COVID-19

[Zed Head]

The normalization of this state of affairs in the United States of America is the other major effect.  You just compared the USA to Brazil, India, China and Mexico.  We used to think of three of those as undeveloped, basically poor countries, and the other as a developed Communist nation with a population of poor people.  Look at where we stand now.

And look at the image I pasted in my post above.  About the same number of deaths shown as India.  But India has twice the cases.  For today our death rate is double India's.  Over the course it's 1.84% versus  3.06%.  Isn't that incredible?  That's what happens when they play the testing games.  The death rate goes up, on paper.

The USA used to be the place to go to avoid what's happening in those other countries.  Now we're worse than they are.  

https://www.kayak.com/travel-restrictions

[motorman7]

4 hours ago, Zed Head said:

And look at the image I pasted in my post above.  About the same number of deaths shown as India.  But India has twice the cases.  For today our death rate is double India's.  Over the course it's 1.84% versus  3.06%.  Isn't that incredible?  That's what happens when they play the testing games.  The death rate goes up, on paper.

The USA used to be the place to go to avoid what's happening in those other countries.  Now we're worse than they are.  

The death rate is more a factor of timing really.  At the initial virus outbreak, the virus was quite deadly as it ravaged Europe and the North East US.  The death rate for all those countries on the leading edge was quite high.  That is what the charts I posted earlier show, high death rate per infection in April, and a death rate at nearly one-third of that by August.  I would expect that trend to continue as the virus weakens over time.  This can also be seen in the US data.  Those states in orange below were part of the initial infection and have a much higher death rate than those in the yellow that are part of the current US peak.  A virus weakens over time.  The strong ones kill their hosts and die out themselves.  The weak ones survive and their hosts live on to infect others.  That is why in virtually all of the European daily death charts and New York and New Jersey you have the steep rise initially and then the slow drop as the virus weakens as it works its way through the population with the survival rate increasing.  

This article talks about that process a bit.  While biology is really not my forte, the numbers from the charts above are really quite telling

https://sciencewithdrdoug.wordpress.com/2020/07/27/enzymes-in-humans-are-mutating-the-novel-coronavirus-in-an-accelerated-fashion-to-make-it-less-harmful/

 

 

As a side note, I think you're being a little hard on the college kids as being 'agents of the grim reaper'.  Technically, anytime we get behind the wheel of our cars, we could be considered 'agents of the grim reaper'.  37,000 Automobile deaths and millions injured or handicapped. 

Edited August 26, 2020 by motorman7

[Zed Head]

 

22 minutes ago, motorman7 said:

The death rate is more a factor of timing really. 

I just get to the heart of things rather than talk around them like they aren't happening.  It is what it is.

That's why I included the overall comparison.  1.8 versus 3.1.  No significant timing there.  I anticipated your argument...

You're talking around what's obvious.  

Doesn't really matter much.  We all live in our own little thought bubbles.  Cognitive bias is a bitch.

Edited August 26, 2020 by Zed Head

[Zed Head]

Marketwatch seems like they'd be middle of the road.  Biased toward making money, a person would assume.  How can less testing be better for anyone or anything?

Almost like there's a plan to spread the virus.  Barely comprehensible, but the facts seem to fit.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/coronavirus-update-health-experts-express-alarm-at-cdc-change-in-testing-guidelines-that-exclude-asymptomatic-patients-2020-08-26

The Marketwatch link seems to be pay-per-view now.  Here's Google's collection.

https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqOQgKIjNDQklTSURvSmMzUnZjbmt0TXpZd1NoTUtFUWlOdkkzT2tJQU1FYWpfaWZpWWR5WkRLQUFQAQ?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

Edited August 26, 2020 by Zed Head

[Mark Maras]

1 hour ago, Zed Head said:

Marketwatch seems like they'd be middle of the road.  Biased toward making money, a person would assume.  How can less testing be better for anyone or anything?

 

 I can think of one person!

[siteunseen]

On 8/25/2020 at 3:32 PM, Zed Head said:

Technology is starting to catch up with the reality of the new world we'll have for a while.

Common sense is beginning to squeeze in thankfully. 

Fear the truth isn't working in Alabama, that's bad because "we're" scared of you Yankees.

I need to apologize for my bad choice of a word. I love all you guys no matter where you live. The man that lives in the WH is from Queens and he's a scaremonger. He's not scaring anybody I know. I'm sorry, but I'm pissed.

 

Edited August 28, 2020 by siteunseen

[Zed Head]

For anyone getting lulled in to believing that the situation in the USA is normal.

These curves should be very similar, at least.  You can't fake deaths.  "Fake deaths" isn't a thing, although it might be tried, no surprise.

Over three times as many people are dying of COVID-19 in the USA as in our"comparables".  Modern developed countries.  We used to be one.

[Zed Head]

Hope they don't have kegs at the rallies.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/29/theyre-not-social-distancing-us-college-towns-close-bars-as-infections-surge

[conedodger]

I watch this pretty closely as I do anesthesia (1 day a week now as I am retired). I have pronounced roughly 30 deaths and intubated twice that. We are quickly approaching 200K deaths in the US and that is a shame as it was not necessary. I think we will still have another peak as there is no discipline in this country. People refuse to do the safe thing because it violates their rights. Hmmm...

My next door neighbor died approximately a month ago now. His name was Louie and he was a car guy. (Audi S8 in perfect condition) He was always up for helping me wrench. He called 911 at 8am and when the FD and Ambulance arrived he staggered out the door and fell to the ground unable to breath. He died where he landed. The Washoe County Department of Health had to double body bag him so the funeral home could take him. He was 39. He had just bought that 4Runner for his wife. 

This is real. It's changing everything. Be safe out there...

[Namerow]

On 8/28/2020 at 11:37 PM, Zed Head said:

Over three times as many people are dying of COVID-19 in the USA as in our"comparables". 

If I'm reading that graph correctly, that would be over six times as many, based on the August numbers.   And I don't think the jump in U.S. numbers during July should be misconstrued as the 'second wave'.  I think the real second wave is waiting to emerge in October -- and it may not be pretty.  Conedodger's story and the accompanying picture are first person and compelling.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Namerow

[grannyknot]

5 hours ago, conedodger said:

People refuse to do the safe thing because it violates their rights. Hmmm...

I think "violates their rights" is the excuse for why they refuse, the real reason I'll bet is that it would take some effort and is so inconvenient.

[Pilgrim]

I have a problem with this "violates your rights" protestation. What it really means is "I'm pissed at not getting my way, so I'll claim my rights are being violated."

All rights have limits under certain circumstances; these include such basics as life and liberty. Prison removes liberty and capital punishment cancels life. Slander laws limit freedom of speech, as does the famous example of legal action after yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. Firearms can't be carried in certain settings or circumstances. At least one state has recognized the Governor's right to enact and enforce a mask order. 

I do not intend to make this a political argument, but to note that any of our rights are to some degree circumstantial and can be temporarily changed. In my personal opinion a worldwide pandemic qualifies as such a circumstance.

Also, it is sometimes possible to insist on your rights to the point where it is roughly equivalent to committing suicide.

Edited September 5, 2020 by Pilgrim