Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #60

[SoCalDavidS]

Seems like I say this here every couple of days, but I've felt that with the rush to reopen in many states nationwide, there were two potential short term outcomes. The first being that we plod along with approx. 1K deaths per day, give or take a couple of hundred, and end up with around 200K deaths by Labor Day. Or the other possibility, that we experience another outbreak, and instead of the current daily death rate, it escalates to 1,500 or more per day, and we reach 200K by the end of July.

If the former scenario disgusts you, then perhaps you should unfortunately be hoping for the latter possibility. Because regardless of what the government may say, they can keep a steady death count under the radar, so to speak, but if that total starts increasing exponentially over the next 2-4 weeks, you can rest assured the economy will shut down again, whether the powers that be like it or not.

With the way openings are progressing, I tend to believe we'll see which path we're on before the end of June. Will it be a stable period before a potential 2nd wave this fall? Or will it be another spike in the 1st wave continuing from the spring.

 

[Sunset]

Why has taking precautions during a pandemic become a political statement?
I'm in Arizona, US and I can see very few people wearing masks.
Cases are increasing like fire.
Yet, the govt feels the number of cases are increasing because the number of testing has increased.
One of the Heath department heads admitted that this is totally false and the percentage of positives has increased dramatically.
The hospitals are nearing 100%.
Still the govt is sleeping.

I am also very worried about the BLM protests being a hub of spread. We should think of creative ideas to protest and be safe at the same time.

 

[tabitha111]

BEEF PRICES SOAR, FOOD INFLATION IS HIGHEST IN MORE THAN EIGHT YEARS

By Chuck Abbott

https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/beef-prices-soar-food-inflation-is-highest-in-more-than-eight-years?

6/11/2020



Food prices rose sharply for the second month in a row, with beef recording its largest one-month increase ever, as the U.S. food inflation rate hit 4% in May, said the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday. It is the highest rate since January 2012. While food prices surged, the overall U.S. inflation rate for the past 12 months was a tiny 0.1%.



Analysts at Trading Economics, a financial information site, predicted food inflation would quickly return to its traditional modest rate of around 2% annually. In May, the USDA forecast a slightly higher-than-usual increase of 2.5% in food prices this year.



The BLS said food prices climbed by 0.7% in May, following a 1.5% spike in April. “However, unlike the broad increase in April, the May increase was driven mostly by a 3.7% rise in the index for meats, poultry, dairy, and eggs. The beef index increased 10.8% in May, its largest-ever monthly increase,” said the agency’s monthly Consumer Price Index Report.



Meat production slowed during April and into May due to coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants. Some of the largest cattle and hog slaughter plants closed temporarily, reducing the flow of meat to grocery stores. Some chains limited customer purchases.



“The problems in meatpacking plants do not seem over, although most of the plants are back online,” said economist Joe Glauber of the IFPRI think tank. “If this means lower meat production over the next few months, then meat prices will continue to remain higher than year-ago levels but likely down a bit from the current spikes.”

(continued at link)
BBM

 

[ilovewings]

Why has taking precautions during a pandemic become a political statement?
I'm in Arizona, US and I can see very few people wearing masks.
Cases are increasing like fire.
Yet, the govt feels the number of cases are increasing because the number of testing has increased.
One of the Heath department heads admitted that this is totally false and the percentage of positives has increased dramatically.
The hospitals are nearing 100%.
Still the govt is sleeping.

I am also very worried about the BLM protests being a hub of spread. We should think of creative ideas to protest and be safe at the same time.

I don't think it is possible to protest in massive numbers, screaming and shouting, even with masks----and not spread the virus--

 

[10ofRods]

I am now just following the UK deaths and the weekly per cent increases from Friday to Friday. Depending on tomorrow's figure it looks like a 3% weekly increase only, down from 9% a month ago, 150% weekly increase two months ago, 394% weekly increase 20th March.

15th May 9%
22nd May 7%
29th May 4.9%
5th June 5.5 %
12th June 3 % estimated

Todays cumulative UK deaths 41,279 after a daily count of 151 was added on.


Coronavirus in NI on 11 June - BBC News

Summary

1. One death has been recorded in Northern Ireland linked to Covid-19 on Thursday. It is the first reported death in five days - the NI death toll is 538
2. The aerospace company Bombardier is cutting 600 jobs after a slowdown in business due to the pandemic
3. The Stormont Executive has agreed to enable people who live alone to form a "support bubble" with one other household
4. The executive has also eased restrictions on the housing and retail sectors
5. There were a further 151 coronavirus-related deaths across all settings in the UK, taking the UK death toll to 41,279
6. Eight more people died in the Republic of Ireland linked to coronavirus bringing the overall death toll to 1,703 following an additional five further deaths on Wednesday

I really am getting the feeling we are beating it in the UK and Ireland.

ETA once we get below average of 100 daily deaths ( ie < 1.5% weekly increase) I feel we have beaten it.

I haven't worn a mask. The first time I went shopping in lockdown I wore a scarf ready to pull it up if I thought necessary and I haven't felt I needed to. Do what you feel is best.
@Sunset I am like you in your last sentence, I laze around and do nothing.

This is excellent news - and it's true for much of the US, as well. There are places "on the rise" but they are all places with lower population density, for the most part, who are just now having their first real spikes. In California, our rates per capita have been about 1/10th of what they've been in UK, and about 1/3rd the rate of the rest of the US - but we're rising and although we won't catch up with New Jersey, we certainly have counties (including my own) where CoVid is once again out of the bottle. Three California counties are not quite at exponential growth (two counties in Arizona are already there).

I think California's figures are closely linked to the Memorial Day weekend and the few days before and after it. We will probably plateau and then see another bump up when the protest cases start showing up (in about a week). However, a lot of those were young people, possibly less symptomatic and they may not go get tested. We shall see how that works out. Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial Counties need to keep doing at least what they're doing now to contain it.

We were projected to be at a lower rate of cases in the US by end of July, which is why schools were optimistic about opening. With only about 500 deaths nationwide per day for the last couple of days, that's the right direction. That's close to the equivalent of UK having 100. I'd like to see the US get under 200 for a sustained period. What's getting our rates lower is that about half of Americans are still very much staying home and avoiding any kind of indoor risk situation.

It's predicted that as many as 25% of retail will close before or during Autumn. Mostly in malls, naturally.

 

[KALI]

Yes. We have removed steaks and chops from our menu at this time.
Will have to see what we can do ffg or Father's Day. Lots of steaks usually eaten on that day.

BEEF PRICES SOAR, FOOD INFLATION IS HIGHEST IN MORE THAN EIGHT YEARS

By Chuck Abbott

https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/beef-prices-soar-food-inflation-is-highest-in-more-than-eight-years?

6/11/2020



Food prices rose sharply for the second month in a row, with beef recording its largest one-month increase ever, as the U.S. food inflation rate hit 4% in May, said the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday. It is the highest rate since January 2012. While food prices surged, the overall U.S. inflation rate for the past 12 months was a tiny 0.1%.



Analysts at Trading Economics, a financial information site, predicted food inflation would quickly return to its traditional modest rate of around 2% annually. In May, the USDA forecast a slightly higher-than-usual increase of 2.5% in food prices this year.



The BLS said food prices climbed by 0.7% in May, following a 1.5% spike in April. “However, unlike the broad increase in April, the May increase was driven mostly by a 3.7% rise in the index for meats, poultry, dairy, and eggs. The beef index increased 10.8% in May, its largest-ever monthly increase,” said the agency’s monthly Consumer Price Index Report.



Meat production slowed during April and into May due to coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants. Some of the largest cattle and hog slaughter plants closed temporarily, reducing the flow of meat to grocery stores. Some chains limited customer purchases.



“The problems in meatpacking plants do not seem over, although most of the plants are back online,” said economist Joe Glauber of the IFPRI think tank. “If this means lower meat production over the next few months, then meat prices will continue to remain higher than year-ago levels but likely down a bit from the current spikes.”

(continued at link)
BBM

 

[Deleted member 158085]

I had been afraid that this would happen since the very beginning of the crisis.

The US is losing the ‘discipline’ to fight coronavirus and is ‘leaving the battlefield before the war is over’

IMO, Americans have acted like spoiled brats in some ways. This is, at least, how I’ve come to view several people on my FB friends list recently.

 

[anneg]

She is aware. Even if she isn't, I'm pretty sure her husband is. Unfortunately, they both are the epitome of "It won't happen to us" mentality.

I'm usually deemed as the paranoid person who doesn't even go out because of the virus.

I did tell her to do a teledoc appointment with her doctor. She replied," Oh, no worries, my daughter is fine now." Ugghhh....

I sure hope she IS fine and will stay that way.

 

[tabitha111]

Timeline of crap told by people (relatives, friends, colleagues) to me during this pandemic.

1. This virus is a hoax. (mid March) They are just adding all dead people/nonexistent people to list of people who died due to corona.
2. It's real but it isn't thaaaaaaaat serious. (End of March)
3. I'm under 40. Nothing will happen to me.
   
4. It's sunny. Nothing will happen to us. (desert area folks)
5. Everyone should come to work... I don't like that people stay at home and work. This virus is just like a flu. (Mid April) (Colleague of said person lost two people to this pandemic)
6. Masks take away my ability to breathe. ( I've never seen them wear it once)
7. An XYZ scientist said that this virus is manmade and we all need to be angry at China.
8. I can't handle my kids at home. They are SPED kids. They need in-person teaching. (End of May)
9. At the rate it is going, we will all get it and we can achieve herd immunity (June)
10. A month ago: I am skipping vaccinations for my child because of this pandemic (hopefully, it was approved by the pediatrician ??). Two days ago: My child has fever but it won't be corona. So I won't get her tested.

This has affected my mental health. I am concerned for them.
I am trying my best to disconnect myself from the outside world.
This pandemic has taught me a lot about the people around me. Some of them, I don't really have a close relationship with. But others, they are my relatives and sometimes I feel my blood boil.

Something I saw that made my jaw drop...someone on the local facebook mom's group - she had a fever and sore throat just recently and asked all the "facebook doctor's" if she should go get it checked... Everyone was telling her it was strep or the flu (???) couldn't possibly be Covid. I was huh?? Love how we have so many experts on Facebook...

On another note, I went to Aldi today and speaking of "giving up" they no longer sanitize the carts for you like they were last week, you now have to put a quarter in them like before (they had them all unlocked before so you didn't have to fuss with them) and the manager had his mask pulled down over his nose (I know him well ) he told me "his glasses fog up too much" and one employee wore no mask and was chatting up a storm close to another customer who was asking her about something (he was a very elderly man w/mask) Aldi is such a small store - I know from the news they have had many workers infected- it just makes me shake my head...and its all for one and one for all in the distance dept..if you don't maintain yourself...no one else is even trying. That's where carts come in handy as a shield..LOL

BTW- I wear an N95 with a cloth mask over it...I know its working well, my glasses (I normally wear contacts, but now going out I wear my glasses) do not fog up for one thing and when I took the mask off as I walked in my front door...my house smelled so good (could not smell a darn thing in the mask) I do those scented wax melts....

 

[Tillicum]

Dr. Amy Acton resigns as Ohio Department of Health director

 

[oviedo]

I don't think it is possible to protest in massive numbers, screaming and shouting, even with masks----and not spread the virus--

ITA - it reminds me of New Orleans and Mardi Gras - I'm expecting huge numbers in the coming weeks.
JMO

 

[MrX]

There's a lot in between, much of which I have typed endlessly about. But it's not binary. Not at all.

Must be different where you are. When we had a "curfew" last week, the same people that were shoulder-to-shoulder at the bar made sure to scurry home before 8 - even though the curfew didn't apply to businesses or their customers. So they know how to be "scared" - they're just not scared of Covid. And I've seen enough pictures from around the country to know we aren't unique. Unless people are locked up, they are going to socialize. The "in between" is a theoretical fantasy land.

 

[anneg]

Something I saw that made my jaw drop...someone on the local facebook mom's group - she had a fever and sore throat just recently and asked all the "facebook doctor's" if she should go get it checked... Everyone was telling her it was strep or the flu (???) couldn't possibly be Covid. I was huh?? Love how we have so many experts on Facebook...

On another note, I went to Aldi today and speaking of "giving up" they no longer sanitize the carts for you like they were last week, you now have to put a quarter in them like before (they had them all unlocked before so you didn't have to fuss with them) and the manager had his mask pulled down over his nose (I know him well ) he told me "his glasses fog up too much" and one employee wore no mask and was chatting up a storm close to another customer who was asking her about something (he was a very elderly man w/mask) Aldi is such a small store - I know from the news they have had many workers infected- it just makes me shake my head...and its all for one and one for all in the distance dept..if you don't maintain yourself...no one else is even trying. That's where carts come in handy as a shield..LOL

BTW- I wear an N95 with a cloth mask over it...I know its working well, my glasses (I normally wear contacts, but now going out I wear my glasses) do not fog up for one thing and when I took the mask off as I walked in my front door...my house smelled so good (could not smell a darn thing in the mask) I do those scented wax melts....

My DH and I went in a local grocery store the other day, first time since mid March. We wore our N-95s. No wipes when we walked in the store, no one disinfecting carts. And wouldn't you know it, we didn't have the bag in the car that has homemade wipes and sanitizer in it. Aargh!

Not many people shopping and I saw only one person with no mask, so that was good. We bought a package of four nice-looking steaks altho price was a bit high. We will get 8 dinners out of them. We're in our 70s and eat significantly less meat than we used to. Oddly, we have figured out that if we cut/slice cooked meat in smaller pieces, we eat less of it.

 

[MimosaMornings]

A fever and sore throat? Strep or flu?
With restrictions, WFH, no school or child care? So you ask strangers on FB to provide a diagnosis. Geeez.

I spoke to my cousin yesterday and she said the boys haven’t been sick once since the first of March because they haven’t been exposed to other children or people.

 

[Sunset]

I don't think it is possible to protest in massive numbers, screaming and shouting, even with masks----and not spread the virus--

Exactly!
I support the BLM movement. I heart bleeds for the injustice that has been going on.
At the same time, I am worried that cases are going to too much to handle.

The pandemic doesn't care if states reopen to save businesses from bankruptcy. Neither does it show mercy on protesters.
I see some articles pointing out that a higher percentage of African American population are dying due to Covid than other races.
But I feel everyone is a bit scared to point this out because it would seem like they are against the protests which is not true.

I finally got this off my chest.

The government needs to show quick response to their needs and pass legislation. It has been long overdue. But will they?
They would just blame the rising numbers on the BLM movement and slither away like a snake.

 

[Sunset]

Something I saw that made my jaw drop...someone on the local facebook mom's group - she had a fever and sore throat just recently and asked all the "facebook doctor's" if she should go get it checked... Everyone was telling her it was strep or the flu (???) couldn't possibly be Covid. I was huh?? Love how we have so many experts on Facebook...

On another note, I went to Aldi today and speaking of "giving up" they no longer sanitize the carts for you like they were last week, you now have to put a quarter in them like before (they had them all unlocked before so you didn't have to fuss with them) and the manager had his mask pulled down over his nose (I know him well ) he told me "his glasses fog up too much" and one employee wore no mask and was chatting up a storm close to another customer who was asking her about something (he was a very elderly man w/mask) Aldi is such a small store - I know from the news they have had many workers infected- it just makes me shake my head...and its all for one and one for all in the distance dept..if you don't maintain yourself...no one else is even trying. That's where carts come in handy as a shield..LOL

BTW- I wear an N95 with a cloth mask over it...I know its working well, my glasses (I normally wear contacts, but now going out I wear my glasses) do not fog up for one thing and when I took the mask off as I walked in my front door...my house smelled so good (could not smell a darn thing in the mask) I do those scented wax melts....

Same here. One of my husband's cousins claim that this glasses fog up and he doesn't wear a mask. My husband wears glasses and wears a mask in his workplace. Even before Covid, since he works on medical equipment which are very sensitive to everything, he was required to wear mask. We were just rolling our eyes when the cousin said that.

As the cases increase in Arizona, people/stores all have just given up I guess.

 

[tabitha111]

Well, well, well....NPR: Dow Dives 1,800 Points On Worries Of 2nd Coronavirus Wave - News & Guts Media

The Dow and other stock indexes plunged as cases surged in several states and the Federal Reserve warned that the pandemic “will weigh heavily on economic activity.”

Read More

 

[mickey2942]

Went to lunch today. I was the only one wearing a mask at the shop. 15 people. One mask wearer.

Do the math. Any surprise that there is a rise in positive cases?

 

[MrX]

Went to lunch today. I was the only one wearing a mask at the shop. 15 people. One mask wearer.

Do the math. Any surprise that there is a rise in positive cases?

No surprise at all. The only thing that paused cases is the unsustainable separation of all people. It's the hand wringing that has me vexed.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I'm still waiting for someone to articulate a viable third solution to what is, was and always will be a binary problem. There are two choices: unsustainable draconian lock downs until the risk of the virus is eradicated, or a return to semi-normal where we live with the risk. Cuomo can point to places like AZ all he wants but what does he think is going to happen in NYC when things reopen?

There was a great observation made on the local sports talk station yesterday where the hosts totally summarized this issue: "Golfers in the U.S. are saying that they are not going to observe "protocols," like staying locked in their rooms when they come back, whereas in the German soccer league you get suspended for going out to buy toothpaste."

I talk to relatives and friends in other states...and they say EVERYONE is wearing masks. And still trying to keep the social difference. This is where national combined with state leadership TOGETHER set the standard. Here is Florida....No masks. I am the only one in a number of the places I enter. I hope everyone will send their "thoughts and prayers" that Jacksonville will NOT allow the Repub convention... mostly no masks, and still tensions... Noone should have that convention. Just train them in Zoom!! Or at least smaller regional meetups--people can take their chances and it still won't overpower a single geography.