COVID-19 Thread

[homer]

This is scary if true.

 

https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/05/19/florida-health-department-officials-told-manager-to-delete-coronavirus-data-before-reassigning-her-emails-show/

 

"One day before a top Florida Department of Health data manager lost her role maintaining the state’s COVID-19 data, she objected to the removal of records showing people had symptoms or positive tests before the cases were announced, according to internal emails obtained by the Tampa Bay Times."

[OldSchoolSnapper]

It doesn't have to make any sense for it to be a factor. No one wants to walk into that first without knowing the result. If you are a large corp sending 50 reps at a time to a hotel, and Holiday Inn hosted COVID patients 2 weeks ago you will just call Hyatt instead.

 

Give me one example in this environment where any business is sending 50 people to stay anywhere right now...that's a pretty large strawman. And way more than 2 weeks time would elapse in this sort of hypothetical scenario before a hotel, conference center, anywhere would be allowed to resume operations - and they would rightfully be compensated for that delay. I just think that perception, real as it likely is, shouldn't be a factor when weighing the best option for how to protect the most vulnerable group of people from getting this virus - it's not like everything else done to society hasn't drastically inconvenienced everyone or led to all sorts of other stigmas out there, too.

 

They're not, and it wasn't a "straw man." I was saying that once travel resumes, and you're the travel coordinator for large company, you'll just opt to avoid that and send your guys some place else.

 

I'm simply telling you the reality of the situation, that there is no incentive for corporate clients to book their people at these places when things open up. As for personal travel, I personally wouldn't care, but I have more than a handful of acquaintances who would do the same thing. Pick one of the other 5 chains that wasn't hosting sick people. I mean, why not? There is no reason to go there if you have options.

 

But you can see the issue with the hotel idea. So now they have to be compensated for hosting patients, the period of time between hosting patients and regular people, the effect of which will be extremely difficult to quantify.

 

It's simply a headache there is no reason to sign up for.

[stoutdude04]

Georgia is a mess:

 

https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/coronavirus/article242831786.html

 

"Georgia has performed more than 378,000 coronavirus tests since the beginning of the pandemic, and the state health department reported more than 50,000 new tests over the weekend — the highest two-day total since the state’s first cases were confirmed.

 

Nearly 800 tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

 

But some of these tests aren’t meant to find those currently sick, a practice that public health experts say artificially raises Georgia’s testing totals and artificially lowers the state’s percentage of positive tests."

 

It really is.

 

They 'opened up', but just canceled an upcoming election. What message are we sending here?

[Samurai Bucky]

Hotels, at least, have a roof. Better than the leper colonies 2000 years ago.

[Machu Peach]

Georgia is a mess:

 

https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/coronavirus/article242831786.html

 

"Georgia has performed more than 378,000 coronavirus tests since the beginning of the pandemic, and the state health department reported more than 50,000 new tests over the weekend — the highest two-day total since the state’s first cases were confirmed.

 

Nearly 800 tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

 

But some of these tests aren’t meant to find those currently sick, a practice that public health experts say artificially raises Georgia’s testing totals and artificially lowers the state’s percentage of positive tests."

 

A lot of states are doing this. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/05/covid-19-tests-combine-virginia/611620/

 

Whether or not it's a bad practice depends on what one is trying to understand from the data.

[Baldkin]

Georgia is a mess:

 

https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/coronavirus/article242831786.html

 

"Georgia has performed more than 378,000 coronavirus tests since the beginning of the pandemic, and the state health department reported more than 50,000 new tests over the weekend — the highest two-day total since the state’s first cases were confirmed.

 

Nearly 800 tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

 

But some of these tests aren’t meant to find those currently sick, a practice that public health experts say artificially raises Georgia’s testing totals and artificially lowers the state’s percentage of positive tests."

 

A lot of states are doing this. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/05/covid-19-tests-combine-virginia/611620/

 

Whether or not it's a bad practice depends on what one is trying to understand from the data.

 

Testing more isn't bad.

 

Testing more and then saying "Look, less people are testing positive by percentage!" is using data to convey an inappropriate and untruthful message.

[homer]

Georgia is a mess:

 

https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/coronavirus/article242831786.html

 

"Georgia has performed more than 378,000 coronavirus tests since the beginning of the pandemic, and the state health department reported more than 50,000 new tests over the weekend — the highest two-day total since the state’s first cases were confirmed.

 

Nearly 800 tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

 

But some of these tests aren’t meant to find those currently sick, a practice that public health experts say artificially raises Georgia’s testing totals and artificially lowers the state’s percentage of positive tests."

 

A lot of states are doing this. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/05/covid-19-tests-combine-virginia/611620/

 

Whether or not it's a bad practice depends on what one is trying to understand from the data.

 

Per that article and the one from Georgia, it looks like two states are doing it.

[Machu Peach]

Georgia is a mess:

 

https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/coronavirus/article242831786.html

 

"Georgia has performed more than 378,000 coronavirus tests since the beginning of the pandemic, and the state health department reported more than 50,000 new tests over the weekend — the highest two-day total since the state’s first cases were confirmed.

 

Nearly 800 tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

 

But some of these tests aren’t meant to find those currently sick, a practice that public health experts say artificially raises Georgia’s testing totals and artificially lowers the state’s percentage of positive tests."

 

A lot of states are doing this. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/05/covid-19-tests-combine-virginia/611620/

 

Whether or not it's a bad practice depends on what one is trying to understand from the data.

 

Per that article and the one from Georgia, it looks like two states are doing it.

 

"Other differences make it hard to track the pandemic. In at least three other states, officials have lumped together probable and confirmed COVID-19 deaths; most don’t specify how they’re counting deaths. While most states report the number of people who have been tested for the coronavirus, six states say they track the number of samples that have been tested—and California and New Jersey switched methods in the past few weeks."

 

"Other states report positive serological tests as “probable” COVID-19 cases."

 

"At least 16 U.S. states and two territories have reported such “probable” cases, although they may not always have done so using serological tests, according to the CDC."

 

It's unclear what exactly most states are doing, but it is very clear that there are major differences in how things are being counted. I personally don't think it's nefarious. There are multiple correct ways to compile data depending on what one wants to look at.

[TURBO]

My wife and I just got tested. Appleton has a drive through testing site that anyone can use. I went Wednesday, it was a 2.5 to 3 hour wait, so I left. we went today, it was 15 minutes total and we were on our way. Very easy.

 

You don't have to have symptoms, or known contact to get tested. If you want to be tested, you just drive on up.

 

The only reason we did it was because I had a pounding headache on Sunday, then Monday and Tuesday, my head felt pretty spaced out, hard to focus, etc. Same thing happened to me a couple years ago, so I'm not convinced it is corona in any way. My wife came down with cold symptoms on Wednesday, so she went too. My wife convinced me that we should go, I wouldn't have done it if she wasn't so adamant.

 

My only exposure to anyone the past 3 weeks was one trip to school, the building was empty. (that was Thursday, May 7th)Talked to a couple cleaning ladies for a minute or so, did the social distancing thing, talked to my principal for 20 minutes, same thing, social distancing. If I got it, I believe it was from the damn McDonalds drive-thru that same day. We have not been getting take out as I am not convinced in any manner that that isn't the perfect way to get it. Anyone working in those places could have it and spread it to countless people. My wife grocery shopped on Tuesday at Aldis. Wore a mask, took all measures humanly possible to not interact or be in anyone's space.

 

It will be interesting to see our results. We have done a super job of being away from all others, so much so that we have been told we are being maybe a little too paranoid. If we got it, then it must be really easy to get, unless I was doomed as soon as I decided to go against all common sense and visit that damn McDonalds drive-thru. I have a couple of friends who get take-out 4 or 5 times a week to support their local business. It would just figure that the one time I do it, it bites me in the behind.

 

So here is my update, with results...

 

My wife and I both tested negative for the virus.

 

This means that I more than likely had an old fashioned migraine headache, followed by a couple of days of issues based on that.

 

My wife must have picked up either a cold when she went grocery shopping (her only trip outside the house in the 2 weeks before her symptoms) or possibly allergies, which she doesn't normally experience.

 

Part of me wished we had tested positive to get it over with, assuming you can only get it once, but I don't believe that is going to be the case when all is said and done.

 

So that's my story, with a boring ending...

[homer]

 

"Other differences make it hard to track the pandemic. In at least three other states, officials have lumped together probable and confirmed COVID-19 deaths; most don’t specify how they’re counting deaths. While most states report the number of people who have been tested for the coronavirus, six states say they track the number of samples that have been tested—and California and New Jersey switched methods in the past few weeks."

 

"Other states report positive serological tests as “probable” COVID-19 cases."

 

"At least 16 U.S. states and two territories have reported such “probable” cases, although they may not always have done so using serological tests, according to the CDC."

 

It's unclear what exactly most states are doing, but it is very clear that there are major differences in how things are being counted. I personally don't think it's nefarious. There are multiple correct ways to compile data depending on what one wants to look at.

 

I was referring specifically to the mixing of antibody and viral tests. I know most states are slicing and dicing data. Georgia has had a series of issues with its data reporting beyond this example which was the genesis of my post.

[LouisEly]

The whole stigma of "this is where covid patients stayed"...really? So the Javits Center is just going to have to get bulldozed after this now, too?

Like the McCormick Place in Chicago, everything that was used to treat and touch patients was brought in and subsequently removed. Patients weren't sleeping on the floor, which is all that is left of those treatment areas. With a hotel, you'd have to rip everything out - the beds, desks, carpet, etc - and the walls/bathrooms are permanent structures where they were temporary structures at the McCormick Place and subsequently removed. Just bleach the floors and you're good to go. The air will get circulated through filters which, like airplanes, filter out viruses.

 

Cynical side of me says this is less about hospital beds and more about reimbursement to the provider.

Very likely. There is no shortage of hospital beds, which is why the McCormick Place/Javitz Center/Navy Ships were shut down. As of yesterday, Illinois was only using 25% of hospital beds for COVID patients and only 25% of their 3,000+ ventilators. Last week, the mayor of Austin, TX, said that over the last 20-30 days hospitalizations were down over 90%.

[nate82]

I found this interesting on Joe Rogan's podcast.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_ZJ8YDOX6g

 

The Vitamin-D deficiency is interesting, note this is not a prevention method but more of a how your body may respond getting COVID-19 and the lethality of the virus.

 

Some articles I could find on some research with the Vitamin-D deficiency.

 

https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/2020/05/vitamin-d-levels-appear-to-play-role-in-covid-19-mortality-rates.html

 

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.08.20058578v4

 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40520-020-01570-8

[pitchleague]

I had my covid-19 test this afternoon in preparation for hernia surgery on Friday. It's been rescheduled from the original March date which was, obviously, cancelled due to the breakout of the whole pandemic.

 

I was very glad to see that they gave me that mouth swab test instead of the nasal test. I don't think I could do that one!

[DuWayne Steurer]

I found this interesting on Joe Rogan's podcast.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_ZJ8YDOX6g

 

The Vitamin-D deficiency is interesting, note this is not a prevention method but more of a how your body may respond getting COVID-19 and the lethality of the virus.

 

Some articles I could find on some research with the Vitamin-D deficiency.

 

https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/2020/05/vitamin-d-levels-appear-to-play-role-in-covid-19-mortality-rates.html

 

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.08.20058578v4

 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40520-020-01570-8

 

Beneath the veneer and bluster and shouting, Joe Rogan is an intelligent dude who likes to have interesting discussions with a wide array of guests outside his own knowledge zone. He gets knocked because hes UFC and smokes weed, but he's kind of an interesting guy.

[Machu Peach]

I was referring specifically to the mixing of antibody and viral tests. I know most states are slicing and dicing data. Georgia has had a series of issues with its data reporting beyond this example which was the genesis of my post.

 

In addition to Georgia and Virginia, you can add Pennsylvania, Vermont, Texas, Maine, and the CDC to the list of places mixing serological and PCR tests. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/05/cdc-and-states-are-misreporting-covid-19-test-data-pennsylvania-georgia-texas/611935/

[RobertR]

The CDC really should know better. I'm sure that comes from the top though.

[BrewCrewForever]

Glad to hear you and your wife tested negative turborickey.

[jerichoholicninja]

I found this interesting on Joe Rogan's podcast.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_ZJ8YDOX6g

 

The Vitamin-D deficiency is interesting, note this is not a prevention method but more of a how your body may respond getting COVID-19 and the lethality of the virus.

 

Some articles I could find on some research with the Vitamin-D deficiency.

 

https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/2020/05/vitamin-d-levels-appear-to-play-role-in-covid-19-mortality-rates.html

 

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.08.20058578v4

 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40520-020-01570-8

 

A deficiency of any vitamin or nutrient is going to lead to sub-optimal health, so this isn't really surprising.

[homer]

I was referring specifically to the mixing of antibody and viral tests. I know most states are slicing and dicing data. Georgia has had a series of issues with its data reporting beyond this example which was the genesis of my post.

 

In addition to Georgia and Virginia, you can add Pennsylvania, Vermont, Texas, Maine, and the CDC to the list of places mixing serological and PCR tests. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/05/cdc-and-states-are-misreporting-covid-19-test-data-pennsylvania-georgia-texas/611935/

 

I stand updated.

[jerichoholicninja]

What would be nice, but I know won't happen, is for the general public to finally see how the media takes facts and uses them to say whatever they want. I read a lot of articles about COVID and none of them use the same rates statistic. I see positive test rate, mortality rate, positive test per whatever thousand, positive test per capita, etc. It's tough for me to figure out how bad this is in different places when there is no standard for comparison.

 

And then they love to use the number of positive tests with zero context. I just read an article where the headline said "Maryland COVID cases skyrocket after opening". The story lead off by saying the state had a record number of positive tests just four days after opening up. Further down it briefly mentioned they also had a record number of negative tests the same day, meaning that was the most total tests they'd done so far. So it's not too surprising they got the most positives. Not until near the end did they include the quote from the health department that said that the positive test rate has remained basically the same and that it was almost certainly too soon for the state opening up to have any major affect on test results.

[stoutdude04]

To add to that, most people only read the headlines. That's why we see so many doom and gloom articles. However, when we read the article it isnt nearly as bad as the headline makes it out to be.

[TURBO]

 

I was very glad to see that they gave me that mouth swab test instead of the nasal test. I don't think I could do that one!

 

Actually, the nasal one wasn't bad at all. No pain, just tickled. Seriously, it tickled.

[owbc]

To add to that, most people only read the headlines. That's why we see so many doom and gloom articles. However, when we read the article it isnt nearly as bad as the headline makes it out to be.

 

Yes, mainstream as well as social media are having a field day projecting demographic stereotypes on the COVID response or lack thereof. Meanwhile, the actual data continues to indicate that >80% of people are generally on the same page with COVID. So the unity in defeating COVID should be the main story, which is especially remarkable given the attempts by many to divide people. I've had many friends ask me about Wisconsin's open bars/restaurants thanks to the media stories...but the reality is that cell phone data shows almost no increase in movement (like 3% or something like that) in WI since the restrictions were lifted.

 

We recently got referred to a real estate agent who opened up our meeting by bashing the governor and the state's COVID response...what a stupid thing to do. Maybe the echo chamber of the 15-20% that disagree with the rules is so strong that they don't even realize everyone else thinks they are nuts? All the family I've talked to in Wisconsin, who are all over the political spectrum, are following the advice of experts and continuing to take precautions. That seems like a huge victory and yet nobody is talking about that.

[TURBO]

Glad to hear you and your wife tested negative turborickey.

 

Thanks, it was a mixed blessing actually. Relieved not to have had it, yet kind of wanted a positive result since we didn't suffer much, especially if you can only get it once. (which I doubt will be the case)

[TURBO]

Like it or not, the virus is going to become more and more political the closer we get to election day.

 

It is going to be used and abused at every turn. Both sides will spin it to what they consider their advantage.

 

Just one more thing for the media to use to divide the country, and for what?

 

It's disgusting really.