[luftfluss]

That means nothing if its taking them many days to weeks to process the tests. Case in Point here in CT , My mom has been waiting since March 20 for test results. Thats 13 days. This is an elderly woman with stage 4 lung cancer. Her case isn't an exception. When you hear the authorities say the next few weeks will be bad, they know what the lag is in testing results and what the curve has been.


Its absurd that it has taken as long to get results as people are told to quarantine themselves if they have been in contact with someone or have had to be tested .

Best wishes to your Mom. Is she feeling OK?

[brewmaster15]

Best wishes to your Mom. Is she feeling OK?

Thank you, she is feeling a little better, no more fever. Unfortunately, the lag in testing has put her chemo and scans on hold. The hospital wont even see her until she gets negative results.


al

[aslyfox]

I first thought this was an April fools hoax. But it seems to be real.

Private equity-backed company slashes doctor benefits amid Covid-19

not sure about that business but

many hospitals depend on elective procedures to survive financially

and all such procedures have been stopped because of the covid 19 cases

with the resulting loss of income

and who knows for how long that income will be lacking

and with costs rising who knows for how long

and as far as I know the money from the feds to the hospitals has yet to be paid out

[timb64]

This just in:

The Corona Virus pandemic is officially over




Now, back to your regularly scheduled discussions.




................................


................................




................................






............................................................................................... April fools!

:cheesy:

Awww,you really got my hopes up there

[luftfluss]

Thank you, she is feeling a little better, no more fever. Unfortunately, the lag in testing has put her chemo and scans on hold. The hospital wont even see her until she gets negative results.


al

Good that your mom is doing OK, but yeah having her necessary medical procedures delayed is one of those "ripples" that makes the pandemic so rough.

[photoptimist]

The lack of comprehensive testing with fast turn-around means the true case count is much much higher. And how much higher is simply unknown. If 20% of cases have severe symptoms (as was seen in China if you believe their data) and only people with severe symptoms can get a test, then the true case count is 5X the official reported value. If test results are delayed by 5 days (as has been reported in several stories) during a time when the infection is doubling every 3 to 5 days, then the true case count is another 2-3X on top of the 5X. So the real count is 10X-15X the official value.

On the one hand, underreporting of cases makes the case fatality rate look worse than it is. The naysayers use this to say "see, the death rate is over-estimated so maybe COVID-19 is no worse than the flu." (Maybe the fatality rate is over-estimated, but COVID-19 s still much worse than the flu!)

Moreover, on the other hand, the same under-reporting effect implies that the actual number of infectious people wandering around the community is also much higher than official stats. Thus everyone's chances of catching this are 10X-15X higher than they think.

Worse, the lack of easily-available testing also means they undercount the death toll, too. (For example, how many home-bound elderly are lying dead in their beds right now who won't be discovered for weeks?) Are coroners actually using these scarce tests on people who die in nursing homes or at home? They aren't in Italy and some of the news reports suggest they aren't doing it in the US, either.

Without adequate testing, we are clueless about the true epidemiological dynamics and how they are changing under the effects of different policies. For example, knowing when to relax "stay at home" rules absolutely requires knowing the number of infectious people in the community. But that requires much more ongoing testing of anyone who might have it (not just the serious cases) as well as people exposed to those who have it.

[Wheatfield]

sobering thoughts about what is facing the US

The problem is, the time for mitigation was the middle of February. We started mitigating early, but there were enough people who listened to the stupid voices saying it was a hoax that even with our light population density and distancing precautions, we are up to a couple of hundred cases here in Saskatchewan.

Stay healthy.

[steamloco76]

Pennsylvania will be under a mandatory stay at home order through April 30th starting at 8pm today. We will see if this lessens the huge crowds of morons who are going to Walmart, Costco, Sams Club, Target, Lowe’s, Home Depot and all the other big box stores just to hang out.
I went past our local Lowe’s this afternoon on the way to the pharmacy, the entire parking lot was packed.

[timb64]

From what you in the US are saying you're where we were in the UK about two weeks ago.You still have completely free access to stores and are slowly stopping people congregating prior to going into stricter lockdown.

Expect the stores to slowly staff up to enforce social distancing more strictly and as deaths take hold people taking it all more seriously.Sorry if this sounds a bit bleak but I think a lot of our leaders will be judged to have not acted quickly or decisively enough,and that's really not a political statement.

Just outside the section of the hospital where my wife works they have just delivered two mobile morgue units,all very sobering.

Stay safe and well everyone and be kind to each other.

[Parallax]

We will see if this lessens the huge crowds of morons who are going to Walmart, Costco, Sams Club, Target,

Yes, those morons who are trying to buy groceries to stay alive.

[aslyfox]

Yes, those morons who are trying to buy groceries to stay alive.

in my trip today to Walmart

everyone was polite, especially to those who were working

some were willing to talk, saying hello or answering questions - oh, that is over there

all kept " social distance "

no crowding

either using self check or checking out with a clerk but not standing face to face with the clerk

but that was just that store

who knows about others ?

[Parallax]

in my trip today to Walmart

everyone was polite, especially to those who were working

some were willing to talk, saying hello or answering questions - oh, that is over there

all kept " social distance "

no crowding

That's been my experience as well.

LIFE HAS TO GO ON.

[timb64]

Yes, those morons who are trying to buy groceries to stay alive.

If it follows the pattern in the UK a lot of it will be panic buying and subsequently wasted.

Coronavirus stockpilers wasting unused food are bringing vermin mice rats and ants into homes | Daily Mail Online

On a separate note I found this article very interesting.

Coronavirus: How to understand the death toll - BBC News


Without wishing to be labelled a flat earth anti-vaxxer I do wonder how many of those who have died of the virus would,within a short period of ,say,3-6 months have died anyway.It's very difficult to distinguish whether the virus was the actual or even main cause of death and will the overall death rate be significantly skewed. I'm in no way playing down the seriousness of the situation,its long term effects or the human tragedy involved just trying to get a fix on the sorts of numbers involved.

[steamloco76]

Yes, those morons who are trying to buy groceries to stay alive.

I am referring to the people who bring their children, friends, grandparents and other unnecessary bodies to these large stores. You don’t need everybody in your household to buy groceries, especially children since they touch everything and can help rapidly spread the virus even though they may never show symptoms. I stand by my morons comment where group shopping is concerned.

I wish people would read to comprehend instead of to reply.

[aslyfox]

That's been my experience as well.

LIFE HAS TO GO ON.

for some of us

total isolation can be dangerous

allowing people to, under the right conditions, to leave their homes and allow limited interaction with others is very important

can it be dangerous - yes, of course, it can be

especially in the parts of the world, like the US where testing to determine how dangerous you may be to others, is practically nonexistent