Coronavirus General Discussion

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flyingpylon
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by flyingpylon » Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:32 pm

pp4me wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:14 pm
The best theory I've heard about why this has been the case is because in the hot weather states we stay inside with the circulating A/C on.
I have heard the theory that northern locations had the biggest problems earlier because everyone stays inside with the heat on, but southern locations are having problems now because everyone stays inside with the A/C on. Seems logical, but who knows.

My question is why is there a spike in testing (which in turn identifies more cases)? Is it just because testing is freely available now, or is it because people actually have symptoms?
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by pp4me » Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:51 pm

pmward wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:29 pm
Here in the AZ desert we have been 100 degrees plus for two months now, with most weeks recently closer to 110. And we have the worst cases per million pop in the country right now. Corona likes the hot temps it seems.
Does Corona really like the hot temps or does it like people staying inside in circulating air environments? I think that is the big question. I recently read another article claiming that the virus is killed in 34 minutes outside in summer weather. So maybe instead of quarantining people in their homes they should all be ordered to go camping.

Hopefully we can get some honest answers although those seem to be hard to come by nowadays.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by pmward » Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:28 pm

pp4me wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:51 pm

Does Corona really like the hot temps or does it like people staying inside in circulating air environments?
Not sure, but the hot weather doesn't seem to be acting as much of a deterrent right now.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by pp4me » Sun Jun 28, 2020 10:56 am

pmward wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:28 pm
pp4me wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:51 pm

Does Corona really like the hot temps or does it like people staying inside in circulating air environments?
Not sure, but the hot weather doesn't seem to be acting as much of a deterrent right now.
Interesting response from Bing search when I tried to get an answer to this question....

Image
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by pmward » Mon Jun 29, 2020 5:43 pm

And AZ is now officially starting to lock some things down. Ducey just announced that all bars, gyms, movie theaters, water parks, salt river tubing, are closed for 30 days and first day of school is delayed until Aug 17.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Smith1776 » Mon Jun 29, 2020 5:55 pm

Gyms seem to be one of the most dangerous places in regard to the virus. I've come to a compromise by embracing my inner night owl. I only go after midnight when the gym is basically empty. And the staff has long started cleaning already. Seems like a reasonable approach if you can't stay away from the gym (and if your schedule allows of course).

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Kriegsspiel
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Kriegsspiel » Mon Jun 29, 2020 6:06 pm

Man, my gym opened recently and it's like heaven. It's the only place I go where I don't have to wear a mask. Actually, nobody in there wears a mask. Well, one guy did, but I saw him furtively removing in the corner it so he didn't look like a pussy. But then he went and got on the Smith machine and I'm thinking, "well, what was the point then?"
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Cortopassi » Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:36 pm

Kriegsspiel wrote:
Mon Jun 29, 2020 6:06 pm
so he didn't look like a pussy.
Is that a personal observation? Wearing a mask = pussy? Just curious.

I've never seen so much black and white politics over a simple piece of cloth, unless it was a flag. Can't we just assume it is gray? Maybe it helps a teensy tiny little?

Or please explain how the US is still going up and so many other westernized countries have seemed to have gotten control of the virus?

I recall being so worried for relatives in Italy. I think at this point it is 100% reversed. Everyone is worried about relatives in the US.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Hal » Mon Jun 29, 2020 9:11 pm

Kriegsspiel wrote:
Mon Jun 29, 2020 6:06 pm
Man, my gym opened recently and it's like heaven. It's the only place I go where I don't have to wear a mask. Actually, nobody in there wears a mask. Well, one guy did, but I saw him furtively removing in the corner it so he didn't look like a pussy. But then he went and got on the Smith machine and I'm thinking, "well, what was the point then?"
Heh...
Brought back memories of Japan with all the "Cutesy" stuff over there.
There used to be a website called "Hello Kitty Hell"
Anyway, back on topic.....
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Mark Leavy » Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:12 pm

Kriegsspiel wrote:
Mon Jun 29, 2020 6:06 pm
But then he went and got on the Smith machine and I'm thinking, "well, what was the point then?"
Okay Krieg. That is funny as hell. Fuck Smith machines. No offense to our own Smith.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Mark Leavy » Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:20 pm

Just looking at who does and who doesn't wear a mask is interesting. My friends and family cover the spectrum of left to right and they all think science is on their side - and it turns out that their scientific views align with their ideology. Funny that. So, I glean no information from that.

In traveling cross country I pay attention to the local workers. Most of them don't care whether you are left or right and they do or don't wear a mask depending on what they need to do to keep paying the rent. Right and Left towns, Right and Left customers, the working stiffs are just doing what they need to do to get paid. No more, no less. They'll put on the mask when someone comes in with a mask and leave it off if someone comes in without one.

Make of that what you will.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Smith1776 » Tue Jun 30, 2020 1:26 am

MangoMan wrote:
Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:50 pm
Smith1776 wrote:
Mon Jun 29, 2020 5:55 pm
Gyms seem to be one of the most dangerous places in regard to the virus.
Do you have facts to back up that statement or is that just the result of it feeling creepy in there, like it should be a petri dish?
Our provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry made some remarks as such. Basically saying that the only places more dangerous would be concerts and similar venues. In my ignorance of epidemiology I've decided to just go based off of her warnings. Still, I think going late at night when no one is there has got to be an improvement over going at peak hours.
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Kriegsspiel
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Kriegsspiel » Tue Jun 30, 2020 6:15 am

Cortopassi wrote:
Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:36 pm
Kriegsspiel wrote:
Mon Jun 29, 2020 6:06 pm
so he didn't look like a pussy.
Is that a personal observation? Wearing a mask = pussy? Just curious.
More of a joke.
You there, Ephialtes. May you live forever.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Kriegsspiel » Tue Jun 30, 2020 6:20 am

Smith1776 wrote:
Tue Jun 30, 2020 1:26 am
MangoMan wrote:
Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:50 pm
Smith1776 wrote:
Mon Jun 29, 2020 5:55 pm
Gyms seem to be one of the most dangerous places in regard to the virus.
Do you have facts to back up that statement or is that just the result of it feeling creepy in there, like it should be a petri dish?
Our provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry made some remarks as such.
Mmmm, gotta call bullshit on that one. Every gym I've been to (except my HS gym) has spray bottles of bleach everyone uses to wipe down equipment before they use it. There's a lot of aerosolized bleach floating around in gyms. I figure the increased immune function as a result of exercise has to factor in as well. Cubicle farms seem much more hazardous, but it would be Wrongspeak for a public official to say that.
Basically saying that the only places more dangerous would be concerts and similar venues. In my ignorance of epidemiology I've decided to just go based off of her warnings. Still, I think going late at night when no one is there has got to be an improvement over going at peak hours.
Doesn't the "science" say that sunlight and alcohol inhibit it? Remember when the public health official in California said that the ocean was full of coronavirus and you couldn't pay her "a million dollars" to go to the beach ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Smith1776 » Tue Jun 30, 2020 6:57 am

Kriegsspiel wrote:
Tue Jun 30, 2020 6:20 am

Mmmm, gotta call bullshit on that one. Every gym I've been to (except my HS gym) has spray bottles of bleach everyone uses to wipe down equipment before they use it. There's a lot of aerosolized bleach floating around in gyms. I figure the increased immune function as a result of exercise has to factor in as well. Cubicle farms seem much more hazardous, but it would be Wrongspeak for a public official to say that.
Doesn't the "science" say that sunlight and alcohol inhibit it? Remember when the public health official in California said that the ocean was full of coronavirus and you couldn't pay her "a million dollars" to go to the beach ;D ;D ;D ;D
Yeah, I'm gonna plead ignorance again on this one. Rather than coming to my own misguided conclusions I'm going to farm out my thinking on this one to the local health authority.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Smith1776 » Tue Jun 30, 2020 7:11 am

MangoMan wrote:
Tue Jun 30, 2020 7:08 am


Good plan. Cuz politicians always know what's best for us! ::)
In fairness, Bonnie Henry is a legit physician.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Kriegsspiel » Tue Jun 30, 2020 7:16 am

k
You there, Ephialtes. May you live forever.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Smith1776 » Tue Jun 30, 2020 7:26 am

I wonder if this general difference in perspective towards health authorities is common for people chatting across the 49th parallel. It's interesting that I don't see that level of cynicism from anyone here locally. Then again, here in B.C (and Canada generally) our Coronavirus response seems to have been more effective and responsible on the part of the health authorities compared to the U.S. If I were a U.S. citizen I'd probably be much more skeptical too.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Libertarian666 » Tue Jun 30, 2020 8:02 am

Smith1776 wrote:
Tue Jun 30, 2020 7:26 am
I wonder if this general difference in perspective towards health authorities is common for people chatting across the 49th parallel. It's interesting that I don't see that level of cynicism from anyone here locally. Then again, here in B.C (and Canada generally) our Coronavirus response seems to have been more effective and responsible on the part of the health authorities compared to the U.S. If I were a U.S. citizen I'd probably be much more skeptical too.
Canadians are known to be more respectful of authority than Americans.
You never even fought for your independence from Britain, remember? >:D
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Smith1776 » Tue Jun 30, 2020 8:08 am

Libertarian666 wrote:
Tue Jun 30, 2020 8:02 am
Canadians are known to be more respectful of authority than Americans.
You never even fought for your independence from Britain, remember? >:D
We only get angry when we're low on maple syrup.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Cortopassi » Tue Jun 30, 2020 8:58 am

pug,

I know you don't necessarily like Priztker (gov of IL) but IL has some of the best declining numbers in the country. What do you attribute that to other than consistent messaging on wearing masks and distancing and being a bit slower opening up?

Seems he would deserve some credit here?
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by WiseOne » Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:57 am

Having been out and about a lot in NYC recently....

Mask wearing is consistent in "gentrified" (read: predominantly white/Asian, upper or upper-middle class) neighborhoods. If you are out without one, you get dirty looks and comments.

In low-income neighborhoods (vast majority black and Hispanic) few people wear masks. The ones that do are mostly wearing it under their noses or just hanging below their chins. When I see low income people on my street (e.g. delivery guys) they are almost never wearing masks. They wear them while working in the grocery because their employers make them do it, but in stores in minority neighborhoods you don't see workers wearing masks.

This might seem like it correlates with higher COVID infection rates in minority communities, but those kinds of observational studies are meaningless because of the large number of confounds (e.g. differences in risk factors). The important observation, to me, is that there are large pockets of non-mask wearing people in this city, and yet COVID new case rates have been vanishingly small for weeks now. Seems to me there's not really a lot of evidence for mask wearing as an effective prevention device - but neither is there evidence against except what I just noted.

I wear a mask if going into a store or other indoor public place. If outdoors I only put it on if I'm within 6 feet of someone - and mainly as a courtesy to them. This is consistent with the governor's order so I'm within the law here, and it seems a good compromise.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by pmward » Tue Jun 30, 2020 12:37 pm

MangoMan wrote:
Tue Jun 30, 2020 12:12 pm
I attribute the declining numbers to the fact that it took hold here first, just like in NYC, and is now burning out, while areas like AZ, FL, TX, etc that didn't get hit hard early are now having their turn. And even in those states, hospitalizations are declining.
Not in AZ they aren't. Hospitalizations have been sky rocketing, as has new cases, new deaths, and the rate of positive tests. The only thing going down, ironically, is the number of tests issued per day. There's a reason the very right wing governor put us back on partial lockdown yesterday. The hospital situation here is starting to get really dire. I have a couple friends that are nurses and the things they are sharing on social media about how bad things are in the hospital system here right now are also proof that things are not good under the covers.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Tortoise » Tue Jun 30, 2020 12:45 pm

I find it amusing that people keep lamenting that mask-wearing has "become so politicized".

How can it be otherwise? There is no hard science with which to prove or disprove that mask-wearing makes a difference in slowing down the spread of Cooties-19. It's basically all guesswork, hunches, speculation, and anecdotal observations.

In the absence of hard science, we have no choice but to fall back on things like personal risk assessment, our level of trust (or lack thereof) in government officials and the media, and the importance of freedom -- things that are clearly shaped by our political views.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by pmward » Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:26 pm

Worth a read. A historical account of the flu pandemic in 1918-1919 San Francisco, including the same drama we are going through today with the mask and no mask argument.

https://www.influenzaarchive.org/cities ... cisco.html#
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