COVID-19

[Pilgrim]

20 hours ago, Zed Head said:

Just wait...

Edit - I overlooked the first part of your comment.  You're forgetting, maybe, about The Wall.  Defense money was moved over to finance a few extra miles.  "Emergency declaration" I think is the key phrase.

https://www.vox.com/2020/1/14/21065352/trump-diverting-military-funds-border-wall-construction

True enough, but I think we all recognize the political reason for that action. At least under the current administration, I think pigs would fly at orbital speed before money would be transferred from the military budget to any humanitarian function.

[Zed Head]

Now, on top of it all, we have the "Wuhan" hornet...  C'mon!

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/02/murder-hornets-washington-state-bees-twitter

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by Zed Head

[siteunseen]

We can't enter any municipal building with a pocket knife in my city. We go through metal detectors. How in the hell did these idiots get away with this? They'd be shot dead here entering with guns and mask covering their faces. 

 

 

[Zed Head]

I wish that they realized how stupid they look.  Just a bunch of dumb idiots with guns and masks.  Like 12 year olds playing army.

Edited May 3, 2020 by Zed Head

[Zed Head]

Overall, the infection rate has been pretty steady, with the distancing and closures.  Not really seeing a trend up or down or any reason to think it will go any way but up, in the near future, unless summer weather balances out the reopenings.

https://www.mdmetrix.com/covid-19-projections

[Mark Maras]

2 hours ago, siteunseen said:

We can't enter any municipal building with a pocket knife in my city. We go through metal detectors. How in the hell did these idiots get away with this? They'd be shot dead here entering with guns and mask covering their faces. 

 

 

 Same here. I had to remove a screwdriver from my keychain although all my keys were sharper. I don't know how the above idiots get away with it. I do worry about their mindset and how many there are.

[motorman7]

Good article on Sweden's response

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/05/coronavirus-crisis-sweden-refused-lockdown-other-countries-following/

  I thought that this was an interesting quote: "Over half of Swedish deaths are in nursing homes. Of those who died, 90 percent were over 70 and half were over 86, with just 1 percent younger than 50.  It is ironic that half of the Swedish deaths are in people over the age of 86. Life expectancy in Sweden is 83"

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107913/number-of-coronavirus-deaths-in-sweden-by-age-groups/

 

15 hours ago, Zed Head said:

Overall, the infection rate has been pretty steady, with the distancing and closures.  Not really seeing a trend up or down or any reason to think it will go any way but up, in the near future, unless summer weather balances out the reopenings.

https://www.mdmetrix.com/covid-19-projections

Yes, interesting chart.  Most of the initial rise was New York and New Jersey and some of Michigan.  As these three states seem to be beyond the peak and on their way down, other states are still ramping up, keeping the total new cases relatively flat.  Would be nice if the summer heat would bring the curve down....we'll see.

[Zed Head]

3 hours ago, motorman7 said:

  I thought that this was an interesting quote: "Over half of Swedish deaths are in nursing homes. Of those who died, 90 percent were over 70 and half were over 86, with just 1 percent younger than 50.  It is ironic that half of the Swedish deaths are in people over the age of 86. Life expectancy in Sweden is 83"

We need some kind of moniker for the "let the old people die" crowd.  

This is death panel stuff.  Combine it with the broken food chain and we're in Soylent Green territory.

 

[Zed Head]

Here's a way to avoid the state lockdowns.  International waters.  Take a cruise.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/04/carnival-cruise-line-coronavirus-resume-operations

 

[Zed Head]

3 hours ago, motorman7 said:

Good article on Sweden's response

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/05/coronavirus-crisis-sweden-refused-lockdown-other-countries-following/

What's really interesting about Sweden's comments is that they are taking the "we're not the worst" approach.  Italy and Spain, and the UK and France set the bar so low that everyone else can say "it could be worse".  It's what the WH is doing now.  The fact that old people and minorities are affected the most makes it easier for us younger and genetically favored people to see the "positive" side of things.  More for us!

We should set up an internment camp in the desert for the old people.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senicide

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/racial-ethnic-minorities.html?mod=article_inline

[Zed Head]

I just noticed that your article was from the National Review.  It fits.

This quote is a good one.  Not sure why they didn't use Hiroshima or Nagasaki for comparison.  It could be worse!  Be thankful.

course, Sweden paid a price during the pandemic. But whatever price the Swedes paid for their COVID-19 policy, they will tell you it was worth it. And it is easy to figure out that price. They never cratered their economy or blocked nonemergency surgeries. They had more deaths than their Nordic neighbors, but nothing even close to the 650 deaths per million the U.S. suffered during the 1968 Hong Kong flu, a pandemic that was handled with few social-isolation controls and no lockdowns.

[motorman7]

Data really is just something to learn from and take action on.  Data does not care if you like it or not.  It is a tool to use to make decisions, providing information to help someone make the best choice. 

That being said,  the data tells us that the age factor is critical, and not by a small amount.  It is technically Orders of Magnitude (10X) different between someone who is 80 versus someone who is 50 versus someone who is 20.  That's pretty crazy.  I have a hard time thinking of things that show that great of a differential.  Even turbocharger boost pressure wouldn't ramp up engine HP that fast.

The other thing is: the data doesn't care whether you are locked down or not.  This is deadly for the elderly no matter who you are, whether you are in New Zealand or Sweden.  If you are over 50 (just to be safe), you want to avoid this at all costs.  Ideally, you would probably want to secure all retirement homes and communities with a pretty hardcore lockdown.  If you let anyone in, they need to be tested.  All staff needs to be tested, etc.  Those 50 and under? your odds are pretty good and probably not much different than the common flu.

While Sweden may continue to take a lot of heat, they are just about done with the race and on the right side of the bell curve.  I do not think that the US is there yet.....except for maybe NY and NJ.

Below are the death by age charts for UK, Wuhan,  Sweden, and the US.

Edited May 4, 2020 by motorman7