COVID-19 Megathread 5: The Trumps catch COVID-19

[NOVA Green]

Meanwhile, CNN broke down face-mask wearing by region of the Country...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/26/politics/maskwearing-coronavirus-analysis/index.html

Now some of this could be items such "always wearing a face mask when outside of the house"...

I don't wear a mask every time I walk out my door, but always wear a mask when going into indoors spaces outside of my home, or in outdoor areas where I can't practice a minimum 6' social distancing...

In larger Cities with significant amount of foot traffic, or in apt bldgs / condos where people need to use the Elevator or stairs, I would imagine would be a bit different than one or two story apt bldgs without shared stairs/elevators, etc....

This isn't too surprising to me. It also depends on whether or not you live in a state, county, or city where mask-wearing has been made mandatory by the authorities. The Northeastern states, where people are wearing masks at higher rates than most of the country, have by and large made them mandatory. The same is true in California and the other states of the Pacific Coast. By contrast, in those regions where it hasn't been-such as parts of the Midwest, South, and Interior West-mask wearing rates are lower. Here in Colorado Springs (where it has not been made mandatory), I would say around half of all people are wearing masks, and half are not. In Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins, and Aspen, where it has been made mandatory, the rate is probably much higher (though I haven't been to any of those cities since before the pandemic started).

Mask wearing has not been mandatory throughout the West Coast, even in California, until just recently....

The Governor of CA just the other day mandated wearing masks in public, the Governor of Washington did the same, while in OR we have only (7) counties where wearing masks are mandatory, again just very recently....

There are potentially counties and municipalities in CA which made it mandatory a bit earlier, but this is a new thing...

Still props to the counties in CO, which apparently were ahead of the curve!

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Well, we figured out how to prevent a second wave. Make sure that the first wave never goes away. Insert some Florida men meme with Trump and DeSantis.

[Calthrina950]

Meanwhile, CNN broke down face-mask wearing by region of the Country...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/26/politics/maskwearing-coronavirus-analysis/index.html

Now some of this could be items such "always wearing a face mask when outside of the house"...

I don't wear a mask every time I walk out my door, but always wear a mask when going into indoors spaces outside of my home, or in outdoor areas where I can't practice a minimum 6' social distancing...

In larger Cities with significant amount of foot traffic, or in apt bldgs / condos where people need to use the Elevator or stairs, I would imagine would be a bit different than one or two story apt bldgs without shared stairs/elevators, etc....

This isn't too surprising to me. It also depends on whether or not you live in a state, county, or city where mask-wearing has been made mandatory by the authorities. The Northeastern states, where people are wearing masks at higher rates than most of the country, have by and large made them mandatory. The same is true in California and the other states of the Pacific Coast. By contrast, in those regions where it hasn't been-such as parts of the Midwest, South, and Interior West-mask wearing rates are lower. Here in Colorado Springs (where it has not been made mandatory), I would say around half of all people are wearing masks, and half are not. In Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins, and Aspen, where it has been made mandatory, the rate is probably much higher (though I haven't been to any of those cities since before the pandemic started).

Mask wearing has not been mandatory throughout the West Coast, even in California, until just recently....

The Governor of CA just the other day mandated wearing masks in public, the Governor of Washington did the same, while in OR we have only (7) counties where wearing masks are mandatory, again just very recently....

There are potentially counties and municipalities in CA which made it mandatory a bit earlier, but this is a new thing...

Still props to the counties in CO, which apparently were ahead of the curve!

I've heard that your Governor is making them mandatory statewide in Oregon. I had thought Washington already had them as mandatory, but apparently that was only King County. And San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside County, and other counties in the Bay Area made mask wearing mandatory months ago, before Governor Newsom acted. But in general, my observations hold true-especially for the Northeast. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy was among the first to mandate mask-wearing over two months ago, back in early April.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Meanwhile, CNN broke down face-mask wearing by region of the Country...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/26/politics/maskwearing-coronavirus-analysis/index.html

Now some of this could be items such "always wearing a face mask when outside of the house"...

I don't wear a mask every time I walk out my door, but always wear a mask when going into indoors spaces outside of my home, or in outdoor areas where I can't practice a minimum 6' social distancing...

In larger Cities with significant amount of foot traffic, or in apt bldgs / condos where people need to use the Elevator or stairs, I would imagine would be a bit different than one or two story apt bldgs without shared stairs/elevators, etc....

This isn't too surprising to me. It also depends on whether or not you live in a state, county, or city where mask-wearing has been made mandatory by the authorities. The Northeastern states, where people are wearing masks at higher rates than most of the country, have by and large made them mandatory. The same is true in California and the other states of the Pacific Coast. By contrast, in those regions where it hasn't been-such as parts of the Midwest, South, and Interior West-mask wearing rates are lower. Here in Colorado Springs (where it has not been made mandatory), I would say around half of all people are wearing masks, and half are not. In Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins, and Aspen, where it has been made mandatory, the rate is probably much higher (though I haven't been to any of those cities since before the pandemic started).

Mask wearing has not been mandatory throughout the West Coast, even in California, until just recently....

The Governor of CA just the other day mandated wearing masks in public, the Governor of Washington did the same, while in OR we have only (7) counties where wearing masks are mandatory, again just very recently....

There are potentially counties and municipalities in CA which made it mandatory a bit earlier, but this is a new thing...

Still props to the counties in CO, which apparently were ahead of the curve!

I've heard that your Governor is making them mandatory statewide in Oregon. I had thought Washington already had them as mandatory, but apparently that was only King County. And San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside County, and other counties in the Bay Area made mask wearing mandatory months ago, before Governor Newsom acted. But in general, my observations hold true-especially for the Northeast. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy was among the first to mandate mask-wearing over two months ago, back in early April.

In places with mandatory masks, just where are they mandatory?  Walking outside?  At a restaurant (it would be hard to eat with one on)?  Or is it basically just "in stores"?

[Calthrina950]

Meanwhile, CNN broke down face-mask wearing by region of the Country...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/26/politics/maskwearing-coronavirus-analysis/index.html

Now some of this could be items such "always wearing a face mask when outside of the house"...

I don't wear a mask every time I walk out my door, but always wear a mask when going into indoors spaces outside of my home, or in outdoor areas where I can't practice a minimum 6' social distancing...

In larger Cities with significant amount of foot traffic, or in apt bldgs / condos where people need to use the Elevator or stairs, I would imagine would be a bit different than one or two story apt bldgs without shared stairs/elevators, etc....

This isn't too surprising to me. It also depends on whether or not you live in a state, county, or city where mask-wearing has been made mandatory by the authorities. The Northeastern states, where people are wearing masks at higher rates than most of the country, have by and large made them mandatory. The same is true in California and the other states of the Pacific Coast. By contrast, in those regions where it hasn't been-such as parts of the Midwest, South, and Interior West-mask wearing rates are lower. Here in Colorado Springs (where it has not been made mandatory), I would say around half of all people are wearing masks, and half are not. In Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins, and Aspen, where it has been made mandatory, the rate is probably much higher (though I haven't been to any of those cities since before the pandemic started).

Mask wearing has not been mandatory throughout the West Coast, even in California, until just recently....

The Governor of CA just the other day mandated wearing masks in public, the Governor of Washington did the same, while in OR we have only (7) counties where wearing masks are mandatory, again just very recently....

There are potentially counties and municipalities in CA which made it mandatory a bit earlier, but this is a new thing...

Still props to the counties in CO, which apparently were ahead of the curve!

I've heard that your Governor is making them mandatory statewide in Oregon. I had thought Washington already had them as mandatory, but apparently that was only King County. And San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside County, and other counties in the Bay Area made mask wearing mandatory months ago, before Governor Newsom acted. But in general, my observations hold true-especially for the Northeast. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy was among the first to mandate mask-wearing over two months ago, back in early April.

In places with mandatory masks, just where are they mandatory?  Walking outside?  At a restaurant (it would be hard to eat with one on)?  Or is it basically just "in stores"?

I'm not sure about the specifics of these policies everywhere. I know that in some jurisdictions, there are mandatory whenever one is in a "public space". I believe that is the definition which was provided in Washington and in California-though I may be wrong. In others, they are mandatory inside essential businesses-that I believe, is the definition in Pennsylvania.

As I've said, they are not mandatory where I live (Colorado Springs), except for essential employees (who were required by Polis to wear masks while on the job two months ago) and in those businesses that have chosen to make them mandatory (i.e. Costco, some of the local stores/shops here). I'm hoping that Colorado continues on its current trajectory, with a downward slide in cases and deaths, so that they do not become mandatory across the board here.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

In places with mandatory masks, just where are they mandatory?  Walking outside?  At a restaurant (it would be hard to eat with one on)?  Or is it basically just "in stores"?

Usually indoors, or maybe within 6 feet of strangers outdoors. I don't think anyone ever gets cited for outdoor violations. Some of these cities basically got laughed at on the "LockdownSkepticism" sub on Reddit for even trying to enact that.

[It’s so Joever]

Meanwhile, CNN broke down face-mask wearing by region of the Country...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/26/politics/maskwearing-coronavirus-analysis/index.html

Now some of this could be items such "always wearing a face mask when outside of the house"...

I don't wear a mask every time I walk out my door, but always wear a mask when going into indoors spaces outside of my home, or in outdoor areas where I can't practice a minimum 6' social distancing...

In larger Cities with significant amount of foot traffic, or in apt bldgs / condos where people need to use the Elevator or stairs, I would imagine would be a bit different than one or two story apt bldgs without shared stairs/elevators, etc....

This isn't too surprising to me. It also depends on whether or not you live in a state, county, or city where mask-wearing has been made mandatory by the authorities. The Northeastern states, where people are wearing masks at higher rates than most of the country, have by and large made them mandatory. The same is true in California and the other states of the Pacific Coast. By contrast, in those regions where it hasn't been-such as parts of the Midwest, South, and Interior West-mask wearing rates are lower. Here in Colorado Springs (where it has not been made mandatory), I would say around half of all people are wearing masks, and half are not. In Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins, and Aspen, where it has been made mandatory, the rate is probably much higher (though I haven't been to any of those cities since before the pandemic started).

It’s not mandatory in my suburb, but a lot of people apparently are wearing masks according to my mother (who actually does go out)

[100% pro-life no matter what]

In places with mandatory masks, just where are they mandatory?  Walking outside?  At a restaurant (it would be hard to eat with one on)?  Or is it basically just "in stores"?

Usually indoors, or maybe within 6 feet of strangers outdoors. I don't think anyone ever gets cited for outdoor violations. Some of these cities basically got laughed at on the "LockdownSkepticism" sub on Reddit for even trying to enact that.

Nashville announced today that they will do a mandatory mask order but didn't give any details other than that they would not really be looking to cite anyone for violations (more details will come by Sunday).  I don't go into Nashville that much (and when I do, it's probably to a house, wide open park, or game), but it got me thinking about what would happen if it came here.  Obviously, there's still the partisan difference, but it feels a lot closer when the southern border of mandatory mask territory is less than 10 miles away.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/karltaro/status/1276722692100517888

[7,052,770]

Meanwhile, CNN broke down face-mask wearing by region of the Country...

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/26/politics/maskwearing-coronavirus-analysis/index.html

Now some of this could be items such "always wearing a face mask when outside of the house"...

I don't wear a mask every time I walk out my door, but always wear a mask when going into indoors spaces outside of my home, or in outdoor areas where I can't practice a minimum 6' social distancing...

In larger Cities with significant amount of foot traffic, or in apt bldgs / condos where people need to use the Elevator or stairs, I would imagine would be a bit different than one or two story apt bldgs without shared stairs/elevators, etc....

I'd say that my church has less than 5% wearing masks.  Grocery stores are like 50-60%.  Other stores are maybe 25%.  Restaurants are virtually 0% for patrons, but maybe 90% for employees.  Walking around outside is basically 0%.  Maybe 2% in congested outdoor areas.

I've never seen someone wear a mask to a social gathering.  I'd be curious to know if any others have seen that.

My observations from suburban Mississippi. I really have been "that guy" counting up mask statistics in my head while out in public lately:

• I went to a grocery store three weeks ago, and I was around 100% of blacks and 80% of whites wearing masks.I went back about a week ago and it was more like 80/50.
• At restaurants, it's probably about 50/0, but all of the waiters, busboys, etc., are wearing them.
• I went to Northpark Mall last weekend, which has a much younger crowd than a grocery store, it was probably 50/20. I did enter through the food court, which may have skewed my observation. I did count people eating with masks around their necks as masked, but it's possible some of them may have put their masks away.
• I often drive past an outdoor walking trail, and it appears to be like 20/0 or less there.
• I haven't been to church or any social gatherings, but I've heard others tell me that their churches (admittedly a very small anecdotal sample) are requiring masks.

[DabbingSanta]

Huge spikes in Florida and Texas, but death count remains low. Will this go up to record levels in two weeks, or is this "spike" partially a result of increased testing? Obvious that reopening entirely is not working but freedom is imperative.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Huge spikes in Florida and Texas, but death count remains low. Will this go up to record levels in two weeks, or is this "spike" partially a result of increased testing? Obvious that reopening entirely is not working but freedom is imperative.

The past 2 days did have record amounts of testing - by far.

[It’s so Joever]

Huge spikes in Florida and Texas, but death count remains low. Will this go up to record levels in two weeks, or is this "spike" partially a result of increased testing? Obvious that reopening entirely is not working but freedom is imperative.

The past 2 days did have record amounts of testing - by far.

The positivity rates have shot up, funny how you glossed over that fact.

[GeorgiaModerate]

This is the kind of local leadership that's needed:

https://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus/status/1276694806408957959

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

*SNIP*

I'm not usually so directly opinionated, but I recently encountered someone who was going off on a rant about how he was getting fed up with PA bars/restaurants still being closed to dine-in clients and how mask-mandates were "unconstitutional" and "unfair".  This is something that I need to get off my chest:  

Believe it or not, health officials and professionals are not advising lawmakers to mandate the wearing of masks because they want to take away your rights or turn America into a police state.  

When I kindly advise people to wear masks when they enter enclosed public spaces, it's simply for two reasons:  (1) as a budding health-professional, I would be remiss if I didn't keep public health in mind and (2) I know first-hand what COVID-19 can do to even a young and healthy individual.  Between the two most serious illnesses I've had in my life (this and malaria), I would take malaria in a heartbeat.  At least I half-slept through most of that.  

I totally get the economic anxieties.  There are millions of Americans who are afraid of what the future will bring for them in a financial sense.  There is legitimate reason to be concerned about that aspect of the COVID-19 fallout.  

But it just drives me up the wall when I hear healthy people whining about how "masks are hot and uncomfortable" and that they're bored/feeling oppressed.  

GET. OVER. IT.  

It's not going to kill you to wear a mask when you go to the grocery store.  You're not some valiant patriot if you proclaim that you "won't wear a mask" because you "refuse to foster the hysteria and panic." 

I can't believe these things STILL need to be said.  

[Former Dean Phillips Supporters for Haley (I guess???!?) 👁️]

Apparently 9k+ is the new normal for Florida now.

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1276896809080836103

However, since tomorrow and on Monday the tests reported will have been from Saturday and Sunday (weekends) it will probably go down a bit over the next two days. And then it will probably go back up again starting on Tuesday or so.

Arizona also has tied its highest day so far (3,593). Funny statistical coincidence I guess, it is EXACTLY the same as on June 23.

The thing I am worried about are early possible indicators in a handful of states outside of the Southern/Western zone where there were a bit higher cases than have been usual recently. In Illinois, for example, there were 883 yesterday and 922 the day before. Those are both the highest since June 6. Another example is Ohio, over the last 3 days there were 967, 924, and 1002 cases, all of which are the highest since April 20. In Idaho, cases are also now clearly going up. If cases keep going up, then we don't just have a regional problem, but a national one.

Also there are some worrisome signs of possible (but much smaller) increases in various countries internationally. Germany obviously had an increase tied to one meat processing factory. But in addition, there have been recent noticeable (but still very small) increases in other countries such as Portugal, Switzerland, and Austria, Norway, Luxembourg, Greece, and Australia which suggest the possibility that R might not be being held below 1 across much of Europe. Anecdotally, some of this increase has been tied to large gatherings/parties amongst young people. So far the problem/trend is limited and small, but it is something to keep an eye on to make sure it doesn't start getting out of hand. To hold R<1, it may be necessary to ban large gatherings and parties if that is not already the case in some of these countries, or to tighten enforcement.

[Former Dean Phillips Supporters for Haley (I guess???!?) 👁️]

But it just drives me up the wall when I hear healthy people whining about how "masks are hot and uncomfortable" and that they're bored/feeling oppressed.

The problem here is that way too many Americans really are complete snowflakes.

I think this is the reason why the USA in particular is so bad at controlling the virus, because we have by far the highest per capita snowflake population and the biggest sense of personal entitlement.

It is a good thing that these people didn't have to live in the 1300s amidst the black death.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

But it just drives me up the wall when I hear healthy people whining about how "masks are hot and uncomfortable" and that they're bored/feeling oppressed.

The problem here is that way too many Americans really are complete snowflakes.

I think this is the reason why the USA in particular is so bad at controlling the virus, because we have by far the highest per capita snowflake population and the biggest sense of personal entitlement.

It is a good thing that these people didn't have to live in the 1300s amidst the black death.

And while I'm in rant mode: wearing a mask over your mouth but not your nose defeats the whole damn purpose.  

I get it.  They're not the most comfy thing to wear.  

Still, it just BAFFLES me that people can be SO FREAKING STUPID.  Y'all know that I don't get mad or upset all that often and I'll step down off my soapbox.  But there were a dozen profanity-filled things I wanted to say to this aforementioned individual complaining about masks and that he hadn't "had a good burger in months" thanks to the "hysteria". 

[brucejoel99]

Apparently 9k+ is the new normal for Florida now.

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1276896809080836103

Nothing to see here: just runaway infections in a state of 20 million people.

Remember, NYC locked down at 3,500 cases a day & peaked at 11,000. We're almost at 10k with no lockdown in sight.

[Former Dean Phillips Supporters for Haley (I guess???!?) 👁️]

Dick Cheney is a smart guy.

https://twitter.com/florian_krammer/status/1276673001702948867

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

But it just drives me up the wall when I hear healthy people whining about how "masks are hot and uncomfortable" and that they're bored/feeling oppressed.

The problem here is that way too many Americans really are complete snowflakes.

I think this is the reason why the USA in particular is so bad at controlling the virus, because we have by far the highest per capita snowflake population and the biggest sense of personal entitlement.

It is a good thing that these people didn't have to live in the 1300s amidst the black death.

And while I'm in rant mode: wearing a mask over your mouth but not your nose defeats the whole damn purpose.  

I get it.  They're not the most comfy thing to wear.  

Still, it just BAFFLES me that people can be SO FREAKING STUPID.  Y'all know that I don't get mad or upset all that often and I'll step down off my soapbox.  But there were a dozen profanity-filled things I wanted to say to this aforementioned individual complaining about masks and that he hadn't "had a good burger in months" thanks to the "hysteria". 

The point I always find myself making on this is that, however uncomfortable a mask may be, having a tube shoved down your throat so a machine can breathe for you is vastly more uncomfortable.

[Former Dean Phillips Supporters for Haley (I guess???!?) 👁️]

Apparently 9k+ is the new normal for Florida now.

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1276896809080836103

Nothing to see here: just runaway infections in a state of 20 million people.

Remember, NYC locked down at 3,500 cases a day & peaked at 11,000. We're almost at 10k with no lockdown in sight.

In fairness to the people that say "testing is going up," testing has actually gone up. IIRC back then NYC had something like a 50% positivity rate, with fewer tests. Undoubtedly if they had as many tests as we have now, they would then have found more cases. Whereas yesterday, the positivity rate in Florida was "only" 18%. "Only," I say...

That is just to say, while the situation in Florida is undoubtedly bad and is going to get worse in the near term, you are not (at least not yet) necessarily in a worse position than NYC was. It is also is a good thing that cases have a younger median age. However, we should all remember that NYC has a median age of 35.8 as compared to 37.7 nationally (and 42.2 in Florida), so if/when the virus continues to spread more widely in Florida and the median age of infections rises to better reflect the population, things will get worse... And potentially if we are not careful, quite a bit worse than they are were in NYC, if the virus eventually rips through Florida's senior population.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

Apparently 9k+ is the new normal for Florida now.

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1276896809080836103

Worldometers is reporting 26 deaths today in FL.  But either way, it’s a 35-40% week-over-week decline in deaths.  Yesterday also saw a small week-over-week decline in deaths.

Cases have been increasing in Florida for at least 4 weeks.  The last week of May saw 700 cases per day on average, while the first week in June saw 1200 cases per day.  But average deaths have remained stable in the 30s for the entire month.  How have we not seen any increase in deaths yet?  Even if there was a 3-4 week lag, we should be seeing some evidence by now.

[brucejoel99]

Apparently 9k+ is the new normal for Florida now.

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1276896809080836103

Nothing to see here: just runaway infections in a state of 20 million people.

Remember, NYC locked down at 3,500 cases a day & peaked at 11,000. We're almost at 10k with no lockdown in sight.

In fairness to the people that say "testing is going up," testing has actually gone up. IIRC back then NYC had something like a 50% positivity rate, with fewer tests. Undoubtedly if they had as many tests as we have now, they would then have found more cases. Whereas yesterday, the positivity rate in Florida was "only" 18%. "Only," I say...

That is just to say, while the situation in Florida is undoubtedly bad and is going to get worse in the near term, you are not (at least not yet) necessarily in a worse position than NYC was. It is also is a good thing that cases have a younger median age. However, we should all remember that NYC has a median age of 35.8 as compared to 37.7 nationally (and 42.2 in Florida), so if/when the virus continues to spread more widely in Florida and the median age of infections rises to better reflect the population, things will get worse... And potentially if we are not careful, quite a bit worse than they are were in NYC, if the virus eventually rips through Florida's senior population.

Fair. But yeah, as you make clear, Florida is still incredibly concerning, & no less so with restaurants, gyms, beaches, & theme parks all remaining fully open here. Hell, Disney World will be opening up in a few weeks. Short of prohibiting bars from serving alcohol, nothing is actually being done to make a difference in further limiting the spread. If they're allowed to proceed, then the 4th of July celebrations will surely cause yet another explosion in cases.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Apparently 9k+ is the new normal for Florida now.

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1276896809080836103

Worldometers is reporting 26 deaths today in FL.  But either way, it’s a 35-40% week-over-week decline in deaths.  Yesterday also saw a small week-over-week decline in deaths.

Cases have been increasing in Florida for at least 4 weeks.  The last week of May saw 700 cases per day on average, while the first week in June saw 1200 cases per day.  But average deaths have remained stable in the 30s for the entire month.  How have we not seen any increase in deaths yet?  Even if there was a 3-4 week lag, we should be seeing some evidence by now.

The theory of the virus having mutated to become less deadly is looking more plausible than it was a couple weeks ago.  I believe an Italian doctor has been speculating about that for a while now.