[photoptimist]

If you want to get the scoop on changes in infection rates, look at poop!

A study found that testing a community's sewage for virus RNA can give seven days of warning of an increase in cases.

Poop alert: Sewage could signal impending burst of COVID-19 cases | Ars Technica

[Rondec]

Maybe I watch the graphs too much, but positive tests are trending up in Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia.

Virginia has gradually trended down, but doesn't look as though they are doing enough testing. The governor officially announced an expectation that people will wear masks in public, although it sounds as though the onus will be on businesses to enforce that, but maybe it will get things moving in the right direction. Currently Virginia consistently is adding 1000 new cases a day and has 11 percent positive rate on tests done in the state.

In other news, it sounds as though Brazil and Mexico are doing pretty badly. So much for warmer climate preventing the spread in Mexico (tough to say how bad it really is there because they aren't testing that much).

[bentou]

Maybe I watch the graphs too much, but positive tests are trending up in Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia.

Virginia has gradually trended down, but doesn't look as though they are doing enough testing. The governor officially announced an expectation that people will wear masks in public, although it sounds as though the onus will be on businesses to enforce that, but maybe it will get things moving in the right direction. Currently Virginia consistently is adding 1000 new cases a day and has 11 percent positive rate on tests done in the state.

In other news, it sounds as though Brazil and Mexico are doing pretty badly. So much for warmer climate preventing the spread in Mexico (tough to say how bad it really is there because they aren't testing that much).

If the climate was a matter of fact, why australia was so impacted, just in the middle of their hottest season ?

social distance is the key. it is also the key to disorganise the country's economy...

In France, we have a free health's care (we directly pay it with our taxes and vat). so we had to maintin it under a critical level.

[wtlwdwgn]

Two weeks ago we went 5 days with zero new cases. During the past 5 days we've had 36 new cases. Going out shopping I've noticed that most folks are not wearing masks and maintaining social distance. In fact it's hard for me to go to a grocery store because I can't maintain social distance with everyone else disregarding it. I've also noticed some parents wearing a mask but their kids aren't which makes absolutely no sense as children are very susceptible to respiratory infections from Covid-19.


Sadly, wearing a mask is becoming political as wearing one makes one a liberal or something and not wearing one makes one something else. I have no idea what that's about.


Tomorrow Montana is supposed to go to Phase 3 and I'm not looking forward to seeing any less regard for the pandemic.

[gaweidert]

Two weeks ago we went 5 days with zero new cases. During the past 5 days we've had 36 new cases. Going out shopping I've noticed that most folks are not wearing masks and maintaining social distance. In fact it's hard for me to go to a grocery store because I can't maintain social distance with everyone else disregarding it. I've also noticed some parents wearing a mask but their kids aren't which makes absolutely no sense as children are very susceptible to respiratory infections from Covid-19.


Sadly, wearing a mask is becoming political as wearing one makes one a liberal or something and not wearing one makes one something else. I have no idea what that's about.


Tomorrow Montana is supposed to go to Phase 3 and I'm not looking forward to seeing any less regard for the pandemic.

Latest recommendations from the World Health Organization say wearing a mask is not needed unless you are caring for someone with COVID-19. Latest recommendations from the CDC are different. Pick your "experts" I guess.


I wear a mask when I go to a store or in any building, but hate it because my glasses steam up. I do not wear one outside. The guy who lives across the street from me has had a heart transplant and does not wear a mask most of the time. His kids continue to play with the neighborhood kids and they do not wear masks. With his suppressed immune system I guess there are lots of things out there that can get him. None of us know anyone who actually has or has had the illness as of yet.


All I know is that I REALLY NEED MY YELLOWSTONE FIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Serkevan]

Latest recommendations from the World Health Organization say wearing a mask is not needed unless you are caring for someone with COVID-19. Latest recommendations from the CDC are different. Pick your "experts" I guess.

The WHO mentions that "depending on supplies" masks should be used by people with comorbidities (in their FAQ here Q&A: Masks and COVID-19).


Important (but buried, because the WHO is just like that) paragraph: "In addition to these factors, potential advantages of the use of masks by healthy people in the community setting include reducing potential exposure risk from an infected person during the ‘pre-symptomatic’ period or if an infected person is asymptomatic."

So yes but no. You have to remember that the world includes more than 190 countries, all of them under the umbrella of the WHO, and not all of them capable of securing humongous amounts of medical supplies. A strong, unequivocal recommendation can lead to supply breakdown in some places - and there are risks associated with wearing masks as it makes it more likely to touch your face.


I use respirators at work at least once a week or so (typically FFP2, but sometimes I need to pull out the gas mask); they are inconvenient, uncomfortable if you use them for long periods of time and a royal pain in summer. Use without proper knowledge will just make it easier to smear the virus all over the mask and then voilà, you touched where you shouldn't have. The WHO should put these questions front and center - not buried in a FAQ.

[dstar]

Agree N95 NK 95 very hard to use all day
Plus in my place infection control ask place extra cotton mask on the top N95
To the end of the day ...,,

[Rondec]

Latest recommendations from the World Health Organization say wearing a mask is not needed unless you are caring for someone with COVID-19. Latest recommendations from the CDC are different. Pick your "experts" I guess.


I wear a mask when I go to a store or in any building, but hate it because my glasses steam up. I do not wear one outside. The guy who lives across the street from me has had a heart transplant and does not wear a mask most of the time. His kids continue to play with the neighborhood kids and they do not wear masks. With his suppressed immune system I guess there are lots of things out there that can get him. None of us know anyone who actually has or has had the illness as of yet.


All I know is that I REALLY NEED MY YELLOWSTONE FIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really didn't understand that WHO recommendation. The masks we are talking about (cloth or surgical masks) do not protect the wearer from viruses. At least not much. They do catch water droplets that have viruses in them that would otherwise be aerosolized.

At a minimum, the WHO phrasing should be more like, "If you are caring for someone with COVID-19, make sure that they wear a mask at all times that you are present with them."

Anyway, my observation is that things are sort of percolating along, with about 20,000 new cases every day. We seem to be keeping it out of nursing homes, for the moment anyway, and that has kept deaths down some. The predictions on models say 135,000 deaths by August, although they bounce all over the place, but that would mean we are mostly there.

[Fluegel]

Wearing a mask is to guard other people from any viruses that the wearer may cary.
It does not do much to protect the wearer of the mask.


As to post 3861 I know at least one person who had the virus: me.
Caught it from a friend who has lung problems that occasionaly trouble him.
Last time they did not go away after a couple of days. His doctor told him he most certainly had the virus.
His symptoms were identical to mine, light headache feeling tired, running nose for a couple of days.
Well that is over and done with, I hope I am immune now to the virus.

[wtlwdwgn]

Latest recommendations from the World Health Organization say wearing a mask is not needed unless you are caring for someone with COVID-19. Latest recommendations from the CDC are different. Pick your "experts" I guess.


I wear a mask when I go to a store or in any building, but hate it because my glasses steam up. I do not wear one outside. The guy who lives across the street from me has had a heart transplant and does not wear a mask most of the time. His kids continue to play with the neighborhood kids and they do not wear masks. With his suppressed immune system I guess there are lots of things out there that can get him. None of us know anyone who actually has or has had the illness as of yet.


All I know is that I REALLY NEED MY YELLOWSTONE FIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got my fix today!

[Roaming]

Down in Australia, 103 deaths, 492 active cases, and the pubs are open again !
However,
My Camera is in Australia , I am in PNG, been six months since i have seen it, and may be another six months before i do. The quarantine rules of 14 days both ways is just too burdensome. And the liquor ban is helping me to lose weight.
But i can still buy stuff, have an impressive pile waiting for me.

sa la vie

[gaweidert]

I got my fix today!

You have no idea how jealous I am. I am trying to convince my wife that we need one of those new mid engine Corvettes. That way we could be in Yellowstone in 10 hours of so instead of three days.


How is the park looking Did you use the Beartooth Highway to get there?

[wtlwdwgn]

You have no idea how jealous I am. I am trying to convince my wife that we need one of those new mid engine Corvettes. That way we could be in Yellowstone in 10 hours of so instead of three days.


How is the park looking Did you use the Beartooth Highway to get there?

The Park is nice and green right now. Except for a few elk, pronghorn, bison, and osprey, there wasn't much activity. No bears, wolves, or even a coyote. In the middle of the day the wildlife was pretty sedentary. YNP is only open during the day for now with no overnight stays or camping. No facilities are open except self-serve gas stations. The Wyoming portion of the Beartooth Highway hasn't been plowed yet the last I heard so there's no access that way. The traffic was very light for this time of year which was a nice surprise.

[MarkJerling]

New Zealand will find out later today what the restrictions will be in Alert Level 1 which we should move to by early next week. We have only one active case remaining and have had no new infections for some weeks now.
Border restrictions are likely to remain as the countriy is now practically Covid-19 free.

With all the restrictions of months past flu and colds transmissions are way down on previous years too. See https://denden.shinyapps.io/MapApp/

[surfar]

no new infections for some weeks now.

Great news,We will be over soon to take the Bledisloe back to its home!