Everything COVID-19

[MightyGiants]

Rich: In addition, the fact that many people are asymptomatic is not helping.  I mention this because the radio just told me what I already know.... Doug Peterson has it and is asymptomatic.  Yikes.  Bob

Here is another fun thing.   There is no guarantee that the people who end up being completely asymptomatic actually develop immunity.  There is nothing I am aware of that is definitive at this point, but it seems the mild cases may not build up strong immunity.    Again, still early

[LennG]

'We're in for a bad and rocky ride:' Ex-WHO doctor who helped eradicate smallpox predicts COVID-19 turmoil for years

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/we-re-in-for-a-bad-and-rocky-ride-ex-who-doctor-who-helped-eradicate-smallpox-predicts-covid-19-turmoil-for-years/ar-BB17wGHU?ocid=msedgdhp

In the back of my mind, I kind of suspected this. Life will be much better than it is now, but also, life as we knew it, may never return, or in the distant future. There will be thousands of people who will not take the vacine and that surely won't help.

[MightyGiants]

Lenn: If Joe Biden wins, this problem will disappear within a week or two (from the media bubble).    Bob

Notice to all members:

Unless there are serious objections, from now on, posts under this thread should be limited to "pure" health-related issues.   

Politically-tinged posts about covid should be made in the thread entitled.... SENSITIVE TOPICS - Readers Beware!

If you put one here by mistake or before seeing this post, no problem.  I'll move it, hopefully without making a mess.  Thank you all for cooperating.

Bob

PS. It's ok with me (although I don't speak for the other moderators) if you put something borderline here ALONG WITH your reasoning why it belongs here rather than under the other topic.

[Bob In PA]

Rich:  I of course will move it to where it belongs.  Here's what I intended to post... a question for you....

Please explain for all of us the difference between deaths per case and deaths per 100,000 (the two different ways of reporting - fairly - what's really happening in various countries, states, etc.).

It's a bit confusing, and I really don't believe in simply reporting the number of cases (as some TV stations do - that, IMO, tells us little of importance).

Bob

PS. Also, which means more to you (of the two mentioned first).  Thanks.

[LennG]

I know is not Covid related, but I as just typing my last replay and the darn power went out. Just came back. Hope everyone is safe.

[Bob In PA]

I know is not Covid related, but I as just typing my last replay and the darn power went out. Just came back. Hope everyone is safe.

Lenn: Either you misread something above or already erased your own error, but your previous post above is ok here (IMO).  Mine is the one that was not, so I moved it to the political topic.  Bob

[MightyGiants]

Rich:  I of course will move it to where it belongs.  Here's what I intended to post... a question for you....

Please explain for all of us the difference between deaths per case and deaths per 100,000 (the two different ways of reporting - fairly - what's really happening in various countries, states, etc.).

It's a bit confusing, and I really don't believe in simply reporting the number of cases (as some TV stations do - that, IMO, tells us little of importance).

Bob

PS. Also, which means more to you (of the two mentioned first).  Thanks.

Death per cases is just that how many die per known case.   It will be affected by the quality of care (the better the care the lower the number will be), the populations that are being infected (the more vulnerable the people infected the higher this number goes) and how well testing is identifying cases (the more cases IDed this number goes down)

Deaths per population is more of a measure of how effective measures have been in terms of saving lives.    This number will be affected by the populations being infected (the more vulnerable the population the higher the number), how effective measures to stop the spread are (the less cases will lead to less deaths), and the quality of medical care (the better the care the lower the number).

As someone in public health, the measure that is most meaningful to me is the death per population because ultimately that measures how many lives we failed to protect or how many lives we saved.   

[LennG]

U.S. sees 24% jump in COVID deaths in past week

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/u-s-sees-24-jump-in-covid-deaths-in-past-week/ar-BB17BNt0?ocid=msedgdhp

So much for the notion that our death rath is declining

he United States has seen a 9% decrease in new COVID-19 cases over the past week compared to the previous week, a federal official confirmed to CBS News. But in that same period, there has been a 24% increase in deaths compared to the prior 7-day period. The figures are based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Data collected by the COVID Tracking Project shows there have been over 1,000 deaths per day most days since July 21, when 1,038 fatalities were reported nationwide. The toll of 1,447 deaths on July 29 was the highest number since mid-May. Deaths have been steadily increasing since the end of June.

[MightyGiants]

This is a picture of the first day of classes at Paulding County Georgia




The student who posted this has since been suspended by the school

[Bob In PA]

Rich: This says children have fewer coronavirus receptors in their noses.     https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-05-21-20-intl/h_045ff0a5390267f878680c220f539695

This offers reasons why kids are generally less likely to get infected, and less likely to spread it to others.  https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/07/10/coronavirus-why-kids-arent-the-germbags-and-grownups-are/

Yet, "big tech" pulled down Trump's tweet because it supposedly was "in violation of Twitter rules against misinformation"  (query: is what Trump said REALLY misinformation?).  What's the deal?

Bob

[MightyGiants]

Rich: This says children have fewer coronavirus receptors in their noses.     https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-05-21-20-intl/h_045ff0a5390267f878680c220f539695

This offers reasons why kids are generally less likely to get infected, and less likely to spread it to others.  https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/07/10/coronavirus-why-kids-arent-the-germbags-and-grownups-are/

Yet, "big tech" pulled down Trump's tweet because it supposedly was "in violation of Twitter rules against misinformation"  (query: is what Trump said REALLY misinformation?).  What's the deal?

Bob

There is a cut off around 9 or 10 years of age.  Below that threshold children are less prone to be infected or spread the infection.    Above that age they are pretty much like adults when it comes to spreading the virus, but with the younger age meaning their odds of serious complications or death being much lower. 


As for Trump's comments, he suggested that young children are "practically immune" according to the reports I heard (I did not hear comments first hand).   If he said that, it would be incorrect and dangerous.   

[Bob In PA]

There is a cut off around 9 or 10 years of age.  Below that threshold children are less prone to be infected or spread the infection.    Above that age they are pretty much like adults when it comes to spreading the virus, but with the younger age meaning their odds of serious complications or death being much lower. 

As for Trump's comments, he suggested that young children are "practically immune" according to the reports I heard (I did not hear comments first hand).   If he said that, it would be incorrect and dangerous.

Rich: Close enough for me. Thanks. Trump's statement is way more wrong than right. I do still believe, though, he intentionally (at times) forces them to "censor" him (his chief purpose for doing that... I'm not sure). Bob

[MightyGiants]

Rich: Close enough for me. Thanks. Trump's statement is way more wrong than right. I do still believe, though, he intentionally (at times) forces them to "censor" him (his chief purpose for doing that... I'm not sure). Bob

In my opinion when you are dealing with a public health crisis deliberately saying something that is dangerously incorrect is worse than accidentally saying it.  Considering Trump has many of his followers trained to only believe Trump and no one else, his comments have the potential to cause great harm or death.  If he did it to score political points, I just don't know he lives with himself. 

That said, I believe it's more likely that Trump is repeated what he believed and may have been told.   I could see a scenario where someone was explaining the lower Covid rates in children and Trump saying, "wow, it's like they are practically immune" and the expert agreeing with that claim (who wants to correct the President, and what you say in a briefing is distinctly different than what you say in public as an official/authority.   

[Bob In PA]

In my opinion when you are dealing with a public health crisis deliberately saying something that is dangerously incorrect is worse than accidentally saying it.  Considering Trump has many of his followers trained to only believe Trump and no one else, his comments have the potential to cause great harm or death.  If he did it to score political points, I just don't know he lives with himself. 

That said, I believe it's more likely that Trump is repeated what he believed and may have been told.   I could see a scenario where someone was explaining the lower Covid rates in children and Trump saying, "wow, it's like they are practically immune" and the expert agreeing with that claim (who wants to correct the President, and what you say in a briefing is distinctly different than what you say in public as an official/authority.

Rich: I don't know either.  I'm just saying sometimes he says stuff to divert attention or to start a fight (for whatever reason). 

I have no idea about this current statement he made.

I do know that he is well aware of the European countries, most of which have gotten their kids back to school with minimal fuss.  As for the results of what they're doing... that remains to be seen.

Bob

[MightyGiants]

A few thoughts about this:

1) this is the benefit of testing, even if you don't have symptoms

2) At 73, he is in a higher risk group, I hope he will be okay

3) This may seem pedantic but if you are exposed to Covid you are quarantined, if you are infected you are isolated (I am surprise this announcement got that basic wording wrong)

Rich: I don't know either.  I'm just saying sometimes he says stuff to divert attention or to start a fight (for whatever reason). 

I have no idea about this current statement he made.

I do know that he is well aware of the European countries, most of which have gotten their kids back to school with minimal fuss.  As for the results of what they're doing... that remains to be seen.

Bob

The difference between Europe and the US is Europe did it after getting infection rates under control while the US is trying to do it in while the pandemic is still raging in many parts of the country.