Coronavirus pandemic

[RobbieL2415]

Any state that isn't CT, RI, VT, NH, ME or MT is either way by the same or losing the battle.

Even assuming MT was a typo, New York and New Jersey are doing as well as New England.

It isn't a typo. Montana has had very few case

[Roadgeekteen]

Any state that isn't CT, RI, VT, NH, ME or MT is either way by the same or losing the battle.

No MA/NY/NJ?

[NE2]

There's still a shortage of hand sanitizer, cleaning/disinfecting supplies, toilet paper, and paper towns in some locations here.

Why? Have people been camping out in the formerly empty paper towns?

[gonealookin]

It has been more than 4 days since I took the test.  "Lamentablemente", you bet, because if I tested positive but don't know about it I've been spreading the virus all that time.  Need a quicker turnaround on the results.

[NJRoadfan]

Find a place that does Rapid PCR testing on-site. I had a result within 15 minutes of being swabbed.

[rickmastfan67]

Has anyone here continued with travel plans, knowing that you'd be required to home-quarantine based on the itinerary?

If my workplace gets too obnoxious (and boy, they are sure working on slowly but steadily inching up there), I am considering a county-clinching trip to Texas. None of the counties I would be visiting have a meaningful number of cases, but my workplace's policies do not discriminate between "drove through unincorporated Ochiltree County without stopping" and "licked every toilet in Houston", so either way, I'd get some "involuntary" unpaid time off work.

Again, I ask ... how would they know if you went to Texas on your own time?

Betting they make him keep a work phone on him at all times that is GPS tracked.

[Bruce]

We're doing just fine.



(The U.S. has 19 times more COVID-19 cases per capita than the EU...including the UK)

[Scott5114]

Has anyone here continued with travel plans, knowing that you'd be required to home-quarantine based on the itinerary?

If my workplace gets too obnoxious (and boy, they are sure working on slowly but steadily inching up there), I am considering a county-clinching trip to Texas. None of the counties I would be visiting have a meaningful number of cases, but my workplace's policies do not discriminate between "drove through unincorporated Ochiltree County without stopping" and "licked every toilet in Houston", so either way, I'd get some "involuntary" unpaid time off work.

Again, I ask ... how would they know if you went to Texas on your own time?

They wouldn't. But I'd take a selfie under the "Drive Friendly–The Texas Way" sign with a big grin and send it to the boss so I can get the time off. Unpaid, mind you, but they also zeroed out my paid vacation time after we came back from lockdown. So I think it's only fair.

[tradephoric]

We're doing just fine.



(The U.S. has 19 times more COVID-19 cases per capita than the EU...including the UK)

This chart is confirmation bias for anyone who believes America sucks.  Maybe Europe has had 10 times more deaths than America (this chart doesn't tell me otherwise) but due to their woefully inadequate testing, their cases per million is lower than America.  Maybe Europe was totally inept at limiting the spread of the virus early on which explains why their curve is flat now (while America was effective at delaying the outbreak in many states which is saving lives today as doctors know how to better treat patients).  I'm not saying my scenario is accurate but you would never know it by simply looking at this chart.

[NWI_Irish96]

This chart is confirmation bias for anyone who believes America sucks.  Maybe Europe has had 10 times more deaths than America (this chart doesn't tell me otherwise) but due to their woefully inadequate testing, their cases per million is lower than America.  Maybe Europe was totally inept at limiting the spread of the virus early on which explains why their curve is flat now (while America was effective at delaying the outbreak in many states which is saving lives today as doctors know how to better treat patients).  I'm not saying my scenario is accurate but you would never know it by simply looking at this chart.

So, eliminate the bias of volume of testing by looking just at the curves individually and not the numbers they represent. Europe brought their daily infection rate down to about 15% of its peak and has kept it there. The US brought the daily infection rate down to about 65% of its peak and then shot back up to nearly double the previous peak. Looking at the data that way eliminates any bias due to differences in testing.

[tradephoric]

This chart is confirmation bias for anyone who believes America sucks.  Maybe Europe has had 10 times more deaths than America (this chart doesn't tell me otherwise) but due to their woefully inadequate testing, their cases per million is lower than America.  Maybe Europe was totally inept at limiting the spread of the virus early on which explains why their curve is flat now (while America was effective at delaying the outbreak in many states which is saving lives today as doctors know how to better treat patients).  I'm not saying my scenario is accurate but you would never know it by simply looking at this chart.

So, eliminate the bias of volume of testing by looking just at the curves individually and not the numbers they represent. Europe brought their daily infection rate down to about 15% of its peak and has kept it there. The US brought the daily infection rate down to about 65% of its peak and then shot back up to nearly double the previous peak. Looking at the data that way eliminates any bias due to differences in testing.

Maybe a better comparison is looking at the curve of the European Union to the curve of the Northeast United States.  Now the curves look nearly identical.  But can we argue that the Northeast is doing a better job compared to other regions of the United States because they have been able to flatten their curve?  Keep in mind the Northeast accounts for over 50% of COVID deaths in America while only making up 17% of the country's population.

[jeffandnicole]

And honestly, some people don't even care about the news. In a another Facebook group (not related to roads), someone posted that they need to shut more things down in New Jersey because cases are on the rise. I pointed out a news story showing it's clear cases have actually fallen. Then since I'm a little crass I asked why she even posted something with absolutely no proof whatsoever. That went unanswered.

[RobbieL2415]

We're doing just fine.



(The U.S. has 19 times more COVID-19 cases per capita than the EU...including the UK)

I've said this before but the stats in the US should be treated as if the states were individual countries. The states are 100% responsible for controlling the virus. EU nations are smaller and have more centralized governments, closer to how states operate.

[J N Winkler]

And honestly, some people don't even care about the news. In a another Facebook group (not related to roads), someone posted that they need to shut more things down in New Jersey because cases are on the rise. I pointed out a news story showing it's clear cases have actually fallen. Then since I'm a little crass I asked why she even posted something with absolutely no proof whatsoever. That went unanswered.

This is what life is like under a different political dispensation.  In my county we now have about ten times as many active cases as we did a month ago, but the public conversation is all about masks.  The state has even published draft guidelines for reopening schools.  With cases still on the increase, I think it is more likely we will have to shut down again, but no-one is talking about that yet.

[SEWIGuy]

This chart is confirmation bias for anyone who believes America sucks.  Maybe Europe has had 10 times more deaths than America (this chart doesn't tell me otherwise) but due to their woefully inadequate testing, their cases per million is lower than America.  Maybe Europe was totally inept at limiting the spread of the virus early on which explains why their curve is flat now (while America was effective at delaying the outbreak in many states which is saving lives today as doctors know how to better treat patients).  I'm not saying my scenario is accurate but you would never know it by simply looking at this chart.

So, eliminate the bias of volume of testing by looking just at the curves individually and not the numbers they represent. Europe brought their daily infection rate down to about 15% of its peak and has kept it there. The US brought the daily infection rate down to about 65% of its peak and then shot back up to nearly double the previous peak. Looking at the data that way eliminates any bias due to differences in testing.

Maybe a better comparison is looking at the curve of the European Union to the curve of the Northeast United States.  Now the curves look nearly identical.  But can we argue that the Northeast is doing a better job compared to other regions of the United States because they have been able to flatten their curve?  Keep in mind the Northeast accounts for over 50% of COVID deaths in America while only making up 17% of the country's population.

Whatever makes you feel better I guess.

[Roadgeekteen]

We're doing just fine.



(The U.S. has 19 times more COVID-19 cases per capita than the EU...including the UK)

I've said this before but the stats in the US should be treated as if the states were individual countries. The states are 100% responsible for controlling the virus. EU nations are smaller and have more centralized governments, closer to how states operate.

Yes, some states are doing well (Massachusetts), some, not so much (Texas)

[tradephoric]

Yes, some states are doing well (Massachusetts), some, not so much (Texas)

The advantage of Texas, Florida, and Arizona going through their peaks during the summer is that it doesn't correspond with flu season.  My concern is for California who has been treading water for months but hasn't been able to eradicate the virus.  Worse case is a major outbreak starts up in California heading into the fall just as the flu season kicks off.  The most populous state in the country getting slammed with coronavirus at the same time as flu season... that isn't going to be a good scenario.  With the ramp up in testing, California could easily be seeing 30-40k positive tests a day during their peak.

[kalvado]

This chart is confirmation bias for anyone who believes America sucks.  Maybe Europe has had 10 times more deaths than America (this chart doesn't tell me otherwise) but due to their woefully inadequate testing, their cases per million is lower than America.  Maybe Europe was totally inept at limiting the spread of the virus early on which explains why their curve is flat now (while America was effective at delaying the outbreak in many states which is saving lives today as doctors know how to better treat patients).  I'm not saying my scenario is accurate but you would never know it by simply looking at this chart.

So, eliminate the bias of volume of testing by looking just at the curves individually and not the numbers they represent. Europe brought their daily infection rate down to about 15% of its peak and has kept it there. The US brought the daily infection rate down to about 65% of its peak and then shot back up to nearly double the previous peak. Looking at the data that way eliminates any bias due to differences in testing.

Maybe a better comparison is looking at the curve of the European Union to the curve of the Northeast United States.  Now the curves look nearly identical.  But can we argue that the Northeast is doing a better job compared to other regions of the United States because they have been able to flatten their curve?  Keep in mind the Northeast accounts for over 50% of COVID deaths in America while only making up 17% of the country's population.

Whatever makes you feel better I guess.

There are multiple contradictory ways of explaining things.
EU and US NE were definitely taken by surprise. Nobody really expected what has happened. Part of the reason is arrogance and outright racism, part - genuine unpreparedness. But the crisis was somehow handled and extinguished, not without significant losses. US South cannot claim "by surprize" - NYC was all over the news. (Wuhan was as well, honesty speaking)
Another aspect is the weather. Indoors vs too hot outdoors is the most obvious factor. It may make an interesting turn of events for cooler areas (NE, EU) in winter. I guess we will see.

However, reluctance on enforcing mask orders - and the resulting growth in the south -  tells one thing: US governments and population at large can no longer respond to challenges (until a proper response is a swarm of B-52s and Tomohawks)

[jeffandnicole]

However, reluctance on enforcing mask orders - and the resulting growth in the south -  tells one thing: US governments and population at large can no longer respond to challenges (until a proper response is a swarm of B-52s and Tomohawks)

The ironic thing about this, is that the US amd its citizens prides itself on having the ability to say what you want to say and do what you want to do. Unfortunately in times like this it backfires, because suddenly people feel it's a constitutional right to wear masks or not, or do things that would otherwise be helpful in curtailing an issue. And as much as wearing shirts and shoes into a business should be normal, there still people that feel they don't need to do it all the time.

[Sctvhound]

If you labeled this "World War III,"  people's attitudes would have been completely different. This is a war against a virus that barely existed outside of one Chinese city last Christmas. 570,000 people have died worldwide in barely over 6 months.

That's more people than living in the entire metro areas of Lexington KY, Lansing MI, Chattanooga, and Spokane WA. In 6 months.

[Brandon]

This chart is confirmation bias for anyone who believes America sucks.  Maybe Europe has had 10 times more deaths than America (this chart doesn't tell me otherwise) but due to their woefully inadequate testing, their cases per million is lower than America.  Maybe Europe was totally inept at limiting the spread of the virus early on which explains why their curve is flat now (while America was effective at delaying the outbreak in many states which is saving lives today as doctors know how to better treat patients).  I'm not saying my scenario is accurate but you would never know it by simply looking at this chart.

So, eliminate the bias of volume of testing by looking just at the curves individually and not the numbers they represent. Europe brought their daily infection rate down to about 15% of its peak and has kept it there. The US brought the daily infection rate down to about 65% of its peak and then shot back up to nearly double the previous peak. Looking at the data that way eliminates any bias due to differences in testing.

Maybe a better comparison is looking at the curve of the European Union to the curve of the Northeast United States.  Now the curves look nearly identical.  But can we argue that the Northeast is doing a better job compared to other regions of the United States because they have been able to flatten their curve?  Keep in mind the Northeast accounts for over 50% of COVID deaths in America while only making up 17% of the country's population.

Whatever makes you feel better I guess.

Whatever makes you feel worse, I guess.

[kalvado]

If you labeled this "World War III,"  people's attitudes would have been completely different. This is a war against a virus that barely existed outside of one Chinese city last Christmas. 570,000 people have died worldwide in barely over 6 months.

That's more people than living in the entire metro areas of Lexington KY, Lansing MI, Chattanooga, and Spokane WA. In 6 months.

News flash: around 40 million people died within past 6 months from reasons not related to pandemic.
That's more people than living in the entire metro areas of NYC and LA combined. In 6 months.

[US71]

If you labeled this "World War III,"  people's attitudes would have been completely different. This is a war against a virus that barely existed outside of one Chinese city last Christmas. 570,000 people have died worldwide in barely over 6 months.

That's more people than living in the entire metro areas of Lexington KY, Lansing MI, Chattanooga, and Spokane WA. In 6 months.

News flash: around 40 million people died within past 6 months from reasons not related to pandemic.
That's more people than living in the entire metro areas of NYC and LA combined. In 6 months.

How many were traffic accidents?
How many were expiring from old age?
How many were Darwin candidates?

[tradephoric]

This current pandemic is similar to the 1968 Hong Kong Flu where an estimated 100,000 Americans died.  Similar to this current pandemic, the majority of excess deaths during the Hong Kong flu occurred in people 65 years and older. To keep things in perspective, the deaths per capita during this current pandemic is lower than the deaths per capita during the 1968 Hong Kong Flu. 

But this current pandemic isn't over yet.  Ultimately i think we see anywhere from 200-300k COVID deaths in the United States.  That would be a similar death per capita that the country saw during the 1957-1958 Asian Flu.   

[SEWIGuy]

This chart is confirmation bias for anyone who believes America sucks.  Maybe Europe has had 10 times more deaths than America (this chart doesn't tell me otherwise) but due to their woefully inadequate testing, their cases per million is lower than America.  Maybe Europe was totally inept at limiting the spread of the virus early on which explains why their curve is flat now (while America was effective at delaying the outbreak in many states which is saving lives today as doctors know how to better treat patients).  I'm not saying my scenario is accurate but you would never know it by simply looking at this chart.

So, eliminate the bias of volume of testing by looking just at the curves individually and not the numbers they represent. Europe brought their daily infection rate down to about 15% of its peak and has kept it there. The US brought the daily infection rate down to about 65% of its peak and then shot back up to nearly double the previous peak. Looking at the data that way eliminates any bias due to differences in testing.

Maybe a better comparison is looking at the curve of the European Union to the curve of the Northeast United States.  Now the curves look nearly identical.  But can we argue that the Northeast is doing a better job compared to other regions of the United States because they have been able to flatten their curve?  Keep in mind the Northeast accounts for over 50% of COVID deaths in America while only making up 17% of the country's population.

Whatever makes you feel better I guess.

Whatever makes you feel worse, I guess.

Nice try.  The fact is our national response has been a disaster.  Explaining away these number is ridiculous.