Corona Virus: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

[Max Peck]

Shelf stable single-serve packs of tuna are still easy to get. Would recommend.

For some reason Amazon.ca has really low prices (about 40% cheaper than in local stores) on certain SKUs of single-serve canned tuna, so I've been stocking up.

[Smoove_B]

I was going to say something about asking you to talk to my wife (a healthcare worker in high-risk Texas) about some of her higher risk activities, but I still need her to go to work and buy groceries and talking to you might ruin that for me. She's not completely business as usual, but way too close to it for my comfort. To be fair sitting at home alone has always been my happy place and not so much hers.

I imagine if I was working in an ultra-high risk environment right now (like direct patient care), my views on what is risky or not would likely be skewed.

I'm definitely a homebody but this has been rather extreme these last 5 months, even for me.

[Kraken]

I had cut my grocery runs down to every other week, but as they were taking nearly twice as long I was only making it more difficult on myself. I've since switched my usual grocery day from Sunday to Thursday. The store's well-stocked and not busy on Thursday afternoons.

We're going out for dinner either tonight or tomorrow to a place that has a large, pleasant patio. The last time we went, we were the only ones there and we only interacted with the server. Again, a Monday or Tuesday night is fine, but I certainly wouldn't go on the weekend, when they have live music.

I'm comfortable with rolling occasional unnecessary saving throws when circumstances are favorable -- uncrowded, outdoors, distant, and masked, and the virus is spreading slowly. In another 2-3 months, weather will shut down outdoor dining, so I want to go another 2-3 times while we still can.

[El Guapo]

Red Sox pitcher out for the (mini) season due to COVID-related heart issues.

May post this in the MLB thread as well. This is in many ways the stuff that really scares me - the pitcher (Eduardo Rodriguez) got coronavirus and recovered, but now has related heart issues that are keeping him from playing. And he's a 27 year old athlete while I am, well, not.

[LordMortis]

Red Sox pitcher out for the (mini) season due to COVID-related heart issues.

May post this in the MLB thread as well. This is in many ways the stuff that really scares me - the pitcher (Eduardo Rodriguez) got coronavirus and recovered, but now has related heart issues that are keeping him from playing. And he's a 27 year old athlete while I am, well, not.

They are what I watch. I've already got all the heart and lung problems and had mono when I was young whose effects have lingered for life and I'm not young. My heart goes out to those being brought to my circumstance and my pleas to the young "and invulnerable" remain in place. A coworkers child, and was a daily runner, has breathing issues months after virus is gone.

[Smoove_B]

And he's a 27 year old athlete while I am, well, not.

The rallying cry I've seen over the last month on social media with all the yelling about FREEDOM is that it's only killing 1% of people and everyone else gets better. Broadly that's true - you either die from COVID or you don't. But what's missing is that there's a statistically significant number of people that are not fully recovered and/or recovery is taking 60+ days. And yes, even for those that don't die (the 99% that survive), there is a chance of chronic, possibly life-long mental and physical complications associated with exposure.

Am I going to die because I get COVID? Likely no. Would diminished lung capacity for the rest of my life make sitting down to get a beer inside a bar worth it? No. This is all part of the "risk equation" I'm running when making decisions to do things (or mainly, not do things).

[Jaymon]

we used instacart when both of us were down with injuries, and it was acceptable. That was pre-covid.
Since then, the times we have tried it, its been only passable. Most of the stuff arrives, but even when we try real hard, we get some WTF stuff arriving, and no real way to complain or exchange. Because its a real roulette wheel on whats going to be sold out each week, after several attempts, we decided its better to do the shopping in person. I am the main chosen sacrifice.

[raydude]

I had cut my grocery runs down to every other week, but as they were taking nearly twice as long I was only making it more difficult on myself. I've since switched my usual grocery day from Sunday to Thursday. The store's well-stocked and not busy on Thursday afternoons.

We're going out for dinner either tonight or tomorrow to a place that has a large, pleasant patio. The last time we went, we were the only ones there and we only interacted with the server. Again, a Monday or Tuesday night is fine, but I certainly wouldn't go on the weekend, when they have live music.

I'm comfortable with rolling occasional unnecessary saving throws when circumstances are favorable -- uncrowded, outdoors, distant, and masked, and the virus is spreading slowly. In another 2-3 months, weather will shut down outdoor dining, so I want to go another 2-3 times while we still can.

Something I saw while walking around in VA Beach gave me pause even for outdoor dining. The server was waiting on a table and she had her mask on but nose uncovered. So I was wondering, what do you do if that ever came up? Do you tell your server to please cover her nose? To date the closest we've come to outdoor dining is ordering something and then driving to a park and eating in the back half of the minivan.

[Zaxxon]

there's a statistically significant number of people that are not fully recovered and/or recovery is taking 60+ days. And yes, even for those that don't die (the 99% that survive), there is a chance of chronic, possibly life-long mental and physical complications associated with exposure.

This is the terrifying part for me. It's why our kids are sitting this semester out, all our grocery has been delivery, and any 'eating out' has been delivery. About the only places I've ventured out to that require me going indoors are the dentist and orthodontist. My sanity-keeping activities have been running outdoors as far from others as I can get, and hiking at state parks in the wee hours when they're least crowded.

[LordMortis]

About the only places I've ventured out to that require me going indoors are the dentist and orthodontist.

My quarterly dentist appointment has long since been re-scheudled from March/April to October. I'm ascared to go. I might call and cancel in September. The problem is I go and get my gums scraped every 3 months for a reason (likely that reason was smoking and while the smoking has stopped the damage is done. Don't start kids.)

[LawBeefaroni]

And he's a 27 year old athlete while I am, well, not.

The rallying cry I've seen over the last month on social media with all the yelling about FREEDOM is that it's only killing 1% of people and everyone else gets better. Broadly that's true - you either die from COVID or you don't. But what's missing is that there's a statistically significant number of people that are not fully recovered and/or recovery is taking 60+ days. And yes, even for those that don't die (the 99% that survive), there is a chance of chronic, possibly life-long mental and physical complications associated with exposure.

Am I going to die because I get COVID? Likely no. Would diminished lung capacity for the rest of my life make sitting down to get a beer inside a bar worth it? No. This is all part of the "risk equation" I'm running when making decisions to do things (or mainly, not do things).

This was an issue since day one. I bet it's mentioned on page 1 or 2 of this thread. The whole "it probably won't kill you so it's no biggie" line is just another misleading soundbite.

[Zaxxon]

About the only places I've ventured out to that require me going indoors are the dentist and orthodontist.

My quarterly dentist appointment has long since been re-scheudled from March/April to October. I'm ascared to go. I might call and cancel in September. The problem is I go and get my gums scraped every 3 months for a reason (likely that reason was smoking and while the smoking has stopped the damage is done. Don't start kids.)

I was on the fence and did actually reschedule at first. I just don't want to fall behind, and both the dentist and ortho seem to be taking as many precautions as is feasible--empty waiting rooms, screenings at the door, increased circulation and HEPA filters all over the offices, etc.

[Smoove_B]

This was an issue since day one. I bet it's mentioned on page 1 or 2 of this thread. The whole "it probably won't kill you so it's no biggie" line is just another misleading soundbite.

It was, and then I felt like it stopped after NY/NJ started to emerge from the other side. My perception (correct or not) was that the nation was watching in horror as the daily deaths increased, all concentrated in NYC and the eastern portions of NJ. Once that abated (because of our lockdowns), it feels like (again, my perception) people went back to the "Meh, only 1% die, everyone else is super" because the news media narrative started to pivot to what Trump was saying and then where it started to spread into other regions/areas nationally. At no point have I seen real in-depth coverage being given to the countless numbers of people that are dealing with chronic health issues right now associated with COVID. Every once and a while I'll catch a random story, but it's not headline news (that I can see).

[malchior]

I don't know how you and yours can possibly eat on 10 minutes or less in the store.

I've been doing online orders and curbside pickup at my local supermarket for ~5 months. I'm shopping for 4 or 5 adults and a teen; it's been a bit like a part time job, coordinating orders, pickup and delivery for 2-3 families, where three of the people are in their 70s. Other than a 5 minute visit to the pharmacy last month, I have not set foot inside a retail store (for anything) since March.

I'm shopping for just my wife and i. I go alone since I'm about 5 times quicker when it is just me. I went to a brand new store on Saturday that just opened. Like opened middle of the week so I don't know the layout at all. I run the store like its super market sweep. I ran a week grocery run for us door-in-to-door-out in maybe 15 minutes and I expect to get the time down next time. No need to be in there any longer than that.

I do wish I had curbside but none of my local stores offer it and there aren't enough instacart folks here hence I've been running this gamut for months on end.

[Formix]

This was an issue since day one. I bet it's mentioned on page 1 or 2 of this thread. The whole "it probably won't kill you so it's no biggie" line is just another misleading soundbite.

It was, and then I felt like it stopped after NY/NJ started to emerge from the other side. My perception (correct or not) was that the nation was watching in horror as the daily deaths increased, all concentrated in NYC and the eastern portions of NJ. Once that abated (because of our lockdowns), it feels like (again, my perception) people went back to the "Meh, only 1% die, everyone else is super" because the news media narrative started to pivot to what Trump was saying and then where it started to spread into other regions/areas nationally. At no point have I seen real in-depth coverage being given to the countless numbers of people that are dealing with chronic health issues right now associated with COVID. Every once and awhile I'll catch a random story, but it's not headline news (that I can see).

Are there any good statistics that anyone has seen on this? Is it 5% with significant aftereffects? I know it's a little soon, but a picture of some sort should be emerging. As a side point to the above thought from Smoove (which was very well stated) Okay, so most likely I don't die (yay!) I manage to not die, and not get a long-lasting aftereffect (yay! x2) but I was in the hospital for 3 weeks. What does that bill look like? I see the stories of folks being released from the hospital after two or even three months in the hospital, and I wonder if they're really happy to be alive and facing that mammoth bill.

[LawBeefaroni]

AAAS

“Everybody talks about a binary situation, you either get it mild and recover quickly, or you get really sick and wind up in the ICU,” says Akrami, who falls into neither category. Thousands echo her story in online COVID-19 support groups. Outpatient clinics for survivors are springing up, and some are already overburdened. Akrami has been waiting more than 4 weeks to be seen at one of them, despite a referral from her general practitioner.

The list of lingering maladies from COVID-19 is longer and more varied than most doctors could have imagined. Ongoing problems include fatigue, a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, achy joints, foggy thinking, a persistent loss of sense of smell, and damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain.

The likelihood of a patient developing persistent symptoms is hard to pin down because different studies track different outcomes and follow survivors for different lengths of time. One group in Italy found that 87% of a patient cohort hospitalized for acute COVID-19 was still struggling 2 months later. Data from the COVID Symptom Study, which uses an app into which millions of people in the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden have tapped their symptoms, suggest 10% to 15% of people—including some “mild” cases—don’t quickly recover. But with the crisis just months old, no one knows how far into the future symptoms will endure, and whether COVID-19 will prompt the onset of chronic diseases.

[Smoove_B]

Good to see irony is alive an well in the days of COVID-19:

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) tweeted that his course of treatment battling COVID-19 is up to him and his doctor — not “government bureaucrats.”

Funny, critics pointed out, that’s exactly what women want when it comes to reproductive health.

Gohmert, who is opposed to abortion rights and believes women should carry unwanted pregnancies to term, has been slammed on Twitter for defending his own health care choices since he tested positive Wednesday for COVID-19. His anti-abortion beliefs are on the extreme end of the spectrum. He once told a woman she should have carried her brain-dead fetus to term “just in case.”

[Blackhawk]

I shop once a week for four people, which takes around an hour. Michelle shops at the same time for her mother. There are no delivery services available where I live. That's about my limit when it comes to getting out, other than taking a walk outside.

Michelle tends to go into convenience stores a lot, though. I've argued against it, but she's an adult, and I don't control her.

[LordMortis]

Good to see irony is alive an well in the days of COVID-19:

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) tweeted that his course of treatment battling COVID-19 is up to him and his doctor — not “government bureaucrats.”

Funny, critics pointed out, that’s exactly what women want when it comes to reproductive health.

Gohmert, who is opposed to abortion rights and believes women should carry unwanted pregnancies to term, has been slammed on Twitter for defending his own health care choices since he tested positive Wednesday for COVID-19. His anti-abortion beliefs are on the extreme end of the spectrum. He once told a woman she should have carried her brain-dead fetus to term “just in case.”

He's pro life unless it means his germs killing the people around him, then he's pro freedom!

[Smoove_B]

People say I'm no fun, but there's dozens of us!

Is it safe to fire up the grill this summer with the family in the backyard?

According to national trends, unless you’re gathering with family from your own household, the answer is no.

But seriously:

Just days ago, a Dallas man who threw a party under the belief that COVID-19 was a Democratic hoax said he regretted the decision after one family member died and 13 others tested positive.

“I cannot help but feel responsible for convincing our families it was safe to have a get-together,” Green told NBC News in a phone interview. “There’s a lot of things that I would have done differently.”

[Grifman]

The MAGA death cult has reached its literal terminal end. There's now a graphic going around Facebook saying that Trump should offer Republicans hydroxychloroquine plus zinc while Democrats should get the vaccine. I thought it was a joke until I saw Trumpers falling all over each other saying "Yes, yes", "No vaccine for me!", "I'll take that deal!" etc. I was just stunned speechless. We are never gonna get anywhere with this level of brainwashing and stupidity,

[malchior]

This was an issue since day one. I bet it's mentioned on page 1 or 2 of this thread. The whole "it probably won't kill you so it's no biggie" line is just another misleading soundbite.

It was, and then I felt like it stopped after NY/NJ started to emerge from the other side. My perception (correct or not) was that the nation was watching in horror as the daily deaths increased, all concentrated in NYC and the eastern portions of NJ. Once that abated (because of our lockdowns), it feels like (again, my perception) people went back to the "Meh, only 1% die, everyone else is super" because the news media narrative started to pivot to what Trump was saying and then where it started to spread into other regions/areas nationally. At no point have I seen real in-depth coverage being given to the countless numbers of people that are dealing with chronic health issues right now associated with COVID. Every once and awhile I'll catch a random story, but it's not headline news (that I can see).

Are there any good statistics that anyone has seen on this? Is it 5% with significant aftereffects? I know it's a little soon, but a picture of some sort should be emerging. As a side point to the above thought from Smoove (which was very well stated) Okay, so most likely I don't die (yay!) I manage to not die, and not get a long-lasting aftereffect (yay! x2) but I was in the hospital for 3 weeks. What does that bill look like? I see the stories of folks being released from the hospital after two or even three months in the hospital, and I wonder if they're really happy to be alive and facing that mammoth bill.

I bookmarked this a little while ago. One Third of Outpatients With COVID-19 Are Unwell Weeks Later.

COVID-19 can mean weeks' long illness, even in young adults and those without chronic conditions who have mild disease and are treated in outpatient settings, according to survey results in today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Mark W. Tenforde, MD, PhD, for the CDC-COVID-19 Response Team, and colleagues conducted a multistate telephone survey of symptomatic adults who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The researchers found that 35% had not returned to their usual state of wellness when they were interviewed 2 to 3 weeks after testing.

Among the 270 of 274 people interviewed for whom there were data on return to health, 175 (65%) reported that they had returned to baseline health an average of 7 days from the date of testing.

Among the 274 symptomatic outpatients, the median number of symptoms was seven. Fatigue (71%), cough (61%), and headache (61%) were the most commonly reported symptoms.

Prolonged illness is well described in adults hospitalized with severe COVID-19, especially among the older adult population, but little is known about other groups.

The proportion who had not returned to health differed by age: 26% of interviewees aged 18 to 34 years, 32% of those aged 35 to 49 years, and 47% of those at least 50 years old reported not having returned to their usual health (P = .010) within 14 to 21 days after receiving positive test results.

Among respondents aged 18 to 34 years who had no chronic medical condition, 19% (nine of 48) reported not having returned to their usual state of health during that time.

Public health messaging targeting younger adults, a group who might not be expected to be sick for weeks with mild disease, is particularly important, the authors write.

[Kraken]

I had cut my grocery runs down to every other week, but as they were taking nearly twice as long I was only making it more difficult on myself. I've since switched my usual grocery day from Sunday to Thursday. The store's well-stocked and not busy on Thursday afternoons.

We're going out for dinner either tonight or tomorrow to a place that has a large, pleasant patio. The last time we went, we were the only ones there and we only interacted with the server. Again, a Monday or Tuesday night is fine, but I certainly wouldn't go on the weekend, when they have live music.

I'm comfortable with rolling occasional unnecessary saving throws when circumstances are favorable -- uncrowded, outdoors, distant, and masked, and the virus is spreading slowly. In another 2-3 months, weather will shut down outdoor dining, so I want to go another 2-3 times while we still can.

Something I saw while walking around in VA Beach gave me pause even for outdoor dining. The server was waiting on a table and she had her mask on but nose uncovered. So I was wondering, what do you do if that ever came up? Do you tell your server to please cover her nose? To date the closest we've come to outdoor dining is ordering something and then driving to a park and eating in the back half of the minivan.

We went out tonight. Only one other table on the patio was occupied, and it was a good 20' away. Our server stayed masked. I asked him if Monday nights are always this dead, and he allowed as how they usually are. They filled up indoors for awhile because of sportsball, but it passed. Cool. If the yahoos want to stay indoors and watch television -- all unmasked -- fine by me. They're easily avoided. One Monday night a month outdoors it is...unless cases start to spike again in MA. For the time being, we're on a low simmer. I expect that to change rapidly when schools reopen.

About the only places I've ventured out to that require me going indoors are the dentist and orthodontist.

My quarterly dentist appointment has long since been re-scheudled from March/April to October. I'm ascared to go. I might call and cancel in September. The problem is I go and get my gums scraped every 3 months for a reason (likely that reason was smoking and while the smoking has stopped the damage is done. Don't start kids.)

I was on the fence and did actually reschedule at first. I just don't want to fall behind, and both the dentist and ortho seem to be taking as many precautions as is feasible--empty waiting rooms, screenings at the door, increased circulation and HEPA filters all over the offices, etc.

I ought to see my ophthalmologist. A couple of weeks ago I poked myself in the left eye, and now I've got a little blind spot in the center of vision and arcs of light flashing around the periphery. But that's not a saving throw I want to roll. It will eventually get better on its own, or I'll get used to it. Same thing with teeth cleaning. I'm going on 6 months overdue, but that's expendable.

[Grifman]

I am kind of frustrated. I have a great dentist but I've not heard a word since before the shutdown. There was no contact made with the patients at the time it was announced. Now I know other dentists are reopening so I expected to at least hear from mine about what his plans are. But total silence, calling the office takes me straight to voice mail. I'm not happy about the lack of communication.

[Kraken]

Some epidemiologists are advising MA to reverse some of its reopenings (from phase 3 to phase 2.5, or even 2.0) in the face of a small, but undeniable, uptick in daily cases.

“We’re not seeing a major surge in cases. What we’re seeing are the indicators that a surge is coming,” Scarpino said in an interview. “Given how challenging it can be to intervene and slow the spread of COVID-19, the actions we take now are what’s going to determine whether we’re risking a situation like heading back to April or a situation that’s far more manageable.” Reflecting concern over the uptick, a key doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, which has one of the largest emergency departments in the region, is now expecting to see a second surge starting later this month rather than in September or October as he initially anticipated.

I'm glad we went out last night because that window of opportunity might close much sooner than I had expected. I didn't think we'd start shutting down again until a couple of weeks after school starts.

[Smoove_B]

That's exactly what's happening in NJ. The data is telling us the virus is spreading but currently the hospitalizations and deaths are at a low point. So the governor is rolling back some things and of course people are losing their minds - because freedom. And they yell and scream that we're doing great and no one dying right now - which is true. But they completely don't understand that enacting restrictions is about trying to change how we look 30+ days from now, not today. Instead, they're focused on the immediate - there's no ability to consider projections and long term trends. There's a broad inability to think about how decisions being made today potentially affect how things look next month. It's enraging.

[Zaxxon]

That's exactly what's happening in NJ. The data is telling us the virus is spreading but currently the hospitalizations and deaths are at a low point. So the governor is rolling back some things and of course people are losing their minds - because freedom. And they yell and scream that we're doing great and no one dying right now - which is true. But they completely don't understand that enacting restrictions is about trying to change how we look 30+ days from now, not today. Instead, they're focused on the immediate - there's no ability to consider projections and long term trends. There's a broad inability to think about how decisions being made today potentially affect how things look next month. It's enraging.

It's a good thing that the President isn't modeling and normalizing this exact behavior on a constant basis.

[Blackhawk]

Well, the city finally came up with a COVID-19 plan.

Spoiler:

They just announced an 'ice cream social' on the courthouse lawn on Sunday.

Oh, and they just announced that they're going ahead with the annual Corn Festival in five weeks. This means thousands of people crowded into a one-square-block area (around the same courthouse) for three days enjoying crowded carnival rides, food booths, and a parade. All within one block of my front door.


Never mind us. Don't send help. We're getting what we deserve.

[Blackhawk]

Oh, and I just read that the Governor redefined 'social distancing' in schools as three feet. Oh, and the state will be keeping information about how many cases occur in schools secret.

[Zaxxon]

Oh, and I just read that the Governor redefined 'social distancing' in schools as three feet. Oh, and the state will be keeping information about how many cases occur in schools secret.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Blackhawk]

I have never so much anger and frustration while simultaneously being so helpless to do anything about it. The people around here love that we're not 'giving in' to the liberals.

I want the fuck out, and I can't get out.

[Unagi]

3 feet is, more or less, my regular minimum.

[Isgrimnur]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Pi_Bill

The Indiana Pi Bill is the popular name for bill #246 of the 1897 sitting of the Indiana General Assembly, one of the most notorious attempts to establish mathematical truth by legislative fiat. Despite its name, the main result claimed by the bill is a method to square the circle, rather than to establish a certain value for the mathematical constant π, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The bill, written by the crank Edward J. Goodwin, does imply various incorrect values of π, such as 3.2.[1] The bill never became law, due to the intervention of Professor C. A. Waldo of Purdue University, who happened to be present in the legislature on the day it went up for a vote.

The impossibility of squaring the circle using only compass and straightedge constructions, suspected since ancient times, was rigorously proven in 1882 by Ferdinand von Lindemann. Better approximations of π than those implied by the bill have been known since ancient times.

[Defiant]

The server was waiting on a table and she had her mask on but nose uncovered. So I was wondering, what do you do if that ever came up? Do you tell your server to please cover her nose?

One suggestion I've seen is to pretend *you're* not feeling well. That will get them to wear their mask properly. Or get you ejected from the restaurant.

[malchior]

NYC Health Commissioner resigns in protest.

New York City’s health commissioner, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, resigned on Tuesday in protest over her “deep disappointment” with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent efforts to keep the outbreak in check.

Her departure came after escalating tensions between City Hall and top Health Department officials, which began at the start of the city’s outbreak in March, burst into public view.

“I leave my post today with deep disappointment that during the most critical public health crisis in our lifetime, that the Health Department’s incomparable disease control expertise was not used to the degree it could have been,” she said in her resignation email sent to Mr. de Blasio, a copy of which was shared with The New York Times.

“Our experts are world renowned for their epidemiology, surveillance and response work. The city would be well served by having them at the strategic center of the response not in the background.”

Dr. Barbot’s resignation could renew questions about Mr. de Blasio’s handling of the response to the outbreak, which devastated the city in the spring, killing more than 20,000 residents, even as it has largely subsided in recent weeks. And it comes at a pivotal moment: Public schools are scheduled to partially open next month, which could be crucial for the city’s recovery, and fears are growing that the outbreak could surge again when the weather cools.

[Smoove_B]

That is pretty....interesting. I don't follow NYC health that closely, but that's a powerful statement.

Speaking of which, the words of Dr. Osterholm should likely be communicated far and wide:

In the coming months, US morbidity and mortality will largely depend on how much fuel the Covid-19 wildfire has access to. While a full, Wuhan-style lockdown is impractical, we need to get as close as we can in hotspots of dangerously increasing case counts, suspending all but strictly essential services, to get transmission down to a manageable level. This is an extremely delicate balancing act, since so many functions are necessary to keep society going. Yet areas that observed tight shelter-in-place constraints, like New York and some countries in Asia and Europe, showed that we can bring the deadly numbers down and bring back the economy in a safer public environment.

Unfortunately, the US has often been far too optimistic and cavalier: at the first signs of effectiveness against Covid-19, we exhaled and concluded that we were “over the hump”, even when the case count exceeded 20,000 a day. We told ourselves that the curve had been flattened and business as usual could resume. The grim statistics, however, speak for themselves.

[Smoove_B]

Also, in case you were wondering just how broken our system is:

Today I learned that the "date" in HHS's testing dataset is not standardized across the states. It could mean 5 different dates (the date the test was completed, the result was reported, the specimen was collected, the test arrived at a testing facility, or the test was ordered)

Something this simple to get correct, and yet the impact it has on contact tracing, reporting and modeling is huge. This isn't Trump; it's a function of how insanely fragmented and disorganized the U.S. public health system is, even after all the attempts to align things over the last 25+ years.

[Isgrimnur]

Texas

The government’s official data on the coronavirus outbreak is startling: More than 4.6 million cases in the U.S. More than 440,000 in Texas. More than 70,000 in Harris County.

But those numbers don’t include all positive COVID-19 patients.

Texas, unlike 27 other states, excludes the results of increasingly popular, rapid COVID-19 tests from the numbers it reports publicly — obscuring the scope of the pandemic, records and interviews show. The antigen tests are used in doctor’s offices, hospitals and stand-alone clinics and deliver results in less than 30 minutes.

But conflicting guidance from the Texas Department of State Health Services created confusion among local health departments about what test results to report. A reliance on faxed test results has created a paper backlog that makes it impossible for the state to do its own tally.

And while there is no way to independently estimate the scope of the undercount, based on the 11 Texas counties that publish antigen tests results separately of their own accord, the state’s tally is short by at least tens of thousands of cases — but likely far more, a Houston Chronicle analysis found.

And the undercount is about to get worse. The federal government is rolling out a program to use thousands of antigen tests in nursing homes across the country — including Texas.

[Enough]

Texas

The government’s official data on the coronavirus outbreak is startling: More than 4.6 million cases in the U.S. More than 440,000 in Texas. More than 70,000 in Harris County.

But those numbers don’t include all positive COVID-19 patients.

Texas, unlike 27 other states, excludes the results of increasingly popular, rapid COVID-19 tests from the numbers it reports publicly — obscuring the scope of the pandemic, records and interviews show. The antigen tests are used in doctor’s offices, hospitals and stand-alone clinics and deliver results in less than 30 minutes.

But conflicting guidance from the Texas Department of State Health Services created confusion among local health departments about what test results to report. A reliance on faxed test results has created a paper backlog that makes it impossible for the state to do its own tally.

And while there is no way to independently estimate the scope of the undercount, based on the 11 Texas counties that publish antigen tests results separately of their own accord, the state’s tally is short by at least tens of thousands of cases — but likely far more, a Houston Chronicle analysis found.

And the undercount is about to get worse. The federal government is rolling out a program to use thousands of antigen tests in nursing homes across the country — including Texas.

And when we criticize the reporting of said tests we will be labeled as trying to stop rapid testing.

[Stefan Stirzaker]

I would of thought that excluding the Antigen/rapid tests would be best practice as all they indicate is that you were infected at some stage, that is to say weeks or months ago. It doesn't indicate if they are infectious now or anything else, whereas the swab tests measure real current viral load so I don't actually see that it's undercounting. Happy to stand corrected on this.