Corona Horse, Corona Rider - Covid #9

[Starkess]

4 hours ago, Triskele said:

Why is COVID hitting younger people in the America South harder?  Possibly policy-driven underlying health conditions according to this piece (Atlantic's free COVID section).  

I've heard that obesity is a pre-existing condition with strong negative effect, and I know the South tends to have a higher obesity rate, so that could be it. Also it seems that the South has been a bit slower to implement some of the more stringent recommendations against the spread.

But now to read the article and learn I'm all wrong. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

58 minutes ago, Guy Kilmore said:

I will join you in the finger gun greeting, together we can spread this across Minnesota

I have a dream!
 

Quote

Also, Unemployment might be worth checking out, as it was specifically calling out a reduction in hours not necessarily just losing your position because of Covid-19.

I raised this in the meeting, and management was uninformed. Like I've said before, the madre co-owns co-owned and runs ran* a medium sized business, and together we've been looking at options for her and her I guess sorta former employees. After I brought it up in the meeting, many of those also going onto this new cycle asked me more about it. Tomorrow I'm going to get all their home emails and update them as best as I can. I'm not sure how it will work given we have fixed hours, but if I can get even a few hundred bucks in their pocket every couple of weeks, it will be a victory. I'm also going to try and provide them with options to mitigate a 25% loss in pay. The most obvious answer is food delivery services if they're willing to do it. I also spent some time explaining some things they will face when having to be part time teachers with the kids. I taught 5th and 7th graders part time for a year and was a camp counselor for a few years when I was a kid. Some lessons were learned and I've found over the years they have been helpful to some parents. 

*On a sad note, it sounds like her business partner is going to die in the next few days. It's not COVID-19 related, his health was already in doubt for some time and I think the shock of losing his business of over 40 years just made him decide it was time to sleep for good. He was a miserable bastard, but he was fair. And he would have taken care of my mom. He basically bought the home her and I moved into when I was 10 after my parents divorced so he could keep her as a partner. I doubt his son will do right by anyone but himself. 

[RhaenysBee]

10 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

Is it not people who have rang your health service to report symptoms or contact with someone infected and then been told they must quarantine?

That is a possibility. I do wonder however, what’s the point of publishing this piece of information without any context. Because this can either mean that there are ten thousand citizens who are hypochondriac or have the regular flu and this and that portion of them (give me a statistic estimate) might be going through a mild coronavirus infection. Or it can mean that we have eleven thousand infected people but we only confirmed 600. I don’t know.

The bigger issue is that our death count increases at a higher a speed than our recovered count. 

[Which Tyler]

9 hours ago, williamjm said:

The Worldometers site has a banner with this explanation:
 

On a similar note I was wondering why Scotland reported fifty deaths today when the previous largest rise was sixty. Apparently only ten of those fifty were for yesterday, the other forty were spread across the previous week and hadn't been reported at the time for reasons that I'm still a bit unclear on.

I think in general there are so many inconsistencies that it's risky to draw conclusions from looking at the daily death totals.

Thank you on the France info - a much more useful stat, and just bad for their "numbers" that they have to have a day playing catch-up.

 

Quite honestly, the figures I want to see are total recorded deaths; alongside a figure for total recorded deaths for the same day of the year (averaged over previous 3 or 5). People aren't just dying from Covid, there also dying from strokes where there's no ICU bed for them etc etc. These are still deaths related to COVID, and are IMPORTANT!

That ICU bed may have saved 1 COVID life, but it may also have cost 2-3 lives from people who'd "normally" be expected to use it.
ETA: Actually, you probably want to look at a rolling 3-day (or 5) total, rather than daily as well, to iron out the inconsistencies.

 

10 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

A few observations from the dog walk:

2. There's no perfect way to describe this, so I'll keep it simple, the dogs seem sad that they can't interact. Many were howling to one another as their humans practiced social distancing.

Personally, I'm still happy enough to let my dog socialise with other dogs - but I judge it on the human's reactions (as ever). It's a very personal decision though - I sanitise my hands after, if I've made a fuss of t'other dog - mobile surface)

[Jeor]

Singapore is closing schools and starting to do more of a shutdown. As one of the more efficient and competent Asian governments out there, that's probably not a good sign.

[BigFatCoward]

45 minutes ago, Which Tyler said:

Thank you on the France info - a much more useful stat, and just bad for their "numbers" that they have to have a day playing catch-up.

 

Quite honestly, the figures I want to see are total recorded deaths; alongside a figure for total recorded deaths for the same day of the year (averaged over previous 3 or 5). People aren't just dying from Covid, there also dying from strokes where there's no ICU bed for them etc etc. These are still deaths related to COVID, and are IMPORTANT!

That ICU bed may have saved 1 COVID life, but it may also have cost 2-3 lives from people who'd "normally" be expected to use it.
ETA: Actually, you probably want to look at a rolling 3-day (or 5) total, rather than daily as well, to iron out the inconsistencies.

 

Personally, I'm still happy enough to let my dog socialise with other dogs - but I judge it on the human's reactions (as ever). It's a very personal decision though - I sanitise my hands after, if I've made a fuss of t'other dog - mobile surface)

I saw some research (can't find it), that a significant number of people dying would have died this year anyway, they are just dying in a big group right now.  

 

[Fragile Bird]

1 hour ago, BigFatCoward said:

I saw some research (can't find it), that a significant number of people dying would have died this year anyway, they are just dying in a big group right now.  

 

When I see the number of people in their 70s and 80s dying, I suspect that many of them could have had a relatively happy additional 5 or 10 years, or more, not that they probably would have died this year anyway.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, Which Tyler said:

Personally, I'm still happy enough to let my dog socialise with other dogs - but I judge it on the human's reactions (as ever). It's a very personal decision though - I sanitise my hands after, if I've made a fuss of t'other dog - mobile surface)

I let Bailey interact with other dogs if their human is fine with it, but they're always quick. More what I was seeing is walking around a huge open public athletic area and dogs were barking to each other from different soccer fields and baseball diamonds because I'm assuming they wanted to play. 

[Filippa Eilhart]

16 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

When I see the number of people in their 70s and 80s dying, I suspect that many of them could have had a relatively happy additional 5 or 10 years, or more, not that they probably would have died this year anyway.

a lot of people dying in Poland are quite young - in their fifties and sixties, early seventies.

[Fragile Bird]

I just watched part of an interview with a couple who just recently had triplets.

Both of the CNN hosts, as it happens, have twins. One of them said he and his wife were very stressed when they had their twins, and the only thing that gave them heart palpitations was seeing a couple with a triple stroller. The only thing they could think of stressing them out more than having twins was having triplets.

I just can’t imagine the stress in that household! Fortunately the wife is a counselor who trains people on how to deal with stress.

Life goes on, right?

[RhaenysBee]

More coronavirus feelings: 

- I feel an overwhelming amount of guilt

> about quitting my job because I thought I’m above working at 150% capacity for a quarter of my usual income to save a company that crashed in a week because the owners self serving financial strategy. I do think I made the right decision but the circumstances make me doubt myself and wonder if I should have stayed longer for the team or for the measly amount of money that’s still more than nothing. 

> about enjoying myself every time I lose myself in an activity, forget about the world and happen to feel light for a short while 

> about craving food all day and eating chocolate and biscuits because it means having to spend money on food and using up food and who knows if there will be food at all in a few months (my brain knows this is completely irrational and bonkers) 

> about any time spent not being active and productive or stressing about the situation (which is not helping anybody at all and I’m entitled to feel good or have leisure time in spite of what’s going on around the world because nobody will or can take care of my sanity if I don’t) 

> about sometimes feeling slightly annoyed at certain small parts of quarantine life and missing shallow and unimportant aspects of life before the virus  

- I do not sleep well at all and I miss the weightless, dreamless freedom of switching my brain off for the night at least 

- I appreciate the return of simplicity in my life and lack of judgement of people’s various ways of life 

- I feel scared of tomorrow and find it difficult to live in the moment 

- I feel grateful and fortunate that I get to spend this time in good circumstances 

- I feel frustrated with myself that I am not smart enough to understand the “science” of the epidemic (in terms of biology, economics, social impact, statistics, etc) as well as with the media and the state issued information that doesn’t help my lack of knowledge and understanding 

- I also feel weirdly glad that I have a chance and the time to engage in projects and activities I could otherwise not incorporate into my everyday life (such as a makeover if not a full renovation of my mother’s house, dog training, etc) 

- I constantly feel like I’m not doing enough (for myself, for my family, for the world) although this is a pre-existing feeling that was enhanced, rather than brought about by the virus situation

- I feel helpless and indecisive about making long term changes and arrangements in my life to adjust to new way of life 

- which is because I’m still unable to let go of the illusion that we will be over this one-two months rather than 6-12-18 and come to terms with the reality which is largely down to not having a solid understanding of the reality (see the frustration above) 

well I exhausted and bored even myself going through all this, so I will shut up and have a glass of water.

 

[Meera of Tarth]

46 minutes ago, RhaenysBee said:

 

@RhaenysBee don't worry all these feelings are normal. You are adapring to a new situation.

Don't feel guilty for staying in your own world and feeling good or bad for what you are doing...it's normal we consume the news and we become stressed and we also engage in entertaining activities bc it's needed.

Also no one knows exactly how this virus work so it's in no way a matter of a lack of understanding from your perspective. Experts of different countries have different theories and everyhting is on the table right now.

I'm also feeling lots of things these days.

Take care! 

[Fragile Bird]

We all need hugs at this time, and the cruelest thing is we can’t have them.    

[BigFatCoward]

1 hour ago, Fragile Bird said:

I just watched part of an interview with a couple who just recently had triplets.

Both of the CNN hosts, as it happens, have twins. One of them said he and his wife were very stressed when they had their twins, and the only thing that gave them heart palpitations was seeing a couple with a triple stroller. The only thing they could think of stressing them out more than having twins was having triplets.

I just can’t imagine the stress in that household! Fortunately the wife is a counselor who trains people on how to deal with stress.

Life goes on, right?

There is a girl near me with triplets, the pram is so fucking long, i don't know how she does anything other than walk in a straight line. 

I always wanted twins (get it over and done with) but having had a non sleeping child for 2 years I can't think of anything worse.  

[Zorral]

Hospital ship Comfort is a joke played by asshole on NYC:

https://www.businessinsider.com/usns-comfort-navy-hospital-nyc-largely-unused-2020-4

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/nyregion/ny-coronavirus-usns-comfort.html

Quote

 

The 1,000-bed hospital ship's mission was to free up space in the city's hospitals by taking non-coronavirus patients off their hands.

But as of late Thursday, just 20 patients were being treated on board the ship, according to The New York Times, in part because of strict rules over how patients are admitted, and because there aren't many non-coronavirus patients in the city at the moment.

To get on the ship, patients must first be taken to a hospital, where they are tested for COVID-19. [Z -- reminder, all the hospitals are overwhelmed by c19 patients already there and constantly delivered they have no beds for them.  Good way to keep killing people, yes?  The same thing happened with the the good USNS Ship Comfort in Haiti after the earthquake -- they took patients hardly at all, and those of the ruling mercantile plundering class.]

But the ship isn't accepting patients with 49 other ailments as well, according to a list sent to the local hospitals.

Only once a person's issues are determined to fit the scope of the ship's treatment offerings can that person be taken by ambulance to the Comfort.

 

So ... those  US federal stockpile medical supplies ... where are they?  They've been sold at rock bottom prices to private companies who are reselling them on the market to the states (unless Florida, presumably!).

 

[Rippounet]

16 hours ago, Zorral said:

Unless -- is medical cbd with a touch of THC an anxiolytic?

I couldn't possibly say. Marijuana has anxiolytic properties, but only a doctor could tell you how CBD works exactly.

[Zorral]

Just now, Rippounet said:

I couldn't possibly say. Marijuana has anxiolytic properties, but only a doctor could tell you how CBD works exactly.

Which they can't of course, because doing research with it is nearly illegal.  It's outside the profession of scientists and physicians this is going on.  Fortunately one of our friends, who has a Ph.D. in chemistry, has been working on this all her adult life; she's been delivering papers at conferences on various healing properties of cannabis for quite some time now.  Also has a big manufacturing and retail business with the stuff -- both medical and recreational (latter legal where she is) and is a millionaire.  She sends us stuff, which is really great for pain, without any fuzziness or sleepiness (or munchies!), and always asks us for feedback on how the product works, such as topical lotions and so on.  Since I started using her product I haven't touched a tylonel, advil, ibu -- any of those muscle relaxants in years.  

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Interesting tidbit I heard. We sent billing statements to about 800 patients. Two people paid.

[Ran]

Google's released community mobility data that is pretty interesting. Of course, China, Russia, Iran, a few other states don't have entries (although the Financial Times did get TomTom GPS data to show that Hubei province's lockdown led to practically no car traffic for weeks on end)

[Arakan]

US pirates strike again. Protective masks bought in China and designated for Berlin were seized by US officials in Bangkok. 

They have already been paid for and were „confiscated“. There is no excuse for this especially after the vaccine shenanigans by Trump around the German company CureVac. Politicians are speaking of an act of piracy. They are correct. 
 

Who needs enemies when you have such „allies“. I am angry.