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

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Mar 27, 2023 3:17 pm

Jaymon wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 3:12 pmWill we render our planet unlivable through pollution. And, will we be wiped out through mass outbreak.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Mar 29, 2023 2:49 pm

This is all I have left

Your Death And/Or Disability Won’t Feel So Bad If You Think About How It Will Benefit The Economy.

Sudy · Post by **Sudy** » Wed Mar 29, 2023 3:14 pm

Your Death And/Or Disability Won’t Feel So Bad If You Think About How It Will Benefit The Economy.

Your Death And/Or Disability Won’t Feel So Bad If You Think About How It Will Benefit The Economy.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Mar 30, 2023 1:15 pm

New study published regarding potential impact on infants that had In Utero Covid-19 exposure:

Infants with in utero COVID-19 exposure exhibited lower birth weight and accelerated weight gain in the first year of life, which may be harbingers of downstream cardiometabolic pathology. Further studies are needed to delineate cardiometabolic sequelae among this emerging global population.

Of note:

To reduce variability within our sample before analysis, we excluded a small number of infants whose mothers received the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine during pregnancy (n = 5) or whose prenatal vaccination status was uncertain (n = 4).

Mothers with COVID-19 in our cohort most commonly had mild disease with a diagnosis in the third trimester.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:22 pm

Ok, how about some more more great news:

During the past three years of the pandemic, testing sewage water for the virus that causes COVID has become a valuable tool: it has spotted surging infections and new variants weeks before they showed up in medical clinics, for instance. The technology has also warned of other health threats such as seasonal viruses and increased opioid use.

But now its long-term ability to protect public health is in jeopardy. Funding uncertainty from the federal government and uneven commitments from state health departments have raised the specter that wastewater monitoring programs may shut down in the future.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS), which includes the majority of wastewater testing sites in the U.S., is “fully funded through 2025,” says Amy Kirby, director of the program. But after that, “new sources of sustainable funding” are needed, Kirby says, ideally through the CDC’s regular budget rather than resources tied to COVID. Uncertainty about money—along with logistical challenges and questions about how to interpret data from this relatively novel source—has made some state governments hesitant to invest in the technology, leading to an uneven national system.

Above and beyond COVID, monitoring sewage has really turned into a valuable data source - once that hasn't been largely monitored in the United States. The idea that we would (1) discover utility and then (2) let it lapse is...beyond frustrating. Again, not just about COVID, but probably some of the only data I trust right now.

Broken record, I know.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Mar 31, 2023 12:54 pm

Can't say I've seen this being widely reported:

You might feel like the odd one out if you are not comfortable dining indoors, going to a concert, or flying. But you are not!

Over 20% of people are still not comfortable dining indoors. 42% are not comfortable going to a concert. 44% are not comfortable flying.

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Fri Mar 31, 2023 1:34 pm

I wouldn't necessarily equate "not comfortable" with not doing it...bet a lot of people who answered that way are going out anyway...

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Sat Apr 01, 2023 4:22 pm

I'll say. I just volunteered my time for a local outdoor event and someone came a little later than they said they would to help as well and when they arrived, they looked like crap. Someone asked if they were ok and they said, "Oh yeah, I just have Covid". Did not get closer than 30' to this person all afternoon, but y'all wonder why I have trust issues?

Back into the bunker I go.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Sat Apr 01, 2023 5:50 pm

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Sun Apr 02, 2023 1:52 pm

Didn't see that; good stuff.

In other news, India is currently experiencing a 6 month high in new cases. I believe there's a new XBB ('Kraken') variant circulating, so I guess we'll see how that works out.

India on Sunday logged 3,824 Covid-19 cases, the biggest in 184 days, while the number of active cases increased to 18,389, data by Union health ministry showed.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Apr 14, 2023 9:31 pm

Mainly posting for historic purposes and to update what's happening in India (and now the United States), via CIDRAP:

The Omicron XBB.1.6 SARS-CoV-2 subvariant fueling India's surge is gaining traction in the United States, but so far the nation isn't seeing increases in cases, deaths, or hospitalizations, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest updates.

...

XBB.1.6 now makes up 7.2% of US samples, up from 3.9% the previous week, the CDC said in its latest variant projections. However, XBB.1.6 already makes up 21.3% of viruses in the south-central region of the country, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Three other subvariants that still make up a relatively small proportion also gained ground: XBB.1.9.1, XBB.1.9.2, and XBB.1.5.1. Nationally, the proportion of XBB.1.9.1 is at 6.5%, up from 5.1% the previous week.

The CDC said the newer lineages could displace XBB.1.5. "At this time, the best ways to protect yourself and other from COVID-19 remain the same, regardless of which lineage causes infection."

Overall numbers:

In its weekly data summary, the CDC said the United States is averaging 14,491 new cases a day, down 17.3% from its previous 7-day average for new daily cases. About 190 Americans die from COVID-19 each day, down 25.5% from the last 7-day average for new daily deaths. New daily hospitalizations for COVID declined 14.6% from the previous week.

I mean, moving down to ~200 deaths per day is great, but that's still ~1400 people a week. I'm old enough to remember when people were freaked out by that.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Tue Apr 25, 2023 10:44 am

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 9:31 pm Mainly posting for historic purposes and to update what's happening in India (and now the United States), via CIDRAP:

The Omicron XBB.1.6 SARS-CoV-2 subvariant fueling India's surge is gaining traction in the United States, but so far the nation isn't seeing increases in cases, deaths, or hospitalizations, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest updates.

I've been seeing articles about XXB.1.16 and thought at first that there was yet another new variant of concern, but apparently "XBB.1.6" was a typo and they've since corrected it to XXB.1.16.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Apr 25, 2023 10:46 am

Noted!

Must be all the eye goop that made typing an issue.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Apr 25, 2023 11:54 am

Ahhh the new Arcturus variant.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Tue Apr 25, 2023 11:55 am

The WHO doesn't seem overly concerned about XBB.1.16, so (if I understand how the system works) that means it's the one that will finish us off.

The global risk assessment for XBB.1.16 is low as compared to XBB.1.5 and the other currently circulating variants, at this current time and with available evidence (see risk assessment table below). While growth advantage and immune escape properties are observed in different countries and immune backgrounds, including in countries where XBB.1.5 has become the dominant variant recently, no changes in severity have been reported in countries where XBB.1.16 are reported to be circulating. In India and Indonesia, there has been a slight increase in bed occupancy numbers. However, the levels are much lower than seen in previous variant waves.

Taken together, available information does not suggest that XBB.1.16 has additional public health risk relative to XBB.1.5 and the other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages. However, XBB.1.16 may become dominant in some countries and cause a rise in case incidence due to its growth advantage and immune escape characteristics.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:03 pm

My sister and her husband got it (whatever COVID flavor we're on) last week. Multiple times for both

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Apr 25, 2023 9:18 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:03 pm My sister and her husband got it (whatever COVID flavor we're on) last week. Multiple times for both

Not trying to be nosy but do you know what they are doing that they keep getting it ? Id like to avoid whatever it is.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Apr 25, 2023 9:24 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 9:18 pm
LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:03 pm My sister and her husband got it (whatever COVID flavor we're on) last week. Multiple times for both
Not trying to be nosy but do you know what they are doing that they keep getting it ? Id like to avoid whatever it is.

They live in Indiana.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Apr 25, 2023 10:38 pm

Im guessing thats a red state then. TY. Guess I can avoid that one.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed Apr 26, 2023 12:48 am

I have friends that live in on of the suburbs outside Indianapolis, and they assure me that nobody masks up anywhere there and everything is just fine and normal. I've lost track of how many times they've had COVID and/or really bad nonseasonal colds.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Apr 26, 2023 2:34 am

Indiana? That'll do it. I have not seen it a single mask anywhere in the state in months. Not one.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed Apr 26, 2023 11:03 am

I had to go to the admin office of my apartment building on Monday to talk to them about a maintenance issue. I masked up for the occasion, but I was surprised to see that one of the office workers there was also still wearing a mask.

<insert "There are dozens of us!" meme here>

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Apr 27, 2023 1:06 pm

Doesn't seem to be making news, but the WHO media update (yesterday) on global health has some choice quotes:

https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1YqxoArNjANGv

"We’re very encouraged by the sustained decline in reported deaths from #COVID19, which have dropped 95% since the beginning of this year.
However, some countries are seeing increases, and over the past four weeks, 14 thousand people lost their lives to this disease."

"An estimated 1 in 10 infections results in post #COVID19 condition, suggesting that hundreds of millions of people will need longer-term care."

It was an update on numerous issues, but those two quotes stuck out to me as something to share here.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Apr 27, 2023 1:15 pm

1 in 10 sounds even better when that's per infection.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Apr 27, 2023 3:08 pm

Call your doctor about try to make a gastro or ENT appointment. Chances are you'll be looking at 12 months+ for routine care.

Colonoscpies are like 16 months in many places.

COVID aftereglow. Even if not directly attributable to COVID, it's still affecting everyone's health.

RMC · Post by **RMC** » Thu Apr 27, 2023 4:11 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Thu Apr 27, 2023 3:08 pm Call your doctor about try to make a gastro or ENT appointment. Chances are you'll be looking at 12 months+ for routine care.

Colonoscpies are like 16 months in many places.

COVID aftereglow. Even if not directly attributable to COVID, it's still affecting everyone's health.

It took me less than 2 weeks to get a colonascopy for a routine screening because I was old. They did schedule me later in the day, so that sucked, but the procedure certainly didn't take 16 months to get scheduled.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu Apr 27, 2023 4:14 pm

Mine was 6 weeks. And our hospitals are full - it is unclear why. A friend's mother went to the ER and found to have blood clots in both lungs and spent 3 days in the ER getting treatment because there were no beds in the hospital proper.

RMC · Post by **RMC** » Thu Apr 27, 2023 4:31 pm

stessier wrote: ↑Thu Apr 27, 2023 4:14 pm Mine was 6 weeks. And our hospitals are full - it is unclear why. A friend's mother went to the ER and found to have blood clots in both lungs and spent 3 days in the ER getting treatment because there were no beds in the hospital proper.

The last meeting I was on, I think the system is around 80% at capacity, so we have beds, just depends on what is needed for a patient, etc..

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Apr 27, 2023 5:50 pm

RMC wrote: ↑Thu Apr 27, 2023 4:31 pm
stessier wrote: ↑Thu Apr 27, 2023 4:14 pm Mine was 6 weeks. And our hospitals are full - it is unclear why. A friend's mother went to the ER and found to have blood clots in both lungs and spent 3 days in the ER getting treatment because there were no beds in the hospital proper.
The last meeting I was on, I think the system is around 80% at capacity, so we have beds, just depends on what is needed for a patient, etc..

IP is down. OP is up and certain specialties are facing huge backlogs.

It probably varies by region but a friend of mine with an employer sponsored PPO had a 16 month wait for colonoscopy. I did a secret shop and it was like 12 months for me at the same system. I set him up in our system but it still wasn't easy. He's at a month or so out.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Thu Apr 27, 2023 10:10 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Thu Apr 27, 2023 5:50 pm
RMC wrote: ↑Thu Apr 27, 2023 4:31 pm
stessier wrote: ↑Thu Apr 27, 2023 4:14 pm Mine was 6 weeks. And our hospitals are full - it is unclear why. A friend's mother went to the ER and found to have blood clots in both lungs and spent 3 days in the ER getting treatment because there were no beds in the hospital proper.
The last meeting I was on, I think the system is around 80% at capacity, so we have beds, just depends on what is needed for a patient, etc..
IP is down. OP is up and certain specialties are facing huge backlogs.

It probably varies by region but a friend of mine with an employer sponsored PPO had a 16 month wait for colonoscopy. I did a secret shop and it was like 12 months for me at the same system. I set him up in our system but it still wasn't easy. He's at a month or so out.

I had to wait nearly 6 months for my last colonoscopy and I'm a senior citizen complaining of rectal bleeding. Then I got covid and had to reschedule it. The second time only took 2 months.

Here, the whole medical care system is clogged due to lack of personnel, especially nurses. Fully 1/3 of currently employed hospital nurses said in a recent survey that they plan to quit or retire within the next two years.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Apr 28, 2023 9:06 pm

It's like if there was a Spinal Tap version of the CDC:

“We’re letting you know that several people who attended the [Epidemic Intelligence Service] Conference have tested positive for COVID-19,” a CDC branch chief wrote in an email to staff on Friday.

Nordlund said that conference leaders publicly announced the potential cases in the closing session of the conference, canceled an in-person training, emailed all officers with current CDC guidance and offered to extend the hotel stays of sick attendees who needed to isolate."

The CDC’s conference of epidemic intelligence service officers — the disease detectives deployed to identify and fight outbreaks — was held at a hotel in Atlanta between Monday and Thursday; officials said it drew about 2,000 people.

Among the presentations were more than a dozen sessions on the lessons from fighting covid, including “How Far We Have Come: A COVID-19 Surveillance System Evaluation,” a session that discussed improvements on tracking the virus."

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon May 01, 2023 11:57 am

Amazing study that for some reason doesn't seem to be getting much attention:

One child goes to school and then Taekwondo while pre-symptomatic. Within 3 weeks 75 households become infected, resulting in 201 infections. It’s wild that the role of children in this pandemic was ever questioned.

Study here

Professionally speaking, this is exactly the kind of study I'd see regularly in the before times - where someone would demonstrate a deep-dive analysis of a very specific outbreak, trying to focus on what happened and how.

But of course politics have taken over and the message about "kids don't spread/catch COVID-19" became the norm.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon May 01, 2023 12:13 pm

Anyone who has been around kids knows that they are walking germ factories.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Mon May 01, 2023 12:21 pm

So the way we intuitively understood the spread based on...common sense/life experience...turned out to be true. And the reason the alternative was spread was...frankly propaganda that benefited...oligarchs. Do I have that right and basically have a preview of the what's ahead when the interests of the super wealthy are implicated? Sorry if this is too cynical but I'm at the point where I'm sick of pretending this isn't what *everything* that is going wrong is about.

Edit:

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 11:57 amAmazing study that for some reason doesn't seem to be getting much attention

Didn't know if this was sarcastic but I think we know why it doesn't get attention. It doesn't align with wealthy people getting wealthier.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Mon May 01, 2023 12:25 pm

Contact tracing? What the hell, was this just invented? Why didn't we have this?

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon May 01, 2023 12:38 pm

malchior wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 12:21 pm Didn't know if this was sarcastic but I think we know why it doesn't get attention. It doesn't align with wealthy people getting wealthier.

Yeah, definitely dipped in sarcasm on my end. And no, I don't think you're cynical. Or maybe I'm just as cynical and don't want to admit it.

It's also the same thing happening in hospitals now. Because magically, patient-facing staff apparently aren't capable of spreading COVID-19 to vulnerable patients anymore as of April/May of 2023.

coopasonic wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 12:25 pm Contact tracing? What the hell, was this just invented? Why didn't we have this?:P

It's amazing what we can learn when we're violating freedoms.

Anyone who has been around kids knows that they are walking germ factories.

No, no - I was repeatedly told that kids are not spreading COVID-19 in any way. In fact, they're immune! Now get back to school and take off that mask.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon May 01, 2023 1:11 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 12:13 pm Anyone who has been around kids knows that they are walking germ factories.

Plague rats. Any one who has been around parents of plague rats know their children are plague rats. The open office format spread sickness in my office from parents of young children as locus with ubiquity.

Freyland · Post by **Freyland** » Mon May 01, 2023 1:26 pm

coopasonic wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 12:25 pm Contact tracing? What the hell, was this just invented? Why didn't we have this?

Only since them there microchips in those vaccines! That's the real contact tracing!

/sarcasm

Unagi · Post by **Unagi** » Mon May 01, 2023 3:00 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 12:38 pm And no, I don't think you're cynical. Or maybe I'm just as cynical and don't want to admit it.

Reminds me of that joke about paranoia.

Is it cynical if everyone actually is solely motivated by self-interests?

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri May 05, 2023 12:54 pm

Early May 2023 update:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will cease tracking community levels of Covid and the percentage of tests that come back positive, a metric used to calculate transmission rates, the agency announced on Friday.

The decision is linked to the end of the public health emergency on May 11. The emergency designation, first declared in January 2020, had allowed the C.D.C. to demand certain kinds of data on Covid’s spread from state officials.

To track death rates, agency officials now will rely on the National Vital Statistics System, which is highly accurate but tends to lag behind other kinds of surveillance by two to three weeks. The C.D.C. is also scaling back the data that hospitals are required to report, including the number of cases and the race, sex and age of patients. But the agency will continue to track overall Covid hospitalizations and intensive care admissions.

Of note:

Even in a season that usually brings a lull in respiratory illnesses, and even with powerful vaccines available, the coronavirus is infecting many Americans and killing at least 1,000 people each week. (emphasis added)

The data the C.D.C. still plans to collect will not provide enough actionable information at the state and local level, said Sam Scarpino, a public health expert at Northeastern University.

Also of note, yesterday COVID-19 slipped to the #4 cause of death in the United States - that tracks with ~52K deaths a year, now behind "Unintentional Injury deaths", a category that covers automotive incidents, accidental poisonings (including drug overdoses) and accidental gun deaths.

To restate, we now care about COVID-19 less than we care about accidental shootings and drug overdoses.

Good luck.