COVID-19 Leaves a Sad Milestone in the US — 100,000 Lives and Souls Lost to This Cruel Disease

[Mike Buckley]

it doesn't seem so dire as it did in March, April, May, even early June.

For me, that depends on the area one lives in. There is no question that the situation is far better now in the county I live in than weeks ago. The percent positivity rate was at its highest in mid May and has been declining ever since, though lately it has barely been declining. I'm surprised that the most number of tests were conducted also in mid-May. The trajectory of new cases began to plateau about ten weeks ago, and a few weeks later fell off a cliff for about three weeks. The last four weeks have been another plateau but at a far lower count than the previous plateau. Though my age group accounts for "only" 14% of the diagnosed patients, it accounts for 86% of the patients that died. My county has the highest disease count and population in the state (95 counties in the state). My zip code has the 7th highest disease count per capita in the county (49 zip codes in the county).

The very best news as far as I'm concerned is that the medical community knows how to treat people with COVID much better now than in March and April.

 

[ShaunK]

I'm sure all the people who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 or have become seriously ill and are still ill with it aren't particularly cheered by the "improvement" or the alteration in terminology..... Unfortunately the way too many idiots are acting, which is causing more spread of the virus, isn't helping matters at all. I saw where the governor of California is shutting down all indoor businesses/activities/facilities, etc., again. So, Shaun, your attempt at positivity and optimism may be a bit misplaced....

I hope you know that I was not attempting to minimize any losses whatsoever, but I am sorry you want to only focus on the negative. Lots of regrets as to how things were handled to be certain, but it doesn't seem like it does us who are still locked down, or going back into lockdown, much good to dwell on all negative news. It's bad enough to have to have basic, everyday freedoms deferred without adding to our troubles with only negative focus. So, I was trying to interject some positivity for all of us that are here. Sorry you don't see it that way; I will go away now, and take my optimism with me, leaving you to your thoughts/focus of choice.

 

[7006]

Not sure I'd believe anything in the Daily Mail !

Fair enough, although in this case they are quoting someone else's research.
"Google is your friend"
here is another source on the same topic:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/science/new-york-coronavirus-cases-europe-genomes.html
and if you feel like it here is the original study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.08.20056929v2
the link to the study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.08.20056929v2.full.pdf

 

[7006]

These make for interesting listening:
-why herd immunity does not work through the experience of Sweden
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrss1/episodes/downloads

-why more testing does not explain the rise in cases in the US
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08jsp8f

-why the UK failed compared to other EU nations
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08jh9j7

 

[crazy]

Everything said and done, I pay attention to my local area’s situation and respond accordingly...... national media’s bad news is good news philosophy not so much.

 

[pdk42]

@MortyCapp - thanks for those links. I must say that I have a pathological aversion to the Daily Mail. I wouldn't even use it as bog roll! However, it doesn't mean that everything it prints is guff - even if most of it is!

 

[7006]

Everything said and done, I pay attention to my local area’s situation and respond accordingly...... national media’s bad news is good news philosophy not so much.

That's a good strategy.

Here in Wandsworth London UK we had no accurate information until very recently.
Government statistics were blatantly incorrect (allegedly lies) as the updated corrected data from the Office of National Statistics now shows.
The advice was not in line with best practices.
Decisions only changed once the Prime Minister faced near death from COVID in hospital.
It pays off to be extra cautious where I live.

In fact every Friday I have to reply to a survey from the hospital looking after me.
Once a month they call me.
Last Friday they were still advising me to remain at home and isolate despite the fact that I am only at moderate risk from COVID-19.

On the positive side, the flat has never smelt so fresh from the fragrances of the Marseille soap detergent thanks to all the washes we do all day long.

 

[7006]

@MortyCapp - thanks for those links. I must say that I have a pathological aversion to the Daily Mail. I wouldn't even use it as bog roll! However, it doesn't mean that everything it prints is guff - even if most of it is!

Agreed,
The Daily Mail and FoxNews are my go to sources of misinformation...

 

[Mike Buckley]

Here in Wandsworth London UK we had no accurate information until very recently.

Unless one lives in one of the very few countries that conducted adequate testing and contact tracing, such as South Korea, there is no accurate information about the number of people who have contracted the disease. That means there is also no accurate information about the mortality rate and several other important statistics. Also, there is so little known about the disease, such as how long a person who has contracted it remains immune from it or what the long-term effects of having contracted it are likely to be, I doubt that anyone really has all of the important, accurate information about it.

 

[7006]

Unless one lives in one of the very few countries that conducted adequate testing and contact tracing, such as South Korea, there is no accurate information about the number of people who have contracted the disease. That means there is also no accurate information about the mortality rate and several other important statistics. Also, there is so little known about the disease, such as how long a person who has contracted it remains immune from it or what the long-term effects of having contracted it are likely to be, I doubt that anyone really has all of the important, accurate information about it.

what is being reported now here in the UK on reputable media is that:
-immunity does not last more than 3 months => this is terrible news as it shoots down any herd immunity concept for good
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/13/...ntibody-response-uk-study-wellness/index.html

-the NHS is looking at planning for the long term damages that COVID-19 survivors show in various organs
https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...r-damage-to-almost-every-major-organ-12027749

-the economy is not rebounding as quickly as expected
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53400721

-masks to be compulsory in shops
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53397617

-risk of airborne virus underplayed
https://www.newscientist.com/articl...rus-spread-being-underplayed-say-researchers/

-this time around plans are being put in place to prevent a catastrophe this winter with a 2d wave
https://www.newscientist.com/articl...se-120000-hospital-deaths-linked-to-covid-19/

I am not going to make any comments on what the US is going through and what happen there other than I have family in several states and I am very worried for them.

On the positive side cricket, Formula 1 and football have resumed.

 

[7006]

Unless one lives in one of the very few countries that conducted adequate testing and contact tracing, such as South Korea, there is no accurate information about the number of people who have contracted the disease. That means there is also no accurate information about the mortality rate and several other important statistics. Also, there is so little known about the disease, such as how long a person who has contracted it remains immune from it or what the long-term effects of having contracted it are likely to be, I doubt that anyone really has all of the important, accurate information about it.

And yes you are absolutely right,

One of the latest podcast I linked to on the UK failure to deal with it has a segment when the chief health officer admits they stopped attempting to trace individuals as soon as the cases hit the 10Ks as they realised it could not be done.
Then there are the lies about the numbers of tests (in some cases 75% of tests were never sent back to be processed but were still counted as done in the statistics).
Finally the fact that pillar 2 statistics (local stats) were not included in the numbers while they are very significant.

And the UK press think we can lecture other asian countries...

 

[pdk42]

And yes you are absolutely right,

One of the latest podcast I linked to on the UK failure to deal with it has a segment when the chief health officer admits they stopped attempting to trace individuals as soon as the cases hit the 10Ks as they realised it could not be done.
Then there are the lies about the numbers of tests (in some cases 75% of tests were never sent back to be processed but were still counted as done in the statistics).
Finally the fact that pillar 2 statistics (local stats) were not included in the numbers while they are very significant.

And the UK press think we can lecture other asian countries...

<politics>
This government is comprised mainly of proven liars and frauds. The next set of lies is now inbound about the looming Brexit reality. Dec 31st will be a car crash to the economy that will make Covid look like a walk in the park! The Farage Garage of trucks trying to cross to France will fill most of Kent (who voted 60% to leave!).
</politics>

 

[7006]

Without going into politics, which is difficult as we are seeing some never experienced before actions by unelected advisors in the UK, it seems that the most liberal (economically speaking- not political spectrum) administrations who based their decisions on dogmas and not science have not seen their hopes come through.

It would have been fantastic if we could have defeated COVID 19 without isolating and lockdown, without shutting down the economy.
(I lost my job twice over the past 4 months. No support from gov as self employed.)
But that did not work.

It would have been great if I could have carried on visiting my family in the UK, the US and in Europe.

I would have signed immediately for a solution that did not curtail some of my freedoms; it just could not be possible.

I could go on and on with examples of how life has changed for my wife and I.
We count our blessings and hope for the best in the future while adapting as required, which for us means taking no chances and planning for the worst, doing the utmost to avoid getting it.
Just this morning I cancelled a regular dentist appointment.
For us, getting it would be probably game over.

So it is quite unexpected to have to think that our environment has become hostile to life all of a sudden.

 

[barry lloyd]

One advantage being an old age pensioner here in the UK not much has changed income wise, for Sue and myself anyway. Even had a hair cut at long last and not even had to wear a mask. Only difference is we don't go out so much apart from a daily walk around the roads.
Damn annoying we have had to put back our river cruise for another year but at least we get a better cabin as Viking cruise line offered +25% on the original booking.

 

[Mike Buckley]

I'm sure all the people who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 or have become seriously ill and are still ill with it aren't particularly cheered by the "improvement"

I've gotta disagree, Connie. I've seen people on television who lost people they care about to the COVID and who have been very sick with it themselves. They're very glad to see every improvement that has been made because they want everyone they care about to be able to avoid the worst aspects of the disease.

 

[Clix Pix]

Of course they don't want others to suffer the way they have, and of course everyone wants a vaccine developed as soon as possible and other improvements set in place as well, but trying to paint over what is still a very serious situation by spreading sunshine and roses isn't realistic. There is a happy medium somewhere in there......

 

[Pa]

-immunity does not last more than 3 months => this is terrible news as it shoots down any herd immunity concept for good
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/13/...ntibody-response-uk-study-wellness/index.html

This caught my eye as both my daughter and granddaughter have tested positive for antibodies. But clicking on the link provides the following disclaimers:

The paper, released on the medical server medrxiv.org on Saturday and not yet published in a peer-reviewed medical journal,...

Yet the new study had some limitations, including that more research is needed to determine whether similar results would emerge among a larger group of patients and what data could show over longer periods of time...

So I'm not ready to swallow that result yet. Researchers are in a terrible hurry to get their results out and many preliminary findings don't stand up to rigorous verification.

 

[7006]

This caught my eye as both my daughter and granddaughter have tested positive for antibodies. But clicking on the link provides the following disclaimers:

The paper, released on the medical server medrxiv.org on Saturday and not yet published in a peer-reviewed medical journal,...

Yet the new study had some limitations, including that more research is needed to determine whether similar results would emerge among a larger group of patients and what data could show over longer periods of time...

So I'm not ready to swallow that result yet. Researchers are in a terrible hurry to get their results out and many preliminary findings don't stand up to rigorous verification.

My strategy is to plan for the worse.
I am not taking immunity to this one for granted.
Or any other virus.

 

[Mike Buckley]

This caught my eye as both my daughter and granddaughter have tested positive for antibodies.

The results of testing for antibodies are still so inaccurate that I won't even bother getting tested until the test results become reasonably accurate.

 

[Pa]

The results of testing for antibodies are still so inaccurate that I won't even bother getting tested until the test results become reasonably accurate.

In the case of our daughter, we are pretty confident in the result as she had all the symptoms of CV back in March. I'm not so sure about our granddaughter's test as we had heard nothing about her having any symptoms. Her father (our son) said she did have a bit of a cough and chest cold back in February. But she is 18 years old, so she may have had a light case as is common at that age.