That makes sense to get a tighter seal to the face but why does the picture show the idiot wearing it under the mask?

How to rob a bank during the COVID-19 era?

 

This is not meant to gross anyone out. On my weekly shopping trip the Cleveland, I stopped in the appropriate section of a local Marc's supermarket and was browsing pads. They are cheap, very fine mesh, and soft. My idea was to simply punch two holes. Loop rubber bands through the holes to attach around my ears, and cut off any unnecessary material, like this:


Well, I started getting the weirdest looks from masked women and stocking clerks, so I gave up on the idea. Guess I am too worried about my image in the community. But for someone else, maybe a cheap solution.

Cheaper than these. $30 for 10, but you do get free shipping.

 

This is not meant to gross anyone out. On my weekly shopping trip the Cleveland, I stopped in the appropriate section of a local Marc's supermarket and was browsing pads. They are cheap, very fine mesh, and soft. My idea was to simply punch two holes. Loop rubber bands through the holes to attach around my ears, and cut off any unnecessary material, like this:
View attachment 205378

Well, I started getting the weirdest looks from masked women and stocking clerks, so I gave up on the idea. Guess I am too worried about my image in the community. But for someone else, maybe a cheap solution.

When I was in high school I was involved in mountain search and rescue and we often wore panty hose during the winter (it's amazing the difference it made -- not only a lot warmer, but reduced the likelihood of developing blisters on your feet). I got plenty of weird looks when I bought them. But that mattered not a wit to me when I was wearing them and was oh so much warmer.

A few years later (and in a very different environment) we packed sanitary napkins and tampons in our kit because certain common injuries were tailor made for effective use of them (particularly the latter). Fortunately, no one on my team ever had to break one out, but I knew folks that did. When I went to the store to buy them I didn't get hardly any looks -- different customer base.

 

I agree. In an earlier post I mentioned that a study should be made on the cost of lives of not reopening the economy vs reopening it. But I emphasize that the cost should be evaluated on the amount of lives, not on the amount of money.

This is not possible. You have immediate and obvious impact of deaths from covid. That is scary. Then you have long term effects of a prolonged shutdown and econimic downturn. These will be known in 10-20 years... Cannot model them now. However, having experinenced economic collapse of USSR, I can tell you that effects are devastating. More devastating than COVID 19. Loss of jobs and deep recession lead to overall drop of life expectancy and sharp increase in death from ALL causes across the population with males allways taking a higher hit.

Now, as WHO stated that they still are not certain that people who had COVID become immune, how exactly are they planning to develop a reliable and efective vaccine?

 

This is not possible. You have immediate and obvious impact of deaths from covid. That is scary.

I take your observations on this matter very seriously. If putting an (albeit inaccurate) objective number to the lives lost due to a prolonged economic shutdown is impossible, then the worst of all scenarios is going to happen: Being at the mercy of politicians, and not scientists.

 

I take your observations on this matter very seriously. If putting an (albeit inaccurate) objective number to the lives lost due to a prolonged economic shutdown is impossible, then the worst of all scenarios is going to happen: Being at the mercy of politicians, and not scientists.

That's almost always the situation since the politicians are the ones that hold the political power. The best we can realistically hope for is that they will listen to the advice of the scientists. Note that "listen to" does not necessarily mean "follow". Having the scientists run everything would invite it's own particular kind of problems since most human problems have intrinsically non-scientific aspects that can't be ignored.

 

Now, as WHO stated that they still are not certain that people who had COVID become immune, how exactly are they planning to develop a reliable and efective vaccine?

I take the WHO statement with a big grain of salt as this was a political statement against “immunity passports”.
https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/immunity-passports-in-the-context-of-covid-19

The development of immunity to a pathogen through natural infection is a multi-step process that typically takes place over 1-2 weeks. The body responds to a viral infection immediately with a non-specific innate response in which macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells slow the progress of virus and may even prevent it from causing symptoms. This non-specific response is followed by an adaptive response where the body makes antibodies that specifically bind to the virus. These antibodies are proteins called immunoglobulins. The body also makes T-cells that recognize and eliminate other cells infected with the virus. This is called cellular immunity. This combined adaptive response may clear the virus from the body, and if the response is strong enough, may prevent progression to severe illness or re-infection by the same virus. This process is often measured by the presence of antibodies in blood.

The WHO says there is no evidence they become immune but somehow the body kills off the virus when people recover so there is NO evidence of NO immunity either.

 

I take your observations on this matter very seriously. If putting an (albeit inaccurate) objective number to the lives lost due to a prolonged economic shutdown is impossible, then the worst of all scenarios is going to happen: Being at the mercy of politicians, and not scientists.

While I probably worded it too strongly, this is my main worry. In Canada I have not seen any attemp to even open a discussion around the topic. The public is being coached to words such as "new normal".

Here is another bit of weirdness (to me) - healthcare unions used this to get employees "danger pay". Great, i am one. I will make more money. Only I strongly disagree with this concept - I went to work in the environment that is always contaminated by nature. I can be exposed to any number of pathogens. Here is a thought - once this is over and the economy in the toilet, how will this be paid for? Will massive cuts to public services be worth making a few dollars extra?

 

I take the WHO statement with a big grain of salt as this was a political statement against “immunity passports”.
https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/immunity-passports-in-the-context-of-covid-19


The WHO says there is no evidence they become immune but somehow the body kills off the virus when people recover so there is NO evidence of NO immunity either.

I agree completely. I do however seriously question whether there is ability to develop a vaccine for this virus. It would be much better if the overlords started to plan as if there was no vaccine coming. Afterall, there is no vaccine for common cold (companies did try) and flu vaccine has very poor track record.

 

Because the data from one country to another (or even between different parts of countries) is not standardized, it's hard to tell just what any of it means or doesn't mean. With that caveat, it appears that the U.S. is actually getting it's testing system into high gear.

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus

On a per-capita basis, it appears that we have overtaken S. Korea and are at about half of what Italy is at. On a total test basis, there doesn't appear to be much comparison at all, with the U.S. possibly having conducted about as many tests as the rest of the world combined (or at least rapidly approaching that point).

Another interesting, but hard to extract meaning from, chart is the number of tests per confirmed case. Combined with the other charts, this data will probably useful down the road. Right now it is only indicative of differences in testing strategies in general (and not even of how those strategies evolved over time).

The academics will be slicing and dicing this data for decades to come. Want job security? Just propose some off-the-wall way of examining the COVID-19 pandemic and you are sure to get funding from somewhere (probably government funding organization of some kind).

 

While I probably worded it too strongly, this is my main worry. In Canada I have not seen any attemp to even open a discussion around the topic. The public is being coached to words such as "new normal".

That is truly the long run terror, a government power grab. Today I’m not sure what impact this might all have on how young people feel about big government. I see mostly the same ineffective bumbling you can always expect, and the need for your individual action to make any real difference in your life. But I can imagine others taking another view, of the government as some sort of savior. Trading your liberty for “security” is a deal with the devil. I hope young people see that.

 

I agree completely. I do however seriously question whether there is ability to develop a vaccine for this virus. It would be much better if the overlords started to plan as if there was no vaccine coming. Afterall, there is no vaccine for common cold (companies did try) and flu vaccine has very poor track record.

I have hope a vaccine will be developed sooner than later. I've read they were close to a SARS vaccine but dropped the project when that virus declined to nothing. The political lackies at WHO better hope there is a good immune response to COVID-19 because an effective possible vaccine likely depends on it. The data from its close relative SARS seems positive.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2851497/

Among 176 patients who had had severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), SARS-specific antibodies were maintained for an average of 2 years, and significant reduction of immunoglobulin G–positive percentage and titers occurred in the third year. Thus, SARS patients might be susceptible to reinfection >3 years after initial exposure.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) represents the first pandemic transmissible disease to emerge in this century. It was caused by a previously unknown coronavirus, the SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) (1). SARS-CoV spreads from animals to humans by a rapid adaptation and evolution process (2,3). A large number of closely related viruses are present in wildlife reservoir populations (4–6). Therefore, due to cross-species transmission of the same or a similar coronavirus, SARS could recur. Immune protection against infection with other human coronaviruses, such as OC43 and 229E, is short-lived (7). To assess SARS patients’ risk for future reinfection, we conducted a longitudinal study of immunity in convalescent patients.

 

Being in Prison is effective against COVID-19 symptoms.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-prisons-testing-in-idUSKCN2270RX

They started with the Marion Correctional Institution, which houses 2,500 prisoners in north central Ohio, many of them older with pre-existing health conditions. After testing 2,300 inmates for the coronavirus, they were shocked. Of the 2,028 who tested positive, close to 95% had no symptoms.

“It was very surprising,” said Chambers-Smith, who oversees the state’s 28 correctional facilities.

As mass coronavirus testing expands in prisons, large numbers of inmates are showing no symptoms. In four state prison systems — Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia — 96% of 3,277 inmates who tested positive for the coronavirus were asymptomatic, according to interviews with officials and records reviewed by Reuters. That’s out of 4,693 tests that included results on symptoms.

“It adds to the understanding that we have a severe undercount of cases in the U.S.,” said Dr. Leana Wen, adjunct associate professor of emergency medicine at George Washington University, said of the Reuters findings. “The case count is likely much, much higher than we currently know because of the lack of testing and surveillance.”

 

I have seen pictures of masks made from bra cups. My niece has one with small penis' all over it. The idea is if they say "Hey your mask has penis' on it" they are too close to her. One wild and crazy Psychiatrist babe.

Wow that kind of mask sounds a little extreme. Walking down isles of stores it is impossible to stay 6 feet from someone else when when either you walk around them or they walk around you to get past you or them when looking at a product on a shelf. This one lady was determined to gaze at a particular product for several minutes blocking the whole section, you had to get within 6 inches of her to get around her. Quite a "heavy set" lady to put it mildly.

 

https://www.realclearmarkets.com/ar...omic_suicide_and_get_back_to_work_490025.html

 

https://www.realclearmarkets.com/ar...omic_suicide_and_get_back_to_work_490025.html

I hear more talk of this on the news i just hope that the bxxx states dont lag too far behind when everything starts to reopen.

 

You are such an optimist. Remember the 55 mph national speed limit to save fuel? It lasted from 1974 until finally rescinded in 1995? Did it save fuel? Very doubtful, if one reads comments about truck gearing. However, the original intent morphed into "Drive 55 and stay alive." State governors kept it in place "to save lives." Or, was it really a revenue tool? I remember one governor saying he "didn't want the blood of his wonderful state's residents on his hands."

I agree, the pandemic is over. The Governor of Minnesota, however, has extended the social distancing shutdown past October 22, 2020 (according to a daughter there). The reason is not that the pandemic is over, but that it hasn't occurred yet in Minnesota. Sad.

 

I hear more talk of this on the news i just hope that the bxxx states dont lag too far behind when everything starts to reopen.

Individual states can stay locked-down as long as politically expedient.

If they need an increase in cases to do this, they'll just increase testing for a day or three.

Fear will keep their populations in line.

 

Sheesh, my greatest fear of COVID-19 is slowly changing from dying from it to...living through it.

 

Sheesh, my greatest fear of COVID-19 is slowly changing from dying from it to...living through it.

You mean being jobless, regardless?