Coronavirus in the United States - news and thoughts

For any jazz fans, Ellis Marsalis died tonight. Not sure if it was Coronavirus, but he was apparently tested.

Ellis Marsalis, jazz master and musical family patriarch, dies at 85

 

Sorry but I am trying to figure out what your post added to the conversation. Many are placed on a ventilator after surgery etc. temporarily till they recover. It is likely many with serious pre-existing conditions that go on a ventilator with COVID-19 are not going to make it.

 

WiFi school buses for kids without internet connections:

School districts across the country are using school buses to deliver WiFi to students who lack access

 

Looked up a couple of ventilator units within hospitals and the survival rate is normally around 80%. An example is Temple University studying 182 consecutive patients over 3.5 years. Mean age was 64 years old and mean number of days on ventilator was 54 days. Thus the mortality rate was much lower than I thought. Amazingly 45% were discharged directly to their home. Post-VRU discharge survival at 1 and 3 years was 75% and 59%.
So if the COVID-19 ventilator numbers are that much worse that tells you all that you need to know.

 

52 yo Adam Schlesinger, three-time Emmy and Grammy award winning singer/songwriter/bassist died from Coronavirus today. Most of you likely know him from this song he wrote:



One data point, he was on a ventilator for two weeks before passing.

 

It seemed possible that the confusion on mortality rates was because the difference between general ventilator usage like post op and emergency ARDS ventilator usage wasn't being considered. I suppose that wasn't the case. My bad!

 

No not sad but sickening on every level.

 

The WHO demonstrated one of the downsides to social media by conveying preliminary info in the form of a 140 character tweet. Another downside though is repeating the tweet without addressing the report since the report explains the details.The tweet was accurate based on what was known at the time but given the nature of the issue, changed quickly.

 

FOXnews points out that Republican governors have been slow to call for stay at home measures. Some republican governors have implemented stay at home rules but refuse to call them those. Geez, the politics.

Coronavirus deaths top 5,000 in US as more states issue stay-at-home orders

In Missouri, Republican Gov. Mike Parson remained among the dwindling number of governors to resist issuing a stay-at-home order in the absence of a federally mandated policy

In Iowa, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds also has held off from mandating that residents shelter in place order, claiming the data she sees doesn’t justify it.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, another Republican, said the infection rate has slowed in her state with only voluntary safety measures in place, the AP reported.

In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has imposed restrictions that doctors and even his critics say are equivalent to stay-at-home orders but he refuses to use that description.

 

Actually, that is a valid point. The 250k cases we know about may not be the only cases. Because we can never test 330,000,000 every 2 weeks, you can bet that as many as 100 million have had it or are recovering in their homes right now. Because we are told to only get tested if we exhibit fever, cough and/or shortness of breath, those of us who have a slight cough, maybe a few aches, no fever are never going to be counted.

 

• Yesterday’s New York Times (I read it a day to late for safety reasons) has four news obits:
• Joe Diffie, country singer
• Mike Longo, jazz pianist
• Alan Merrill, rocker who wrote “I love rock n roll”
• William Helmreich, sociologist who hiked every block of NYC
• 
  
• all four died of Coronavirus

 

Newborn in Connecticut Dies of Coronavirus

 

I have some thoughts on Acosta's tweet, assuming it's true.

First, it would be an indictment of the anti-science approach to decision making. To deny historical observations and epidemiological models for intuitive hope is a recipe for failure. Particularly when the stakes are so high.

Secondly, what is his upside for this gamble? His supporters would claim it was the stock market or the economy. Innocent bystanders claim it was his re-election chances. If the former, I'd like to see the expected results model of attempting to mitigate early (test & isolate) vs the result of it "just disappearing" in summer. And by results I mean lives and jobs. If his gamble was indeed for his re-election (ie "keep the numbers down") he's wagering our lives and economy for personal benefit.

What are your thoughts?

 

Speaking of Republican Governors...



Jesus...

 

I have friends in Ohio. (Jerry and Lisa)

Jerry, is in his 70s and recovering from pneumonia. We texted last night. He just got back a positive test for Corona. He’s riding it out at home.

Lisa just started getting sick less than a week ago. So far, her symptoms aren’t as bad. She’s about 20 years younger than him. I’m always kidding him about robbing the cradle.

This beast is going to touch lots of us personally.

I hope we learn a lesson from it. Fingers crossed.

 

get a rope. absolutely no excuse for that.

 

Just some comparison

2018-19(one full season.13 weeks) H1N1 36,000 deaths per the CDC

If the numbers hold steady(no doubling etc) 1000 new deaths yesterday with the peak at the end of April, the USA will hit that number at the end of the month.

From 1st US death(3/1) to the end of April (61 days)

 

If true that he just found this out, he's unfit to be governor. If not, he's untrustworthy.

As a GA resident, I'm ashamed.