Wow, it’s getting really scary in Texas - and everywhere else!

[audreyh1]

Even if there is not a mandated shutdown/stay-at-home, you might want to consider whether or not you want to stay at home and away from others. Nobody is saying you can't. When our daily new cases curve peaked so suddenly back around April 2nd, I did more than what was required, because it made sense to me at that time.

It sounds like Texas is ahead of Louisiana on this second wave, so I'm watching and trying to think ahead for our situation as well. I guess I'm sort of thinking out loud in this post.

Of course I and many others can choose to stay home. And the nasty numbers and hospital situation will hopefully get a lot more people to wake up, take this seriously, and behave much more responsibly. But a lot of people, probably most, cannot choose to stay isolated because they have to work.

BTW, Texas is still in its first wave. It didn’t suffer a large initial outbreak and then get past a large initial peak like Louisiana and several other states did.

Texas: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/texas-coronavirus-cases.html
Louisiana: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/louisiana-coronavirus-cases.html

 

[JoeWras]

It sounds like Texas is ahead of Louisiana on this second wave, so I'm watching and trying to think ahead for our situation as well. I guess I'm sort of thinking out loud in this post.

Because of the lack of testing, your first peek in Louisiana was probably massively worse than what was reported. This current curve should be more reality.

I think the way the bodies are hidden, unlike the Vietnam war, contributes to large numbers of the public not taking this seriously.

Age. In war, young people die. In virus, it hits the elderly population, many of which are hidden (which might be what you meant?) hard. That hidden population tends to not bark back much either. You generally don't see massive protests of retirement home people walking the street, angrily chanting and waving signs.

 

[Olbidness]

I have not seen anybody drop dead on the street.

On the other hand in a mere 6 months this virus has killed a lot more Americans than:
War in Afghanistan + Iraq War + Korean War + Vietnam War + 911 combined.

I think the way the bodies are hidden, unlike the Vietnam war, contributes to large numbers of the public not taking this seriously.

While I find the data interesting I don’t see particular value in wallowing in it. My response to the information is my focus.

Acceptance of risk is not the same as not taking the situation seriously.

As a stoic I work on my action items and remain unconcerned of the outcome. If that annoys others so be it.

I certainly would be willing to panic if I thought it would help.

We are not reading a how-to book about the appropriate response to this crisis, we are writing it.

 

[Badger]

The local school district has decided that they will have the kids back 5 days a week, which boggles my mind. This puts me in a real hard place. My kids very much want to go back, but I cannot see how crowded high schools will not become a petri dish very quickly. Have 5 weeks to figure out what I am going to do.

What will happen once the faculty gets sick or starts dying off because of their exposure to the virus from crowded classrooms from children coming from families who are not concerned with distancing and mask wearing? If your children survive the exposure this may work itself out once there is a severe teacher shortage.

Here was an interesting article from districts outside of San Francisco a few days ago. https://theweek.com/speedreads/9233...uss-reopening-schools-all-exposed-coronavirus

 

[brewer12345]

What will happen once the faculty gets sick or starts dying off because of their exposure to the virus from crowded classrooms from children coming from families who are not concerned with distancing and mask wearing? If your children survive the exposure this may work itself out once there is a severe teacher shortage.

Here was an interesting article from districts outside of San Francisco a few days ago. https://theweek.com/speedreads/9233...uss-reopening-schools-all-exposed-coronavirus

The state association just killed the whole season for high school marching band. Dd1 is in the leadership of the band and is crushed. Still going forward with football, basketball and baseball, which is bewildering.

 

[Freedom56]

Florida posted its numbers. 9981 new infections.

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/...ep-as-coronavirus-caseload-continues-to-climb

 

[cathy63]

What will happen once the faculty gets sick or starts dying off because of their exposure to the virus from crowded classrooms from children coming from families who are not concerned with distancing and mask wearing? If your children survive the exposure this may work itself out once there is a severe teacher shortage.

Here was an interesting article from districts outside of San Francisco a few days ago. https://theweek.com/speedreads/9233...uss-reopening-schools-all-exposed-coronavirus

My sister is an elementary school teacher in the East Bay, and she told me about that meeting of principals. All her coworkers are also against reopening for in-person learning. There is just no way to keep little kids socially distanced. Sis is also in a high-risk group, so I don't like to think about her having to go back to work in that environment a few weeks from now. I am hoping she would go ahead and ER, though her pension would be a little smaller if she did.

 

[jim584672]

A snapshot of NY's situation. Many counties are entering Phase IV reopening now.

 

[audreyh1]

A snapshot of NY's situation. Many counties are entering Phase IV reopening now.

That’s quite an impressive recovery from a horrible nightmare. I remember when the governor was still crying over 700-800 daily deaths post peak.

 

[cathy63]

The state association just killed the whole season for high school marching band. Dd1 is in the leadership of the band and is crushed. Still going forward with football, basketball and baseball, which is bewildering.

Do the marching band kids in your area play indoors every day? Way back when I was in my HS marching band, we had to take regular concert band as an elective, and then once or twice a week we went outside and practiced marching. Band actually seems like one of the more dangerous things you can do right now with everybody spending an hour indoors taking deep breaths and blowing them out forcefully, then emptying out spit valves.

I'm sure your DD is devastated, this has got to be tough on her, and I sympathize. I know I'd have really missed the music and the camaraderie of being in band if it had been taken away from me at that age.

Keeping the other sports going is just crazy. Even for an outdoor sport with less physical contact, like baseball, everybody still ends up in the locker room with the showers going. This is not going to end well.

 

[Music Lover]

I have not seen anybody drop dead on the street.

On the other hand in a mere 6 months this virus has killed a lot more Americans than:
War in Afghanistan + Iraq War + Korean War + Vietnam War + 911 combined.

You can say the exact same thing about a couple bad years of the flu.

I think the way the bodies are hidden, unlike the Vietnam war, contributes to large numbers of the public not taking this seriously.

I've also read that some states are inflating the numbers or counting someone who dies Covid positive but from something else as a Covid fatality. Also the CDC includes "probable" fatalities which will always count people who died from something else. So, no one really knows how many bodies are hidden or how many never really happened in the first place.

 

[Chuckanut]

I've also read that some states are inflating the numbers or counting someone who dies Covid positive but from something else as a Covid fatality. Also the CDC includes "probable" fatalities which will always count people who died from something else. So, no one really knows how many bodies are hidden or how many never really happened in the first place.

My state had a similar problem, If a person had CV and died, CV was listed as a cause of death, even if they died of being bitten by a rattlesnake or falling down the stairs. They were called out on that about a month ago. The death count was revised down about 13%.

It's still a lot of sick people, and I do wish they could find a way to estimate how many people who survive CV will have ongoing health problems that will plague them for years if not life.

 

[Dtail]

You can say the exact same thing about a couple bad years of the flu.



I've also read that some states are inflating the numbers or counting someone who dies Covid positive but from something else as a Covid fatality. Also the CDC includes "probable" fatalities which will always count people who died from something else. So, no one really knows how many bodies are hidden or how many never really happened in the first place.

So if we can think of all the possible reasons for overstated or understated number of cases/deaths, I don't think the overstatement concept would be borne out.

 

[MichaelB]

Let’s not get into another senseless argument about the numbers or the severity. The challenges have no credence, the country (along with most of the rest of the world) has moved on to acknowledge this and focus on treatment, cure, vaccination, and how to optimize our physical and economic well being. Anything else saps our energy and distracts us from the critical mission at hand.

 

[Music Lover]

So if we can think of all the possible reasons for overstated or understated number of cases/deaths, I don't think the overstatement concept would be borne out.

We can agree to disagree.

 

[W2R]

Let’s not get into another senseless argument about the numbers or the severity. The challenges have no credence, the country (along with most of the rest of the world) has moved on to acknowledge this and focus on treatment, cure, vaccination, and how to optimize our physical and economic well being. Anything else saps our energy and distracts us from the critical mission at hand.

Oh sorry! I didn't realize we were cutting back on posts of that type. Good idea. I'll delete mine, oops.

 

[MichaelB]

Oh sorry! I didn't realize we were cutting back on posts of that type. Good idea. I'll delete mine, oops.

W2R, my post was not directed at you.

 

[W2R]

W2R, my post was not directed at you.

Oh!!! LOL OK. Thanks for letting me know. I wasn't sure and didn't want to cause trouble.

 

[audreyh1]

Dang, more CV records for TX.

That’s quite a record jump in number of new deaths: 60 prior day new record —> 98 today!

https://apnews.com/3835d4ff8cb1c45fbd1379acdd58d680

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas reported its deadliest day of the pandemic with nearly 100 new deaths on Wednesday as newly confirmed cases continued soaring and Austin began preparations to turn the downtown convention center into a field hospital.

The 98 reported deaths in Texas set a record one-day high, surpassing the record 60 deaths reported a day earlier. Texas is now reporting a total of 2,813 deaths.

The state also reported 9,979 new coronavirus cases Wednesday after hitting a record-high 10,028 new cases the day before. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

 

[brewer12345]

Dang, more CV records for TX!
https://apnews.com/3835d4ff8cb1c45fbd1379acdd58d680

More good news, apparently. We have so many new cases that it is keeping the mortality rate low!

 

[brewer12345]

Ah, this just keeps getting better. The virus may lead to brain damage: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/08/sci...-wave-of-brain-damage-linked-to-covid-19.html

 

[audreyh1]

Looks like new record in US cases >61,000 today.

 

[audreyh1]

Ah, this just keeps getting better. The virus may lead to brain damage: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/08/sci...-wave-of-brain-damage-linked-to-covid-19.html

Ugh man! I don’t even want to go there!

Another Reader was having lots of neurological symptoms. Still isn’t over it.

 

[brewer12345]

Ugh man! I don’t even want to go there!

Another Reader was having lots of neurological symptoms. Still isn’t over it.

Really makes me want to send my kids to school...

I am pretty close to WY, SD, and Montana. I bet I could buy a pretty nice spread in the middle of nowhere.

 

[MRG]

Ugh man! I don’t even want to go there!

Another Reader was having lots of neurological symptoms. Still isn’t over it.

+1

This is scary. I'd read a number of reports on bizzare post covid complications. We certainly have a lot to learn.

Our local case count is up by 60% because of people moving about. I'm hoping folks start taking this thing seriously and don't keep ignoring medical science.