There is now a trend toward announcing the number of "cases" (for which the definition varies considerable) rather than the number of deaths. One can get more "cases" by testing more or by defining those who might have been in contact as a "case".

Apparently in order to keep the panic alive the focus has shifted to the increase in the number of "cases", which are understandably increasing as testing is increasing, away from the increase in the number of deaths, which seem to be much lower lately.

 

Apparently in order to keep the panic alive the focus has shifted to the increase in the number of "cases", which are understandably increasing as testing is increasing, away from the increase in the number of deaths, which seem to be much lower lately.

I'm waiting for the day when the cumulative number of cases starts decreasing. Then it'll be OK to go back outside.

 

I went outside yesterday and the Tuna I caught swore he was germ-free.

 

Kids will find a way to play outside.
https://www.kgw.com/article/sports/...ague/283-3f8f4317-255d-45a4-a8bc-9cd68e8aa67d

CANBY, Ore. — Nearly 40 students on the Canby High School Trap Shooting Team practice every week at the Canby Rod and Gun Club. They are taking part in the Oregon State High School Clay Target League, one of the only high school sports being played right now.
Canby High is one of 19 schools in Oregon with a trap shooting team.

“I just feel really lucky,” said team captain Brandon Slater, a senior at Canby. "Couldn't imagine the world would look like this and other sports wouldn't be happening. It's fun, challenging, rewarding. So lucky to have it right now."
A record-high 358 students will participate in the Oregon State High School Clay Target League for the fall season.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54527400

Ministers are "planning very seriously" for a circuit breaker lockdown for Wales, the first minister has said.
"We're very actively talking about and preparing for that should it be necessary," Mark Drakeford told Sky News.
The short-term measures could include closing pubs and restaurants.
However disease expert Dr Roland Salmon said such circuit breaker lockdowns were "doomed to failure" and would only bring "cost without benefit".
A circuit breaker is a short, set period of maybe two or three weeks, where tighter restrictions are brought in to break the trajectory of coronavirus cases rising.
...
His view was echoed by Prof Dale Andrew Fisher, who specialises in infectious diseases at the National University Hospital, Singapore, and is part of the World Health Organisation's outbreak alert and response network.
'Learn to live with the virus'
He said circuit breakers were a short-term fix and were not "sustainable".
"It has to be just to buy time or to recover, but really this virus is going to be with us for a lot longer yet," he told Claire Summers on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast
"We don't expect to be vaccinating most of the world until 2022 so we have to learn to live with this virus and we have to be able to go to school, go to work, do our normal activities in a Covid-safe way, limiting the impact of social and economic needs."

 

I went outside yesterday and the Tuna I caught swore he was germ-free.

It's when the fish start talking back that you know you're in trouble.

 

They told me I was trouble long ago...

 

It's when the fish start talking back that you know you're in trouble.

 

Talking just yesterday with a friend in Wales, he is certain that they will be locked down and locked-in even more tightly than they are now. Right now he is able to go to work but that might change suddenly. The limited bar open hours will drop to zero. He is not a very happy guy.

 

 

I have two members of my team that had COVID. One with more symptoms than the other. Both seemed to have lost a significant number of IQ points, lost any ability to concentrate for more than 10 minutes and no sense of time. Looks like COVID is not (yet) a "protected class" so I'll have to explore my options with these people.

 

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IMO this virus is mutating to make the cheese slices a lot more porous. Many are finding out that only near total isolation (strict lockdowns) can slow the spread above some X threshold in the community.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...tigate-possible-coronavirus-mutation-in-chile

 

IMO this virus is mutating to make the cheese slices a lot more porous. Many are finding out that only near total isolation (strict lockdowns) can slow the spread above some X threshold in the community.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...tigate-possible-coronavirus-mutation-in-chile

The guessing game will continue. Deaths from this have been largely flat pretty much everywhere since June. I suppose not enough time has passed in the fall, but there is no clear uptick. Masks, especially how they are being used, are useless.

What frightens me more is revised PPE protocols at the hospitals. Revised to be more cost effective and to preserve supplies.

Another funny thing came out of COVID - as disinfectants were changed, we experienced equipment failure with staff soaking monitors and consoles in liquid disinfectant causing electrical shortages. One IV pump company is now redesigning keypads to make them basically waterproof...

 

Another funny thing came out of COVID - as disinfectants were changed, we experienced equipment failure with staff soaking monitors and consoles in liquid disinfectant causing electrical shortages.

It seems like only a few months ago people were talking about all the health hazards of ppm and ppb levels of phthalates on PET soda bottles and BPA on LEGO bricks. Now they are spraying pacifiers with Lysol and rinsing their hands with 75% ethanol solutions with no regulations of what the other 25% might be.

One IV pump company is now redesigning keypads to make them basically waterproof...

The Lenovo Thinkpad spill-proof keypad design is excellent.

 

What frightens me more is revised PPE protocols at the hospitals. Revised to be more cost effective and to preserve supplies.

Minnesota has plenty of unused PPE stored safely in their unused morgue. Give them a call.

 

Minnesota has plenty of unused PPE stored safely in their unused morgue. Give them a call.

Seems that that morgue space in Minnesota may be filled soon. Three quarters of the past sixteen days in Minnesota have had over 1,000 cases a day. The case count is rapidly increasing. Minnesota must be suddenly performing more tests. And if cases aren’t important, Minnesota has had 91 deaths in the past week

Minnesota has reported more than 1,000 cases in 12 out of the past 16 days, and 91 deaths have been reported over the past week, the Star Tribune reported.

This story was on Fox News last night.

 

Seems that that morgue space in Minnesota may be filled soon. Three quarters of the past sixteen days in Minnesota have had over 1,000 cases a day. The case count is rapidly increasing. Minnesota must be suddenly performing more tests. And if cases aren’t important, Minnesota has had 91 deaths in the past week



This story was on Fox News last night.

What's really sad is the median age of death from COVID-19 is 83 in Minnesota. It's a familiar story of the at risk and elderly not being the concentrated target of protection in our covid-19 strategy.

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/stats/covidweekly42.pdf
Page 22

 

What's really sad is the median age of death from COVID-19 is 83 in Minnesota.

And life-expectancy is 77.9 years. Go figure.

 

77.9 is for an infant born today. Life expectancy of an 83-year-old male is 89.5.

Edited by a moderator for politeness.