COVID-19 (artist formerly known as Wuhan strain novel Corona virus)

I think we are already. I said something the other week.

Not about reinfections, but that positive tests skew the "death" and "hospitalization" numbers.

A reinfection would do the same.

 

Is Tennessee using the anti body tests as "positive" tests, too?

I read somewhere that some states roll that into positive tests. If that's the case, that skews numbers.

 

I havent kept up with it as much lately. That and the media coverage for what it's worth had a 2 week lull.

 

I can't remember who all is and isn't, but yea, it'll skew it to make it look like it isn't as deadly too.

But an example would be there was a MPD officer who tested positive 3 or 4 times over 60 days, and was just trying to test negative to get out of quarantine.

If he tested positive 4 times, and died... that'd be 25% rate if reporting deaths per positive test... but 100% rate is reporting deaths per positive person.

 

If the current spike began in early June, shouldn’t we be seeing increased death numbers by now?

 

I try as much as possible to do the ol' Trump thing: if I don't read about it, it isn't bad.

So I just read here, and what pops up as a result.

 

Our spike didn't happen until last week. Where are you seeing early June spikes?

 

I heard it from someone else, but looking at the numbers now, early June doesn’t seem correct. You could make a case for June 12th, but June 16th looks like the true beginning of the spike. That was 15 days ago. Shouldn’t we be seeing an uptick in deaths at this point?

 

If it's otherwise healthy people, probably not

 

@TennTradition is this reliable?

 

Hey Goose, now we're Flying into the Danger Zone

 

CDC is doing that and the reason some states and their numbers aren’t matching up

 

yeah

 

What places are you seeing the spike on the 15th? You have to look at the deaths that are occurring at the places that are spiking.

 

This is from a guy back home. In full disclosure, if you had told me 25 years ago I'd be presenting his point of view as something to consider on anything other than drinking or girls I'd laughed at you -

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Professional opinion on Covid 19 as of 7/1/20

I worked a Covid 19 unit. (RN, BSN, 13 years acute care experience). I volunteered to take care of the first positive Covid 19 patient that hit our floor in Louisiana. We were not prepared. There was not enough equipment and I actually had to wait for someone to "tube" an N95 up to the unit because an employee in Louisiana had stolen several hundred cases of N95s from the supply stash. (He was caught and arrested.)

We asked for a volunteer quarantine from society and promoted it because the virus was a novel virus. We needed time to learn about it, create a plan for it logistically and therapeutically, and to curve the transmission of it. Society understood the potential problem of the unknown. They understood we might run out of space in the hospital setting and that we may not have enough equipment. People self quarantined and it was very helpful.

Time passed and data poured in from all directions. Some information was from communist countries, some was from noncommunist countries. You take it as a whole. The data was also twisted politically to either praise the current POTUS or condemn him. You take it as a whole. The entities that give us information on diseases was found to be tainted as well with political ties. Money from other countries swayed the direction of the information. This was confusing and heartbreaking for healthcare all at the same time. We wanted facts, objective data, and a clear plan of care for these patients. We didn't get one. Healthcare made their own plans. We improvised and took it however we could.

Ultimately I caught the virus from an extremely sick and contagious patient. It sucked. It hurt. I was afraid. Why? Because I had seen with my own eyes how some patients tanked with this virus in the hospital. I also was born with Asthma and have battled lung problems since I can remember. However, I had not seen with my own eyes, patients that did not tank. (I lived in a camper minutes from the hospital and wasn't socializing.) Thankfully, I was one of the patients that did not get really sick. Additionally, as the data poured in, it was very apparent that my case was like the vast majority of cases.... no hospital treatment needed.

Politics took over about the time I was feeling better. (Late March, early April. The data still shows that the likelihood of a person dying from Covid 19 is very very low. The acuity of the disease however is still very mysterious. People that get it still tank sometimes. The vast majority however, do not have bad cases. The media and political push has went directly opposite of the data. When society was probably more willing to adhere to suggestions and even mandates in the beginning due to unforeseen outcomes, the government was fairly lenient. Now, with data showing that the virus is not as contagious as originally thought as it relates to fomites, asymptomatic patients, etc... the government is creating mandates as if this virus has become novel again. (new with no data). The agenda of government appears to be more focused on shutting down the economy and mandating people to stay home in an effort to sway votes instead of protecting the rights of the people which is the ultimate job it has. Each city and each state seem to have their own agenda on how to publicly stop the virus with a mixture of how to change an election process. It's very disturbing knowing the actual data of the virus.

The information we have NOW about the virus, the treatment plan, and the outcome of those who contract it does not warrant an extreme shutdown of a country. It did warrant a heavily suggested quarantine in the beginning. The data about positive tested patients without symptoms is now showing flaws with an abundance of faulty tests and counting which seems political as well. Social media has become pretty polarized in the "facts" of the virus too.

One side of the extreme is that the virus is fake and doesn't exist. FALSE.

The other side of the extreme is that if everyone doesn't stay home or wear some type of mask in society that we will all get sick and have a high probability of being put on a ventilator or dying. FALSE.

The truth is somewhere in the middle. Social distancing, washing hands, and sick people staying isolated is most important. Filtering enclosed air spaces in a negative pressure flow other than hospital rooms (in my opinion) should also be considered. (Nursing homes, dialysis centers, clinics)The fear of disaster is not reasonable at this point as it relates to mass death. Fearing the creation of a societal norm temporarily to interfere with an election is reasonable. FYI, I was a conservative Democrat and voted for Obama. My party changed drastically and I am a conservative republican/libertarian now. I believe in the constitution and fair/accurate elections no matter who the winner is.

I would summarize this all by saying, the virus is real. It has the ability to make people very sick, even healthy people. That is highly unlikely though. The vast majority of cases are not bad, and the mortality rate is very very low. The virus is not bad enough to stop a country from everything. The virus is present enough however to take proper precautions and to be vigilant about your health. Everyone should wash their hands in some way before and after they interact in public. Everyone who is sick with virus symptoms should isolate themselves. Everyone who has a cough should stay away from social gatherings or cover their cough in some way... a mask is easy. Anyone who is afraid to interact in society is free to stay home. Masks are easy to wear and easy to remove but are unnecessary if social distancing is practiced. Masks are unnecessary outside. Masks are unnecessary in your own vehicle. Masks do not protect you if you are in close proximity to a contagious and symptomatic person unless it's an N95. Masks will help contain particles when coughing. Masks will not kill you unless it gets trapped in your trachea or used to strangle you. Masks should not be mandated by any government. Masks are optional in public because you are a free American. If you are afraid of someone without a mask, you are free to not be around them. If a business requires a mask, you are free to shop elsewhere. Wearing masks to save lives is not a logical ideation except for when visiting elderly and immunocompromised people. The data is clear now. The virus is not new anymore. A mask is relative. Social distancing is relative. Hospital preparedness is relative. Patient outcome is relative. However, overall data is objective. The mortality rate of covid 19 is very low. Covid 19 is comparable in mortality with other seasonal flu viruses. Covid 19 does have a wider range of acuity than the basic seasonal flu, so know that and act accordingly. We are Americans and we are a free people. Mandates requiring masks in public are not reasonable. I will not comply. Use common sense and we'll be fine. My guess is that the Covid 19 vaccine will be added to the seasonal flu mixture by next year and we will move on to the next hurdle. -- Dean

 

Don't shout fire in a theatre. Don't say bomb on a plane. And wear a mask in public, Dean.

The rest is good.

 

I tend to agree about the mask. Even if it helps 10%, that's better than 0.

 

It's a $10 thing that is safer than a vaccine, and will help good enough. It isn't an inconvenience. It doesn't make you a [ussy pay]. You can still talk. Take of off to eat at a restaurant.

But it'll help.

 

Only thing that sucks is my hearing is already going, so it's really fun to try to talk to someone in a mask.

 

Here is that same sort of information (but cases rather than deaths) displayed visually: