The Next Pandemic: SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19

[shoshin]

Article about the effectiveness of the general public wearing masks. A literature study (a ton of articles reviewed, more than just a cherry-picked one) but focused on the effectiveness of you and me wearing even cloth masks (or better too)  to stop the spread, not doctors and nurses in hospitals. 

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by shoshin

[Reality Check]

1 hour ago, shoshin said:

Article about the effectiveness of the general public wearing masks. A literature study (a ton of articles reviewed, more than just a cherry-picked one) but focused on the effectiveness of you and me wearing even cloth masks (or better too)  to stop the spread, not doctors and nurses in hospitals. 

 

Still not convinced. Too anecdotal.

[shoshin]

13 minutes ago, Reality Check said:

Still not convinced. Too anecdotal.

Except it’s not. No Twitter link here. Just a multi-institution multi MD/PhD paper reviewing other studies of multiple PhD papers. 

Edited May 12, 2020 by shoshin

[4merper4mer]

6 hours ago, Chef Jim said:

What do you think, I run up and hug every person I see on the trail?  Good lord man!  Why are you so obsessed with the mask?  Are you ugly?  I do EXACTLY what every sign on the trail asks me to do. Practice social distancing.  It says nothing about wearing a mask so I don’t. If you’re that bunged up about people wearing a mask while they hike stay home. Because NO ONE is wearing one out there. 

To be fair he is suggesting you wear a mask. Although I agree with your point of view on social distancing it is hard to disagree with him regarding the side benefits of your face being covered and the impact on trail aesthetics.

Edited May 12, 2020 by 4merper4mer

[Reality Check]

4 minutes ago, shoshin said:

Except it’s not. No Twitter link here. Just a multi-institution multi MD/PhD paper to review. 

Anecdotal opinions from so called experts with profit motives and other corporate/political agendas are not of interest to me at this point. Where is the double blind study with the requisite control group?

[4merper4mer]

1 minute ago, Reality Check said:

Anecdotal opinions from so called experts with profit motives and other corporate/political agendas are not of interest to me at this point. Where is the double blind study with the requisite control group?

Double blind studies and stuff are only required for thing Trump says.

[Reality Check]

1 minute ago, 4merper4mer said:

Double blind studies and stuff are only required for thing Trump says.

I stand corrected. You are right.

[shoshin]

9 minutes ago, Reality Check said:

Anecdotal opinions from so called experts with profit motives and other corporate/political agendas are not of interest to me at this point. Where is the double blind study with the requisite control group?

Anti-science is now way to go through life.  Since you read the paper and source material in the last 30 minutes, care to explain the scientific failings of the study and its sources?

7 minutes ago, 4merper4mer said:

Double blind studies and stuff are only required for thing Trump says.

Trump says to wear masks and the studies back that up.
 

Trump says take HCQ and the studies of that show nothing good. 
 

Trump promoted Remdesivir and that early research appears to support it as effective. 
 

Trump wanted to shut down the country and now wants to open it. I agreed with both decisions. 
 

It’s not about the messenger. On one of the above topics, there’s no basis. 

Edited May 12, 2020 by shoshin

[4merper4mer]

6 hours ago, SectionC3 said:

 

No, the hiking trail isn't simple.  What if it's a crowded hiking trail?  That too can put you in a place to be proximate to others.  You should call the CDC with respect to your complaint about the ambiguity of "proximate[]."  That's the CDC's word; not mine. 

 

Sorry, but you ignore the CDC's guidance with respect to the use of masks.  I'll quote it since you refuse to read it:

 

"A cloth face covering should be worn whenever people are in a community setting, especially in situations where you may be near people. These settings include grocery stores and pharmacies. These face coverings are not a substitute for social distancing. Cloth face coverings are especially important to wear in public in areas of widespread COVID-19 illness."

 

I don't need dinner or the shining of my shoes.  It would suffice if you would simply be respectful of others.  This is the post of mine with which you take issue:

 

"That's nice, and it is your choice.  It's also my choice to tell you that I think you're being selfish to the extent that you come into close proximity with another person on the trail or in your neighborhood.  I have some ignorant people in my neighborhood; an adult member of one household had COVID-19 and was down and out for almost two months, and this person's spouse closely associated during that time period with others in the neighborhood.  None of those congregants has worn a mask, and some of those people have come too close to my kids since then.  They have quickly learned of my views on the matter."

 

Apparently it's too much to ask to either avoid coming into "close proximity" with another person, or to wear a mask if "close proximity" can't be avoided.  It is what it is. 

Is it realistic of you to judge people as selfish morons who are putting your life at risk if not all 350 million of them interpret guidelines in the exact manner that you see fit?  Or might it be better to avoid the inevitable stress you'll encounter if you see a guy across the street without a mask by staying in your house?

[Reality Check]

4 minutes ago, shoshin said:

Anti-science is now way to go through life.  Since you read the paper and source material in the last 30 minutes, care to explain the scientific failings of the study and its sources?

Trump says to wear masks and the studies back that up.
 

Trump says take HCQ and the studies of that show nothing good. 
 

Trump wanted to shut down the country and now wants to open it. I agreed with both decisions. 
 

It’s not about the messenger. On one of the above topics, there’s no basis. 

You carry on as if you still work for Big-Pharma. These models everyone is in love with are simply business models. As far as being anti-science, science is a method, not something one believes in. Too many scientists are treated as the new "priest" class in our society and they are wrong quite often. Most of these people can not exist without tenure at the overpriced universities. 

[shoshin]

7 minutes ago, Reality Check said:

You carry on as if you still work for Big-Pharma. These models everyone is in love with are simply business models. As far as being anti-science, science is a method, not something one believes in. Too many scientists are treated as the new "priest" class in our society and they are wrong quite often. Most of these people can not exist without tenure at the overpriced universities. 

Villainizing capitalists and scientists used to be the exclusive domain of the left.
 

Scientists are not priests. You can test their hypotheses. The mask research predates this pandemic and isn’t about supporting government control over you wearing a mask. It was research into the effectiveness of masks to prevent disease spread in public places and it's as close as you can get to definitive: Masks make a significant difference. You can have the last word. If you respond with a scientific assertion, I'll be happy to carry the conversation forward.

Edited May 12, 2020 by shoshin

[Reality Check]

Just now, shoshin said:

Villainizing capitalists and scientists used to be the exclusive domain of the left.
 

Scientists are not priests. You can test their hypotheses. The mask research predates this pandemic and isn’t about a conspiracy of government control. 

Your propaganda is slick. You cleverly slide away from the points I made. Wearing masks in open spaces and stores, which are never sterile environments is ridiculous. If you are not sanitizing these masks frequently it is just ***** of one's paranoia. Villainizing capitalists and scientists, well guess what. Some of them are absolute villains. That is a cute method of converting my criticism of some as an attack on the scope of broad band ideology. Don't hold your breathe on that vaccine either. Everyone I know that takes the flu shot gets sick within weeks every year. The people I know that don't take it, tend to never get sick. By this time next year, the Rand Corporation and Stratfor will have their studies ready on this whole episode. I will likely put more trust into their conclusions than the chicken littles that just destroyed the lives of entire nations. Also, why was Fort Derrick shut down last September by the CDC? Why was the Wuhan lab shut down a month later? Why does Fauci work on "gain of function" research in both labs via the NIH to make these viruses worse and more contagious? It's just a business to them.

[Nanker]

10 hours ago, Boatdrinks said:

Yes they do; inside. Joggers and people in cars wearing masks is just a bit overdone. Deaths are deaths and they count, right ? The flu  is not the same , but it has claimed far more lives than Covid19 at this point and probably for quite some time. 

I’m required to mask and glove-up when I do my Meals on Wheels run. I drive around 40 miles to deliver food to a couple dozen very old/infirm people. I don’t take my mask off till I’m done with my route and have returned the coolers to the Elder Services Center. 

7 hours ago, Chef Jim said:

Decency?  The CDC tells me I should go out to parks and trails. That it’s actually good for me. ?. It says nothing about wearing a mask. Doesn’t even recommend it. So if you fear me on the trail that much you can stay home. To use your words “your choice.”  

I was perplexed and annoyed when the Audubon Society closed all of their properties about eight weeks ago. Their Wellfleet property is gorgeous. There is a ton of extra pressure on local parks and land preserves. As a side note, I love dogs, but there are so many disgraceful dog owners that don’t keep them on leash, or pick up their poop.  

[Magox]

2 hours ago, shoshin said:

 

I like to believe we can do better than being number 13. 

 

On a per capita basis. 

 

After 4 months. 

 

In deaths. 

 

I want America to be the unqualified leader not the follower with caveats. 

 

There are structural disadvantages that the US has over all the other countries that are ranked better on a per capita basis.

 

Primarily one large factor, there are many multiples more of travel coming from infected areas being imported into the US than any other country.  There are no exact stats on net COVID infected people, but I'd be willing to wager that the net total of COVID infected individuals is much higher than any other country.   By the time the first community spread person was detected in the US, it was too late.  

Edited May 12, 2020 by Magox

[Reality Check]

 

 

[Reality Check]

 

[shoshin]

9 minutes ago, Magox said:

 

There are structural disadvantages that the US has over all the other countries that are lower than the US has.

 

Primarily one large factor, there are many multiples more of travel coming from infected areas being imported into the US than any other country.  There are no exact stats on net COVID infected people, but I'd be willing to wager that the net total of COVID infected individuals is much higher than any other country.   By the time the first community spread person was detected in the US, it was too late.  

 

I think we are doing fine. But our "fine" is maybe a little above average compared to other countries. In no way are we kicking ass compared to other countries. It's OK--I just expect us to be more united and more effective than we have been. Looking at only our share of the preventable blame, it was a failing leading up to this in preparing for a pandemic, a failure to take early action that would have made a big difference (no politician recognized this so I don't lay that blame at Trump...but still we did not react when we needed to), and currently a failure to implement an aggressive recovery program to get us the hell back open quickly and safely. I expect chaos in an unpredicted pandemic--but what we are seeing is a cut above that and it leaves us looking average.

 

"We're doing better than Italy and Spain" is not a banner I'm proud to carry.  

Edited May 12, 2020 by shoshin

[Magox]

1 minute ago, shoshin said:

 

I think we are doing fine. But our "fine" is maybe a little above average compared to other countries. In no way are we kicking ass compared to other countries. It's OK--I just expect us to be more united and more effective than we have been. Looking at only our share of the preventable blame, it was a failing leading up to this in preparing for a pandemic, a failure to take early action that would have made a big difference (no politician recognized this so I don't lay that blame at Trump...but still we did not react when we needed to), and currently a failure to implement an aggressive recovery program to get us the hell back open quickly and safely. I expect chaos in an unpredicted pandemic--but what we are seeing is a cut above that and it leaves us looking average.

 

"We're doing better than Italy and Spain" is not a banner I'm proud to carry.  

 

I think expectations should be set realistically, but there won't be.

 

When you have hundreds if not thousands of silent carriers coming in from Asia and Europe without being detected back in January, which is much more than the countries that have lower per capita rankings, it makes it all the more difficult.  This isn't a blame game, this is reality.  As I said earlier, by the time the first infected virus community spread individual was detected, it was too late to contain.

[SectionC3]

50 minutes ago, 4merper4mer said:

Is it realistic of you to judge people as selfish morons who are putting your life at risk if not all 350 million of them interpret guidelines in the exact manner that you see fit?  Or might it be better to avoid the inevitable stress you'll encounter if you see a guy across the street without a mask by staying in your house?

 

Moron is your word, not mine.  The question of interpretation is not a close one here. The CDC suggests wearing a mask when in proximity to others.  If you can't be bothered to do that, then you're being selfish.  It is what it is. 

[shoshin]

23 minutes ago, Reality Check said:

 

 

 

A chiropractor who's an expert on anti-viral treatments. Cool beans.