COVID-19 Thread

[LouisEly]

The U.S. is estimating 10-12 weeks for the coronavirus lockdown.

 

That's not going to happen, it can't. Lockdown of people at risk for that long, or loger? Yes. The entire population? No way.

 

Looks like they're going to start treating patients with the Malaria drug Tuesday morning. Yhis is huge, and we'll know a lot very shortly.

On CBS this morning they said there is no shortage of tests now, so between everyone staying at home for the next 2-3 weeks and testing anyone showing symptoms, they should know within 2-3 weeks or so who has it and who has been exposed and should continue to isolate, and then let the rest of us go back out and restart the economy. I don't foresee the lockdown lasting more than 3-4 more weeks.

[nate82]

I know I shouldn't joke about this stuff but I keep on wondering when will the cleaners show up in NYC?

 

FYI for those that don't know what I am talking about.

https://thedivision.fandom.com/wiki/Cleaners

[MrTPlush]

This country won’t ever take the measures necessary to try and stop this in its tracks. Compare our comical quarantine and lockdowns in place to Wuhan...it is a complete joke. If we wanted to stop this quickly cities like Seattle/NYC would be on a complete lockdown. No leaving the city or coming in...close the borders of the respective states and so on as necessary. Pretty sure at some point people couldn’t leave their house for any reason. That is how you get done in 3-4 weeks time. Not letting people leave to visit the liquor store, get an ice cream cone, get to-go fish fry, or hoard toilet paper. Not to mention the droves of people (many infected) dashing away from the problem areas.

 

I’d love this thing to be done by May or sooner, I would do back flips. I don’t see how we have that happen though.

[Fear The Chorizo]

This country won’t ever take the measures necessary to try and stop this in its tracks. Compare our comical quarantine and lockdowns in place to Wuhan...it is a complete joke. If we wanted to stop this quickly cities like Seattle/NYC would be on a complete lockdown. No leaving the city or coming in...close the borders of the respective states and so on as necessary. Pretty sure at some point people couldn’t leave their house for any reason. That is how you get done in 3-4 weeks time. Not letting people leave to visit the liquor store, get an ice cream cone, get to-go fish fry, or hoard toilet paper. Not to mention the droves of people (many infected) dashing away from the problem areas.

 

I’d love this thing to be done by May or sooner, I would do back flips. I don’t see how we have that happen though.

 

If what I read correctly that the National Guard is being deployed to some of the hardest hit areas in the country, my hope is that these hot spots (NY, WA, Chicago, LA, etc) receive a much more strict quarantine while the rest of the country manages its way through a more marginal outbreak. Increased testing in the areas not as harshly hit with lower population density will really help keep the whole country from spiraling beyond medical system capacity. If you keep people from leaving the high density population hot spot areas and also keep people from entering them, plus you aggressively test and self-quarantine other population centers to limit rapid spread, the rest of the country can be back up and running by at least some measure a few weeks from now. The US, and frankly the world, needs that to be the case if there's any hope of preventing a global tragedy. I'm assuming farmers are considered essential personnel? Assuming this stretches into April/May, they better damn well be so crops can get planted - even sick people still gotta eat. What happens when a much more populous but largely developing country like India starts having problems with this? The whole continent of Africa?

 

There is so much to the existing supply chain for population centers that simply can't deal with prolonged shutdowns in today's economy, both on a national and worldwide scale. My hope is that this 2-4 week period of "social distancing" can at least weed out which areas are worst hit, so other things can move forward while assistance resources are poured directly to places that really need them instead of spreading them scattershot everywhere.

 

I can see hardcore city wide or perhaps even statewide lockdowns go into effect for a few weeks, but there's no way that can be imposed on a nationwide scale here. China didn't even come close to doing that.

[Oxy]

[What happens when a much more populous but largely developing country like India starts having problems with this? The whole continent of Africa?

 

Frankly, countries with few elderly people and no nursing homes are not really going to be affected that much. They've got bigger problems to worry about--that's why there are few elderly people and no nursing homes there (and this is a gross generalization that probably isn't as true today as it was even 20 years ago).

[adambr2]

Maybe this will finally teach people to have an emergency fund and save.

 

LOL, probably not.

 

I know this is good advice and I do try to keep up with my savings. Can I cover 6 months of expenses, nope, not without bleeding my 401K. Being the only working parent while mom stays home with the kids makes that harder.

 

I just find it funny that corporations are bleeding after a week or two without business as usual, and yet I am supposed to have enough saved for 6 months expenses.

[brewcrewdue80]

This country won’t ever take the measures necessary to try and stop this in its tracks. Compare our comical quarantine and lockdowns in place to Wuhan...it is a complete joke. If we wanted to stop this quickly cities like Seattle/NYC would be on a complete lockdown. No leaving the city or coming in...close the borders of the respective states and so on as necessary. Pretty sure at some point people couldn’t leave their house for any reason. That is how you get done in 3-4 weeks time. Not letting people leave to visit the liquor store, get an ice cream cone, get to-go fish fry, or hoard toilet paper. Not to mention the droves of people (many infected) dashing away from the problem areas.

 

I’d love this thing to be done by May or sooner, I would do back flips. I don’t see how we have that happen though.

 

Milwaukee announced 56 or was it 53 new cases yesterday. Time to lockdown WI.

[adambr2]

Congratulations to Harvey Weinstein on being the first worldwide COVID-19 patient who isn't being wished a speedy recovery by anyone.

[brwrsfan]

This country won’t ever take the measures necessary to try and stop this in its tracks. Compare our comical quarantine and lockdowns in place to Wuhan...it is a complete joke. If we wanted to stop this quickly cities like Seattle/NYC would be on a complete lockdown. No leaving the city or coming in...close the borders of the respective states and so on as necessary. Pretty sure at some point people couldn’t leave their house for any reason. That is how you get done in 3-4 weeks time. Not letting people leave to visit the liquor store, get an ice cream cone, get to-go fish fry, or hoard toilet paper. Not to mention the droves of people (many infected) dashing away from the problem areas.

 

I’d love this thing to be done by May or sooner, I would do back flips. I don’t see how we have that happen though.

 

Milwaukee announced 56 or was it 53 new cases yesterday. Time to lockdown WI.

 

Done. Effective tomorrow per the governors twitter account. Details to follow later apparently.

[JosephC]

This country won’t ever take the measures necessary to try and stop this in its tracks. Compare our comical quarantine and lockdowns in place to Wuhan...it is a complete joke. If we wanted to stop this quickly cities like Seattle/NYC would be on a complete lockdown. No leaving the city or coming in...close the borders of the respective states and so on as necessary. Pretty sure at some point people couldn’t leave their house for any reason. That is how you get done in 3-4 weeks time. Not letting people leave to visit the liquor store, get an ice cream cone, get to-go fish fry, or hoard toilet paper. Not to mention the droves of people (many infected) dashing away from the problem areas.

 

I’d love this thing to be done by May or sooner, I would do back flips. I don’t see how we have that happen though.

 

Milwaukee announced 56 or was it 53 new cases yesterday. Time to lockdown WI.

 

Done. Effective tomorrow per the governors twitter account. Details to follow later apparently.

 

LOL, read pages 5-7 of the Ohio lockdown.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2020/03/read-gov-mike-dewines-stay-at-home-order.html

 

It's a lockdown, but we'll make an exception for everything but clothing stores (just everyone pile into Walmart for that since 10% of their floorspace is for essential groceries), bars/resturants and entertainment stuff (ballgames, movie theaters).

 

I still haven't heard a reasonable argument as to how providing take-out food qualifies as an "essential business?"

[Oxy]

 

I still haven't heard a reasonable argument as to how providing take-out food qualifies as an "essential business?"

 

I would guess that it spreads people out to get their necessities. If there is only ONE place to get food, everybody has to go to that place to get it. This seems problematic to me. It also helps those restaurants stay in business.

[MrTPlush]

New York qualifies liquor stores are essential...its just a big joke. One state they let bakeries and ice cream shops stay open as essential.

 

This changes little to nothing. Blocking gatherings of more than 10 people is essentially the same thing. Closing a few different stores does not do much if at all. Actually, the biggest thing this does is probably cause another mad dash of idiots buying out the grocery store. So...great.

[adambr2]

 

I still haven't heard a reasonable argument as to how providing take-out food qualifies as an "essential business?"

 

I would guess that it spreads people out to get their necessities. If there is only ONE place to get food, everybody has to go to that place to get it. This seems problematic to me. It also helps those restaurants stay in business.

 

Exactly. People gotta eat. Does it really matter if they are getting their food from a grocery store or a restaurant?

 

Doing takeout you're helping keep a small business open and you're only interacting with generally one person. Seems like a win/win to me rather than having even more mass rushes on grocery stores and increasing interaction there since people can't get their takeout.

[adambr2]

New York qualifies liquor stores are essential...its just a big joke. One state they let bakeries and ice cream shops stay open as essential.

 

This changes little to nothing. Blocking gatherings of more than 10 people is essentially the same thing. Closing a few different stores does not do much if at all. Actually, the biggest thing this does is probably cause another mad dash of idiots buying out the grocery store. So...great.

 

I agree that it doesn't really do much if you don't strictly limit what is essential. I would guess that most businesses that can't provide work from home can make some sort of argument to classify themselves as essential.

 

Unless you are actually going to enforce this and arrest people, the people who don't take this seriously will continue to congregate at each other's houses and the ones who do will continue their self-quarantines. This would be almost impossible to enforce anyway. Anyone could just say they're on their way to Kwik Trip at any time of day to get a couple groceries.

 

Bout all it does is give me some leverage with my 15 year old when I try to explain to him why he can't go play with friends.

[homer]

Re: liquor stores

 

I think there'd be mass looting if they all closed.

[bjkrautk]

Self-policing myself from using expletives...but my County in Central WI has one (1) confirmed case, after weeks of social distancing. The Governor's order is overbroad and unnecessary for about 70 of the 72 Counties in the State (Dane & Milwaukee being the obvious exceptions).

 

[homer]

Also, the immediate goal isn't necessarily zero transmission. It's reducing the rate of transmission so the healthcare system can handle it. Stay at home policies accomplish that.

[adambr2]

Also, the immediate goal isn't necessarily zero transmission. It's reducing the rate of transmission so the healthcare system can handle it. Stay at home policies accomplish that.

 

I'm just skeptical of how the policies actually accomplish that. Maybe there's a small handful of people who might be coerced by a governor's order, but for the most part, those who take this seriously are already following stay at home policies. Those who aren't really going to have their mind changed by a policy that let's be honest, isn't going to be legally enforced.

 

Same with businesses. Aren't we already at the point where non-essential businesses have closed and we're only left with the essentials?

[jerichoholicninja]

Also, the immediate goal isn't necessarily zero transmission. It's reducing the rate of transmission so the healthcare system can handle it. Stay at home policies accomplish that.

 

I'm just skeptical of how the policies actually accomplish that. Maybe there's a small handful of people who might be coerced by a governor's order, but for the most part, those who take this seriously are already following stay at home policies. Those who aren't really going to have their mind changed by a policy that let's be honest, isn't going to be legally enforced.

 

Same with businesses. Aren't we already at the point where non-essential businesses have closed and we're only left with the essentials?

 

Agree with all that. As for the legally enforced, I read this morning that the Green Bay police department will be enforcing it.

 

My wife just texted me asking if she should pick anything up on her way home from work today. I asked her if she still has to go to work tomorrow. She said I think so. She works in health care but what she does is totally non-essential.

[et bbal]

New York qualifies liquor stores are essential...its just a big joke. One state they let bakeries and ice cream shops stay open as essential.

 

This changes little to nothing. Blocking gatherings of more than 10 people is essentially the same thing. Closing a few different stores does not do much if at all. Actually, the biggest thing this does is probably cause another mad dash of idiots buying out the grocery store. So...great.

 

If a person is an alcoholic and they suddenly do not have access to alcohol that would be problematic. Could add to stress on health care facilities.

As I typed this I couldn't help buy wonder about people addicted to illicit drugs and how this will impact there lives. Will they be able to get to their "dealer", will the supply chain be interrupted, etc. Glad I don't need to worry about it. More glad than normal, that is.

[homer]

Also, the immediate goal isn't necessarily zero transmission. It's reducing the rate of transmission so the healthcare system can handle it. Stay at home policies accomplish that.

 

I'm just skeptical of how the policies actually accomplish that. Maybe there's a small handful of people who might be coerced by a governor's order, but for the most part, those who take this seriously are already following stay at home policies. Those who aren't really going to have their mind changed by a policy that let's be honest, isn't going to be legally enforced.

 

Same with businesses. Aren't we already at the point where non-essential businesses have closed and we're only left with the essentials?

 

I don't know what is open and not open in WI right now. And if people want to go hang out in a basement yeah this doesn't stop them. I'll be curious to see what the rules are around this. Here in Illinois I haven't found it all that restrictive from a personal perspective.

[pacopete4]

Until airlines are not allowed to transport people all around our country, not much will change. It should’ve been one of the first things shutdown. Screw your vacation. This has spread a lot more than it needed to.

[brewcrewdue80]

This country won’t ever take the measures necessary to try and stop this in its tracks. Compare our comical quarantine and lockdowns in place to Wuhan...it is a complete joke. If we wanted to stop this quickly cities like Seattle/NYC would be on a complete lockdown. No leaving the city or coming in...close the borders of the respective states and so on as necessary. Pretty sure at some point people couldn’t leave their house for any reason. That is how you get done in 3-4 weeks time. Not letting people leave to visit the liquor store, get an ice cream cone, get to-go fish fry, or hoard toilet paper. Not to mention the droves of people (many infected) dashing away from the problem areas.

 

I’d love this thing to be done by May or sooner, I would do back flips. I don’t see how we have that happen though.

 

Milwaukee announced 56 or was it 53 new cases yesterday. Time to lockdown WI.

 

Done. Effective tomorrow per the governors twitter account. Details to follow later apparently.

 

And great. Milwaukee becomes the California for the counties in the state. I live in Sheboygan, at the moment there have been 6 cases and to our north is Manitowoc with 0 cases still. The orders need to be given on quarantine counties as needed not the entire state. Businesses being halted that have very low risk at this time to spread infection.

 

It's scary to go to Walmart up here with them closing at 830pm now vs 24hours and opening at 7am. I walked in at 7am and grocery shelves were still at least 30% empty. (is it Trucks? keeping them from restocking? Supply/Demand?) I managed to get the last package of hamburger meat over the size of 1lb. Life in Sheboygan because of 6 cases. None new for 3? maybe 4Days?

[xisxisxis]

Self-policing myself from using expletives...but my County in Central WI has one (1) confirmed case, after weeks of social distancing. The Governor's order is overbroad and unnecessary for about 70 of the 72 Counties in the State (Dane & Milwaukee being the obvious exceptions).

It may be best to not rely on "confirmed" cases to base any conclusions. There has been an avalanche of information that testing has not kept up with demand due to a shortage of testing kits. The testing shortage is also likely skewed and rural areas may have a 5% chance of getting a test done while urban areas will get preference because the demand is so much higher (if you have 5 tests available are you going to run a test from 1 doctor in Rhinelander or 50 doctors in Milwaukee?).

 

There is one interesting bit of data on that figure: 4 deaths, 1 recovered... Now if you want to believe the data as presented, that's a pretty scary set of numbers.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Self-policing myself from using expletives...but my County in Central WI has one (1) confirmed case, after weeks of social distancing. The Governor's order is overbroad and unnecessary for about 70 of the 72 Counties in the State (Dane & Milwaukee being the obvious exceptions).

It may be best to not rely on "confirmed" cases to base any conclusions. There has been an avalanche of information that testing has not kept up with demand due to a shortage of testing kits. The testing shortage is also likely skewed and rural areas may have a 5% chance of getting a test done while urban areas will get preference because the demand is so much higher (if you have 5 tests available are you going to run a test from 1 doctor in Rhinelander or 50 doctors in Milwaukee?).

 

There is one interesting bit of data on that figure: 4 deaths, 1 recovered... Now if you want to believe the data as presented, that's a pretty scary set of numbers.

 

That's mainly because they basically wait 3 full weeks before declaring anyone infected with the disease as recovered once they know a person has it...even if they arent affected by it. Recovered appears to mean not being infectious more than fully healed after experiencing symptoms. Obviously once you die, they ain't waiting that long to update stats.