COVID-19 Megathread 4: Grandma Got Run Over by the Dow Jones

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/jdmaccoby/status/1246036566423801857

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/annafifield/status/1246149713016918016

[GeorgiaModerate]

Our idiotic governor has REOPENED Georgia beaches.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Yascha_Mounk/status/1246240181440540672

[GeorgiaModerate]

Folks, Sprouts is trolling you.  Don't take the bait.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/saletan/status/1246468772002750469

[GeorgiaModerate]

On a positive note:

Pet fostering takes off as coronavirus keeps Americans home

Shelters from California to New York have put out the call for people to temporarily foster pets. Thanks to an overwhelming response from people who suddenly found themselves stuck at home, shelters say they have placed record numbers of dogs, cats and other animals. If past trends hold, many of those who agree to temporarily care for a pet will ultimately decide they want the animal to stay for good.

[GeorgiaModerate]

It's also very likely that deaths from COVID-19 are being significantly under-reported due to lack of confirmation of infection.  If this is the case, and numerous articles support that it is, then comparing the actual number of deaths to any estimated number of cases is inherently flawed, and will certainly underestimate the fatality rate.  For consistency, you need to either compare actual deaths to actual reported cases, or estimated deaths to estimated total cases.

It's likely that we won't be able to estimate the true death toll until after the fact, by calculating excess deaths over the number that would have been expected in a typical population during the same period.

[GeorgiaModerate]

De Blasio (like Kemp) thinks we only learned within the last 48 hours that asymptomatic people could spread the virus:

https://www.mediaite.com/news/bill-de-blasio-rejects-claim-u-s-knew-asymptomatic-people-could-spread-the-virus-only-learned-that-in-the-last-48-hours/

“The city’s position used to be that healthy people don’t need masks because they’re not very effective at preventing the virus from coming in, they’re mostly from keeping you from spreading it, so explain this new recommendation,” Lehrer said.

“Exactly, it’s still the fundamental truth, so we have, you know, a renowned health department here in New York City… only in the last really 48 hours or so do they feel they’ve seen evidence around the world, particularly a new study coming out of Singapore, that shows more evidence that this disease can be spread by asymptomatic people,” de Blasio responded.
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When Lehrer asked, “Didn’t we know weeks and months ago that asymptomatic people can spread this disease?” The mayor insisted we did not.

“No, the fact is I’ve been at so many press conferences where our top doctors for New York City addressed this and they said ‘we just didn’t have evidence from all the global medical community that was studying this issue,” de Blasio told Lehrer. “There was suspicion, but there was not evidence.”

I guess they don't listen to Dr. Fauci:

https://twitter.com/OKnox/status/1246493897712418827

[GeorgiaModerate]

I though the safety trials had already been completed for Remdesivir from its Ebola testing days and they were primarily testing for efficacy now?

That's what I thought too. I thought they also said the efficacy for this drug was fantastic.

From https://www.rxlist.com/consumer_remdesivir_rdv/drugs-condition.htm:

IS REMDESIVIR EFFECTIVE AGAINST COVID-19, BASED ON THE LIMITED EVIDENCE AVAILABLE?

There is only one randomized control trial for remdesivir (RDV) conducted during the last Ebola outbreak. That study was stopped before it was concluded because of a significant increase in mortality in patients taking RDV, meaning it didn’t help those Ebola patients.

The majority of clinical decisions are made based on the historical epidemics Ebola, SARS, and MERS. The outcomes of RDV use in those three disease outbreaks has not been as promising as hoped.

WHEN WILL WE KNOW IF REMDESIVIR IS SUCCESSFUL AGAINST COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS?

As of March 27, 2020:

There are four U.S. trials.

Two China trials are expected to complete at the beginning of April.

One Chinese trial is for severe COVID-19, one is for mild-to-moderate COVID-19.

The last day for data collection for the severe trial is April 3.

The last day for data collection for the mild-to-moderate one is April 10.

There are two or three European trials that have RDV as a comparator, meaning it’s one of
the drugs they are testing in a multi-drug trial.

Once the trials are completed, there will be a short lag time as researchers crunch the data and put their paper through peer review.

WHAT ARE SIDE EFFECTS OF REMDESIVIR (RDV)?

In the Ebola trial, researchers noted side effects of remdesivir (RDV) that included:

Increased liver enzyme levels that may indicate possible liver damage

Researchers documented similar increases in liver enzymes in three U.S. COVID-19 patients

Typical antiviral drug side effects include:

Nausea
Vomiting

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/EllenBarryNYT/status/1246531849528184832

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/StephenGutowski/status/1246552009785913346

[GeorgiaModerate]

(snip)

Current death rate in the United States is pushing 3%. Far far far deadlier than the common flu. Please do not wrap yourself up in disinformation, or at least at the minimum do not spread it to others. Practice social distancing, not factual distancing.

Best line of the thread.  This should be on T-shirts.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/scontorno/status/1246432338860523523

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/michael_nielsen/status/1246457825720553472

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/1246564473189675009

[GeorgiaModerate]

On the subject of garlic: fresh garlic, which I like to cook with, has been impossible to find for the past several weeks.  What I've heard is that most of it for sale in the US comes from China, as opposed to years ago when most of it came from the area around Gilroy, California.  I've been using a jar of minced garlic instead.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Working at Target I can tell you that we have strict limits on essential items now, panic buying has pretty much been banned. I can tell you this cause I’ve been verbally harassed and berated over the past few weeks upholding them. But guess what? Those customers can get f**ked. Done being polite.

Besides toilet paper and cleaning supplies, what are people trying to hoard?

Condoms and, weirdly, garlic powder have been pretty scarce in my area. It seriously took my days to find some damn garlic powder. I guess a lot of people anticipate cooking at home...and then having sex. With garlic breath?

If you both have garlic breath, it doesn't have to be a big deal unless one of you make it a big deal. Neither one if you is being gross as compared to the other and it cancels out.

Can we call this sex math?

For mathochists.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://mobile.twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1246611122402152450

[GeorgiaModerate]

If a troll makes a post and everyone has them on ignore, does it make a sound?

[GeorgiaModerate]

If a troll makes a post and everyone has them on ignore, does it make a sound?

Geez, Georgia I know we've had our differences, but that hurts

LOL.  Definitely not; you're more of an anti-troll.

(A llort?)

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/ByMikeBaker/status/1246869458229981185

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/natashaldaly/status/1246900371706036228

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1246919689416122369

[GeorgiaModerate]

No one has it harder than high school seniors right now.

Is this some sort of parody account?

It's LimoLiberal....

So yes.