Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #64

[BetteDavisEyes]

Just received confirmation call from dentist's office regarding my semi-annual cleaning and checkup tomorrow. I was asked about a dozen health questions all of which were negatives. Special protocol: Call from car upon arrival. Hygienist will come out to get me when it's time for my appointment. No one allowed in waiting room and don't use restroom unless absolutely necessary. Insurance will be billed $15 for PPE; they don't know how insurance will handle the charge. This should be interesting...

 

[SouthAussie]

Gee, that's a surprise- we are the laughing stock around the world

I really don't think that anyone is laughing at the US. Well, maybe Syria or the Taliban might be.
I think everyone else is shocked, and saddened. Maybe frustrated, too. imo

 

[JerseyGirl]

I really want to know why I am not seeing ONE media report on contact tracing efforts in states and municipalities. How it's being done, stats or who is doing and how many are employed, what are criteria? Why isn't the media covering this? Or have I just missed it.

This is the ONE ONE ONE thing I want to read about... but crickets???

In New York City:

Recent publicly available details from New York City Health and Hospitals illustrate the challenges of contact tracing in the NYC, one of the worst-hit U.S. cities. Of 7,584 reported COVID-19 cases from June 1-20, case investigators reached 82%, but just 37% provided at least one contact. The investigators reached 68% of the 6,672 identified contacts they were given.

Test & Trace: Data

Is contact tracing -- key to COVID-19 fight -- working?

 

[MimosaMornings]

I feel the same way - but if it is any consolation - the teens in my area are catching it like crazy because they aren't wearing masks or social distancing - their instagram feeds show it all. They are part of the uptick in Florida I am certain - in my neighborhood alone - 14 were exposed apparently at the beach - their parents are furious of course.
JMO

Do you think they caught it at the beach?

We had a large group in the neighborhood go to the beach, instead of individual rooms - they stayed in one large house. Traveled together in SUV’s, shared bathrooms, all used the kitchen, etc.
All under 21 so not allowed into bars.

Some of them had not seen each other much except for social distancing in the yard.

So did someone in the group have it before the trip and then infected everyone while in close quarters?

Or did they get it at the pool with shared bathrooms, chairs, handles, etc?

Or inside at a restaurant? Perhaps a bonfire with other teens?

My cousin in NC put his foot down and his daughter is posting how mean he is and how he has ruined her life by not letting her go to the beach with all her friends.
He says it is his house, his money paying for college, his car she is driving and he wasn’t giving her money to jeopardize their entire household.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Gee, that's a surprise- we are the laughing stock around the world

I mentioned China yesterday, today the world.

Gee, where are we going wrong!?! /s

 

[tresir2012]

Gee, that's a surprise- we are the laughing stock around the world

No you're not. UK was not even asked but you will always be number 1 to us.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Europeans' trust in US as world leader collapses during pandemic

The coronavirus crisis has caused a dramatic deterioration in the European public perception of the US, extensive new polling reveals.

More than 60% of respondents in Germany, France, Spain, Denmark and Portugal said they had lost trust in the United States as a global leader.

A report based on the survey’s findings argues that the shock of the pandemic has “traumatised” European citizens, leaving them feeling “alone and vulnerable”.

In almost every country surveyed, a majority of people said their perception of the US had deteriorated since the outbreak. Negative attitudes of the US were most marked in Denmark (71%) Portugal (70%), France (68%), Germany (65%) and Spain (64%). In France, 46% and in Germany 42% said their view of the US had worsened “a lot” during the pandemic.

“Europeans have digested the fact that the US is no longer necessarily a friend for Europe in times of need,” Dennison said.

The ECFR’s analysis suggests the shift in European attitudes transcends hostility to Donald Trump or his administration’s poor handling of the virus outbreak in the US.

 

[jjenny]

Do you think they caught it at the beach?

We had a large group in the neighborhood go to the beach, instead of individual rooms - they stayed in one large house. Traveled together in SUV’s, shared bathrooms, all used the kitchen, etc.
All under 21 so not allowed into bars.

Some of them had not seen each other much except for social distancing in the yard.

So did someone in the group have it before the trip and then infected everyone while in close quarters?

Or did they get it at the pool with shared bathrooms, chairs, handles, etc?

Or inside at a restaurant? Perhaps a bonfire with other teens?

My cousin in NC put his foot down and his daughter is posting how mean he is and how he has ruined her life by not letting her go to the beach with all her friends.
He says it is his house, his money paying for college, his car she is driving and he wasn’t giving her money to jeopardize their entire household.

No way to tell, right? So many opportunities to get it in a large group traveling together. While they traveled, they probably also stopped somewhere to use the restroom or to eat. Somebody in the group might have had it, or they got it during trip from many things they could have been doing.

 

[jjenny]

In OH, cases are going up. Who was in charge of deciding how to open up? Business leaders, not medical experts. Imagine that. It's like having the fox in charge of chicken coop.
"Business leaders drove the panels that established guidelines for reopening Ohio’s economy while doctors and disease experts took a secondary role."
Coronavirus in Ohio: Medical experts weren't in charge in setting reopening guidelines

 

[dixiegirl1035]

How Eviction Moratoriums Are Hurting Small Landlords

“The mom-and-pop landlords who are able to draw on their own savings to make it through the eviction moratoriums imposed by their local governments may struggle to recoup their losses when it’s all over. It’s unlikely that renters who have struggled to pay rent over the last few months will have lump-sums of cash available when their rent is due, and the job market may continue to be sluggish for months or years. Eviction courts may also be backed up in major metropolitan areas once they finally re-open.”

And the wait times for trying to get in touch with financial institutions/banks via phone can be quite long! Our bank only has a driveup teller and an atm open - the ability to talk to your banker is not possible, some locations allow you to make an appointment online. If you want to get in your safe deposit box, they give you an e-mail address to send your request. Trying to get a car title out of one has been quite a task.

I just finished doing my taxes which were delayed, but now all due at once by July 15.

6 checks! OMG! 1) Federal Income tax 2019 2) State Income tax 2019 3) The April estimated payments quarterly for federal 4) The April quarterly estimated payment for state 5) The June quarterly estimated payment for federal 6) The June quarterly estimated payment for state.

All at once.... .

To those folks that say that 1,200 + ? was good enough for them for many months...... Good for you that you planned and didn't have any Federal payments due, State payments due, do not have to file quarterlies if you are an LLC or retired etc....

 

[weepingangel]

State lays off hundreds of contact tracers as virus numbers fall

Massachusetts/more at link
The state is now laying off hundreds of people hired as contact tracers to fight the spread of COVID-19, 5 Investigates has learned.
It was a big deal when Gov. Charlie Baker announced the state's contact tracing program back in April. It was hailed as the first of its kind in the country. But now, just a few months in, with the number of COVID-19 cases dropping, the state is laying off hundreds of people.

Biobot Analytics to analyze signs of COVID-19 through sewage at Mass. treatment plant

more at link
If you live in Boston or any of more than three dozen other eastern Massachusetts communities, you could be sending vital data to public health officials with each flush of your toilet.

 

[155etta]

Young adults or those who are disabled, any dependent of their parents over the age of 16 received nothing. No stimulus. How fair is that? My 22 year old won’t forget that when it comes to voting in November.

We claimed our 19 year old daughter on our taxes. She receives SSI and she didn't get a stimulus payment even though from what I understand she was supposed to.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

85 people connected to Michigan bar test positive for coronavirus

The Ingham County Health Department is asking anyone who visited Harper's Restaurant & Brewpub, outside of Michigan State University, between June 12-20 to self-quarantine.

Coronavirus cases linked to crowds who visited a Michigan bar after it reopened have risen to 85, according to health officials.

The Ingham County Health Department is asking anyone who visited Harper's Restaurant & Brewpub, outside of Michigan State University in East Lansing, between June 12 and 20, to self-quarantine for two weeks.

As of Saturday, 85 people who visited the bar between those dates or have come in contact with people who did have tested positive for coronavirus...

I would not be surprised if Governor Whitmer walks back reopening bars and/or restaurants after this fiasco.

 

[Trino]

So, what's going to happen in FL now that the cat is out of the bag about manipulation of data to re-open?
Jones says a superior asked her to open up the data and alter the numbers so that the state's coronavirus positivity rating would change from 18% to 10% — and the state would appear to meet its target to reopen. She says she refused to do that manipulation and others she was asked to, and she was fired on May 18.

She says that on the state's dashboard, any person who tests positive will be counted as a positive test only once, no matter how many times they test positive. But a person who tests negative will be counted over and over again each time they test negative for the coronavirus.

Jones says that because many residents, such as health care workers, require repeated testing, the state's dashboard is artificially deflating the true positivity rate.
Fired Florida Data Scientist Launches A Coronavirus Dashboard Of Her Own

 

[CoverMeCagney]

<>

UK was not even asked but you will always be number 1 to us.

You got a link for that please?

 

[MuddyTires]

Just 285 additional COVID-19 deaths in the US in yesterday’s numbers.

The NY/NJ/CT/MA area continues to add deaths at a rate relative to population that outpaces any other region.

As shown below, those 4 states showed an additional 83 deaths despite having only about 41 million in population.

Meanwhile, 5 states being reported as hotspots — TX, AZ, FL, GA, and SC - showed 30 fewer additional deaths than NY/NJ/CT/MA despite having 33 million more people.

TX - 29 million, 10
FL - 21.5 million, 27
AZ - 7.3 million, 9
GA - 10.6 million, 2
SC - 5.1 million, 5
Total - 73.2 million, 53

NY - 19.5 million, 32
NJ - 8.9 million, 27
MA - 6.9 million, 19
CT - 3.6 million, 5
Total - 40.9 million, 83

Here’s the latest on COVID deaths per 1 million people :
NY - 1,702
NJ - 1,618
CT - 1,211
MA - 1,169

GA - 262
AZ - 218
FL - 159
SC - 139
TX - 83

United States Coronavirus: 2,647,709 Cases and 128,499 Deaths - Worldometer

 

[MrX]

Looking at my FB feed this weekend made me feel like I'm neurotic and crazy. From the looks of it, everyone else in my social group is living their lives and I feel like bat-**** bonkers Rapunzel in her self-imposed tower.

This is very hard for some people to understand or accept, but Covid isn't the only thing in the world. Life goes on and this is just one more thing to manage. From personal experience, I find that people who have remained locked down since March are exhibiting signs of harm to their mental health.

Everyone needs to decide how much "real life" they are prepared to lose in exchange for mitigating this particular risk. I feel for the kids that are losing a summer - times that are supposed to be the best of their lives and are gone forever.

 

[tresir2012]

You got a link for that please?

Shoulder to shoulder. Link to follow.

Took a while but I found it.

BBC News | UK POLITICS | Blair's statement in full

 

[SouthAussie]

<RSBM>
I feel for the kids that are losing a summer - times that are supposed to be the best of their lives and are gone forever.

They will have plenty more summers, they are young. That is, unless they catch a fatal dose of covid or have longlasting covid complications.

 

[Niner]

Balayage hair is still very trendy! I'm sure you look mahvelous, dahling!

Now that was a new one on me... guess I'm getting old... LOL!

Here is what it says - just in case you too have not heard of this!
"Balayage is a technique where hair color is painted onto the hair to create a graduated, more natural-looking highlight effect," says Warren. That means the final look is less stripy than highlights of the past, while offering the same gorgeous dimension and fun color.

and to stay on topic - Latvia has had only 1,1117 cases with 30 deaths. Last 5 days - no cases.