Coronavirus in the United States - news and thoughts

States can open yet still have the at risk stay home. Everyone doesn't have to stay home to prevent 20% of the population from getting it....

If the at risk population stays home, how do they get infected?

If they don't I guess that's on them. Unless you want armed troops locking them at home...

 

Simple. All someone from the at risk population needs is contact from the "outside" world from someone who is infected. Take nursing homes, for example. The residents may never leave and no visitors allowed, but the staff doesn't live there, and comes and goes daily. You can do things like take the temperature of every staff person entering, but with COVID-19 being communicable 7 - 10 days before any symptoms manifest, there's a chance someone with the disease who works at a nursing home can be asymptomatic, work a shift, infect one person, and then the disease spreads throughout the entire home.

The more people the nursing home employee comes into contact with, the higher the risk for the nursing home residents. The more people who come into contact with the people who interact with the nursing home employee, again, the higher the risk. Say, for example, the nursing home employee has school-age children. Right now, those kids are sheltering at home. But if they go back to school in the fall, they come into contact with all their classmates, teachers, custodial and kitchen staff, etc. The higher the risk one of the kids brings the disease back home, infects the parent, who goes to work in the nursing home, and then the at risk population, which hasn't left the building in months, get sick.

Then there's also the case of the at risk living with someone who is not. Say, for example, Grandma lives in a house with her kids and three, school-age grandkids. Those kids go back to school, and Grandma's risk of getting COVID increases, even if she herself, never leaves the house.

We've seen examples of this in New York. 60% of the people hospitalized caught the disease at home. This was likely due to a family member who had to go out in the public got sick, and bought COVID into the house. There's also a risk of a delivery person being sick and the disease passing this way.

Maybe if we all take precautions like wearing masks and avoiding places with large crowds, we can start to open up. But just saying the most at risk should simply stay home and think this will help is naive, and won't help.

 

Did I not read that more than 50% of the US population fits into the "High-Risk" category due to 1 or more co-morbidity factor? How would we support 50% of the population staying at home??

 

Coronavirus whistleblower Rick Bright's complaint shows high likelihood of 'wrongdoing,' watchdog says

 

More people about to get fired.

Deep state. Yada yada.

 

The Curious Case of the People Who Want to "Reopen" America—But Not Wear Masks - The Bulwark

 

I certainly agree WRT the nursing home situations. I don't think the nursing home did enough to prevent it from getting in there, some are criminal about it.
People who live with elders are also an issue.

I don't think the rest of the world who aren't in close contact with at risk people need to stay on lockdown for the next year. Go out be safe and smart. Not saying open movie theaters etc. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing. In my area I have never really seen the oldest avoid going out. Home Depot/Lowes weren't emergency stops when I see them buying paint and flowers..

The goal was flatten the curve, not prevent everyone from getting it.

 

It's easier to support some segment then the entire population.
Plus many of the at risk are over 65 and on SS, so they are already supported. Certainly some still work. Does the GOV need to give everyone 2000 a month for a year? I don't think so.

Also the stimulus should have only gone to people who were working and not retired people who had NO IMPACT on their income.

 

I’m gonna be honest here, I go back and forth in my own mind about opening up and staying locked down. At this point, I’m on the “cautiously” open team. Personally, I’m as tired of this as anyone else and I certainly understand trepidation regarding at risk populations.

Yesterday I went to the hair salon for a haircut and the salon took precautions that I was comfortable with. The vast majority of patrons, according to my hairdresser, were 75 and over. WTH??? I’m shutting down to protect you and you won’t protect yourself?

Keep ramping up testing, wear a mask, and wash your damn hands.

 

All of this. Open where it makes sense. Keep track of what's going on and tighten up where/when you need to.

There shouldn't be an us vs them in this whole thing.

 

Good news.

 

Great news. The unknown is how much of they was from the social distancing and stay at home orders, and how much was the virus running its course. Obviously we all hope for the latter

 

Valid point, but most healthy people over 75 have been through worse and aren't scared of covid.

 

They didn’t look all that healthy to me.

 

I’ve witnessed it too. Many older people are out and about like nothing has changed.

The other half are scared, staying home, or covering up when they go out.

Short of threatening people with arrest for going out, I don’t think there’s any way to keep people at home. The authorities are not going to arrest people only to place them in a facility together, defeating the purpose of distancing. Any that do are idiots.

 

And slow growth until treatments and vaccines are found

 

Which may not be for a year.
I know many talking heads are saying a vaccine in the fall..... That is a very tall order just due to the logistics and timing needed to observe subjects for safety signals and for efficacy for a vaccine.

Treatment trials can get data much faster.
I think the need to quickly look at the effect of various treatments on positive cases very early in disease state. If Remdesivir decreases viral load and viral shedding then people should get it sooner. That should lower morbidity and lower transmission rates just like Tamiflu does for the seasonal flu.

 

I'm for open and be smart.
I'm 51 and have no medical issues, yet I'm being more cautious about touching things when I'm out and really have only been in Home Depot due to a bathroom remodel.
Been getting carry out and have eaten out 2-3 times since opened back up. (Wife was cabin feverish).

No desire to go to the mall(that's my baseline anyway).


I still have told my Dad and Step mother to stay home 77 and 81.
As well as my Mom 76 (bad COPD).

I tell my patients the same only go to needed Dr appointments and only one of family go to store. (They most listen).

 

Been watching the hearing all morning, and aside from there being some pretty fascinating testimony, I have to say the way the GOP members are treating this guy is both an embarrassment and a disgrace... they're also getting owned on virtually every point and challenge.

 

Thank you. That was an enjoyable read.