Coronavirus in the United States - news and thoughts

I applaud you for attempting to be fair. Maybe I was on the wrong site but I was just on fda.gov and it said they recommend the N95 is not for general public. There is so much conflicting information....I’m just not one for overreaching mandates, especially giving an ever smaller group of people waaay to much authority. Things are dynamic and rarely if ever static. For example I read N95 was not recommended for general public with one reason people get overheated and the potential dangers in that. So in that specific case they are more worried about over heating than benefits of potentially slowing spread of Covid. What does that tell you ?

 

If the vulnerable don't wear N95 (or the Chinese certified KN95) masks then we need EVERYONE to wear the surgical or cloth masks. That's the only way they are effective. The problem with the ones that actually filter is they need to be fitted to be tight and like you said some people wouldn't be able to tolerate that (or even achieve the tightness required to be effective).

 

There are reasons for this public policy. An N95 mask offers superior protection, when worn correctly. They're also in very short supply, and being prioritized for medical personnel.

The policy is intended to keep you and me from buying N95s so medical personnel can hopefully have enough. This is the reason the CDC originally issued guidance against mask wearing - trying to avoid a run on masks urgently needed by medical community. They've shifted that recommendation, but are still trying to discourage us from grabbing N95s. See a trend?

There's also the "worn correctly" bit. An improperly worn N95 is no better than a cloth mask. Why 'waste' the superior protection of an N95 on an untrained person who may not seal it against their face correctly, canceling out any potential benefit? A mask 'wasted' in this manner is a mask that a nurse or doctor won't get to use.

I completely understand the policy, and I'm ok with it. I can limit my exposure to other people. Doctors and nurses can't. Let them have the best PPE.

 

spectacular pics. Aw inspiring. I would be freaked out getting anywhere near that ledge. Nervous even looking at it. But looks awesome

 

Well, you tried Navy - thanks.

 

I wish this young lady was working the door.

 

Thanks! Yeah - getting out near the ledge as in that photo requires that you jump over some crevices, which drop hundreds of feet. No way was I jumping across any of those, let alone standing or sitting next to the ledge. The sights were just fine from where I was.

 

Look, we can debate media all day, but don't you think the lowest number in 3 months is newsworthy?
I mean take opinions about media out of the equation. If you were a producer at a big network or news agency, would you mention it?

 

Yes, fit is important to consider. OSHA requires fit testing for businesses using N95 masks. Outside of manufacturing, few businesses actually know that. You also can’t wear an n95 with facial hair, prevents a seal, again, few realize that. I’d still maintain an improperly used N95 is better than no mask at all, but like you said, if you don’t know how to wear it properly, leave it for those that do. It’s no better than a cheaper, more accessible surgical mask at that point.

 

The percentage of young folks infected was always pretty decent. It is the death count that is low.
We knew in March (see below) that young were a huge part of those testing positive.

 

That’s percent hospitalized, not infected.

 

Because we have no idea what the real case rate was previously. We have no idea because the testing was so poor. We also have seen reports that the virus may be mutating to a less deadly form. We also have better treatments and planning. We honestly have no idea if deaths will meet new cases, because we have no idea what previous case counts really were.

We simply can not say anything for sure yet. But yesterday was a very "good" number relatively and that is newsworthy.

 

Right, and it has less effect on the young, so that high hospital rate means a very high infection rate...which we knew about in March.

 

That hasn’t answered my question though. My question was is the low death rathe/low hospitalization rate a product of low infection rate. 0-19 range was finishing school and locked up at home because at that age range, few can go out on their own and parents were sheltering in place. Was the infection rate comparable to other age ranges as well, or was it significantly lower. If it was significantly lower, then obviously deaths would be as well.

I’m not sure you can answer my question through this chart. The second lowest age bracket of hospitalization was 85+, but I keep hearing they make up the bulk of the deaths and they should be more concerned than anyone. If that’s true why only 9% of the hospitalizations?

 

That's like reporting the Blue skies in the eye of the hurricane.
SLOW THE TESTING!
God help us. Or somebody.

 

Not if his goal was to scare people....

 

My company in GA, (which isn't particularly huge, we have maybe 70 people at our main location) went months with no issues and we had three people (or members of their household) go out this week with Covid. If a family member under the same roof goes out, we can't let that worker back in the building for at least two weeks.
People not being careful and acting the fool is not helping this country recover.

 

Science isn't that scary. You'll be fine.