COVID-19 Coronavirus Information and Discussion

[SunRunner2]

Fuck this thread. You handful are insufferable. Stay safe everyone!

The problem that occurred is that one thread "ringleader" was allowed to use this (originally) well intended thread as a bully pulpit for their political campaigning and it now has a life of its own. This thread is not PE's finest moment.

[progmatist]

I've noticed in the last month that people have forgotten how to drive down here. They're so accustomed to driving in congestion that now people are zipping around like its the Grand Prix.

I have also noticed that the wild life in my backyard has been invaded by grasshoppers. I'm okay with grasshoppers. My fear is that one day I'll find a Komodo Dragon in my back yard.

They've never known how to drive here in the Phoenix area. In the early 70s after my family moved here from Denver, my uncle came down for a visit. My older brother and I were riding with him in the back seat. He finally got frustrated, turned around and said "You kids put on your seatbelts! I'm going to start driving like everybody else!!"

As for the cleaner solution: apparently those who accepted the Tide Pod challenge were ahead of their time.

[markwoll]

[Vic2012]

I have a cowbell and a tambourine. I play along to Metallica and Dio with the cowbell and tambourine. But not at the same time.....

[3LockBox]

^^ Dude, you know I agree with your position on this. But I think you have more than made your point. I would suggest dialing it back a bit.

Exactly what I was pointing out days ago. Because this will happen:

Fuck this thread. You handful are insufferable. Stay safe everyone!

I wonder if a 'point' is being made by the mods by allowing buddha to get carried away like he is.

Like I said, RCarlberg gotta be like, "WTF!?"

[Gruno]

In before the close.

[Zeuhlmate]

Financial Times:

"Global coronavirus death toll could be 60% higher than reported | Free to read"

https://www.ft.com/content/6bd88b7d-...9-0d5c6fac846c


"In all the countries analysed except Denmark, excess deaths far outnumbered the official coronavirus death tolls. The accuracy of official death statistics from the virus is limited by how effectively a country is testing people to confirm cases. Some countries, including China, have retrospectively revised up their death tolls from the disease.
"

[Munster]

^^^
The Financial Times, which is politically impartial, is doing a good job in the pandemic. They calculated last week that deaths in UK care homes since the Covid-19 outbreak had reached 11,000, when government figures put the total at just 1,000. Pretty shocking.

[Dana5140]

The problem is twofold: (1) Because of poor overall testing, we do not really know what the incidence of Covid-19 really is, and (2) because people may die of complications from Covid, not from the Covid itself, we do not know what the actual mortality rate really is.

So, the rate of infection is almost certainly higher than has been estimated to date, while the rate of mortality is also likely higher. We lack data to have a good estimate of mortality as a result, but my educated guess would be it is higher than we know and lower than the most worried believe. If the estimates range from a low of 0.1-2% to a high of around 4%, I would think it is probably right around 1% or a bit lower. The real issue with that estimate is the infectivity of the virus is so damned high.

[Shadow]

I heard the price of Microsoft stock really hasn't changed during the pandemic.

[Zeuhlmate]

I heard the price of Microsoft stock really hasn't changed during the pandemic.

Shouldn't it go up considering the need for computer things is bigger, so we can stay home & safe?

[ronmac]

The problem is twofold: (1) Because of poor overall testing, we do not really know what the incidence of Covid-19 really is, and (2) because people may die of complications from Covid, not from the Covid itself, we do not know what the actual mortality rate really is.

So, the rate of infection is almost certainly higher than has been estimated to date, while the rate of mortality is also likely higher. We lack data to have a good estimate of mortality as a result, but my educated guess would be it is higher than we know and lower than the most worried believe. If the estimates range from a low of 0.1-2% to a high of around 4%, I would think it is probably right around 1% or a bit lower. The real issue with that estimate is the infectivity of the virus is so damned high.

Without proper testing, we'll likely never know. If one goes by reported cases and deaths, the US is at about 5% mortality rate.

[Duncan Glenday]

Exactly what I was pointing out days ago. Because this will happen:


I wonder if a 'point' is being made by the mods by allowing buddha to get carried away like he is.

Like I said, RCarlberg gotta be like, "WTF!?"

"The mods" don't read every post in every thread, in real time! There aren't many of us, and we have lives outside PE

If someone reports a post, we'll investigate when we have a few spare minutes.

The excessively political posts above have been removed.

We would ordinarily have closed this thread a long time ago, but we've kept it open because of the worldwide fears about the current pandemic.

Keep the discussion about the pandemic itself.

If you (wrongly) insist that it cannot be discussed without bringing politics into it, we will close the thread.

[Zeuhlmate]

US was warned of threat from anti-vaxxers in event of pandemic

FBI-connected researchers suggested biggest threat in controlling outbreak was from ‘those who categorically reject vaccination’


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...c-anti-vaxxers

This is politics...

[chalkpie]

Thanks Dunc, Cozy Powell, and Sean...I appreciate you guys being tolerant because this thread is actually useful for me personally. Stay safe brother.

[proggy_jazzer]

Here in Iowa, of the total number of people tested, approximately 15% have tested positive for the virus. Since the tests are currently being administered almost exclusively to people showing symptoms, and we know that asymptomatic individuals can transmit the virus, it seems a virtual certainty to me that the actual number of infected people represents an even higher percentage of the population. So we're approaching (if not already there) one in five infected. Numbers are still rising, both of infected and deaths, yet there are many calling for the easing of restrictions, and it's clear from observation around town that there are many who are ignoring if not actively flouting social distancing. SMH

At the university where I work we're being told to prepare for three scenarios for the fall '20 semester: 1) a return to "normal"; 2) starting as "normal" and then re-quarantining; and 3) going 100% online. The third would be particularly disastrous for the School of Music, and would definitely put my job in jeopardy, but no matter which of the three happens there will be drastic changes, as the online genie has been released from its bottle and I don't think will ever go back. IMO, higher education as it has existed is over.

[Camelogue]

If you want to give an opinion on something, of course it is going to be taken as political.

[SunRunner2]

If you want to give an opinion on something, of course it is going to be taken as political.

That, in my opinion, is a misstatement. If you give an "opinion" which is taking sides with or campaigning for or against one public figure, or party or political/social movement, that is naturally going to be taken as political. Taking for example Post #1728, above, the poster stated their concern/opinion with the testing aspect and with the negative impact this pandemic is having on higher education. The poster didn't pick a current political leader or a candidate for office or a political party and affix the blame solely on that specific entity or set of individuals for the problem. The reader doesn't come away with any sense of political agenda or party affiliation/opposition. One can read it and consider it along with other supporting (or contradicting) opinions without any political ramifications inferred.

[mnprogger]

Interesting video, even if as long as it is, it does make you wonder about how long these shutdowns should really last, and if at least the low risk people/people not living with people that are high risk should be still in Quarantine.

[Rye-Ergot]

Here in Iowa...At the university where I work we're being told to prepare for three scenarios for the fall '20 semester: 1) a return to "normal"; 2) starting as "normal" and then re-quarantining; and 3) going 100% online. The third would be particularly disastrous for the School of Music, and would definitely put my job in jeopardy, but no matter which of the three happens there will be...

Which university in Iowa are you at? Thanks. My stepdaughter is at the University of Iowa with her bf who is doing post grad there.

[Dana5140]

I also worked in Iowa for 15 years at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport.

IMO, higher education as it has existed is over.

I'm an associate provost at a university and I've spent the last 5 weeks training faculty how to shift their courses online. You are utterly correct, there is no going back. I am not all that happy about this. But it is what it is.

And just to note, since we all hold cognitive bias and are guilty of confirmation bias, there is no post on Covid that is not political. But I understand that the mods are keeping the overt and argumentative ones off the board. I should further note that this same argument/discussion has played out on every single discussion board I am a member of.

[ronmac]

If you want to give an opinion on something, of course it is going to be taken as political.

That, in my opinion, is a misstatement. If you give an "opinion" which is taking sides with or campaigning for or against one public figure, or party or political/social movement, that is naturally going to be taken as political. Taking for example Post #1728, above, the poster stated their concern/opinion with the testing aspect and with the negative impact this pandemic is having on higher education. The poster didn't pick a current political leader or a candidate for office or a political party and affix the blame solely on that specific entity or set of individuals for the problem. The reader doesn't come away with any sense of political agenda or party affiliation/opposition. One can read it and consider it along with other supporting (or contradicting) opinions without any political ramifications inferred.

This illustrates the point I tried to make before. One can take an issue that is apolitical, and others will see it as political because they've been trained to hear it that way.

So, I agree with both of you. Camelogues' comment was that it would be taken as political.

[Buddhabreath]

I intended not to post here further, but felt I needed to say something.

The last thing I want is to have this thread shut down because of my actions. IMO it is not possible to divorce politics from the vital issues that are affecting us all. I'm guessing we can all agree that politicians should formulate policies based on the science and the facts, develop comprehensive national plans based on the facts and not use this as a political football. It was certainly not my attention to do the same. I honestly felt I was looking at the actions of public officials, not their political affiliations. Clearly it didn't come across that way.

Therefore, I apologize if I offended anybody and I admit I overreacted (and specifically to you 3Lockbox). We're all under stress, I have loved ones affected by this, my wife works in a hospital where a co-worker was just tested positive for COVID-19, and watching closely how this whole thing is being manged and the resulting unnecessary deaths, just made my head explode and I guess you witnessed part of the messy result, so I hope I didn't get any on ya. That is not an excuse. I don't want to start heated arguments about Jon Andersen's lyrics, much less this!

I will refrain from further posts to this thread, I trust the mods to deal with any blatant misinformation that may be posted, so far they have been good on this, and everyone's posts has been reasonable in the last weeks.

Good luck and I hope everyone stays safe!

[proggy_jazzer]

Which university in Iowa are you at? Thanks. My stepdaughter is at the University of Iowa with her bf who is doing post grad there.

The University of Northern Iowa. With Iowa and Iowa State, we comprise the three institutions under the state board of regents, so we (ostensibly) follow the same sets of rules and guidelines. We tend to get slightly different treatment at times, due to the fact that we're smaller (12K enrollment) and serve a very high percentage of in-state students. In these particular circumstances I'm not sure how those differences will play out.

I also worked in Iowa for 15 years at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport.

I'm an associate provost at a university and I've spent the last 5 weeks training faculty how to shift their courses online. You are utterly correct, there is no going back. I am not all that happy about this. But it is what it is.

Davenport's my home town; Central High class of '79. I lived there until 1986. Did we overlap? And where are you now, if you don't mind me asking? I'm always interested in how other unis are dealing with this.

[Dana5140]

Davenport's my home town; Central High class of '79. I lived there until 1986. Did we overlap? And where are you now, if you don't mind me asking? I'm always interested in how other unis are dealing with this.

I lived on Columbia Avenue just off of Jersey ridge, south of Eisenhower Elementary School. I was there from 2004 to 2017, so no overlap. I have spent a few nights at UNI during RAGBRAI- once with Duncan, I think. My son now lives in Bettendorf, works at Rivermont Academy, and his wife is an assistant prof at Augustana.

I am now Associate Provost of Education and Research at Parker University, in Dallas, TX. I am meeting as I write about what we will do next term, which for us begins next Monday- we will not be offering on campus classes as TX has still SIP in effect and new students will not have time to look for housing. I also teach in tri 1, so it affects me personally- but I am going to be fine, though less happy since I like face-to-face interaction. I oversee our Center for Teaching and Learning, our research department and the library as well as the IRB. Parker is also a health sciences university, with a main program in chiropractic- I am one, but also have master's degrees in medical education and in bioethics and health policy. A research background.