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Corona Virus Blog, April 17, 2020

Some European countries have already begun to re-open, and it looks like some US states will partially re-open soon as well.

Let's continue the conversation!

Comments

Yes, I worry about Knit Wit too, especially as I encouraged her to leave what looked to me like a very dangerous situation. If someone can deliberately spray household cleaner, loaded with chemicals that can damage fragile tissue, at somebody (did K-W say it was into her face?) they are capable of anything.

Her mental well-being was certainly at risk, had she stayed, and her physical well-being too.

I do hope she chose the safer option, whichever it was, and if she chose to leave that she managed it safely, without arousing the suspicion of the crazy one.

Back to C-19 in the UK:

Yesterday we were told that 90% of C-19 mortalities had underlying conditions. Am not sure though which figures were being used - ONS based on all deaths or confirmed cases in hospital. Shall try to check.

Vitamin D etc - SW region has the lowest rates of confirmed cases. Four possible factors occur to me - there are probably more:
- we don't have the large BAME communities here that exist in other parts (people retiring here are sometimes accused of being part of the `White Flight' for eg) Whether the connection is genetic or down to Vit D3 is unknown at the moment.
- we have a lot of sunshine and the sea reflects it back to us as well - we're surrounded by water. Should be good for Vit D. The medics are fairly laid back about skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma anyway, as my GP said `If you're going to get cancer, that's the one to get'. A friend,however, does have melanoma and that is taken very seriously.
- it's relatively easy for police to turn back `escapers' from other regions who might be bringing the bug with them
- we have a large retired population who are generally doing as instructed and keeping out of circulation. Neither of us has been to a shop for nearly 4 weeks now.

I meant to buy a ritual tin of red salmon for a joke.
Long before salmon were farmed, this was the nearest ordinary folk got to luxury. It was a special treat for Sunday tea, brought out for special occasions such as when daughters brought the lads they were `walking out with' (all very innocent,mostly) home to meet the family.
In 1939, when WW2 broke out, if there was a tin already in the cupboard it was saved and guarded fiercely, to be opened in celebration only when the War Was Over.

In our house, pink salmon was deemed only fit for the cat. Similarly, Mum used to buy ox-cheek for the dog - it smelled terrible when she boiled it but the dog loved it. My stomach turns now when I hear fancy chefs extolling `beef cheek', as they erroneously call it.

Thinking of food, mushrooms form significant amounts of Vit D when exposed to sunlight. I wonder if we're more closely related to fungi than we thought? Do we share the same gene(s) inherited from a common ancestor?

Eat more mushrooms!
Article on BAME susceptibility:

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-review-launched-why-bame-worst-hit-covid-112300933.html
Another hypothesis? or not?

Obesity is one risk factor; others, it would appear, include smoking, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. There’s a hypothesis that in the last 3 factors, it may be something to do with the type of protein on the surface of cell.

Attention is focused on the protein is angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) as CV patients who are normally on drugs which inhibit the action of ACE are more susceptible to C-19. Yet some medics think that ACE inhibitors may be useful in combating the disease, as far as I can make out. It is a contested area.

It’s also so too complicated for me to work through when I know I need to get the lunch on – there are a lot of papers listed if you search for `Covid 19 and ACE’ – here are 2 summaries from general medical journals:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30116-8/fulltext

https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m810/rr-2

PS – Fat stored within the abdominal cavity (like suet around kidneys!) is known to be metabolically active and involved in diabetes. I wonder if there’s more to the link with C-19 than that it physically impairs breathing?
Scandi Sanskrit said…
That's wonderful news Wild Boar. I just ordered a bunch of 'shrooms myself!! 🍄🍄
Scandi Sanskrit said…
I'm hoping the reason KnitWit isn't here is because she's no longer with the psycho, maybe no Wi-Fi. But wouldn't she be on mobile data?
abbyh said…

I don't know what happened yesterday here. I was reading the posts to be able to comment and I saw the one about linking the Smithfields processing plant and linking it to meat shortages and poof, I was going to the grocery store. I hadn't been all week and things were running low.

I got more microfiber in make face masks a day early. I am fighting inertia to work on them. I am making 19 (only 9 last time) and then nephew called to thank and could I possible make 1 more (ok kid but it is after this round and does your cousin, the medical doctor, need one? don't know, he thinks he picked C 19).

sigh.
MiamiVice said…
Wild Boar,

It has been sunny and hot in South Florida and I’ve been walking daily so hopefully that is protective. I did make an extra unnecessary trip to the grocery store yesterday to see if they had Easter candy on sale—they did. So if I caught the virus while out, at least we have chocolate eggs filled with peanut butter.

I do like tuna sandwiches, is it similar to canned salmon? I’ve had fresh and frozen salmon and I like it but never canned.

Stay safe all.
MiamiVice said…
They are having some luck with the antiviral Remdesivir.

https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/16/early-peek-at-data-on-gilead-coronavirus-drug-suggests-patients-are-responding-to-treatment/

A Chicago hospital treating severe Covid-19 patients with Gilead Sciences’ antiviral medicine remdesivir in a closely watched clinical trial is seeing rapid recoveries in fever and respiratory symptoms, with nearly all patients discharged in less than a week, STAT has learned.

Remdesivir was one of the first medicines identified as having the potential to impact SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19, in lab tests. The entire world has been waiting for results from Gilead’s clinical trials, and positive results would likely lead to fast approvals by the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies. If safe and effective, it could become the first approved treatment against the disease.

The University of Chicago Medicine recruited 125 people with Covid-19 into Gilead’s two Phase 3 clinical trials. Of those people, 113 had severe disease. All the patients have been treated with daily infusions of remdesivir
Sandie said…
The content of the article is interesting (ventilators save lives, or not?), but it is so very badly written:

https://www.businessinsider.co.za/what-are-physical-psychological-effects-of-being-on-a-ventilator-2020-4

Does anyone here know anything about Business Insider? It is new to the South African market, and the article was not written by a South African but seems to be from the US edition of the publication.

There seems to be a lot of interesting content from the publication (just very badly written!)
Sandie said…
And China admits that a lot more people died (and we still do not know how accurate the latest figure is):

The central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus first appeared, on Friday revised up its death toll from 2,579 to 3,869 - almost exactly 50%.
Sandie said…
@MiamiVice: They are having some luck with the antiviral Remdesivir.

Thanks for the info. I have great faith in what human beings are capable of ... and a crisis like this might just overcome the many human weaknesses that get in the way of progress. Of course we have to be careful about side effects in the short and long term so trials and peer review and care is required, but an effective treatment sort of nowish would be a miracle.
Animal Lover said…
We need a lot more tests and clearer guidelines on masks and social distancing as we "return to normal".

I'm optimistic the federal government will increase testing and the guidance put out by my governor in Washington State will also be helpful.

What concerns me is the refusal of some people to ignore recommendations.



Shaggy said…
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Shaggy said…
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Non-Florida residents with Wuhan Flu 666 as of 11:00 eastern
SwampWoman said…
Abbyh, a Tyson poultry processing plant in Georgia has four workers dead from Chinese plague.

https://www.news4jax.com/business/2020/04/17/company-4-georgia-poultry-workers-dead-from-coronavirus/
SwampWoman said…
Miss Scarlett, I saw that! While they (outsiders) probably are not amused, I was.
Clarification: the figure I quoted about the high proportion (91%) of C-19 deaths came from the ONS statistics, ie they are the most reliable, least misleading ones for UK.

That is, of all deaths (ie in hospital, care home or at home) where coronavirus is listed on the death certificate, 91% have a pre-existing condition of which the chief were: diabetes, cardiovascular disease and dementia. No mention of obesity, perhaps it'snot yet recognised a a pre-existing condition.

Tinned salmon = sockeye salmon from NW Canada or Alaska, deep pink flesh in red salmon, pale pink in pink. Oily, like tuna, similar texture to tuna, often with cooked bones & bits of skin that had to be picked out before being mixed with Heinz salad cream ( a poor relative of mayonnaise - don't bother to make a fuss of pink salmon if it's only for the cat) Slightly different flavour from tuna - perhaps that was the dressing!
I haven't bought it for years so don't know if it's still available. Perhaps it's left for the bears - can just imagine them with their tin openers.

Oh dear, that reminds me about the comic verse regarding `The Common Cormorant...' Another time!

Anon-Unknown -Thank you for your reassurance re KnitWit, m'dear. Much appreciated.
MiamiVice said…
Miss Scarlett,

That’s funny!! You from Florida?
Thanks, MiamiVice and Swampwoman.
Yes, I live in SWFL. I am REAL resident of Florida! 😎
SwampWoman said…
Now we just need somebody from the panhandle and maybe Ocala to give us a good representation of the state of the state.
Shaggy said…
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MiamiVice said…
Miss Scarlett,

Waving to you from Miami!
¡Hola Amiga!

What are you seeing on your side? People taking it all pretty seriously?
MiamiVice,

I’ve only been in a store twice. Once there were 2 others besides me (I was the only one masked), the other time was Fresh Market on Easter, everyone was in masks. On Tuesday they started turning away without a mask.They also count occupancy. Most businesses will deliver to homes and/or curbside. Our county is reasonable. Thank goodness!

I meet a couple of friends 2-3 times a week in a park. We bring our drink of choice, a chair and sit in the shade 8-10 ft apart. I couldn’t tolerate this without seeing friends.

Our beaches aren’t open. Seems as if everyone is being careful. This is pretty upscale area.
FedEx and UPS are our main traffic!

Take care!
Leela said…
Salmon Cakes

Small can red (only, no pink) salmon, drained, juices filtered and saved, cleaned of skin and bones. It’s a pain but necessary.
One egg
Reserved juices
Crushed saltines or waverly wafers, about 2 cups
Mix all together, form into patties
Sauté in butter till crispy

Optional: serve with creamed peas ladled over patties

You’re welcome.
MiamiVice said…
Leela,

Thank you for the recipe! Like crab cakes but with salmon! Yum!
MiamiVice said…
Miss Scarlett,

I’m glad you can get together with friends. One of our couple friends thought they had the virus for awhile with coughing and a fever dragging on for weeks. Was finally tested and was negative (but who knows, may have missed the window), others of our friends are older and protecting themselves. So we chat on the phone and have zoom get-togethers but it’s been fairly isolating. I’ve only seen friends a few times over all because everyone is so afraid.
Morning All

Have atattched a link to a Sydney Morning Herald for this morning. It is from one of the professors who developed the HVP vaccine. It says that we have never had a vaccine for any of the corona viruses before because sometimes it makes the disease worse. Talks about the problems with upper respiratory infections and the top part of the lungs being like aoutside skin. I.e. it job is to sepatate the inside from the dangerous germs on the outside?

Know there is a lot of medical knowledge and people who understand medical research here. Could someone maybe dumb it down for the rest of us.

We have been very lucky in Australia With only something like 65 deaths in the whole country but it makes you think what might happen when they lift the lockdown. It puts us back to relying on herd immunity from my limited understanding.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2020-04-17/coronavirus-vaccine-ian-frazer/12146616
Kate said…
I’m in South Florida as well. Too busy with the kids and homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, laundry; no time for zoom calls. Try to facetime with friends and family but mostly just text when I can. I go out food shopping 2x a week with mask and gloves.
Scared regarding any vaccine they may come up with. I definitely don’t want to be in the first few rounds of people taking it. Who knows what the side effects will be?
Shaggy said…
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Shaggy said…
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MiamiVice said…
Craving a Martini,

I’ll do my best to translate the article.

Essentially COVID 19 attacks the upper part of your respiratory tract and even then just the epithelial cells. Since the virus affects the outer layers of cells, it doesn’t create as strong an immune response. One of the things we have to be careful with is making a vaccine that directs your immune system to the correct area and doesn’t just cause massive inflammation (one way of activating our immunity which can have good and bad effects). Think of it like this, as medicine advances we are finding ways to target drugs such as chemotherapy. Chemo is a nasty nasty business, so you really only want it going to the exact area where the tumor can be found.
In the example they gave of the SARS vaccine, the vaccine did create an immune response but a massive one that caused a lot of inflammation in the lungs. Inflammation can be used for good, it tells our disease fighting cells where to go, but you have to be careful because if your bodies response goes overboard with inflammation it can cause damage to the body, or if the vaccine causes inflammation in the lungs, let’s say, then your body can get confused and start sending your immune cells to fight in the lungs when the infection is in another place such as the upper respiratory system.

COVID-19 isn’t the only type of corona virus, in fact many corona virus’ cause a simple cold. And like any infection a cold causes an immune response that your body uses antibodies (the cells of your immune system) to fight off the infection. Your body contains those antibodies for months, but eventually stops producing them due to the threat being neutralized and your body has no reason to continue making these antibodies for a cold you had a few years ago.
Why does this matter? It matters because if you get another Coronavirus infection a few months after you’ve already been exposed, your immune system still has the antibodies floating around and they ‘remember’ and can fight the infection very effectively.
However, eventually those antibodies are gone and you could get reinfected a few years later.

Part I
MiamiVice said…
Part II
Currently we have flu vaccines that use mRNA (messenger rna ) to kill the virus.

For this statement some background, the virus gets into your cells and then has your own cells start copying viral DNA. Eventually the cells are so full with the new virus that they explode and all the new virus’ goes on to attack more cells which make even more virus and on and on. The cells that copy the viral DNA are called messenger RNA. So a beautiful way to do this deadly invader justice would be to teach our little mRNA’s to be little Assassins, and they would then alert the cell to kill the virus. Boom, very neat, all intracellular with minimal issues. Unfortunately not as easy as it sounds and there may be a lot of failures before there is success. He’s basically saying the concept seems like it should be easy, but it’s going to take awhile to make it happen in reality.

He thinks the eventual success will be a model where a chemical is attached to a key component of the virus so that the chemical can be injected in us and it will go around and show our bodies the part of the virus that identifies it and so when they see it, they’ll be ready to attack.
Imagine a little blob going around with a picture of Kim Jong Un’s face on a stick, so then when your body gets invaded by KJU (the virus) it knows what it’s looking for and attacks. It does not attack just any invader because it has been told specifically when to create a response.

One other way to create a vaccine would be to inject your body with antigens (antigens stands for ‘antibody generating’) from someone else’s body. The antigens are from a person who has successfully defeated the virus already. This is like showing your body the weapons it needs to make to prepare for a coming invader. This way when you are exposed to the virus your body already has the defense ready. This second approach with the antibodies directly injected into the body was what they used for the SARS vaccine, but they may have picked the wrong antigen (it was not specific enough), causing the immune response to go into overdrive and causing more harm (inflammation) than necessary.

The whole process isn’t easy and will require animal testing before it will move on to human testing. I’m not an antivaxer, but I will say this, everything has side effects and risks. I tell patients, ‘often we are trading one thing for (at least the risk of) another, so you have to be prepared for that risk.’ In my line of work we may be trading the pain you are currently feeling for the chance of nausea, itching, constipation, etc.
Vaccines have potential side effects too and as with the SARS vaccine, the inflammation around the lungs was pretty bad, so you have to come up with a vaccine that has a lower risk profile than the disease itself, otherwise we will all just take our chances against COVID-19.

I do hope that makes sense.
Please ask if there’s anything I should clarify.
Kate said…
@Miamivice

Thank you, that explains a lot. That is exactly why I’m so nervous about a vaccine for this.

SwampWoman said…
@MiamiVice and @Kate, yes, I thought that I had read that the Chinese reportedly had a vaccine for the first SARS virus. But did they test it first? https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4417-china-to-give-first-sars-vaccine-to-people/
Meowwww said…
I’m not comfortable getting a vaccine. It’s so new, who knows what long term side effects may occur?
They might as well open the country now. No one is staying home. Another record day at my work in MN.
abbyh said…

I like the idea of waiting a while before getting the vax as well. I like the idea of getting C 19 over with (lower the tension of waiting) but I realize, the longer I wait, the more they know how to respond better than the week before. Personally, I'm into surviving this as best I can (knowing I have some possible factors).

Each day seems to bring something new to the knowledge table. And when it come to vax, or at least new vax, I'd like to watch it a while before I get it.
Shaggy said…
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Shaggy said…
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Thanks MiamiVice

How you explained it was perfect. When you read articles about starting human trials in a month when you know normally it takes years of animal testing to get near that stage it makes you wonder if some are jumping the gun so they can say we did it first. Then add in that little gem about the SARS vaccine.

As you say it is a matter of weighing up pros and cons. For each and every action there is a reaction. I suppose some medical people can be worried because they have the knowledge to know they should be worried and laymen like the rest of us are terrified because we dont have any clue or understanding. Fear of the unknown is sometimes worse I think.
Leela said…
So, we’re looking for @knitwit here, and for Jenny over at Lizzie (the other). It’s lovely to me how online communities grow into friends and caring groups. May all of use be well and happy today.
Sandie said…
Fatalities in South Africa so far:

The available data indicates that the majority of Covid-19-related deaths are in the 80s age group. The youngest person to have died was 46, and the oldest was 91.

Age Deaths
40 9
50 5
60 4
70 12
80 17
90 1


Details around the two deaths announced on Friday were not provided at the time of publishing.

Of course, the data needs to be seen within the overall stats (percentage of infected in each age group) and that may very well be why the number for 40s is so high (more infections there)?
Sandie said…
Provincial breakdown of deaths and recoveries from South Africa:

Province Deaths Recoveries*
Gauteng 6 479
Western Cape 15 205
KwaZulu-Natal 20 96
Eastern Cape 4 9
Free State 4 71
Limpopo 1 18
North West 0 10
Mpumalanga 0 9
Northern Cape 0 6
*The figure for recoveries was last provided on Thursday, April 16.

Gauteng, the most populated but also wealthiest province, does have the most infections (well over 1000 now) but comparably has much fewer deaths (are they hiding deaths or using different criteria to classify COVID-19 deaths) and far more recoveries. KZN has a low recovery rate and high death rate (comparably for number of infections). It will be interesting to see the analysis of why when scientists have enough data to make conclusions about that. Why so may recoveries for the Free State? Well, the infection got their early through visitors from the USA and Israel who visited for a mass religious gathering and that happened early during the spread of the pandemic in South Africa.
Portcitygirl said…
NC numbers this AM

152 deaths
5800 cases tested postive

I hope KnitWit is ok, too.
Sandie said…
Tables did not translate well, so here is the source:

https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-04-17-50-covid-19-related-deaths-in-sa-from-age-province-underlying-causes-heres-what-we-know/
Shaggy said…
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Portcitygirl said…
Also,I can't remember if I mentioned this on here, but my eye doc and his wife contracted the virus on the way back from Peru. Both are over sixty and recovered, but still very weak.0 op
As I understand it, one hope is that existing, already passed as safe, antiviral drugs may help, in combination perhaps with other medication, maybe used `off label`ie in a context for which they weren't originally cleared but where anecdotal evidence suggest they'll be useful.

If fresh clinical trials could thereby be avoided, that could be a quicker solution that aiming at something completely new.

The big risk is the immune system over-responding to attempts to increase its activity.

If you've come across the term `cytokine storm' it refers to that excessive immune response (hyperinflammation) not confined to the original site of inflammation - and multiple organ failure can result. It first came to public notice in UK following a disastrous clinical trial in 2006, known as the `Northwick Park tragedy'.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9226-uk-drug-trial-disaster-the-official-report/
Sandie said…
In South Africa, a pride of lions sleep n a deswerted road in the Kruger National Park ...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EVy3oY7XYAIdjUX?format=jpg&name=medium

We forget how restricted Nature is because of human presence and activity ... until we have something like COVID-19 that puts most of the world in lockdown with most human activity put on hold and even our presence restricted to our homes.
Meowwww said…
@Anon-Unknown I know it. I didn’t really mean to open the country lol. It was sarcasm that didn’t translate in print.
It’s also said out of my own stress as a captive essential worker.
MiamiVice said…
Kate,

Are you on the SE side or the SW side of the state. Either way, waving! Also, wishing you luck with homeschooling.
MiamiVice said…
COVID-19 healthdata site has once again been updated. At peak 77 people will die in Florida. Down from the predicted 242 a week and a half ago.
Thank you you that gorgeous photo, Sandie.

Warm tarmac- feline bliss!
Sandie said…
Latest stats for the world:

The worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 154,188 on Saturday, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT.

More than 2,251,690 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December. Of these cases, at least 497,600 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.

Many countries are testing only the most serious cases. In the United States, now the epicentre of the pandemic, the death toll stood at 37,079 with 706,779 infections.

At least 59,672 patients have recovered.


Not accurate because many cases have been undetected (asymptomatic carriers), many have had mild symptoms and have recovered at home without being tested or counted in a database.

Acknowledging there may be much inaccuracy ... the true number of infections is probably at least 10 times what is being reported; the true death rate is probably at least 10% higher than what is being reported and could be as much as 50% higher.

Does recovered mean tested negative? Or are there still thousands of people ill who are waiting to see if they will recover or die?
Kate said…
@ MiamiVice

I’m north of Miami, in Weston, right near the Everglades!
CookieShark said…
Our "death peak" numbers have reduced by 9. I hope that's right!

MiamiVice said…
Kate,

We have friends in Weston. How wonderful! They love it there and I have visited, seems like a nice community.
UK here -For once, a really nice article in the Guardian about something dear to my heart

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/apr/14/grains-flour-shortage-tells-us-about-who-we-are
Kate said…
@ MiamiVice

Weston is great. Everyone has been following the social distancing rules as far as I can tell.
Everytime I go out to the store, everyone has masks on and most have gloves. I’m so thankful for our pool, the kids really enjoy it everyday. Quarantine is definitely hard for kids, I feel bad for them because it’s hard when they can’t go to school or interact with eachother.
Glad it’s Saturday though! No homeschooling for 2 days!!
MiamiVice said…
This is a really great video by Dan Crenshaw. He encourages everyone to give grace to each other as he states the realistic timeline and what we knew at the time about the virus.

https://youtu.be/K281JQMp9Mo
Sandie said…
Penguins enjoying the empty streets in what used to be my hometown for about 15 years:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1251190644879642626

When I lived there, they would head into town at night when everyone was asleep, but during lockdown they seem to be enjoying the town during the day as well!

Thanks Miami Vice for the video - there are parallels with how things have played out here.
SwampWoman said…
SwampMan had to go to one of those doc in a box places today. He ignored the infection in his toe until it was on the verge of being too painful to walk. "Call your PCP!" I said. "They'll do a teleconference! They'll get you on an antibiotic before it gets bad!" I said. But nooooooo. He had to wait AND go into a complete stranger on the weekend. When he was complaining about the pain this morning, I said "Let me call CVS in town and get you an appointment at Minute Clinic!" "No. I want a REAL doctor." *sigh* "Okay, YOU make an appointment somewhere and GO!" So he did. He wore his N95 mask in. They made him remove it and don one of their crappy paper disposable surgical masks. He didn't even get to see a doc. Heh.
Portcitygirl said…
Swampwoman

Hope Swampman makes a full recovery. I'm dealing with my own hard head up here. Don't feel left out. Lol.
MiamiVice said…
Swampwoman,

Good luck! Sounds like you need it up there. They can be so hard headed but usually best not to say ‘if you had only done what I said!’

(I’m so good at following my own advice too, snort!!)
Shaggy said…
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SwampWoman said…
Interesting video: It took Honeywell FIVE WEEKS to do a job that normally takes 9 months re retooling a plant to produce N95 masks. The first masks came off the assembly line this week. This plant in Rhode Island and another plant in Phoenix will produce 20 million N95 masks per month.

https://twitter.com/honeywell/status/1251222267578761222

SwampWoman said…
Also, the first ventilators produced by GM have arrived at hospitals in Chicago. This took four weeks.

CHICAGO – The first VOCSN V+Pro critical care ventilators produced by General Motors and Ventec Life Systems in Kokomo, Indiana are being delivered by UPS to Franciscan Health Olympia Fields in Olympia Fields, Illinois and Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago at the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The milestone shipments are putting important tools in the hands of frontline medical professionals treating patients seriously ill with COVID-19.

Franciscan Health Olympia Fields received their shipment early Friday morning and Weiss Memorial will receive theirs Friday afternoon. A third shipment from GM-Kokomo will be delivered by UPS to FEMA at the Gary/Chicago International Airport on Saturday for distribution to other locations where the need is greatest.

The deliveries are the culmination of a partnership between GM and Ventec Life Systems that began with a phone call exactly one month ago. Since then, the combined teams have sourced thousands of parts, transformed GM’s advanced electronics facility in Kokomo for medical device production, contracted with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide 30,000 ventilators by the end of August and launched mass production. More than 1,000 men and women from the Kokomo community will be building ventilators.

“The passion and commitment that people at GM, Ventec and our suppliers have put into this work is inspiring, and we are all humbled to support the heroic efforts of medical professionals in Chicagoland and across the world who are fighting to save lives and turn the tide of the pandemic,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra.

Said White House Assistant to the President Dr. Peter Navarro: “Not only has GM/Ventec and the UAW set a new Trump Time standard in rapid industrial mobilization – just weeks from site construction to ventilator production – the GM/Ventec ventilators are now rolling off the line, and on the wings and tires of Big Brown-UPS. And through the seamless coordination of FEMA, these lifesaving devices are equally rapidly being delivered to hospitals in need in Chicago and Gary. A patriotic White House salute to the full power of private enterprise joining hands with the full force of the federal government to fight the invisible enemy!”

“Patients deserve access to the best technology to keep them in the fight as their bodies combat the virus,” said Ventec Life Systems CEO Chris Kiple. “Critical care ventilators deliver precise airflow to protect the lungs, include accurate monitors to assess patient well-being, and most importantly, they include advanced controls that help respiratory therapists and physicians wean patients off ventilators as fast as possible.”
“UPS always stands ready to meet the urgent needs of the American people, and we are proud to be selected to make this historic delivery,” said UPS Chairman and CEO David Abney. “This monumental effort is a testament to the unbridled ingenuity and innovation of American companies. In the words of our founder, determined people working together can accomplish anything; and GM, Ventec and UPS have accomplished this together with the speed, quality and exacting precision that the world expects from America’s private sector.”

SwampWoman said…
Now China is going to be wondering whether any of those jobs are going to be coming back to China. I say no, they shouldn't.
SwampWoman said…
Oops, forgot to leave the link for the GM producing ventilators story: https://plants.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2020/apr/0417-coronavirus-update-13-ventdelivery.html
SwampWoman said…
Now, since many people removed the China numbers for being largely fictitious, should we also remove the New York numbers because their hospitals were so undercapitalized, understaffed, and underequipped?
SwampWoman,

How understaffed were NY hospitals? I have seen dozens of videos of hospital workers dancing. They have time to work on choreography!
Don’t forget, the unused Javit Center and unused ship.

Have you seen the directive from the CDC ? If a Dr suspects a patient might have the kungflu (without testing) count it a Covid 19 death.
(If an auto accident victim dies it COULD be counted,if Dr SUSPECTS Covid ). More deaths counted = more Federal money.
I do know people are dying with the virus, don’t think all deaths are from it.

Dr Birx stated yesterday, we have no more flu or pneumonia..... whhuuuttt?!?!?!
Shaggy said…
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MiamiVice said…
Going along with what Swampwoman said.

The city has added more than 3,700 additional people who were presumed to have died of the coronavirus but had never tested positive.

You read that right: PRESUMED but NEVER TESTED

This article is from the NEW YORK TIMES, people!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/nyregion/new-york-coronavirus-deaths.amp.html

Other than getting government money and being politically minded and fear mongering, WHY would they do this?

I’m very upset at some of the many games being played right now. No one will take another lockdown seriously, after these pathetic games being played.
Shaggy said…
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SwampWoman said…
Preserving for posterity: Anon-Unknown said...
While I hate to risk being accused of engaging in "tit for tat", this new issue in Florida definitely can't be overlooked! Upon checking Reddit for the latest articles on the pandemic, THIS ONE from Newsweek was at the top of the list:

..........................

"#FloridaMorons" trends as people flock to the beach after coronavirus restrictions are lifted in parts of the state

People took to social media to express their anger at the decision to reopen some beaches in Florida following weeks of coronavirus restrictions.

Beaches in the St. John's and Duval counties, which includes Jacksonville, were allowed to reopen at 5 p.m. on Friday after Gov. Ron DeSantis gave the green light.

In a video posted on Twitter, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said the beaches would be open from 6 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. and could only be used for walking, biking, hiking, fishing, running, swimming, walking pets, and surfing.

Sunbathing and gathering in groups are not allowed and he appealed to people to maintain social distancing.

"Folks, this could be the beginning of the pathway back to normal life, but please respect and follow these limitations," Curry said. "We'll get back to life as we know it, but we must be patient." He retweeted images of people on the beach with messages that he believed they were maintaining their distance from each other.

However, #FloridaMorons started trending on Saturday morning, with many expressing concern that people were returning to the beach too soon.

"A few years ago, I saw that there were people who prefer environmentally-less-efficient lightbulbs *because* they are worse for the environment. What we're seeing on Florida's beaches today is a segment of the U.S. population that is pro-destruction, pro-failure. #FloridaMorons"

"#Florida beach is crowded within 30 MINUTES of reopening at 5pm, despite state recording 1,413 new #COVID19 cases - its highest one-day increase since the pandemic crisis began #floridabeaches #FloridaMorons #SaturdayMorning #SaturdayThoughts #StayAtHomehttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8"

"No masks, no social distancing. These are selfish, entitled #floridiots who will infect innocent people.#FloridaMorons"

"#FloridaMorons giving the middle finger to our healthcare workers."

"Florida man does the most Florida man thing ever," referring to the meme that usually does the rounds on social media.

Officials have said that they are ready to close the beaches again if social distancing rules are not followed, Atlantic Beach Mayor Ellen Glasser said, according to CNN.

"This not a time to lounge. This is not a time to party. This is a time where you need to exercise, keep moving and then go home," Glasser said.

DeSantis had been criticized for not closing the beaches sooner and his stay at home order limiting movement outside homes which came into effect on April 3 runs until the end of the month.
...............................

Link: https://www.newsweek.com/florida-beaches-florida-moron-twitter-1498750

IMO it was ridiculous to reopen these beaches. People immediately began dropping any attempts at mitigation as can be seen from the many photos and all the rest of us will end up paying for this!

And I am apparently not the only one with this opinion based on polls, articles, comments on articles, tweets, etc.

#CloseFloridasBeaches
#SickOfSelfishStupidPeople
SwampWoman said…
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Shaggy said…
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Portcitygirl said…
https://www.reddit.com/r/CoronavirusUS/comments/g41uvl/man_speaks_the_truth_about_corona_virus/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

This link has some bad language, for those of us in the US, a must listen. If brave enough to read the comment thread, it will become clear how much better other countries are helping their citizens. One example being that our banks expect us to pay three months mortgage up front after this while most in other countries are adding it on at the end. Vic in the video covers this. Other countries are getting bigger stimulus checks as well. I was wondering why ours is lower and I suspect it is bc we give away so much of our money to welfare programs here and abroad that there is only so much left. Our govt agencies are obviously redundant and bloated as well as basically incompetent. For example, the FDA has just come out and said that there is no need to sanitize groceries. Most can see how illogical this is. What genius is running this agency?
Portcitygirl said…
https://mol.im/a/8233663

And these globalists are raising money for the WHO instead of our own men and women on the frontline, not to mention all of the poor families who have lost jobs and homes.

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