UNDlaw80

Right, but Covid didn't hit Scandinavia as hard as expected. Comparing Sweden to the UK is quite disingenuous in terms of assessing the effectiveness of locking-down via raw numbers. More suitable comparisons are neighboring Finland and Norway (both of whom locked down) which Sweden is sandwiched in-between. Sweden's Covid death rate, per capita, is 6.5x higher than both Finland and Norway.

That's quite fascinating, something I never bothered to look into......the counter-intuitive relationship between health and recession. Currently reading a study about Europe's 2008 economic downturn. The reduction in mortality was more prominent in the countries where the recession was most severe. Per the standard.

The amount of death caused by the lockdown is probably relatively small. 'Extra death' rates generally correspond to Covid peaks and valleys. If the lockdown is significantly contributing to extra death figures, would not the rate of extra death resemble a slow incline over time as people become more desperate, uncared-for, poor, angry, and isolated? This is not happening though. Not anywhere. This isn’t just an American phenomenon. Countries all over the world are experiencing increases in excess deaths that roughly correlate to Covid rates; even countries that implemented little or no lock-down restrictions (Sweden, Netherlands). Interesting rough analysis: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/04/16/tracking-covid-19-excess-deaths-across-countries https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/21/world/coronavirus-missing-deaths.html

A question probably better directed at someone on the front lines in the health field. keikla would be a good candidate to answer this.

Read the link. CDC method of calculating the flu and Covid are very similar. Why doesn’t CDC base its seasonal flu mortality estimates only on death certificates that specifically list influenza? https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/how-cdc-estimates.htm

Flu deaths are calculated almost the same way Covid is. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/how-cdc-estimates.htm

Is wearing a mask inside a place of business really that big of a deal; especially considering it’s only a temporary inconvenience? Almost every store requires patrons to wear a shirt and shoes (for health reasons). I don’t see anyone complaining about that, or refusing to shop at establishments that require as such. Seems to me, people's refusal to wear a mask is a political statement more than it is a decision guided by potential health risk.

“Biased mainstream media” and “fake news” are political buzzwords to describe left-leaning outlets; but Fox News is by far the most mainstream and influential outlet today. Fox garners roughly the same amount of viewers as all other cable networks combined. More importantly, most Americans get news from social media.....meaning people are more apt to seek out news from outlets that conform to their preconceived worldviews. Today's media doesn't change minds, it reinforces confirmation biases. Putting the blame on anything other than our government's (federal/state/republican/democrat) $hitshow of a response is a cop out.

Fauci speaking under oath? Yea that ain't happening.

Many of these companies' labor force consists of migrants or H2A workers. These workers arrive from all over the place and are provided barrack-style communal housing accommodation. It's a recipe for disaster.

Wait, what? What does Trump's incoherence or disconnected train of thought (compared to his former self) have to do with counter-punching the liberal media? Absolutely nothing. My goodness. The 'liberal lying media' has become people's automatic go-to response for everything. It's ingrained at this point. I suppose perpetually playing the victim card is a good political ploy by Trump, but I'd *hope* people have the insight to see through it. Getting torn to pieces by the media is part of the job. Always has been. Obama was likewise eviscerated by right wing outlets and pundits. Anyhow this topic has gone far beyond covid-19 into unneeded political bickering. I'm out.

Yes I think that's evident. As with his disinfectant remark, any intelligent person should be able to grasp what he's saying; or at least the gist of it. However his middle-school level prose, arrogance and his sometimes disconnected train of thought opens him up to criticism. Even if you agree with his politics, people also have the right to expect more professionalism from the President. But whatever, maybe 'keeping things dumb' is an attractive feature for some in today's reality TV show era. But all this highlights my main point........in old interviews of Trump (80s/90/00), he's far more articulate, insightful and coherent.

I’m inclined to think Trump is dealing with some condition. At times he’s sharp as a razor; other times he has difficulty grasping and articulating basic concepts. This from 2 weeks ago was flat out ridiculous.

The course of action taken to ‘flatten the curve’ is largely predicated on prior preparedness. Had testing and tracing been widely available and continuously implemented from the get-go, I suspect the methods of flattening the curve would be different in many parts of this country. With that in mind, hopefully we reach a point whereby schools can open with regular and continual testing of kids. Agreed on big sporting events. Without a cure, I can’t envision mass gatherings. But I see no reason sporting leagues couldn't continue without fans in attendance. Soccer is already opening in Germany that way. Just my opinion of course.

Depends on our level of preparation.

It also lends credence to Redfield’s comments that a second wave in the fall/winter could be even more challenging, considering we'll receive the full blunt of the season.. But yes, a seasonal lull (hopefully) will give us time to prepare, trace, test and get our all around **** together.

So, basically, Coronavirus follows the seasonality of the flu, H1N1, etc. . This is what many scientists expected, but could not verify considering this virus has not been around long enough to collect evidence.

Here's to that, considering any negative ramifications will extend far beyond Georgia's borders. As such, Lindsey Graham has every right to be concerned. Regardless let's hope everyone takes precaution. Speaking of South Carolina, they just decided not to send kids back to school.

Georgia is the guinea pig. The nation's experimental subject reflecting one extreme end of the spectrum. Not only does the state have large metropolitan areas with no adequate testing and contact tracing, apparently the Governor never bothered to notify Mayors before his announcement leaving them scrambling. Mayors of Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, etc. are all pushing-back against the decision. Get your popcorn, Georgia will be a free-for-all.

I wouldn't say the discussion is political if trying to assess the make-up of these rally goers. It's important to ascertain where we are as a nation. Hardcore MAGA supporters do not represent the typical Republican, let alone the average American. These people are a subsection of society, extreme in their views. These 'freedom rallies' are the equivalent of far-left professionally organized protests, or protests attended by members of Antifa. None of this ridiculousness, left or right leaning, represents the average American on either side of the isle.

The typical American reflects the average. These protesters collectively do not. These people, by and large, are white and are politically like-minded. They are a subsection of America. But as I already said, the more this drags out the chances of people from all walks of life "aka the typical American" resorting to protest will increase.

I wouldn't look too much into these protests, at least at this moment in time. They are basically MAGA rallies right now. That said, the more this drags out, I could certainly envision the typical american being more apt to protest.

The sad fact of the matter is OSHA issued only 'guidance suggestions' on how to keep workers safe from the Coronavirus. No new legal obligations exist for employers. That said, it doesn't let employers off the hook for basic negligence. I have no idea about ND state law. Switching topics, it will be interesting, a few weeks from now, to assess the extent to which 'shutting things down' helped keep Covid within the confines of this workplace.

Cuomo explains why he asked for so much equipment.

Color me shocked that these models, methodologies and projections were never criticized, let alone discussed, as they pertain to the flu and H1N1.......back when these viruses were used as talking points to nullify the seriousness of coronavirus. Flu/H1N1 were taken at face value. They’re all calculated by somewhat similar methods. Funny that.