COVID-19/Coronavirus Information and Support Thread (see OP for useful links)

[GBO Possum]

Massachusetts just announced travel restrictions for people entering the state from any other state not on their list of "8 lower risk" states. This time, they actually define "quarantine" and will impose US$500 per day fines. Filling the vacuum of federal leadership at last.

Meanwhile there's been a Coronavirus cluster at Chatham on Cape Cod, with 10 testing positive after a party attended by 30 to 50 people who work together in the restaurant industry. It appears that contact tracing has been an abysmal failure, not because of the lack of preparedness of the state, but because the party was attended by underage drinkers and nobody wants to identify anybody else with whom they might have had contact.

Key takeaways highlighted by this cluster:-

The 21 year old drinking limit inspires silence
Underpaid workers who don't want to lose their jobs and will keep silent
The "restaurant industry"​

No wonder they call it a "cluster"

 

[Blitz24]

Massachusetts just announced travel restrictions for people entering the state from any other state not on their list of "8 lower risk" states. This time, they actually define "quarantine" and will impose US$500 per day fines. Filling the vacuum of federal leadership at last.

Meanwhile there's been a Coronavirus cluster at Chatham on Cape Cod, with 10 testing positive after a party attended by 30 to 50 people who work together in the restaurant industry. It appears that contact tracing has been an abysmal failure, not because of the lack of preparedness of the state, but because the party was attended by underage drinkers and nobody wants to identify anybody else with whom they might have had contact.

Key takeaways highlighted by this cluster:-

The 21 year old drinking limit inspires silence
Underpaid workers who don't want to lose their jobs and will keep silent
The "restaurant industry"​

No wonder they call it a "cluster"

Are the 8 low risk states Maine, Vermont, NH, RI, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and what?

Also, New Jersey had the same issue with it's own cluster with underaged kids attending a party and parents refusing to cooperate with contact tracers for the SAME exact reason. The parents don't care if the kids break the law but they care if they are stopped from "being free".

 

[Danoff]

Massachusetts just announced travel restrictions for people entering the state from any other state not on their list of "8 lower risk" states.

Pretty wild. They've basically restricted out most of the country.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Pretty wild. They've basically restricted out most of the country.

Absent any sort of federal level competence, it's probably not a bad move. I kind of predicted the plausibility of the situation devolving to this point back in April, but I didn't think it would actually happen.

 

[UKMikey]

Are the 8 low risk states Maine, Vermont, NH, RI, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and what?

Hawaii.

 

[GBO Possum]

Are the 8 low risk states Maine, Vermont, NH, RI, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and what?

The other one is Hawaii. Here's the link for when they update the list - https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order#lower-risk-states-

I also copied the worldometers data into an Excel spreadsheet and calculated the per capita Active Cases metric. The USA has overtaken French Guiana for #1 position with 6,171 Active Cases per Million. So, on average, every 162nd person we see is an infected person. Of course, that's BS because we do not, as a nation, test asymptomatic people, therefore 162 is high estimate.

 

[UKMikey]

Thousands of tourists, shoppers still trying to enter Canada despite COVID-19 travel ban

 

[Grand Prix]

Thousands of tourists, shoppers still trying to enter Canada despite COVID-19 travel ban

I've been told that if Americans trying to cross the border say that they are traveling to Alaska (yes, Alaska, by car), they will wave them through.

Yep, it's confirmed: https://edmonton.citynews.ca/2020/0...e-allowed-to-travel-to-alaska-through-canada/

 

[Biggles]

Thousands of tourists, shoppers still trying to enter Canada despite COVID-19 travel ban

Those "thousands" are actual a pretty small number considering what the usual flow of visitors would be. In my region, which is a major tourist destination, there would usually be around 3.5 million visits by American tourists each year. Obviously, the loss of those tourist dollars is having a devastating effect on local businesses.

 

[UKMikey]

I've been told that if Americans trying to cross the border say that they are traveling to Alaska (yes, Alaska, by car), they will wave them through.

Yep, it's confirmed: https://edmonton.citynews.ca/2020/0...e-allowed-to-travel-to-alaska-through-canada/

According to the headlines some of them are stopping over in Canadian hotels. Great for the economy but possibly bad for containing the spread of the virus. At least they'll have their names and contact details in case someone needs to trace them... I hope.

 

[Northstar]

According to the headlines some of them are stopping over in Canadian hotels.

I'd imagine it's closer to most if not all.

 

[Grand Prix]

According to the headlines some of them are stopping over in Canadian hotels. Great for the economy but possibly bad for containing the spread of the virus. At least they'll have their names and contact details in case someone needs to trace them... I hope.

Yeah, I suspect a lot of them don't have any intention of actually reaching Alaska.

 

[UKMikey]

Yeah, I suspect a lot of them don't have any intention of actually reaching Alaska.

Ah, I see, sorry but that took a while to sink in. Thanks for explaining.

 

[Dotini]

Possible new insight into capabilities of the enemy.

(Bloomberg) -- Cold and stale air conditions allowed coronavirus particles to travel more than 8 meters (26 feet) at a German slaughterhouse, a study showed, giving an insight into how meat plants turned into hotspots for infections across the world.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/oth...ith-stale-air/ar-BB176xK5?ocid=uxcntrlbingtab

Consider (1) how huffing and puffing people running down the sidewalk in cool and dry conditions can expel the virus for several meters and (2) people of color seem more susceptible to infection by this virus. What did you call a white jogger without a mask? Answer: A white supremacist.
Da Bum Tssh.

 

[JKgo]

...

What did you call a white jogger without a mask?

Answer: A white supremacist jogger without a mask.

Ba dum tss?

Not wearing a mask in public is moronic, but still not enough to be called "supremacist" anything, methinks.

 

[McLaren]

Texas cases I believe trended down for the 3rd day, but it's hard to see optimism there when my county had it's highest daily count today; I thought weekends were typically the lowest. I feel the lag in deaths is now in effect as the last 2 weeks were the deadliest for us at 74 last week & 83 this week. The state as a whole had 196 yesterday as the current highest.

800 bars in Texas are also planning to go against orders & reopen tomorrow until the TABC comes around, which probably won't be long. Last couple bars in Dallas that re-opened got hit the very next day by them.

 

[TheGeologist]

North Korea has confirmed their "first" case of Coronavirus.

1) How long until the sick patient dies from an "accidental" gunshot wound to the head?

2) How bad is it over there that they finally had to admit one case?

 

[Blitz24]

North Korea has confirmed their "first" case of Coronavirus.

They wanted to join the party!

1) How long until the sick patient dies from an "accidental" gunshot wound to the head?

Most likely won't be fatal, then the gun will need to be treated as well for exposure.

2) How bad is it over there that they finally had to admit one case?

Oh it's bad. But now it's bad with at least one COVID-19 case.

 

[FPV MIC]

Hmmm... This was in April https://www.dailynk.com/english/north-korean-tests-positive-for-covid-19-china/ This guy must of got Covid from the bullet 💡

 

[andrea]

 

[kikie]

We have to wear a mask in the gym since yesterday. Unless you are doing an exercise and there is nobody in your protective bubble of 1.5 meters. But when you walk around you have to put is on (protecting your breathing apparatus ).

 

[gnomefromnome]

the largest # of cases in Alaska hit so far

https://www.ktuu.com/2020/07/26/breaking-news-186-new-covid-19-cases-among-alaskans/

update: DHSS today announced 231 new people with COVID-19 in Alaska. 186 are residents in 18 communities...

45 new nonresidents were also identified

 

[x3ra]

Alaska gun deaths 2017 - 180 Covid-19 deaths 2020 - 20. Get a grip.

More testing = more cases

 

[JKgo]

...

More testing = more cases

More testing = finds more of previously undiscovered cases

Get a grip, pls.

 

[Famine]

More testing = more cases

You're missing a word, unless you think testing causes COVID-19. That word is "detected" - and the more cases detected the better we understand the disease's path and the virus's infectiousness. None of that is a bad thing.

 

[Touring Mars]

@x3ra The graphs you've posted don't support your argument that more tests = more cases... if that is the case, then what happened in May?

In spite of more tests than the previous month, fewer cases were detected... how does that work?

Of course, it can be explained by an actual reduction in infections.

Similarly, a rise in detected cases is a product of more tests and/or more infections - the argument that the increase in cases is entirely due to more testing is false.

 

[Outspacer]

More testing = more cases

Apart from April and May, where testing rose to over 1000 per day while cases dropped to nearly zero.

Apart from June, where cases stayed stable at around 15 while testing increased to about 2500.

Apart from that since the middle of May testing has increased about 3.5 times while cases have increased 50 times.

Leaving just a couple of weeks where the correlation you claim is visble at all

 

[Joey D]

More testing = more cases

This is Utah:

We've been more or less averaging right around 5,000 tests per day since May with dips on the weekends (more places have this). As you can see, in May we were testing 5,000-ish people per day with less than 250 detected tests per day. By July we were testing the same amount of people but getting upwards of 800 cases per day.

All more testing does is detect more cases that are present. It doesn't magically give more people the virus. Seriously, that's some Donald Trump level stuff.

 

[Touring Mars]

I just pre-ordered one of these:

https://www.mclarenstore.com/gb/en/mclaren-f1-we-race-as-one-team-u-mask/701210840-orange.html

It is an FFP3 mask which I will use on public transport should I have to return to my Mum's house at short notice.

It has a refillable filtration layer which lasts for 150-200 hours, so I will only use it if/when I need protection.

100% of profits to go charities dealing with the pandemic.

 

[DesertPenguin]

@x3ra Why do you even try anymore? We see right through you. That was just sad.