Covid-19 discussion, continued...

posted by jmog

My wife had COVID back in April, as I completely explained daily on this thread. She fully recovered.

She had to have an outpatient procedure at the hospital 3 weeks ago since hospitals opened up for “elective surgery”.

Their protocol makes them test every patient coming in for COVID.  

So, even though she was tested twice back in April (she had to be tested again to go back to work as she works with hospice patients), they tested her again and an antibody test.

She told them it was pointless as she knows she already had it. 

Her doctor is a great guy and here’s what he told her.

He said that unfortunately she would go down in the statistics as another positive case since the antibody test would come back positive. 

And here’s the kicker...if something bad happened while she was under anesthesia during the surgery and she died...

She would be listed as a COVID-19 death since she was a positive case.

My wife told him that was BS and he said “yup, but it’s the current rules”

So if you wonder why I am a little skeptic it’s because my family has actually gone through it AND seen how hospitals/hospices are treating/told to treat cases and deaths right now. 

So my wife was counted three times now as a COVID case as she had another outpatient procedure this past Monday. 

The father of a guy I know had covid ........he has now been counted 5 times.

One guy  = Five covid cases.

posted by QuakerOats

The father of a guy I know had covid ........he has now been counted 5 times.

One guy  = Five covid cases.

The statistics are beyond flawed .........and yet we are making decisions with enormous ramifications based on them.   Most of us are now just carrying on pretty much as usual.

Thank you for the one off story as well. 

I agree the cases are just one aspect of it. The rising cases do not tell the whole story and given that more younger people are testing positive, tells an incomplte one. Most decisions to shut things down are based off of data that includes hospitalizations and deaths. Those are increasing in certain areas. 

posted by Ironman92

I don’t care about the bullied argument. I do t go through life questioning things I have minimal to no control over. I don’t like the speed limit being 60 mph on Rt 35 and Rt 32 around here but I also don’t like $150 tickets and insurance hikes. I don’t like the “need” for masks but it’s also no big deal.

This is well stated.  Regardless of one's personal opinion, right now we are in a very panicky, high anxiety state.  Wearing a mask does two things: it lessons the risk that I will transmit, and it gives my fellow citizens a little comfort to know I'm taking precautions.  That second point isn't the science side, but it is important.  It's giving my fellows a good faith showing.  I'm not big on it being mandated.  But that's not the hill I care to die on.

posted by Dr Winston O'Boogie

This is well stated.  Regardless of one's personal opinion, right now we are in a very panicky, high anxiety state.  Wearing a mask does two things: it lessons the risk that I will transmit, and it gives my fellow citizens a little comfort to know I'm taking precautions.  That second point isn't the science side, but it is important.  It's giving my fellows a good faith showing.  I'm not big on it being mandated.  But that's not the hill I care to die on.

I agree, well stated. This is also something easy we all can do. It is also, historically, the latest in a long line of things Americans collectively do during tough times. 

I still have serious doubts that Americans, selfish as we may perceive ourselves to be, are that much worse then the Europeans on social distancing and mask wearing.

We've long surged past Sweden, which never locked down and reportedly had a fair amount of indifference to social distancing and mask wearing guidelines.

It's surging in CA, where I'd guess compliance would probably be on par, at least, with Europe.

Anyway, some time ago I saw a blurb that the European strain was supposedly 4X as contagious as the original strain from China.  A recent study in Chicago, I believe, identified 3 pre-dominant strains: the original from China (1%) that was comparatively low transmissible, a more moderate strain (8%), and the rest was a strain that was highly contagious.  That strain was estimated to be 10X as contagious as the original one in China.  I think that moderate strain is the one imported from Europe, and what we are now dealing with in the US is a mutation that is 2.5X more contagious then what they have in Europe.  That would explain A LOT.

posted by gut

I still have serious doubts that Americans, selfish as we may perceive ourselves to be, are that much worse then the Europeans on social distancing and mask wearing.

We've long surged past Sweden, which never locked down and reportedly had a fair amount of indifference to social distancing and mask wearing guidelines.

It's surging in CA, where I'd guess compliance would probably be on par, at least, with Europe.

Anyway, some time ago I saw a blurb that the European strain was supposedly 4X as contagious as the original strain from China.  A recent study in Chicago, I believe, identified 3 pre-dominant strains: the original from China (1%) that was comparatively low transmissible, a more moderate strain (8%), and the rest was a strain that was highly contagious.  That strain was estimated to be 10X as contagious as the original one in China.  I think that moderate strain is the one imported from Europe, and what we are now dealing with in the US is a mutation that is 2.5X more contagious then what they have in Europe.  That would explain A LOT.

There are doctors here arguing the virus is getting weaker FWIW. 

posted by like_that
I can tell you In Italy people are becoming more careless by the week.  This is with mandatory mask and social distancing laws.

There are doctors here arguing the virus is getting weaker FWIW. 

Last night, I went with three friends to Attica's (north central Ohio) short-track racing event at their little fairground area. Man, go there and you'd be about 99.9% sure COVID isn't even a thing. The announcer mentioned it once (as "this COVID thing" in talking about how great it was to get this event happening despite the uncertainty we're living in), the place was utterly packed (we ignored the grandstands and were standing by the fence because there was at least elbow room there) and masks or bandanas were worn solely due to the dust and dirt kicked up by those little sprint cars around the track. If they weren't running, the masks were off.

Over the past few months, I've been to a few different places, some of which were reasonably (or totally) compliant with regulations and others that weren't so much, but this was the first time I truly got a "FUCK IT ALL; WE'RE HAVING FUN AND THAT'S IT!!!!" vibe where people generally gave no fucks as to even the potential of infection.

So, did DeWine actually say anything useful in his evening press conference? From Twitter, it looked like a bunch of nothing in the "Ohio has been doing great and the economy is getting better and you're all awesome BUT a tiny few of you might be backsliding and we have to keep moving forward and not back and it'd be really cool if all of you could wear masks because that'd help in making that happen." vein.

You know, the "gotta say something because numbers are rising, but don't wanna have to actually do anything, so here are a bunch of words" shit that politicians have ingrained into their souls.

posted by Heretic

Last night, I went with three friends to Attica's (north central Ohio) short-track racing event at their little fairground area. Man, go there and you'd be about 99.9% sure COVID isn't even a thing. The announcer mentioned it once (as "this COVID thing" in talking about how great it was to get this event happening despite the uncertainty we're living in), the place was utterly packed (we ignored the grandstands and were standing by the fence because there was at least elbow room there) and masks or bandanas were worn solely due to the dust and dirt kicked up by those little sprint cars around the track. If they weren't running, the masks were off.

Over the past few months, I've been to a few different places, some of which were reasonably (or totally) compliant with regulations and others that weren't so much, but this was the first time I truly got a "FUCK IT ALL; WE'RE HAVING FUN AND THAT'S IT!!!!" vibe where people generally gave no fucks as to even the potential of infection.

Grew up near Attica and none of this surprises me. 

posted by Heretic

So, did DeWine actually say anything useful in his evening press conference? From Twitter, it looked like a bunch of nothing in the "Ohio has been doing great and the economy is getting better and you're all awesome BUT a tiny few of you might be backsliding and we have to keep moving forward and not back and it'd be really cool if all of you could wear masks because that'd help in making that happen." vein.

You know, the "gotta say something because numbers are rising, but don't wanna have to actually do anything, so here are a bunch of words" shit that politicians have ingrained into their souls.

Can’t wait to read the meltdowns on Reddit later about him not doing anything.

posted by friendfromlowry

Can’t wait to read the meltdowns on Reddit later about him not doing anything.

I don't hear too many people talking about the reality that state budgets have been decimated, and without the feds printing more money most states can't afford to shut back down.

We're going to see massive hikes in state & local taxes.  And even if they don't need to, they'll still use it as an excuse to raise more money.

posted by Heretic

Last night, I went with three friends to Attica's (north central Ohio) short-track racing event at their little fairground area. Man, go there and you'd be about 99.9% sure COVID isn't even a thing. The announcer mentioned it once (as "this COVID thing" in talking about how great it was to get this event happening despite the uncertainty we're living in), the place was utterly packed (we ignored the grandstands and were standing by the fence because there was at least elbow room there) and masks or bandanas were worn solely due to the dust and dirt kicked up by those little sprint cars around the track. If they weren't running, the masks were off.

Over the past few months, I've been to a few different places, some of which were reasonably (or totally) compliant with regulations and others that weren't so much, but this was the first time I truly got a "FUCK IT ALL; WE'RE HAVING FUN AND THAT'S IT!!!!" vibe where people generally gave no fucks as to even the potential of infection.

But but but, I was told that this wasn’t happening throughout Ohio!

posted by Heretic

Last night, I went with three friends to Attica's (north central Ohio) short-track racing event at their little fairground area. Man, go there and you'd be about 99.9% sure COVID isn't even a thing. The announcer mentioned it once (as "this COVID thing" in talking about how great it was to get this event happening despite the uncertainty we're living in), the place was utterly packed (we ignored the grandstands and were standing by the fence because there was at least elbow room there) and masks or bandanas were worn solely due to the dust and dirt kicked up by those little sprint cars around the track. If they weren't running, the masks were off.

Over the past few months, I've been to a few different places, some of which were reasonably (or totally) compliant with regulations and others that weren't so much, but this was the first time I truly got a "FUCK IT ALL; WE'RE HAVING FUN AND THAT'S IT!!!!" vibe where people generally gave no fucks as to even the potential of infection.

Then why choose to stay there? Complaining about it doesn’t make you any better then the others there. 

Wut? 

posted by sportchampps

Then why choose to stay there? Complaining about it doesn’t make you any better then the others there. 

Lol

We’re in a bad spot because of tourists, but we had no deaths today. They literally all come here and then we rack up cases. It sucks, but without people, businesses go bankrupt and people will have no jobs. So what’s the answer? Masks are mandated btw

posted by gut

I don't hear too many people talking about the reality that state budgets have been decimated, and without the feds printing more money most states can't afford to shut back down.

We're going to see massive hikes in state & local taxes.  And even if they don't need to, they'll still use it as an excuse to raise more money.

I think in order to be a regular on Reddit you have to be 20 years old and only think about things one way and everything else is wrong.

posted by friendfromlowry

I think in order to be a regular on Reddit you have to be 20 years old and only think about things one way and everything else is wrong.

I’m not sure most are even 20

posted by SportsAndLady

But but but, I was told that this wasn’t happening throughout Ohio!

That’s just the .1% not complying out of the 99.9% that are complying.