Corona Virus

[begreen]

I am baffled and dismayed by the measures taken nationally so far. Where are they getting their advice from? Shutting down flights is too little too late. The wolves are already in the sheep pen. The testing kits for rapid response that just got contracted will take 6-12 weeks to come on line. That is too late. Meanwhile, WHO testing kits are available for purchase now. This is how S. Korea has stayed ahead of the curve. There has been no mention of mobilizing the national guard and military for areas with greater than 10,000 estimated community spread cases. They are equipped to set up mobile hospital units. This is going to be necessary shortly in key areas because of our delayed repsonse and lack of testing kits. Failure to get this going now will put us in a situation like Italy is dealing within certain areas by end of April at the latest. It's simple a matter of math.

One thing that is confusing people is the mortality rate. The stats are varying wildly. This is a really good study about why these rates vary so much and how to take govt. stats with a large dose of salt.

Coronavirus is coming for you. Act now

With the threat of coronavirus looming overhead, it's important to stay informed. Here's what you must know and do avoid it.

www.newslaundry.com

 

[begreen]

Sadly, the historical mainstay, the Sears catalog, is no longer an option I guess.
Those that once used catalog paper are known to work it between their hands to soften it a bit.

I'd hate to be born in March!
August is not much better but I've seen my dogs do it enough to know how.

I recommend subscribing to the Sunday NY Times. Or get a bidet.
August doesn't sound like a lot of fun either. Out here in August the grass has all gone brown and dormant.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

We have two bidets in the house. No subscription on the NYT, that might be too political.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I am baffled and dismayed by the measures taken nationally so far.

Taken from news reports.
"There are several factors contributing to the apparent shortage of coronavirus test kits in the U.S. One such factor is that many private labs still aren’t allowed to conduct their own coronavirus tests, partially because of a lengthy government approval process, NBC says. Prior to Feb. 29, the CDC was the only place approved by the FDA to make and process tests.
Mark Birenbaum, administrator of the National Independent Laboratory Association, told the news network, “Our labs want to do the testing — the testing is needed. But we’ve been waiting to get the OK to either create the tests or buy them from test kit manufacturers. It will still take time.”
Seems like they need to eliminate some red tape and bureaucracy pronto.

 

[begreen]

Cant imagine what they are doing with all the bananas,they rot pretty fast.

Proof positive that America has gone bananas.

 

[semipro]

I recommend subscribing to the Sunday NY Times. Or get a bidet.

This event has actually led us to consider getting a new toilet seat with a bidet function like the Toto Washlet.

 

[begreen]

Taken from news reports.
"There are several factors contributing to the apparent shortage of coronavirus test kits in the U.S. One such factor is that many private labs still aren’t allowed to conduct their own coronavirus tests, partially because of a lengthy government approval process, NBC says. Prior to Feb. 29, the CDC was the only place approved by the FDA to make and process tests.
Mark Birenbaum, administrator of the National Independent Laboratory Association, told the news network, “Our labs want to do the testing — the testing is needed. But we’ve been waiting to get the OK to either create the tests or buy them from test kit manufacturers. It will still take time.”
Seems like they need to eliminate some red tape and bureaucracy pronto.

Finally, we are contracting outside labs. Still this is going to take some precious time to ramp up. Meanwhile, community spread continues the doubling.

U.S. Coronavirus Testing Gets A Potential Breakthrough

U.S. public health experts say they're "flying blind" because they need much more testing to know how widespread the outbreak is. But a just-approved test could be a game-changer.

www.npr.org

Mina says it's striking just how unprepared the U.S. has turned out to be to face an outbreak like this. He thinks much will be learned from it. But with so much at stake, he says, "I just wish that we had really begun to take this problem seriously as a country two months ago versus really focusing on it just within the last couple of weeks."

Just two weeks ago the nation's largest cable tv "news" outlet and the head of the country were calling it a hoax.

 

[webfish]

Heard the head of testing labs from Mayo clininc today. FDA red tape has been lowered so they finally got theirs done. He also said there was big delay because China never lets their samples out of the country . So Mayo couldnt help in figuring it out. Mayo does over 25 million tests a year and many, many come from outside the US but no China.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

[QUOTE="]
Just two weeks ago the nation's largest cable tv "news" outlet and the head of the country were calling it a hoax.
[/QUOTE]
There some good old fashioned CNN spin. They called the way the liberals were spinning it a hoax not the virus. Joe biden said that too and got 4 Pinocchios for it

 

[Ashful]

Most professional people I cross in my line of work here still claim to believe it’s just media hype, and compare it to past false alarms of swine flu, and the like. Meanwhile, despite denial of any concern, someone is secretly clearing our store shelves.

I had to stop at Walmart for a prescription and paper towels, cause we just happened to be out of paper towels, not because we’re preparing for the apocalypse. This was the paper towel aisle:



The soap aisle was worse, damn near tipped the shelving units over!

 

[bholler]

Just two weeks ago the nation's largest cable tv "news" outlet and the head of the country were calling it a hoax.
There some good old fashioned CNN spin. They called the way the liberals were spinning it a hoax not the virus. Joe biden said that too and got 4 Pinocchios for it

Yes they were calling the concern a hoax and saying it was no more serious than the flu. This was parroted by someone else as well who should have instead been preparing. Now that news source has changed their tune.

 

[begreen]

Seems like they need to eliminate some red tape and bureaucracy pronto.

Agreed. Inslee helped push to get the UW labs testing which has helped. But the country needs to ramp up asap. Today they finally brought on an outside lab, Roche, which will help once they get ramped up, but this should have happened at least a month ago.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Michael Osterholm is on the news every night and hes really ringing the alarm bells. Someone like Osterholm should be running the response team. Or at least a part of it.

 

[AlbergSteve]

I'd hate to be born in March!

Spent six months in Africa, that's what most of the continent uses.

 

[CaptSpiff]

...But the country needs to ramp up asap. Today they finally brought on an outside lab, Roche, which will help once they get ramped up, but this should have happened at least a month ago.

I recall the the bureaucracy responding (I use that term loosely) during the Swine Flu "pandemic". No real change this time.

The CDC and FDA's attitude toward outside (private and edu) testing labs reminds me of NASA's attitude to SpaceX.
When SpaceX came to NASA and proposed to use their launch pads for takeoff and relanding future rocket boosters, NASA told SpaceX to "Getta away from here kid, you're liable to break something". The idea of using the remaining propellant to navigate the boosters back to their launch point was so Buck Rogers to the established bureaucratic rocket scientists that it was a non-starter. Luckily NASA didn't control the seas, so SpaceX adjusted and landed the boosters on a floating and rocking barge in the ocean. Take that NASA!

Too bad CDC and FDA's controls are much deeper entrenched. And thank you to the Washington State professor who went and tested the samples anyway after being told not to!

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Parking lot tests will have a 24 hour turnaround , companies currently working on a test that would give a result in 1 Hr.

 

[semipro]

The CDC and FDA's attitude toward outside (private and edu) testing labs reminds me of NASA's attitude to SpaceX.
When SpaceX came to NASA and proposed to use their launch pads for takeoff and relanding future rocket boosters, NASA told SpaceX to "Getta away from here kid, you're liable to break something".

They had the same attitude when one of their young engineers proposed multi-stage rockets as a means to reach the moon during the Apollo project.

 

[begreen]

Spent six months in Africa, that's what most of the continent uses.

Saw it in India too, right outside my 7th story office window in the neighboring field.

 

[Sodbuster]

Whether it's Influenza or Covid-19, there is no cure, only supportive care to treat the symptoms, and let the body heal. Obviously older people and those that have a compromised immune system are at greater risk. The only difference that I can see is that Covid -19, is much more contagious, and can remain viable both in the air and on surfaces longer than Influenza.

 

[MTY]

Some of you may joke about the outhouse and the Sears catalog, but I have lived it. And yes, scrunching it up a bit reduces the gloss and the smearing effect.
While vacationing with Uncle Sam, I rented a mud hut with a thatched roof and an outhouse out front. $5 per month covered rent and maid service. The outhouse was not as nice as the one we had when I was a kid.
The biggest problem with catalogs is they will ruin a septic system, same with paper towels. Food is delivered here.

 

[Sawset]

Saw it in India too, right outside my 7th story office window in the neighboring field.

My daughter was in India 7yrs ago. On a mission trip to help build - an outhouse. One concrete bunker add on for a family that needed it. Pit type, no seat, and only water to clean up.

 

[begreen]

Whether it's Influenza or Covid-19, there is no cure, only supportive care to treat the symptoms, and let the body heal. Obviously older people and those that have a compromised immune system are at greater risk. The only difference that I can see is that Covid -19, is much more contagious, and can remain viable both in the air and on surfaces longer than Influenza.

It's not that much more contagious, but it is 20-30x more deadly. And recent testing shows that it can remain in the lungs for 37 days or more after symptoms disappear. This means people are carriers for much longer than the 14 day quarantine period.

 

[semipro]

Some of you may joke about the outhouse and the Sears catalog,

I wasn't joking, only relating.
I count myself among the lucky who have used outhouses and toilet paper alternatives -- enough so to truly appreciate modern conveniences such as flush toilets and hot showers.

I do find it amusing that so many seem to hoard (and apparently fight over) the TP first. You can survive a long time without TP; not so without potable water.

 

[johneh]

Question Why TP
Or are they all full of sh^^

 

[SpaceBus]

The best way to go without TP is to squat, there is less cleanup, but still something remains. After living without a functional toilet for two years, you get creative. We made a simple composting toilet and started a compost pit and I prefer it to the regular toilet I'm sitting on now. When we remodel the bathroom it will probably get a bidet and a stool or something to facilitate squatting over the toilet. When I was in Afghanistan the local nationals used the toilet seat as a "perch" to squat over the toilets when on American compounds. I wish my wife would go for the Italian style public toilet that is little more than a flushable porcelain hole in the floor, but it's a bit too austere for her.