SARS-2-CoV (COVID-19)

[Moped]

181 new cases reported this morning in Knox County!

[Garufa]

7 minutes ago, Moped said:

181 new cases reported this morning in Knox County!

I heard yesterday they had a big surprise in store for today’s announcement.  Knox was a leader in low numbers at the beginning of the mess, now we’re just like the two bigger commodes of Tennessee, maybe even better in the race to the bottom.

[Moped]

18 hours ago, Garufa said:

I heard yesterday they had a big surprise in store for today’s announcement.  Knox was a leader in low numbers at the beginning of the mess, now we’re just like the two bigger commodes of Tennessee, maybe even better in the race to the bottom.

137 new cases this morning and another death.  I heard the big surprise was that the Federal COVID Advisor Team was in Knoxville two weeks ago and released their recommendations yesterday. They are recommending we shut down bars and sitdown dining inrestaurants again, along with gyms and other businesses.  Basically we'd go back like it was in April.

[Omega]

Imagine if they gave these stats on other deaths like they are doing this china flu, people would lose their minds...even more.

[xsubsailor]

1 hour ago, Omega said:

Imagine if they gave these stats on other deaths like they are doing this china flu, people would lose their minds...even more.

Along those lines:

 

 

 

Mike Rowe

July 22 at 10:50 AM · 

Mike. In a recent post, you said you’ve been to Tennessee and Georgia, giving speeches and filming for your new show. Before that, you were on the road shooting for Dirty Jobs. Is it really so important to film a television show in the midst of pandemic? Is it responsible of you to encourage this kind of behavior when infection rates are spiking? Don’t you watch the news? More and more cases every day – aren’t you concerned?

Darlene Gabon

Hi Darlene

Of course, I’m concerned. I’m just not petrified.

On March 15th, the day after my part of the country was locked down, I posted a link to an interview with Dr. Michael Osterholm. I’m posting it again, because I believe you and everyone else in the country would benefit from listening carefully to what he has to say. https://bit.ly/2WLOM6o

Dr. Osterholm is the Director of Infectious Disease Research and Policy. This is the same epidemiologist who ten years ago, predicted a coronavirus would come from China and turn our country upside down. In his book “Deadliest Enemies,” he anticipated the utterly irresponsible way in which the media would report on the situation, the completely opportunistic and shamelessly political way our leaders would likely react, and the unprecedented chaos and confusion that would arise from all the mixed messages from the medical community. His resume is unexampled, https://bit.ly/3jvzQTW, and his analysis of the situation is the most logical and persuasive of any I’d heard so far. He’s also the only expert I know of who hasn’t walked back his numbers, reconsidered his position, or moved the goalposts with regard to what we must do, what we can do, and what he expects to happen next. I say all of this because Dr. Osterholm publicly predicted - in early MArch - that we could conservatively see over 100 million COVID cases in this country, with a very strong possibility of 480,000 fatalities – even if we successfully “flattened the curve.”

It took me a few weeks to accept this scenario, because 480,000 fatalities is a frightening number, and lot of other experts were saying lots of conflicting things. But eventually, I came to the conclusion that Dr. Osterholm was probably correct, and quickly navigated the four stages of grief that usually precede acceptance – denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. By late April, I had come to accept Dr. Osterholm’s predictions as a matter of fact. Since then, I’ve had three full months to come to terms with the fact that, a) I am probably going to get COVID-19 at some point, b), I am almost certainly going to survive it, and c), I might very well give it to someone else.

I hope that doesn’t sound blasé, or glib, or fatalistic, or selfish. Four-hundred eighty thousand deaths is an obvious tragedy, and I’m deeply sympathetic to all who have been impacted thus far. I’m also very concerned for my parents, and everyone else in a high risk category. But when Dr. Osterholm says that COVID can be slowed but not stopped, I believe him. When he says a vaccine will not necessarily hasten herd immunity, I believe him. And when he says that people have confused “flattening the curve” with "eliminating the virus," I believe him.

Thus, for the last three months, I’ve been operating from the assumption that this is a year-round virus that’s eventually going to infect 100 million people and kill roughly 1/2 of one percent of those infected, conservatively. I’ve accepted those numbers. Unfortunately, millions of others have not. Many people have no sense of where this is headed, and I understand why. They've been betrayed by a hysterical media that insists on covering each new reported case as if it were the first case. Every headline today drips with dread, as the next doomed hotspot approaches the next "grim milestone." And so, for a lot of people, everyday is Groundhogs Day. They're paralyzed by the rising numbers because the numbers have no context. They don't know where it will end. But Dr. Osterholm says he does, and I'm persuaded that he's correct. He might be wrong, and frankly, I hope he is, but either way, he's presented us with a set of projections based on a logical analysis, and accepting those projections has allowed me to move past denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, and get on with my life with a better understanding of what the risks really are.

Fact is, we the people can accept almost anything if we’re given the facts, and enough time to get evaluate the risk and make our own decisions. Last year in this country, there were six million traffic accidents and 36,000 fatalities. Tragic, for sure. But imagine for a moment if no one had ever died from a car accident. Imagine if this year, America endured six million traffic accidents and 36,000 fatalities...for the first time ever. Now, imagine if these accidents and fatalities - over 16,000 and 90 per day respectively - imagine if they were reported upon like every new incidence of COVID. What would that do to our willingness to drive? For a while, I suspect it would keep us all off the roads, right? I mean, six million accidents out of the blue is a lot to process, and 36,000 deaths is scary – especially if you don’t know how high that number could get. It would take us a while to access the risk, before we blindly hopped into our cars again. Eventually though - after getting some context and perspective - we'd be able to evaluate the relative danger of operating a motor vehicle. Then, we could decide for ourselves when to drive, where to drive, and how much to drive. And so we do.

Again, don’t misunderstand. I’m not ignoring COVID, or downplaying COVID, or pretending the risks at hand aren’t real. Nor am I comparing COVID cases to car accidents - I'm simply comparing the fear of each to the other, and the fear that always accompanies uncertainty. I don’t want to get this disease or give it to someone else, any more than I want to be in a car car wreck that injures someone else. But I've accepted certain things about the pandemic, and now, I've gotten used to the risk as I understand it. I take precautions. I get tested as often as I can, and if I can't physically distance, I wear a mask – especially around higher risk people. Likewise, I wear a seatbelt, obey the speed limits, and check my mirrors before changing lanes. Yes - I’m aware that we’d all be a lot safer if we kept our cars in the garage. I’m also aware we’d be a lot safer if we all kept ourselves in the house. But that’s not why cars, or people, exist.

Anyway Darlene, that’s a long way of saying that I have accepted Dr. Osterholm’s numbers, and now, after three months of acceptance, I’ve made a decision on how I wish to live my life. Sooner or later, you will too. We all will.

Mike

PS. My foundation is selling masks to raise money for our next work-ethic scholarship program. They're going fast...

[Raoul]

Meh...

[bud]

.

Edited December 24, 2020 by bud

[DaveTN]

2 hours ago, bud said:

Out of 6,800,000 Tennesseans, there are a total of 904 Tennesseans dead from Covid-19 = to 0.0001329411 percent of our population that has been decimated by this scourge. 

Check your math. 

[bud]

.

Edited December 24, 2020 by bud

[GlockSpock]

1 minute ago, bud said:

Dang it! Help me out @DaveTN?

904÷6.8 mill no?

Is 1/100 = .01%?

Edited July 25, 2020 by GlockSpock

[DaveTN]

7 minutes ago, bud said:

Dang it! Help me out @DaveTN?

904÷6.8 mill no?

Your result is in decimal form. To get a percentage multiply it by 100.

Or….just use this…

https://percentagecalculator.net/

[Oh Shoot]

3 hours ago, bud said:

Yesterday's Covid-19 DEATH numbers via TN Health Dept:

As of July 24th, 2020, and after 5 months of Covid-19 pandemonium-

Out of 6,800,000 Tennesseans, there are a total of 904 Tennesseans dead from Covid-19 = to 0.0001329411 percent of our population that has been decimated by this scourge. 

How many of those deaths of Tennesseans were in nursing homes? About 1/3 of them were in nursing homes.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2020/05/15/one-third-tennessee-covid-19-deaths-linked-long-term-care-facilities/5203066002/

So, 600-ish people, who were not already permanently laid up in a nursing home at deaths door, have died from Covid-19. How many of those were actually killed by something other than Covid-19,  but simply died with Covid-19? 

We've lost about 100 persons (who were not already at deaths door) per month to Covid. Big freaking deal. 

Davidson County, with a population of 700,000 has lost a total of 179 persons due to Covid.

Shelby County has 263 dead from Covid-19.

468 dead in all the other counties combined. How many of those 468 were in nursing homes waiting to die?

If you are a Tennessean who's afeared of the Covid-19, and you are not already at deaths door, better save room in your deep well-o-fear for sharks and lightning.

So, if Covid killed an equal number of folks in all age groups including those in otherwise good health, it would be worth getting serious about?

Did you apply to work on the ObamaCare Death Panel?

- OS

[bud]

.

Edited December 24, 2020 by bud

[xsubsailor]

[bucnball]

We've had Death Panels for years, they are called Insurance Companies..

[Erik88]

On 7/23/2020 at 7:14 PM, Moped said:

181 new cases reported this morning in Knox County!

You're slacking on the daily updates... 

 

 

[Grayfox54]

Shelby County was actually running on the negative side for the last couple of days with no new cases. Then today BOOM! 229 new cases.   5439 active cases total with 262 deaths. 

Must be Monday. 

[FUJIMO]

27 minutes ago, Grayfox54 said:

Shelby County was actually running on the negative side for the last couple of days with no new cases. Then today BOOM! 229 new cases.   5439 active cases total with 262 deaths. 

Must be Monday. 

Backlog?!?!

[Grayfox54]

17 minutes ago, FUJIMO said:

Backlog?!?!

Probably. They have the testing procedure down pat. You can register by text, they will give you a window of when and where to be, Stay in your car. As the line moves along you can be checked-in, your paperwork pulled and all this can be done without so much as rolling down your window. Once you pull into the tent, the actual test only takes about a minute and then you're on your way. I got tested about 2 weeks ago. I showed up at the designated time and place and there were already 50-60 cars in line ahead of me.  However, once testing started, I was done in about 45 minutes. 

The problem is that so many people are being tested, that the labs are seriously backed up. What was 3 days to get results is now much longer. It took 8 days for me to get mine. BTW: Negative. 

[deerslayer]

And supposedly Shelby County is sending tests to Florida labs (where all the numbers shenanigans are being played). 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

Probably. They have the testing procedure down pat. You can register by text, they will give you a window of when and where to be, Stay in your car. As the line moves along you can be checked-in, your paperwork pulled and all this can be done without so much as rolling down your window. Once you pull into the tent, the actual test only takes about a minute and then you're on your way. I got tested about 2 weeks ago. I showed up at the designated time and place and there were already 50-60 cars in line ahead of me.  However, once testing started, I was done in about 45 minutes. 

The problem is that so many people are being tested, that the labs are seriously backed up. What was 3 days to get results is now much longer. It took 8 days for me to get mine. BTW: Negative. 

Is all of this "registering", testing and results, etc done with the gov?   So you can go in their database?   Just curious.  What happened to going to a private doctor and taking a test not administered by gov?   

[Grayfox54]

I think its government related as all the test sites are listed with contact info on the City of Memphis Covid-19 update web page.  But the actual test site I used belongs to a local church sponsored low income/charity clinics. Christ Community Health Center. They have about a dozen clinics doing free testing all around Memphis. This one just happened to be the closest one I could get into. However, there are also quite a few other places in the Memphis testing system too including many other clinics and hospitals. Close to 30 in all. 

However, there is no common data base to access that I know of. They are very private about the info requiring you properly ID yourself before giving you the results. They ask full name , address and birth date when you get the call. I think test results are covered under HIPAA. 

If you call the main testing phone number, they tell you to call the specific clinic where you were tested. Good luck with that. I tried to call for my results twice and ended up on terminal hold. "You are caller number 65 in the que, please hold." 

Yes, you can go to a private doctor to be tested and get your results back much quicker. But you will have to pay for the test. I don't know the cost and not all doctors will do them. Likewise they say if you test positive to call your doctor and NO NOT go to his office until he gives you instructions.  They don't want infected people sitting around in waiting rooms. 

BTW: if you are scheduled for any type of medical procedure, no matter how minor. Many Doctors will insist that you get a Covid test before they will do it. 

Edited July 28, 2020 by Grayfox54

[DaveTN]

5 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

However, there is no common data base to access that I know of. They are very private about the info requiring you properly ID yourself before giving you the results. They ask full name , address and birth date when you get the call. I think test results are covered under HIPAA. 

HIPAA rules governing Covid do not apply. You can bet that no matter who does the test, the testing labs is reporting the results to both State and Federal agencies, with your personal information.

Not that I think there is anything wrong with that, you are already in government data bases, and its not like they are reporting you have an STD. 

Quote

 

"The CDC, CMS, and state and local health departments need quick access to COVID-19 related health data to fight this pandemic," said Roger Severino, OCR Director. "Granting HIPAA business associates greater freedom to cooperate and exchange information with public health and oversight agencies can help flatten the curve and potentially save lives," Severino added.

https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/04/02/ocr-announces-notification-of-enforcement-discretion.html

 

 

 

[Moped]

16 hours ago, Erik88 said:

You're slacking on the daily updates... 

 

 

Real life sometimes interferes.   I have a co-worker that got it last week  Saw in the office last Monday.  He started feeling ill on Wednesday and went and got tested (positive).  He told my boss that it was like a real bad case of the flu with a really nasty headache.  He's in his med 30's, with a wife and little kids.  Thinks he might have contracted it at church, the weekend before.

5 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

BTW: if you are scheduled for any type of medical procedure, no matter how minor. Many Doctors will insist that you get a Covid test before they will do it. 

UT Hospital here in Knoxville, has the same requirement.  I have surgery on Monday and have to be tested on Friday and quarentine the whole weekend.

[peejman]

6 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

BTW: if you are scheduled for any type of medical procedure, no matter how minor. Many Doctors will insist that you get a Covid test before they will do it. 

A friend's wife and daughter are both nurses. Surgery patients get tested 5-8 times before and after their procedure. I wonder if/how those get reported.