Sure, a group of bikers could ride in single file 6-10’ apart, but that just ain’t gonna happen. (What are they gonna due when the come to a red light, string back a half a block?) Plus, its kinda hard to draft. HS X-country kids could do the same, but they like to run in packs, and they were today. That is just reality.
In recent days, I have seen plenty of people out running, walking, or bicycling alone or with only apparent family members (small children, probable spouses) or dogs. None running or bicycling in packs.
Spanish PM calls for unity as he predicts ‘hard days ahead’
From CNN’s Tatiana Arias, Laura Perez Maestro and Ingrid Formanek
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez asked Spaniards on Saturday to remain strong, as new cases and the number of deaths due to novel coronavirus are expected to increase in the coming days and weeks.
Speaking from the Presidential Palace La Moncloa in Madrid, Sanchez said the worst is to yet come.
Spain is among the most affected countries in Europe and in the world," Sanchez said. “There are hard days ahead. We have to get ready from a physiological and emotional standpoint. We have to get to the end of next week strong, very strong. The risk is everywhere.”
To strengthen Spain’s response to the crisis, Sanchez announced national production of masks, ventilators and tests will begin. Meanwhile, the government has bought 640,000 reliable ratified fast tests, and within the next few hours, Sanchez said 1.3 million masks will be handed to health personnel and patients.
Earlier on Saturday, the Spanish government said approximately 15,000 tests were being administered daily, and that the government is working to acquire four robots to increase testing capacity to almost 80,000 tests a day.
The statement said that it’s important to note that the number of tests do not equal the number of patients; sometimes a single patient may require multiple testing for a proper diagnosis.
Well, we can behave by the book regarding masks but if you do not have enough, you will reuse. I had to do this in the office, it was either that or refuse to see the patient. So, what is it going to be ?
In general, I am pretty understanding of people criticizing from the sidelines but in life you have to troubleshoot and improvise in order to survive. Again, you can talk the talk but can you walk the walk ?
It’s up to everybody to choose if they are responsible people doing the right thing or irresponsible individuals who don’t mind putting others in danger.
Re: Nigerian man dies article and the like.
The combination of the anti malarial drug and the antibiotic had 100 percent effectiveness in the French experiment.
The 26 cases were all severe and both men and women spanning in ages. It’s not a double blind study but our Drs. are very excited to try this and it’s been approved for a trial in patients in real time to save lives.
The French researchers published very early they know but they felt compelled ethically to get it out there quickly because they believe it will save thousands of lives. It also is rumored to be working here as well.
The drug and this news is in the public domain. Tying this death that we don’t really know anything about to the president is simply silly. It’s a political hit job.
The antimalarial drug has had over 60b doses administered or some ridiculous number over the years.
It’s incredibly safe in humans when taken correctly.
I am sad that someone in Nigeria took too much and passed away.
Obviously they didn’t follow the prescription. No one is taking 2000mg of it and perhaps they were taking it for malaria.
You can easily die from drinking too much water and people promote it water regularly, i guess the promoters of hydration are to blame. Too much aspirin etc.
If we post every individual sad situation - most not even necessarily true - as means to undermine the administration for some schadenfreude or personal agenda - doesn’t help us.
Let’s start posting stories about the recovered, the heroism too. Those would be nice.
How our death rates, when you back out the senior centers,. is stunningly low for what it could be and really hoping it holds up.
It seems to be that this thread would be better with a little more balance.
It would just be healthier and more honest.
NYS has one of the largest populations in the US (19 million people), and ~8.5 million of them (1/3 of the population of your entire state) live in the densely populated city of New York. Only a tiny fraction of New Yorkers have been tested. I think the number is still well under 1% of the population. That’s a “hugely disportionate” number of tests compared to the state’s population?
I’m pretty sure you were told that the reason NY has tests is because they, like all other 49 states, were told by the US president that they had to develop their own so NYS contracted with labs to produce them. It was pointed out the states have different priorities. The fact that NY has a state income tax and FL doesn’t was one of the examples. So was the choice to prioritize building an infrastructure. The point is that if FL hasn’t, it’s not a decision you can blame on NY.
You keep insinuating NYS is hoarding tests and should share them. Is your state sharing theirs?
It doesn’t sound like it.
“If we post every individual sad situation - most not even necessarily true - as means to undermine the administration for some shadenfraude or personal agenda - doesn’t help us.”
you are of course welcome to express your opinion, as we all are.
So I wonder, if the individuals that are “doing the right thing” (responsible people) and isolating themselves are not coming into contact with the individuals that are “not doing the right thing” (irresponsible people) then the responsible people should be fine right?
as somebody pointed out earlier on this thread “ignore” is often the best option
Of course, the barrier between the groups is not complete, since they may encounter each other while buying food at the grocery store, or at a workplace that is still open for those who work at such a workplace (and have to do so in person).
@menloparkmom Fair enough.
Unless we go on a full enforced lockdown people will continue to interact.
I personally hope we don’t get that extreme.
Protect our most vulnerable. Let the rest keep the economy going.
To me, this seems pretty simple. Make people aware of the risks to the extent they can be quantified, and let them choose to do what they want in view of the information received.
Those who are extremely risk-averse, or are in vulnerable groups with particularly high mortality, will rationally choose to self isolate. Those who are risk-seeking, or are in groups with known low probability of fatality or poor outcome, carry on. Of course, everyone is going to be a lot more careful going forward in my opinion, so that will help regardless of isolation or not.
I see the ethical issues differently from most I guess. Based on everything I have read, the best prospects for “beating” this virus in the near term is by developing some form of herd immunity (the UK and Netherlands experts initially chose this very strategy). Thus, people who are willing to risk catching the virus (the overwhelming majority of whom will survive) are not “selfish.” They are undertaking a risk with ancillary benefits to the greater community, namely maintaining the economy and ultimately contributing to the conditions necessary for herd immunity.
By contrast, those vulnerable people who are coming from a place of entitlement, demanding that others behave as they wish in order to minimize their risk, are taking a different position. I see this as “selfish” behavior in view of the fact that the vulnerable have an option that does not involve coercion of other people: self-isolation. Although of course the vulnerable are worth no less than any other citizen, they are worth no more either. To expect strangers to sacrifice based on some sense of entitlement seems to be not only ethically suspect, but also ill advised on practical grounds. People do not take well to being told what to do, and attempts to shame will lead to pushback, as we saw in the 2016 election, for instance.
There is no reason to expect Dr. Fauci or some other epidemiologist to think this way. That is not their remit. As health practitioners, their goal is to minimize human suffering and death from whichever particular threat they are facing at the moment. But that is not the goal of the society as a whole, which must balance the costs from a too aggressive reduction in death (including those that flow from the trampling of all citizens’ rights and preferences) against the benefits to a relative few.
There are (respectable) people who wash their hands and (respectable) people who do not wash their hands. Transmission at work is mainly due to eating while working, sharing phones and keyboards.
Another amazing thing that I have to teach often is changing clothes once you get home and not walking with your street shoes in the house.
Cell phones are dirty. Do not leave cell phones, keys or money on the kitchen counter or kitchen table. Wash hands after you count money, etc.
Except the definition of “most vulnerable” keeps shifting. Doctors in the US are amazed how many relatively young (30s-50s) patients they’re treating who are seriously ill.
It isn’t 100% effective and that wasn’t the only or best or first trial for it.
https://www.france24.com/en/20200320-will-an-old-malaria-drug-help-fight-the-coronavirus
@OneMoreToGo2021 , but what about these facts? This was written by Dora Anne Mills, the former Director of Public Health in Maine. She is a very well-respected physician. She wrote on March 17:
“With 17 known to be infected in Maine, a doubling time of six days could mean that in 24 days 272 Mainers could have COVID-19. With a doubling time of three days (closer to what is actually occurring in the U.S.), that means 4,352 Mainers - without interventions - could have COVID-19 in 24 days.”
So do you want 4,352 cases 24 days from now, or 272? Do you want to absolutely overwhelm our health care system? And FYI, Maine had 17 confirmed cases four days ago. 70 cases today. That’s a doubling rate of every two days.
MTA: Coincidentally, Travis County in Texas, where Austin is located, also had 17 confirmed cases on March 17. They are up to 62 cases now. The population numbers of Maine and Travis County are similar, so it will be interesting to see how they compare on April 10, 24 days from Mills’ post.
Yes, I think most of the transmission is going to be from surfaces or items.
Washing hands, being cognizant of what we touch everyday and cleaning those items are in my opinion the most important things.
That would be an OK approach IF these “aware” people didn’t pose a grave danger to the rest of the community. But many do, and either don’t understand that, or don’t care.