widely covered by media around the world, as Swedish health officials forecasted that some parts of the country, including Stockholm, could achieve herd immunity by May. The model indicated that SARS-CoV-2 had spread far more widely among the public than would be indicated by other estimates, potentially including 600,000 people in Stockholm alone. In contrast, current WHO estimates suggest that only 2-3% of the global population has been infected by the virus. The Swedish government has resisted implementing the kind of aggressive nationwide social distancing measures used in other countries, and the report was used to justify this approach by suggesting that Sweden could achieve herd immunity with relatively few cases and deaths. Swedish officials have previously denied that herd immunity was the intent behind decisions against national social distancing restrictions. It is unclear at this time what errors were included in the report or whether a corrected version will be published publicly.

 

RACIAL DISPARITIES IN NEW YORK NURSING HOME DEATHS A report published by NPR looked at 78 nursing homes in New York in which at least 6 residents have died from COVID-19. The investigation found that 7 of the 11 nursing homes with the highest number of COVID-19 related deaths reported 46% or greater “non-white” residents. Nursing homes have played a major role in the spread of New York City’s COVID-19 outbreak, and residents are at elevated risk for severe disease and death. This report further highlights inequities and disparities in health outcomes for COVID-19 patients. It is essential that these inequities are further explored and addressed.

 

DEVELOPING CAPACITY FOR SEROLOGICAL TESTING A new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security outlines a potential path forward for a national strategy for antibody testing. The report urges the United States to increase access to validated, accurate serological tests for public health authorities, essential workers, and individuals who would use the test to assess their own risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition to this call to action, the report outlines key areas of importance for serological testing, particularly in the context of relaxed social distancing measures; technical, ethical, and legal challenges of “immunity certificates”; and the importance of managing uncertainty around serological test results as these tests are deployed more widely in the coming months. This report comes amid recent comments from pharmaceutical leaders and health experts regarding the current challenges that serological testing faces in the United States. 

 

NEW ACADEMIC ARTICLES The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) journals published 3 articles pertaining to clinical features of COVID-19. The first article provides a detailed look at the COVID-19 epidemic in New York City. The study includes case series data from patients presenting at 12 different New York City hospitals, spanning the majority of the larger metropolitan area. The median age for patients was 63 years, and 60.3% of patients were male. Common comorbidities included hypertension (56.6%), obesity (41.7%), and diabetes (33.8%). Among the subset with documented outcomes by the end of the study, 14.2% were admitted to an intensive care unit, and 12.2% received mechanical ventilation. In total, 21% of patients with known outcomes died.

 

The second article, from JAMA Pediatrics, presents a systematic review of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children and adolescents. The paper reviewed 18 different studies that shared case details of a total 1,065 COVID-19 cases in children or adolescents. The paper found that the majority of pediatric patients presented with mild or no symptoms and that no child aged 0 to 9 died across the 18 studies. This paper reinforces the current understanding that children and adolescents are at lower risk for severe COVID-19 than older adults. 

 

The third article is a research letter regarding a study that aimed to explore smell or taste disturbances in COVID-19 patients, with a focus on the prevalence, timing of onset, and intensity of those symptoms. Interviews were conducted with 202 confirmed COVID-19 patients from a regional hospital in Northern Italy. The study participants had a median age of 56 years. The study found that 64.4% of participants reported altered sense of taste or smell. The median score for severity was a 4 (with 5 being the most severe change). Among those who provided information regarding the timing of their altered smell/taste, 19.4% indicated that it presented before other symptoms, 37.1% said it presented at the same time as other symptoms, and 43.5% said it presented after other symptoms presented.

 

SARS-CoV-2 COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION Researchers at Northeastern University developed a model that illustrates a scenario in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus could have circulated in the New York City area (and other major cities), reaching thousands of infections before it was first detected. The model also estimates that there were potentially 28,000 infections across several major US at a time when there were only 23 confirmed COVID-19 cases. There is considerable uncertainty inherent to any model, but even if the projected magnitude is higher than reality, there appears to be growing evidence that early screening, testing, and contact tracing efforts were unable to adequately detect community transmission early in the epidemic.

 

RELAXING SOCIAL DISTANCING As elected officials and health officials in the United States look ahead to relaxing social distancing measures, some initial decisions have been met with opposition, particularly because current epidemic conditions and response capacities (eg, diagnostic testing and contact tracing) have not met proposed thresholds for relaxing those measures. Earlier this week, Georgia Governor Bill Kemp issued an executive order that would ease existing statewide restrictions, including permitting some non-essential businesses to reopen as early as later this week. Yesterday, US President Donald Trump—in contrast to previous calls for states to “reopen”—stated that he disagreed with Governor Kemp’s decision. He emphasized that Georgia had not yet demonstrated the key criteria to enter “phase 1” and that businesses such as tattoo parlors and barber shops that pose elevated risk of transmission would be more appropriate to open in “phase 2.” Dr. Anthony Fauci also warned of the potential for SARS-CoV-2 transmission to “rebound” if social distancing measures are not eased in the appropriate manner.

 

In an interview yesterday with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman commented that she would not issue guidance to local businesses—or casinos and hotels that are under the jurisdiction of the Nevada Gaming Commission or county government—regarding social distancing or other measures to augment the safety of employees or visitors. She emphasized the need to resume business operations, including drawing in visitors, due to the economic hardship imposed by existing restrictions, but she also noted that it would be the responsibility of individual businesses to develop and implement their own measures. Additionally, she stated that she had previously offered for Las Vegas to be a “control group” (ie, without social distancing measures in place) to provide baseline SARS-CoV-2 transmission data against which the effects of social distancing could be evaluated, but local health officials recommended against this approach. Some elected officials, union representatives, and others have criticized her remarks as reckless.

 

NEW YORK COVID-19 CONTACT TRACING New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced the start of an ambitious COVID-19 contact tracing effort. The scale of the contact tracing effort is set to exceed that of any in New York’s history, with financial contributions and plans for recruitment already in progress. The program is set to launch immediately, but there is an expectation that it will take time before contact tracing operations can formally commence. Governor Cuomo has repeatedly emphasized the importance of contact tracing to New York State’s prolonged COVID-19 response, including efforts to relax social distancing, with the goal being to develop a system that can effectively “identify, contact, isolate” patients in a way that will limit spread of the disease. 

 

DOWNSTREAM COVID-19 IMPACTS Concern over COVID-19 and limited operations at healthcare and public health facilities, beyond the COVID-19 response, are resulting in individuals postponing care and other services. An article published by STAT News provides insight into patients who are electing to delay treatment, including going to the emergency department (ED) for emergent conditions. EDs across the country have reported significant decreases in normal patient load—including for injuries and trauma as well as strokes, appendicitis, and heart conditions—since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic. There are a number of potential factors such as reduced pollution, reduced driving and fewer traffic accidents—however, some clinicians are reporting that the patients they are treating in the ED have more severe conditions, which could indicate that people are postponing needed care. Additionally, some clinicians expressed concern that patients may be dying of these conditions at home rather than risk exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the hospital.

 

Another article, published in The New York Times, addresses the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on vaccination coverage and other preventive services as parents delay routine childhood care. Decreasing rates for routine childhood immunizations have received considerable attention over the past several years, as low vaccination coverage has resulted in increasing outbreaks (in both number and scale) for vaccine-preventable diseases, such as pertussis, mumps, and measles. One effort to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on childhood vaccination coverage found that the number of vaccinations administered for measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine decreased by 50% for a week in early April. Additionally, vaccinations for diphtheria and pertussis (DTaP and Tdap vaccines) decreased by 42%, and vaccinations against the human papillomavirus (HPV) fell by 73%. The federal Vaccines for Children program also reported decreases in the number of vaccine doses distributed, including a 68% decrease in Massachusetts over 2 weeks in April. Around the world, national immunizations programs have been suspended in many countries, as public health assets are allocated for the COVID-19 response. Alternatives to traditional doctor’s appointments, including “house calls” and mobile clinics, may be needed in order to mitigate risks due to delayed preventive and routine medical care, including vaccination.

 

JOHNS HOPKINS WEBCAST ON TAIWAN'S COVID-19 RESPONSE On Friday, April 24, Taiwan Vice President Chen Chien-jen will join Ellen J. MacKenzie, Dean of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, for a webcast conversation about Taiwan’s early and effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They will discuss specific measures that Taiwan took to control the spread of the virus and how Vice President Chen’s public health training played a role.

 

[AUinHsv 576]

1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

By the early 80s the fajita bug had jumped several state borders outside of Texas. It became a thing to have the waiter bring them out to the table popping grease like beef thrown onto the surface of the sun. Had my favorite shirt ruined by a spray of fajita grease. Maybe they still bring them out like that-- my grease-scarred ass doesn't know.

Fajita timeline, believe it or don't:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Genuine fajitas have developed throughout many decades. Out of Texas, fajitas became commercial sales by Sonny Falcon who operated the first fajita taco concession stand in 1969. Fajita became more popular by becoming an official dish in Mexican restaurants. German-born chef George Weidmann took fajitas to another level, by using more tender sirloin. Throughout the history of fajitas, identity of genuine fajitas became blurry with various fillings such as shrimps, chicken, and vegetables.

Wood, Virginia B. “Fajita history.” The Austin Chronicle. The Austin Chronicle, 4 March 2005. Web. 2 Feb 2016.

 

 

I remember getting them in mid 80's in Grapevine. Nice restaurant that used to be a house. Just remember going down a street and turning left at Harley dealership.

[FondrenRoad 4378]

3 hours ago, Wanker Bob said:

In the late 80s my dad would go to the meat market and buy them for under $1 a lbs. Usually around $.80 or so. 

Even adjusting for inflation that's extremely cheap compared to the $7+ or so skirt goes for now.  

I always thought that was due to other latin dishes that use the same meat growing in popularity in the 2000s like ropa vieja. 

[workswithseed 2037]

2 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

By the early 80s the fajita bug had jumped several state borders outside of Texas. It became a thing to have the waiter bring them out to the table popping grease like beef thrown onto the surface of the sun. Had my favorite shirt ruined by a spray of fajita grease. Maybe they still bring them out like that-- my grease-scarred ass doesn't know.

Fajita timeline, believe it or don't:

 

  Hide contents

 

Genuine fajitas have developed throughout many decades. Out of Texas, fajitas became commercial sales by Sonny Falcon who operated the first fajita taco concession stand in 1969. Fajita became more popular by becoming an official dish in Mexican restaurants. German-born chef George Weidmann took fajitas to another level, by using more tender sirloin. Throughout the history of fajitas, identity of genuine fajitas became blurry with various fillings such as shrimps, chicken, and vegetables.

Wood, Virginia B. “Fajita history.” The Austin Chronicle. The Austin Chronicle, 4 March 2005. Web. 2 Feb 2016.

 

 

Fuck yeah! A white person using better beef for better fajitas.

[Biff Tannen 45499]

I find the random history of fajitas talk in the COVID thread highly entertaining.

[cactusflinthead 27594]

56 minutes ago, AUinHsv said:

I remember getting them in mid 80's in Grapevine. Nice restaurant that used to be a house. Just remember going down a street and turning left at Harley dealership.

Esparza's

[Dahobbs 17447]

39 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Johns Hopkins Daily Update, posting here too as this seems to be more of the science thread now. 

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April 23, 2020

 

EPI UPDATE The WHO COVID-19 Situation Report for April 22 reports 2.47 million confirmed cases (73,920 new) and 169,006 deaths (6,058 new).

 

Spain again reported a slight increase in daily incidence. Overall, the epidemic has slowed since March. Italy reported increased daily incidence as well, but it also reported its third consecutive day of decreasing active cases, 10 fewer than the previous day. Austria’s reported COVID-19 incidence remains at a low level, and Germany continues its trend of declining case counts. After several weeks of consistently increasing daily incidence, Russia has reported several consecutive days of relatively steady incidence (4,774 new cases today), but additional data is needed before analyzing longer-term trends. Belarus reported 741 new cases, which appears to be elevated compared to daily incidence reported over the previous week. 

 

India reported 1,716 new cases, a considerable increase over the previous day, despite ongoing national “lockdown” measures. Pakistan reported only 298 new cases yesterday, a substantial decrease from yesterday. This is its lowest daily total incidence since April 14; however, the previous 3 days represented 3 of the 4 highest days since the pandemic began, so today’s low total may be an anomaly.

 

Singapore reported 1,037 new COVID-19 cases, including 982 among migrant worker dormitory residents. Migrant workers living in these dormitory facilities continue to drive Singapore’s accelerating COVID-19 epidemic. While reported “community cases” remain low, there is potential for transmission to extend beyond the migrant worker community into the broader public, especially considering the current case counts. Indonesia continued its overall increase in daily incidence, but it still appears that it could potentially be starting to taper off slightly. Bangladesh continued its elevated daily incidence, reporting its third-highest daily total (414 new cases). According to the WHO Situation Report, Japan updated its reporting for COVID-19 deaths to include both confirmed cases and cases “whose data matching and verification are in progress”—which presumably corresponds to suspected or probable deaths. Japan reported 91 new deaths yesterday, increasing the national total by 49%, but the daily total was back down to 10 new deaths today.

 

New York state and New York City both reported an increase in new cases for the first time in nearly a week. The state reported 5,526 new cases, 32% more than the daily incidence reported yesterday, and New York City reported 3,107 new cases, a 23% increase over the daily incidence reported the previous day. Notably, the number of tests performed in New York City and statewide were both also greater than the previous day.

 

The US CDC reported 802,583 total cases (26,490 new; 3,981 probable) and 44,575 deaths (2,817 new; 5,862 probable*) on April 22. This is the second consecutive day that the CDC reported a record high for new deaths—excluding the day New York City first reported probable COVID-19 deaths (April 14). In total, 17 states reported more than 10,000 cases (no change), and 27 states (no change) are reporting widespread community transmission. Based on recent daily incidence trends, the United States could reach 1 million cases by the end of April and 50,000 deaths by April 24.

*Based on the provided guidance regarding the reporting of probable COVID-19 cases, it is unclear how there could be more probable deaths than there are probable cases.

 

The Johns Hopkins CSSE dashboard** is reporting 843,981 US cases and 46,859 deaths as of 11:30am on April 22. The data for new daily cases reported yesterday was adjusted from the high value cited in yesterday’s briefing, and the updated value is consistent with other recent reports.

**The Johns Hopkins CSSE also publishes US-specific data, at the county level, on a dedicated dashboard.

 

US UNEMPLOYMENT Earlier today, the US Department of Labor released new information relating to the impact of COVID-19 on the US workforce. This report indicated that more than 4.4 million individuals filed initial claims for unemployment, owing largely to prolonged public health measures impacting companies’ ability to operate. While this number is a decrease from the previous week, it brings the national total to approximately 26 million new claims over the last 5 weeks, roughly 7.8% of the entire US population (not just those of working age). 

 

BELARUS After several weeks of an accelerating COVID-19 epidemic in Belarus the WHO deployed a team of experts to provide technical support and guidance for the country’s response. Belarus has already implemented a number of critical response measures, including testing, contact tracing, and isolating suspected cases. Additionally, the Belarusian government has engaged the private sector to increase production of supplies and equipment needed to support response activities. Beyond the current response measures, the WHO emphasized the importance of social distancing measures to reduce transmission in the community. The WHO recommended restricting large gatherings, quarantining contacts of confirmed patients, increasing remote work and education opportunities, and reducing non-essential movement and activities in the community. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko commented that he would take the WHO’s recommendations under advisement, but he will not be implementing nationwide measures at this time. He noted that the COVID-19 epidemic is not nationwide, so local measures are appropriate. This approach stands in contrast to many other European countries that elected to take national approaches to social distancing measures, some of which are now observing enough success that they are beginning to relax existing restrictions.

 

SWEDISH “HERD IMMUNITY” STUDY RETRACTED Closely following the debut of a report indicating high levels exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in Stockholm, the Swedish Public Health Agency retracted the report due to errors in the analysis. The initial announcement was widely covered by media around the world, as Swedish health officials forecasted that some parts of the country, including Stockholm, could achieve herd immunity by May. The model indicated that SARS-CoV-2 had spread far more widely among the public than would be indicated by other estimates, potentially including 600,000 people in Stockholm alone. In contrast, current WHO estimates suggest that only 2-3% of the global population has been infected by the virus. The Swedish government has resisted implementing the kind of aggressive nationwide social distancing measures used in other countries, and the report was used to justify this approach by suggesting that Sweden could achieve herd immunity with relatively few cases and deaths. Swedish officials have previously denied that herd immunity was the intent behind decisions against national social distancing restrictions. It is unclear at this time what errors were included in the report or whether a corrected version will be published publicly.

 

RACIAL DISPARITIES IN NEW YORK NURSING HOME DEATHS A report published by NPR looked at 78 nursing homes in New York in which at least 6 residents have died from COVID-19. The investigation found that 7 of the 11 nursing homes with the highest number of COVID-19 related deaths reported 46% or greater “non-white” residents. Nursing homes have played a major role in the spread of New York City’s COVID-19 outbreak, and residents are at elevated risk for severe disease and death. This report further highlights inequities and disparities in health outcomes for COVID-19 patients. It is essential that these inequities are further explored and addressed.

 

DEVELOPING CAPACITY FOR SEROLOGICAL TESTING A new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security outlines a potential path forward for a national strategy for antibody testing. The report urges the United States to increase access to validated, accurate serological tests for public health authorities, essential workers, and individuals who would use the test to assess their own risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition to this call to action, the report outlines key areas of importance for serological testing, particularly in the context of relaxed social distancing measures; technical, ethical, and legal challenges of “immunity certificates”; and the importance of managing uncertainty around serological test results as these tests are deployed more widely in the coming months. This report comes amid recent comments from pharmaceutical leaders and health experts regarding the current challenges that serological testing faces in the United States. 

 

NEW ACADEMIC ARTICLES The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) journals published 3 articles pertaining to clinical features of COVID-19. The first article provides a detailed look at the COVID-19 epidemic in New York City. The study includes case series data from patients presenting at 12 different New York City hospitals, spanning the majority of the larger metropolitan area. The median age for patients was 63 years, and 60.3% of patients were male. Common comorbidities included hypertension (56.6%), obesity (41.7%), and diabetes (33.8%). Among the subset with documented outcomes by the end of the study, 14.2% were admitted to an intensive care unit, and 12.2% received mechanical ventilation. In total, 21% of patients with known outcomes died.

 

The second article, from JAMA Pediatrics, presents a systematic review of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children and adolescents. The paper reviewed 18 different studies that shared case details of a total 1,065 COVID-19 cases in children or adolescents. The paper found that the majority of pediatric patients presented with mild or no symptoms and that no child aged 0 to 9 died across the 18 studies. This paper reinforces the current understanding that children and adolescents are at lower risk for severe COVID-19 than older adults. 

 

The third article is a research letter regarding a study that aimed to explore smell or taste disturbances in COVID-19 patients, with a focus on the prevalence, timing of onset, and intensity of those symptoms. Interviews were conducted with 202 confirmed COVID-19 patients from a regional hospital in Northern Italy. The study participants had a median age of 56 years. The study found that 64.4% of participants reported altered sense of taste or smell. The median score for severity was a 4 (with 5 being the most severe change). Among those who provided information regarding the timing of their altered smell/taste, 19.4% indicated that it presented before other symptoms, 37.1% said it presented at the same time as other symptoms, and 43.5% said it presented after other symptoms presented.

 

SARS-CoV-2 COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION Researchers at Northeastern University developed a model that illustrates a scenario in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus could have circulated in the New York City area (and other major cities), reaching thousands of infections before it was first detected. The model also estimates that there were potentially 28,000 infections across several major US at a time when there were only 23 confirmed COVID-19 cases. There is considerable uncertainty inherent to any model, but even if the projected magnitude is higher than reality, there appears to be growing evidence that early screening, testing, and contact tracing efforts were unable to adequately detect community transmission early in the epidemic.

 

RELAXING SOCIAL DISTANCING As elected officials and health officials in the United States look ahead to relaxing social distancing measures, some initial decisions have been met with opposition, particularly because current epidemic conditions and response capacities (eg, diagnostic testing and contact tracing) have not met proposed thresholds for relaxing those measures. Earlier this week, Georgia Governor Bill Kemp issued an executive order that would ease existing statewide restrictions, including permitting some non-essential businesses to reopen as early as later this week. Yesterday, US President Donald Trump—in contrast to previous calls for states to “reopen”—stated that he disagreed with Governor Kemp’s decision. He emphasized that Georgia had not yet demonstrated the key criteria to enter “phase 1” and that businesses such as tattoo parlors and barber shops that pose elevated risk of transmission would be more appropriate to open in “phase 2.” Dr. Anthony Fauci also warned of the potential for SARS-CoV-2 transmission to “rebound” if social distancing measures are not eased in the appropriate manner.

 

In an interview yesterday with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman commented that she would not issue guidance to local businesses—or casinos and hotels that are under the jurisdiction of the Nevada Gaming Commission or county government—regarding social distancing or other measures to augment the safety of employees or visitors. She emphasized the need to resume business operations, including drawing in visitors, due to the economic hardship imposed by existing restrictions, but she also noted that it would be the responsibility of individual businesses to develop and implement their own measures. Additionally, she stated that she had previously offered for Las Vegas to be a “control group” (ie, without social distancing measures in place) to provide baseline SARS-CoV-2 transmission data against which the effects of social distancing could be evaluated, but local health officials recommended against this approach. Some elected officials, union representatives, and others have criticized her remarks as reckless.

 

NEW YORK COVID-19 CONTACT TRACING New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced the start of an ambitious COVID-19 contact tracing effort. The scale of the contact tracing effort is set to exceed that of any in New York’s history, with financial contributions and plans for recruitment already in progress. The program is set to launch immediately, but there is an expectation that it will take time before contact tracing operations can formally commence. Governor Cuomo has repeatedly emphasized the importance of contact tracing to New York State’s prolonged COVID-19 response, including efforts to relax social distancing, with the goal being to develop a system that can effectively “identify, contact, isolate” patients in a way that will limit spread of the disease. 

 

DOWNSTREAM COVID-19 IMPACTS Concern over COVID-19 and limited operations at healthcare and public health facilities, beyond the COVID-19 response, are resulting in individuals postponing care and other services. An article published by STAT News provides insight into patients who are electing to delay treatment, including going to the emergency department (ED) for emergent conditions. EDs across the country have reported significant decreases in normal patient load—including for injuries and trauma as well as strokes, appendicitis, and heart conditions—since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic. There are a number of potential factors such as reduced pollution, reduced driving and fewer traffic accidents—however, some clinicians are reporting that the patients they are treating in the ED have more severe conditions, which could indicate that people are postponing needed care. Additionally, some clinicians expressed concern that patients may be dying of these conditions at home rather than risk exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the hospital.

 

Another article, published in The New York Times, addresses the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on vaccination coverage and other preventive services as parents delay routine childhood care. Decreasing rates for routine childhood immunizations have received considerable attention over the past several years, as low vaccination coverage has resulted in increasing outbreaks (in both number and scale) for vaccine-preventable diseases, such as pertussis, mumps, and measles. One effort to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on childhood vaccination coverage found that the number of vaccinations administered for measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine decreased by 50% for a week in early April. Additionally, vaccinations for diphtheria and pertussis (DTaP and Tdap vaccines) decreased by 42%, and vaccinations against the human papillomavirus (HPV) fell by 73%. The federal Vaccines for Children program also reported decreases in the number of vaccine doses distributed, including a 68% decrease in Massachusetts over 2 weeks in April. Around the world, national immunizations programs have been suspended in many countries, as public health assets are allocated for the COVID-19 response. Alternatives to traditional doctor’s appointments, including “house calls” and mobile clinics, may be needed in order to mitigate risks due to delayed preventive and routine medical care, including vaccination.

 

JOHNS HOPKINS WEBCAST ON TAIWAN'S COVID-19 RESPONSE On Friday, April 24, Taiwan Vice President Chen Chien-jen will join Ellen J. MacKenzie, Dean of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, for a webcast conversation about Taiwan’s early and effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They will discuss specific measures that Taiwan took to control the spread of the virus and how Vice President Chen’s public health training played a role.

 

 

Table 4 in the JAMA article on NY hospitalizations is interesting. It shows Discharge Disposition by 10-Year Age Intervals, including deaths and length of stays. For instance, 7% of males between 20-29 that were hospitalized died (3 of 42). People under the age of 50 made up 6.1% of the deaths (34 out of 553). And the results for males were across the board way worse than females. 

 

[ChiTownDoc 21102]

1 minute ago, Dahobbs said:

 

Table 4 in the JAMA article on NY hospitalizations is interesting. It shows Discharge Disposition by 10-Year Age Intervals, including deaths and length of stays. For instance, 7% of males between 20-29 that were hospitalized died (3 of 42). People under the age of 50 made up 6.1% of the deaths (34 out of 553). And the results for males were across the board way worse than females. 

 

Dudes tend to be larger...larger people do worse in general with respiratory illness. 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0954611116302062

[TexLonghorn 5593]

1 hour ago, SameSame said:

It is amazing how many on the right receive subsidies in some fashion then scream at the left as some sort of socialist.

That old Craig Nelson quote summed up everything when he said he had to go on food stamps and welfare, but nobody ever helped him out.

Too true.  Here's the receipt:

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by TexLonghorn

[GreenspointTexas 9567]

Siap but Pence said that corona will be “largely behind us by Memorial Day”

 

 

miketysonlaughing.gif

[conVINCEd 21468]

1 minute ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Siap but Pence said that corona will be “largely behind us by Memorial Day”

 

 

miketysonlaughing.gif

What he meant is that we are going to be bent over a table, bound and gagged,  and corona is going to be behind us stroking his largely dick before fucking us in the ass.  So, it will be largely behind us.

[Nivek 16861]

14 hours ago, RPM said:

Late to the thread but wanted to follow up on this. Guy in the hat was Ammon Bundy. Yeah, that Bundy. This whole thing was staged from the get go.

Do you know what '"uhn-a-lean-able" means?