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

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Talked to an RN friend down in Miami last night.  From that day, 46 in triage, 48 on admit hold. 

Simply not enough beds to handle that caseload. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Talked to an RN friend down in Miami last night.  From that day, 46 in triage, 48 on admit hold.  

Simply not enough beds to handle that caseload.  

You mean it's happening?

Yes:

As novel coronavirus cases in Florida soar past 213,000, 56 hospitals are reported to have no intensive care unit (ICU) beds available, with dozens more reporting over 90 percent of ICU beds are full, according to the latest report Tuesday from Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration.

At least 56 hospitals across 25 Florida counties were reported to have reached full bed capacity in their ICUs, including eight in Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida whose county seat is Miami.

https://www.newsweek.com/56-florida-icu-beds-are-full-dozens-more-over-90-percent-capacity-1516054

So if I get covfefe'd or get have any other emergency, I'm finksed?

"My Presidency is finksed!" exclaimed the President. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Children are much more likely to die in a car accident on their way to school than from covid.

Even if you deliberately infect them?

Eh, this I'm pretty ambivalent about.  I definitely think all deliberate infections should be voluntary.  And so I'm uneasy about giving parents the right to decide this for a child.  In general, I think parents have way too many rights over thing that determine their children's future.

Children are much more likely to die in a car accident on their way to school than from covid.

Even if you deliberately infect them?

 He's making baseless assumptions with data he doesn't even understand.

And just a side note but children are less likely to die in car accidents if they wear seatbelts, or use car-seats, their parents or other parties don't speed, or drive distracted, or drive intoxicated. You know like follow common sense safety and preventative measures.

You're comparing wearing a seat belt with canceling a child's education?

Worth noting that moving classes online isn't "cancelling a child's education". 

Sure, it's not ideal and there are plenty of kiddos out there (even big kiddos like myself) who learn much better in-person as opposed to online, but it's not as though schools are outright cancelling all classes -- at least to my knowledge. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Children are much more likely to die in a car accident on their way to school than from covid.

Even if you deliberately infect them?

Eh, this I'm pretty ambivalent about.  I definitely think all deliberate infections should be voluntary.  And so I'm uneasy about giving parents the right to decide this for a child.  In general, I think parents have way too many rights over thing that determine their children's future.

Children are much more likely to die in a car accident on their way to school than from covid.

Even if you deliberately infect them?

 He's making baseless assumptions with data he doesn't even understand.

And just a side note but children are less likely to die in car accidents if they wear seatbelts, or use car-seats, their parents or other parties don't speed, or drive distracted, or drive intoxicated. You know like follow common sense safety and preventative measures.

You're comparing wearing a seat belt with canceling a child's education?

Worth noting that moving classes online isn't "cancelling a child's education". 

Sure, it's not ideal and there are plenty of kiddos out there (even big kiddos like myself) who learn much better in-person as opposed to online, but it's not as though schools are outright cancelling all classes -- at least to my knowledge. 

For elementary schoolers and for many middle schoolers, as well as for those many without internet remote learning is essentially canceling class

This is true -- it depends on the capacity for those resources. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/bnodesk/status/1281237294851203076?s=21

8,935 new cases reported from today's report. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

32 deaths today in Virginia, which is the highest total in six weeks.

I’ve always thought that the surges in places like Texas, Florida, and California were pretty much inevitable given the lack of infections there earlier one.

But in the past few days, it has become clear that even most states that already saw big surges and death totals have been unable to shake the virus regardless of what they did to combat it.  This is totally disheartening.

I believe your northeast neighbor (Delaware) is also seeing a rise in cases, something that I definitely didn't expect. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

I can't believe how Florida and DeSantis just gave up on managing the virus. It's nuts.

He's so far up sh1t creek without a paddle.  If he orders a full shutdown (or even a partial shutdown), it will force him to recognize that his handling of the crisis has been poor and people will go ballistic.  They won't listen, anyway. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1281601624247545861

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/vijayshekhar/status/1281626446503399424

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

PA added 1,000+ new cases for the first time in over two months. Not good

https://twitter.com/6abc/status/1281642258362589184

One item that concerns me is that Lancaster County has around 200 more cases than Allegheny County (and around 190 more deaths) despite having less than half the latter's population.  

And Lancaster County's median age is two less than Allegheny's (39 vs. 41).

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Daily Florida numbers just dropped:

10,360 new cases today's report. 10,274 residents and 86 non-residents.

19.3% positive from 53,818 tests.

95 deaths. 421 Hospitalizations.

Median age 40.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1282182681040740353?s=19

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

It's amazing the American mask compliance is so superior to Europe given that half of one party is completely adamant about not using it. Not that that compliance is helping us very much right now.

I find it bizarre that this is so partisan. Everybody I know regardless of party affiliation is taking this incredibly seriously, and I see pretty darn good compliance. I don't know if that comes from being from the most impacted area or if I simply do not know the 'rural' type of Republican. Likely a combination. When I was down south, the compliance was near zero but that was six weeks ago before major cases were ubiquitous.

I was in South Carolina last week and I am gonna estimate that only 20-30% of the people I saw were wearing masks (and a decent chunk weren't wearing their masks over their noses).

I'd surmise that some of it comes from that relaxed Southern lifestyle. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

I will say it loudly and proudly..

Until someone comes up with a coherent plan and address my concerns of long term lock downs:

I do not care if old people die from covid 19!

*plonk*

I know what does work are masks, social distancing, and good hygienic practices

Ideally, yes.  But not enough people comply with these items.

It's one thing to lay out guidelines.  It's another for the general public to actually listen.   

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Daily Florida numbers are out:

Via reddit --

10,181 new cases today's report. 10,087 residents and 94 non-residents. 20.0% positive from 50,803 tests. 112 death. 453 Hospitalizations highest hospitalization yet. Median age 41.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Apparently Fuhrer Kemp is all for small government unless it's something he disagrees with. Never seen a more narcissistic, dictatorial piece of ****.

https://twitter.com/ErinKPeterson/status/1283569716100030464

Masks is an issue that needs education and guidance, not punishment. Instead of requiring or discouraging them everywhere, it should be more of a continuum. It might be a proper thing on a city bus that's standing room only and you're 6 inches away from another passenger's face. But not in a wide-open outdoor space, let alone a big ranch in Montana.

We need to at least establish that masks aren't necessary outdoors, because this virus is pretty much an indoor thing.

I know you probably just picked a wide-open state as an example, but it's worth noting that Montana only requires masks outdoors in gatherings of fifty or more (or, in other words, if half the state decides to get together).

Nobody is being mandated to wear a mask on a ranch out there.

https://www.ktvq.com/news/montana-news/watch-live-bullock-gives-update-on-masks-testing-rise-in-covid-19-cases-7-15-20

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Crimealytics/status/1283773100602032128

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Oxford reporting that they are on track for a September release of a COVID-19 vaccine.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Oxford reporting that they are on track for a September release of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Where are you seeing this?
I am eagerly awaiting the full results of their Phase I trials to be published in the Lancet tomorrow.

Whoops, sorry! Forgot the link!

And yes, me too!

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

On the second stimulus front: the Senate is back in session today until August 6th.  

McConnell and the GOP are apparently putting the finishing touches on a counter-proposal to the HEROES Act passed by the Democratic-run House majority.

Per CNET:

"We go back in session next week and in the course of the next couple of weeks, I'll be laying out in the Senate another package," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on July 14. "We are looking at another direct payment."

The most broadly intriguing portion of the new legislation will surround any future payments, from unemployment bonuses to direct checks -- particularly for individuals who were unable to cover living expenses with the first payment and/or those left out of the first round (college students and adult dependents, etc. etc).  The HEROES Act accounts for the latter, providing $1200 to the claimants of any adult dependents for a maximum of $3600/three dependents per household. 

McConnell has indicated that he wants a spending cap of $1 trillion (compared to the $3 trillion in spending proposed by the HEROES Act).  There has been speculation that this means an even greater exclusion for payments, notably in regards to a maximum salary exclusion (limiting payment to those making under $40,000, though  it isn't clear if this refers to individual income or total household income).

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Here’s the Lancet editor’s summary of the two vaccine results they are publishing today (Oxford and one from China)

https://marlin-prod.literatumonline.com/pb-assets/Lancet/pdfs/S0140673620316111.pdf

It looks like the Oxford vaccine produced a t-cell response in all subjects, and an antibody response in more than 90% of subjects.  No serious adverse effects reported.

Excellent!

Still a ways to go and aiming for September might be on the optimistic end of the scale, but any positive news is always a plus!

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Per Marketwatch: White House COVID press-briefings return starting tomprrow at 5pm EST (ft. DJ Donald J. Trump)
 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Daily Florida numbers just dropped:

9,440 new cases today's report. 9,345 residents and 95 non-residents. 19.8% positive from 47,644 tests. 134 resident death and 2 non-resident death. 517 Hospitalizations (new record). 1.41% Infection Fatality Rate. 38,204 Tested Negative. Tested positive Median age 41.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

For all of my adult dependent peeps/disabled dependents/elderly dependents who didn't receive the first stimulus/whose caretakers did not recieve anything for your care:

Via cnbc:

During the House Committee on Small Business hearing, Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., pointed out to Mnuchin that many dependents — including those age 17 and over, college students and disabled adults — were left out of the payments.

Craig asked Mnuchin whether he would consider including those individuals in the next package and making that retroactive.

"From a policy standpoint, I understand that issue and I am sympathetic to it," Mnuchin said.

Source:
 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/07/21/how-eligibility-for-next-stimulus-checks-may-change-with-new-legislation.html

Also props to Mnuchin for the most sterile and corporate answer ever. 

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

Makes me happy for personal reasons for sure. I have a friend who lives in Ohio and works at a library. Patrons have been pretty unreliable for mask wearing. Hopefully this increases people's willingness to protect the safety of others.

I worked at a library for years, and would never even dream of demanding patrons wear masks.

That said, my views on this have evolved slightly in recent weeks. I'm willing to encourage coverings in certain very crowded, enclosed spaces, because I can see how it can be of some benefit in very tight spaces. But I would never make it a rigid requirement, and would instead focus on educating the public.

A bus that's standing room only would be a good example. Never outdoors.

Were you completely anti-mask before, Bandit?