SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus (COVID-19)

we have more open vax appts than vaccine, so that works for us

 

• As of March 1, according to the AARP, the following states also do not have face mask orders in place:
  (scource below for those who don't know what TIA's "Wayback Machine" is all about.... )
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Iowa
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • North Dakota
  • Oklahoma
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee

And yet the "science and data" crowd seem to be concentrating on just two of them this week......
Science?
Data?

Which is is?

Some of these states HAVE NEVER had a mask mandate...which means that the kids in charge either really suck at keeping tabs on things...or..the AARP (along with many others) have been engaging in fake news....OR...."The experts" are selectively targeting states for woke-scolding.....OR........masks can be effective but mask MANDATES aren't so much. (Hint: what are the top 5 states for death-per-pickanumber, and how many are on the above list???)


15 states without mask - Google Search

 

NATIONAL mask mandate?

I will check underneath the rock that I must have been sleeping under to have missed such an “unprecedented ” event!!
This meaning, of course THE ACTUAL unprecedented as opposed to the media's use of this oft-misunderstood word.

Pray tell when federal troops will be sent into the fifteen states to enforce this National Mask Mandate!!
I have patches, ball and powder to gather!!!

 

I prefer.....”squishy”

Clearly the media’s understanding of the words “national mandate” are in keeping with their understanding of the word ‘unprecedented.’
NOT that I mind....mind you.

Science and data......

 

Concur.
MRNA vaccines hold great promise for LOTS of insecticide work.
HOPEFULLY future studies will be conducted in more secure facilities, lest there be a need for more moon-shot projects....

 

The data speak for themselves.
The overachievers in converting live humans into centerpieces for “family only” events come from things like creating large numbers of three generation households by closing schools. You just have to ignore REAL contact tracing.....
Impoverishing low income households by closing service industries arbitrarily also seems a bit unsciency.
Injecting COVID positive people into nursing homes also would seem to be a fairly newsworthy event.....if NEWS were WORTHY. IGNORING statistical (or numerical...you pick!) data to select winners and losers for vaccine distribution also seems to be a bit of a “thing.”

But...hey.
SCIENCE, right?

The sad truth is that REAL scientists and REAL educator reps are being irreparably tarnished....

 

They’re (mRNA) actually very RELATED, presuming that....variants happen.
Just cause I like sparkles I’ll add that its.....”interesting” that saying China Virus is frowned upon but Brazil, South African and UK “subtypes” are not....

So...what’s the turn-around for tweaking mRNA for B.1.1.x?
What about A/N1H1? (Ft Riley Kansas flu progeny)
Is it a one-shot, one-kill vaccine or can you put more than one (or 2 or....) ah.....messengers in a bottle?

Get busy, science!
Flus happen....only NOW...theirs GOLD in them thar hills!!!

 

Don't forget which thread you are in.

Don't want 2 threads with similar topics in the kids area.

Save the non-science scoldings for the coronavirus thread.

 

Don't know about educators, but AFAIK, the REAL scientists have not been irreparably tarnished by COVID-19. In fact, the opposite is true, at least in my line of work. There have been more opportunities and fundings available, more research has been conducted, and more REAL scientific publications have been published for the year 2020 than any previous year. I would think this trend would continue for a while.

Here is another example, just announced, of the US federal money pouring into the biomedical research sector.
US health agency will invest $1 billion to investigate ‘long COVID’ Nature | 5 min read

 

Latest update in the continuing series, as more lagging data gets processed --

As of today's update (March 4), the CDC various all-cause deaths for 2020 show:
Provisional Count page: 3,360,117 (select "Yearly" button at bottom of chart)
Excess Count page: 3,373,000 (my rounding from pro-rated weekly data)

For comparison:
2018: 2,839,205 (Now an "official" nailed down figure)
2019: 2,854,838 (still subject to revision by late this year)

From 2019 to 2020, the jump in total annual deaths now very clearly exceeds 500,000.

===============

Ten years of figures from CDC WONDER:

 

those figures make it look like covid caused deaths that otherwise wouldn't have happened at that time

 

Covid, and the responses to it, would increased some other causes of death, while decreasing still others. The details and balance won't be known until better hindsight can be applied.

But there are also likely to be numerous unrecognized or unreported direct covid deaths not showing up in current figures. E.g. I have a very strong suspicion about an acquaintance who died at home, early in the pandemic, and was not given an autopsy or postmorten test due to preexisting conditions and then-scarcity of tests. Since then, closer looks at similar deaths have found numerous covid cases.

Hopefully the statisticians can tease out meaningful numbers.

 

Maybe one of the positive aspects of Covid-19 is a reminder of how important is is to have medical resources within your own borders - vaccine manufacturing- research centers - medical equipment manufactures and safety supply manufactures.

A country is not the master of its own destiny if it is dependent on others for these items.

A reminder for us of how important, grocery workers- mail and parcel delivery- drug store workers -garbage men and all the many vital service industry workers are to our daily life

Another small personal positive for the first time since I can remember I haven't had to take allergy medicine and not had a severe cold during this winter. Flu was non existent in our neck of the woods.
Next year I very well may be wearing a mask outside during December. January and February. The ability to not have to constantly take antihistamines was a positive for me. Mask are a bit uncomfortable and cause my glasses to fog but as our friends in Asia know the benefits of wearing a mask in public places at certain times of the year are undeniable.

Having said that I can't wait till this is over and people don't have to worry about this threat to their health especially the older and frail members of our world.

 

Try some Cat Crap to keep your lenses from fogging up :

Cat Crap Anti Fog Lens Cleaner – EK USA

We use the paste version at work.

Removes the excuse for some of the mechanics of not wearing a mask cause they can't see.