Is it time to talk about coronavirus? (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

Denver Public Schools planning for in-person learning 5 days a week this fall

Denver Public Schools is planning to welcome students back to campus five days a week this fall, a notable departure from the district’s proposal earlier this summer to mix in-person classes …

www.denverpost.com

https://www.coloradohealthinstitute.org/sites/default/files/file_attachments/Metro_20Denver_Partnership_for_Health_School_Guidance_25June2020.pdf?fbclid=IwAR20KCfIu0N2HrF5V7Sga6sfQHw5AMoqCSuEP0ZEUvQFas5Zfp6SjXLe0N4

An Australian study of how coronavirus spread in 15 schools found a transmission rate of far less than 1%

A preliminary government-backed study of 15 Australian schools found that children are unlikely to spread the coronavirus in the classroom.

www.businessinsider.com

A friend is looking into issues of kids returning to school this Fall. I am skeptical and dubious. But I am trying to be honest with the data and learn from it. Maybe it's solid that kids are not real spreaders of COVID19 and schools can re-open?

 

[DaveF]

Contra that (from a month ago)

After Reopening Schools, Israel Orders Them To Shut If COVID-19 Cases Are Discovered

At least 244 students and school employees have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks, according to the education ministry. At least 130 cases occurred in a single school in Jerusalem.

www.npr.org

 

[DaveF]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/protests-probably-didnt-lead-to-coronavirus-spikes-but-its-hard-to-know-for-sure/2020/06/30/d8179678-baf5-11ea-8cf5-9c1b8d7f84c6_story.html

San Diego County beaches remain open as COVID-19 community outbreaks traced to indoor settings

Nearly a quarter of local community outbreaks were at bars and restaurants with private gatherings inside homes the second most common source.

www.cbs8.com

Outdoor gatherings don’t seem to be causing outbreaks. It seems to be indoor gatherings. I take this as good, usable news to have this summer.

 

[Francois Caron]

Outdoor gatherings don’t seem to be causing outbreaks. It seems to be indoor gatherings.

Ottawa had a BLM/anti-racism protest on June 6 which was attended by local, provincial and federal representatives including the prime minister. Nearly everyone wore masks and kept their distance from one another as best they could. There hasn't been any reports of outbreaks as a result of the protest.

Ottawa's now down to single digit daily reports on the number of new infections and deaths, including zero.

 

[TJPC]

Things are getting ugly -- Interesting article from our national network in Canada:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-u-s-border-harassment-u-s-license-plates-banff-1.5634534

 

[Malcolm R]

Just goes to show there are clueless people everywhere you look.

I'm not aware of any actual vandalism, but there have been a few reported verbal incidents around here toward visitors from other states.

 

[ChristopherG]

Things are getting ugly -- Interesting article from our national network in Canada:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-u-s-border-harassment-u-s-license-plates-banff-1.5634534

So you’re saying Canada is More like the US after all?

 

[Francois Caron]

So you’re saying Canada is More like the US after all?

Not at all! We apologise after committing our acts of vandalism!

 

[jcroy]

Just goes to show there are clueless people everywhere you look.

I generally assume cluelessness/stupidity per capita is uniform worldwide.

 

[Francois Caron]

A CNN video about Canada's response.

It's not about respect. We simply believe the science behind the virus.

We still made a lot of mistakes. This virus was a hard lesson that cost many lives.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I generally assume cluelessness/stupidity per capita is uniform worldwide.

I would refer to this post to refute your position that nations are all equally stupid.

A CNN video about Canada's response.

It's not about respect. We simply believe the science behind the virus.

We still made a lot of mistakes. This virus was a hard lesson that cost many lives.

I

 

[Carlo_M]

I just want to add some words of encouragement. Well, maybe not encouragement, but context which I hope will put things in perspective for our fellow members who seem to be spiraling down in terms of hope and outlook for the human race.

• From 1918-20, the flu wiped out 50 million people worldwide, while World War I raged on (which killed millions itself)
• Less than a decade later (1929-34) the Great Depression put 1 out of every 4 working of people out of a job and millions died due to Depression related causes (famine, poverty, infant related deaths, etc.)
• Five years after that, Germany invaded Poland, and for six years, the World fought it's second Great War killing between 21-25M soldiers, and up to an additional 50M due to the effects of the War.

All of those calamities happened in a span of 27 years. To put it in perspective, from 1993 to today, a span which most of us here on HTF can likely recall very vividly (DVD debuted in 1997, so you'll have to think back on your Laserdisc/VHS days).

This pandemic is terrible. Staying at home feels like solitary confinement. Masks are a pain the butt to do anything more strenuous than walking in. Washing hands 20 times a day is annoying. Not finding sanitizer and rubbing alcohol is frustrating.

But we can, and will survive, and we will get through this. Way worse has befallen humanity before, and we came out stronger. Believe.

Let's wear our masks, wash our hands, and be good to each other.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I just want to add some words of encouragement. Well, maybe not encouragement, but context which I hope will put things in perspective for our fellow members who seem to be spiraling down in terms of hope and outlook for the human race.

• From 1918-20, the flu wiped out 50 million people worldwide, while World War I raged on (which killed millions itself)
• Less than a decade later (1929-34) the Great Depression put 1 out of every 4 working of people out of a job and millions died due to Depression related causes (famine, poverty, infant related deaths, etc.)
• Five years after that, Germany invaded Poland, and for six years, the World fought it's second Great War killing between 21-25M soldiers, and up to an additional 50M due to the effects of the War.

All of those calamities happened in a span of 27 years. To put it in perspective, from 1993 to today, a span which most of us here on HTF can likely recall very vividly (DVD debuted in 1997, so you'll have to think back on your Laserdisc/VHS days).

This pandemic is terrible. Staying at home feels like solitary confinement. Masks are a pain the butt to do anything more strenuous than walking in. Washing hands 20 times a day is annoying. Not finding sanitizer and rubbing alcohol is frustrating.

But we can, and will survive, and we will get through this. Way worse has befallen humanity before, and we came out stronger. Believe.

Let's wear our masks, wash our hands, and be good to each other.

What is discouraging me is that the solution to knocking down covid quicker is so simple and easy to do, and we won’t. This nation is playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded revolver.

 

[DaveF]

Great read on WaPo

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/how-fauci-5-other-health-specialists-deal-with-covid-19-risks-in-their-everyday-lives/2020/07/02/d4665ed6-b6fb-11ea-a510-55bf26485c93_story.html

The first topic in the long Q&A

As Americans learn to live with the coronavirus, many are struggling with decisions about which practices are safe or risky for them. The Washington Post asked six public health/infectious diseases specialists about their own behavior choices.

Questions & answers
Q: When and where do you wear a mask?
Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: It dominates everything I do. The only time I don’t wear one is when I am alone, when I am home with my wife, or when I am speaking in public — provided there is 6 feet between me and the people to whom I am speaking, as was the case when I answered questions at the recent Congressional hearings.
Elizabeth Connick, chief of the infectious diseases division and professor of medicine and immunobiology at the University of Arizona: I walk in the morning and never wear a mask walking around in my neighborhood. Even if you see somebody, you can keep your distance. But I do wear it otherwise. I don’t wear one inside my own office, but I do wear one in the general office area. I wasn’t wearing one before, but now everyone is masking because we have more covid spread [in Arizona].
Paul A. Volberding, professor of medicine and emeritus professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California at San Francisco:I wear a mask most of the time, although not inside the house or sitting outside on my second-floor deck. I think people are crazy not to be wearing masks. The evidence that they are effective is pretty strong. I’ve noticed in recent weeks that the number of people wearing them seems to be decreasing, which concerns me. There is no shame in wearing a mask.
Linda Bell, South Carolina’s state epidemiologist: I wear one in public whenever possible, in stores, office settings, if I encounter groups of people that I can’t distance myself from and during press conferences when I’m not speaking.
Barry Bloom, Jacobson research professor and former dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Every time I leave the house, inside and outside, and certainly when I shop.
David Satcher, former U.S. surgeon general, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and, most recently, founder of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine: All the time. Even when I’m in the office, I keep it on, since people are always coming in and out. The only time I don’t is when I am home.

 

[LeoA]

There were even other major epidemics between the world wars. One in particular sounded real scary and I believe was credited with millions of deaths. I don't remember the medical name for it, but it was known as the sleepy sickness.

 

[Francois Caron]

...sleepy sickness.

Here you go!

African trypanosomiasis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[LeoA]

This is the one that I recalled reading about.

Encephalitis lethargica - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Francois Caron]

Very Canadian.

Woman goes to the hospital with a broken finger.

Hospital staff ask her to put on a mask.

She refuses.

Woman is escorted out of the hospital by security.

Woman filmed her encounter and posted it on Twitter.

The replies in regards to her behaviour are overwhelmingly and justifiably BRUTAL!

 

[jcroy]

Heh.

If I didn't know that was in canada, I would have thought it was a story out of germany (ie. the states in the former west frg and maybe berlin + potsdam, but not the rest of the former east ddr).

 

[Francois Caron]

In Texas, some very hard choices will soon have to be made, just like they had to be made in Italy.