Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[naptownskinsfan]

14 minutes ago, mission27 said:

Virginia is a **** show.  Lot more testing though which is good news.

Virginia is a crazy beast.  Near DC, you have a sprawling urban area that is really tightly packed, but move a little bit out of those areas and most of the rest of the state is pretty rural.  Not surprised that they are likely fighting the virus with those urban areas, especially since they are the ones close in proximity to DC.  

[TVScout]

For the MoL and anybody else who wants to know:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/mapping-spread-new-coronavirus/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-us-cases-deaths/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/26/coronavirus-update-us/

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/05/us/coronavirus-death-toll-us.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20200526&instance_id=18775&nl=the-morning&regi_id=127802529&segment_id=29152&te=1&user_id=0ec3b530f45ff5c070e34ae9b6fc8ea1

Dr. Birx allegedly said "nothing" from the CDC can be trusted. Dr. Fauci claimed deaths are actually undercounted

https://www.salon.com/2020/05/13/trump-pressures-cdc-to-lower-death-toll-by-changing-how-it-counts-coronavirus-fatalities-report/

[Glen]

If true that deaths are being undercounted I feel ashamed to be an American.

Fourth time this week, so far.

[mission27]

23 minutes ago, naptownskinsfan said:

Virginia is a crazy beast.  Near DC, you have a sprawling urban area that is really tightly packed, but move a little bit out of those areas and most of the rest of the state is pretty rural.  Not surprised that they are likely fighting the virus with those urban areas, especially since they are the ones close in proximity to DC.  

Its just odd that DC is so far behind the other major metros in getting this under control.  I suppose Chicago arguably too although they've stabilized at least.

[mission27]

Just now, mission27 said:

Its just odd that DC is so far behind the other major metros in getting this under control.  I suppose Chicago arguably too although they've stabilized at least.

And Maryland has actually made a fair bit of progress the last couple of weeks.  You'd expect their numbers to track closely.

[naptownskinsfan]

1 minute ago, mission27 said:

Its just odd that DC is so far behind the other major metros in getting this under control.  I suppose Chicago arguably too although they've stabilized at least.

I'm not sure how many of the government jobs are considered essential, but when you have people from an 80 mile radius in either direction coming in for work and potentially spreading things, it's a problem.  

For many of the defense and intelligence jobs, how much do they trust working from home?   Also, a friend of mine recently started working for a state department agency and a month ago she was working 16 hour days in DC trying to repatriate our citizens.  A lot of that stuff can't be done from home.  

[Ragnarok]

33 minutes ago, naptownskinsfan said:

I'm not sure how many of the government jobs are considered essential, but when you have people from an 80 mile radius in either direction coming in for work and potentially spreading things, it's a problem.  

For many of the defense and intelligence jobs, how much do they trust working from home?   Also, a friend of mine recently started working for a state department agency and a month ago she was working 16 hour days in DC trying to repatriate our citizens.  A lot of that stuff can't be done from home.  

Having had a security clearance in the past, the issue is that a lot of those documents can't be taken out of approved facilities/buildings without jumping through a lot of hoops.  And that's usually just to take them from one approved building to another.  IIRC, the VP's residence is the only private residence where you can take certain level documents(the WH not really counting).

[WizeGuy]

Here's the Italian article translated. Some really interesting stuff. 

 

From deepL: A variant of the virus Sars-CoV-2 "extremely less powerful" was isolated in Brescia in the Microbiology laboratory of Asst Spedali Civili, directed by the President of the Italian Society of Virology (Siv-Isv) Arnaldo Caruso. "While the viral strains that we have been accustomed to seeing in recent months, which we have isolated and sequenced, are biological bombs capable of exterminating target cells in 2-3 days - explained the expert at Adnkronos -, this to start attacking them takes at least 6 days": twice as long. The news will be the subject of scientific publication, but Caruso wants to anticipate it "to launch a message of hope. As a virologist these more attenuated viral variants should become the future of the probable evolution of Covid-19" (here the interview with Corriere).

"It is so true that he is losing strength - adds Caruso - that every day we see positive nose-pharyngeal swabs no longer strong, but weak". The molecular evidence of "very light, almost inapparent infections. We see the virus in very, very small doses". "What has happened, however, is that while all these swabs with low viral load have been coming in lately, we have had one with a very high load and we were amazed". A surprise considering that "this subject was completely asymptomatic. So we went to isolate the virus, discovering that in culture it was extremely weaker than the previous ones". That is, by putting him in vitro with good cells to attack, "he couldn't even kill them all". On the contrary, even only "to start attacking them, it needed at least 6 days", against the "48-72 hours" sufficient to the classical strains to finish all the available cells. "We still do not know if and how much this variant circulates, nor if it is genetically different from the others. But we can say that something is going on."

Which variant will survive? "The winning virus is the one that adapts the most and replicates the cell that hosts it. This is a phenomenon we call viral fitness. The certainty that the attenuated variants can be the winning and more widespread ones tomorrow will be given us by studies on viruses that will support the next possible epidemics", he explained to Corriere. Caruso is therefore optimistic looking at the summer: "The fact that new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection are decreasing and characterized by less important symptoms makes me moderately positive for the summer. However, we must not let our guard down. We continue to wear masks, keep our distance and try to gradually return to a normal life responsible to ourselves and others. Let us not forget that if the virus reaches weak individuals it can still do serious damage. It will be different in autumn and winter: there we must be ready to understand in time when and what kind of SARS-CoV-2 will circulate to take the necessary measures to prevent and combat the infection, so as to avoid what we have already experienced".

End/

...Sounds eerily similar to the flu seasons... 

Edited May 26, 2020 by WizeGuy

[animaltested]

1 hour ago, Glen said:

If true that deaths are being undercounted I feel ashamed to be an American.

Fourth time this week, so far.

Only the forth time? Must not read any news. 

 

[naptownskinsfan]

33 minutes ago, Ragnarok said:

Having had a security clearance in the past, the issue is that a lot of those documents can't be taken out of approved facilities/buildings without jumping through a lot of hoops.  And that's usually just to take them from one approved building to another.  IIRC, the VP's residence is the only private residence where you can take certain level documents(the WH not really counting).

Exactly.  My assistant GM's father works at NSA, and he can not work from home.  No one, not even his wife, knows what he does.  We have an idea given when he is at work versus when he's not (certain security levels) but he's not telling, obviously.  We just call him "Bob with the IRS."

[naptownskinsfan]

1 hour ago, mission27 said:

And Maryland has actually made a fair bit of progress the last couple of weeks.  You'd expect their numbers to track closely.

Most jurisdictions are still at the low level of opening up.  I can't tell you what their thought process is, but Annapolis is still under a state of emergency.  Baltimore City is as well, but I understand that with the Port of Baltimore.  My county, which is where Annapolis is located, is on an extremely modified phase one opening per the governor's instructions, as are many other counties.  

[Ty21]

2 hours ago, mission27 said:

Gotta keep pushing the envelope tbhwy

Can’t let this next generation overtake us 

[Heimdallr]

What confuses me is that I would expect all the libertarian, anti-government people to be pumped about being able to wear masks in public to hide their identity from cameras and facial recognition, but those are the people protesting.... 

I hope masks are just normal all the time moving forward. Prevents disease, looks cool, hides you from facial recognition, it lets you make faces at people whenever you want.... 

[Shanedorf]

the blog " Shower Thoughts" chimes in on COVID19
 

* Everyone wants to be a superhero until they’re asked to put a mask on.

* If you hate wearing a mask, you're really not going to like the ventilator.
 

 

 

[naptownskinsfan]

2 hours ago, WizeGuy said:

Here's the Italian article translated. Some really interesting stuff. 

 

From deepL: A variant of the virus Sars-CoV-2 "extremely less powerful" was isolated in Brescia in the Microbiology laboratory of Asst Spedali Civili, directed by the President of the Italian Society of Virology (Siv-Isv) Arnaldo Caruso. "While the viral strains that we have been accustomed to seeing in recent months, which we have isolated and sequenced, are biological bombs capable of exterminating target cells in 2-3 days - explained the expert at Adnkronos -, this to start attacking them takes at least 6 days": twice as long. The news will be the subject of scientific publication, but Caruso wants to anticipate it "to launch a message of hope. As a virologist these more attenuated viral variants should become the future of the probable evolution of Covid-19" (here the interview with Corriere).

"It is so true that he is losing strength - adds Caruso - that every day we see positive nose-pharyngeal swabs no longer strong, but weak". The molecular evidence of "very light, almost inapparent infections. We see the virus in very, very small doses". "What has happened, however, is that while all these swabs with low viral load have been coming in lately, we have had one with a very high load and we were amazed". A surprise considering that "this subject was completely asymptomatic. So we went to isolate the virus, discovering that in culture it was extremely weaker than the previous ones". That is, by putting him in vitro with good cells to attack, "he couldn't even kill them all". On the contrary, even only "to start attacking them, it needed at least 6 days", against the "48-72 hours" sufficient to the classical strains to finish all the available cells. "We still do not know if and how much this variant circulates, nor if it is genetically different from the others. But we can say that something is going on."

Which variant will survive? "The winning virus is the one that adapts the most and replicates the cell that hosts it. This is a phenomenon we call viral fitness. The certainty that the attenuated variants can be the winning and more widespread ones tomorrow will be given us by studies on viruses that will support the next possible epidemics", he explained to Corriere. Caruso is therefore optimistic looking at the summer: "The fact that new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection are decreasing and characterized by less important symptoms makes me moderately positive for the summer. However, we must not let our guard down. We continue to wear masks, keep our distance and try to gradually return to a normal life responsible to ourselves and others. Let us not forget that if the virus reaches weak individuals it can still do serious damage. It will be different in autumn and winter: there we must be ready to understand in time when and what kind of SARS-CoV-2 will circulate to take the necessary measures to prevent and combat the infection, so as to avoid what we have already experienced".

End/

...Sounds eerily similar to the flu seasons... 

I read an article a month ago where they had identified that the virus in NYC/S was a much more "potent" mutation and came from Europe as opposed to a milder strain on the west coast that came directly from China.  

Mutating so it's less deadly and still has the ability to infect hosts sounds about right.  There may still be deadly strains, as there are with the flu, but as this article alludes to, it could be weakening.  

*I am not a scientific expert in any field, so this is just my (partially) educated opinion.