Cont: The all-new "US Politics and coronavirus" thread pt. 2

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varwoche said:
Herman Cain is in the hospital with covid. He was at the Tulsa rally.
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Unfortunatley we can't tell for sure that he caught the virus at the rally. (Its been a little under 2 weeks... it roughly fits the time frame, although I don't know if people typically get hospitalized earlier or later in the infection cycle.

But, there is a little poetic justice:

From: Politico
Cain has frequently downplayed the risk of Covid-19 on social media. As he was in the hospital Wednesday, Cain’s account tweeted approvingly of the lack of social distancing restrictions at Trump’s upcoming Mount Rushmore event.
...
On June 29, the day he tested positive, Cain downplayed the threat of coronavirus in Florida amid record hospitalizations and cases in the state. “The news is better than what you're being told,” Cain wrote on Twitter. And on June 8, Cain wondered on Twitter if the virus was weakening.

Well, Cain, do you think you were hospitalized by a weakened virus?
 
Segnosaur said:
Unfortunatley we can't tell for sure that he caught the virus at the rally. (Its been a little under 2 weeks... it roughly fits the time frame, although I don't know if people typically get hospitalized earlier or later in the infection cycle.

But, there is a little poetic justice:

From: Politico
Cain has frequently downplayed the risk of Covid-19 on social media. As he was in the hospital Wednesday, Cain’s account tweeted approvingly of the lack of social distancing restrictions at Trump’s upcoming Mount Rushmore event.
...
On June 29, the day he tested positive, Cain downplayed the threat of coronavirus in Florida amid record hospitalizations and cases in the state. “The news is better than what you're being told,” Cain wrote on Twitter. And on June 8, Cain wondered on Twitter if the virus was weakening.

Well, Cain, do you think you were hospitalized by a weakened virus?
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I wonder how people think viruses weaken.

They don't get old and tired. They are little bits of protein that reproduce, making copies of themselves. How would a virus "weaken"? I guess it would have to mutate to a form that was just as contagious, less dangerous, but similar enough to the original that antibodies against the less dangerous form also protected against the original.

Does that ever happen? What's this about "weakening"?
 
I don't wish ill of Herman Cain, but I must admit I find myself thinking that if he died of the infection there would be a silver lining in terms of public awareness. It's the sort of thing that might shake a few more people out of denial mode.
 
Segnosaur said:
Unfortunatley we can't tell for sure that he caught the virus at the rally. (Its been a little under 2 weeks... it roughly fits the time frame, although I don't know if people typically get hospitalized earlier or later in the infection cycle.
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There's a wide range from a couple days to a couple weeks.
 
Meadmaker said:
I wonder how people think viruses weaken.

They don't get old and tired. They are little bits of protein that reproduce, making copies of themselves. How would a virus "weaken"? I guess it would have to mutate to a form that was just as contagious, less dangerous, but similar enough to the original that antibodies against the less dangerous form also protected against the original.

Does that ever happen? What's this about "weakening"?
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Some viruses that mutate significantly (not COVID 19) can become attenuated as sicker people stay home or die, while people with milder cases spread more virus.

Viruses can also be attenuated in the lab to create vaccines the way you modify domestic animals and crops.
 
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Meadmaker said:
I don't wish ill of Herman Cain, but I must admit I find myself thinking that if he died of the infection there would be a silver lining in terms of public awareness. It's the sort of thing that might shake a few more people out of denial mode.
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He's black. No one in the WH circle is likely to care.
 
The Atlantic: A Dire Warning From COVID-19 Test Providers - U.S. coronavirus testing could fail again, as surging demand creates new backlogs and delays.
The United States is once again at risk of outstripping its COVID-19 testing capacity, an ominous development that would deny the country a crucial tool to understand its pandemic in real time.

The American testing supply chain is stretched to the limit, and the ongoing outbreak in the South and West could overwhelm it, according to epidemiologists and testing-company executives. While the country’s laboratories have added tremendous capacity in the past few months—the U.S. now tests about 550,000 people each day, a fivefold increase from early April—demand for viral tests is again outpacing supply.

If demand continues to accelerate and shortages are not resolved, then turnaround times for test results will rise, tests will effectively be rationed, and the number of infections that are never counted in official statistics will grow. ...
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But you can't hide overwhelmed hospitals.

The article is disturbing though, because one would think increasing numbers of cases in FL, AZ, TX, CA, etc would be their problem. It appeared there was an adequate supply of testing materials and PPE. But it turns out areas of the country not managing their increasing numbers of cases is now affecting everyone.


I'm listening now to Adm. Giroir, head of HHS blame the increase on "young people" and not on states opening up too soon. Earlier today in a press briefing, Mnuchin blamed the states for the failure of opening their economies 'properly' because the feds gave them 'guidelines'.

In the press briefing, Mnuchin and Kudlow repeatedly denied and dodged questioning of their's, POTUS' and Pence's claims that things were under control and going swimmingly. When pressed, they ended the briefing.

The Hill: Mnuchin: White House 'absolutely' does not regret pushing states to reopen

This sums it up:
Asked at a Thursday press appearance whether the White House had any regrets about encouraging speedy reopenings, Mnuchin replied, “No, absolutely not. I think we’ve had a very careful plan working with the states — this is primarily the states’ responsibility — but working with the states.”
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Right now after being shown clip after clip of police brutality and attacks on the press during the protests, Jim Jordan immediately started in on "Democrat Mayors and Democrat governors..."

I turned the sound off because I have heard Jordan's faux outrage enough times I don't need to hear him again.
 
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Skeptic Ginger said:
Some viruses that mutate significantly (not COVID 19) can become attenuated as sicker people stay home or die, while people with milder cases spread more virus.

Viruses can also be attenuated in the lab to create vaccines the way you modify domestic animals and crops.
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So the first type is what I was getting at. Now there's two different, but similar, viruses, and the weak one spreads faster, but the weak one also gives immunity from the stronger one.

So apparently that's really a thing. Could that be happening now? It's obvious that the new case rate right now is not being accompanied by the corresponding rates of hospitalization or death that we saw in New York or Michigan when we were the hotbeds of the virus.

And of course they can be artificially attenuated in the lab.
 
The Governor of Texas orders masks mandatory.
I suspect some fireworks since the Lt. Governor stated yesterday that Fauci does not know what he is talking about and has hinted that the virus is a medis plot to get Trump.
 
Meadmaker said:
So the first type is what I was getting at. Now there's two different, but similar, viruses, and the weak one spreads faster, but the weak one also gives immunity from the stronger one.

So apparently that's really a thing. Could that be happening now? It's obvious that the new case rate right now is not being accompanied by the corresponding rates of hospitalization or death that we saw in New York or Michigan when we were the hotbeds of the virus. And of course they can be artificially attenuated in the lab.
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I don't think there is evidence for the highlighted statement.

First, give it time.

Second, if more younger people are part of that increase then the difference is in the host, not the virus.
 
Skeptic Ginger said:
There's a wide range from a couple days to a couple weeks.
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:thumbsup:

Glad this was posted. I have seen it stated here a number of times that the incubation period for Covid-19, from contact to symptoms, is two weeks. As though this was an absolute, only it's not. I was about to post on this because of some recent local news stories in New York. One was a teenager who returned from Florida and attended a graduation party. The next day or two he came down with coronavirus and within five or six days a number of the people at the party also had symptoms. There was a story today about a college age man hosting a party last weekend despite already suffering symptoms common to Covid-19. Early in the week he went to a doctor and tested positive. Some of the party-goers are already suffering symptoms and have tested positive for C19.
 
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55,000 new cases in one day. Now, is that embers, or cinders, or ash?
 
Meadmaker said:
I don't wish ill of Herman Cain, but I must admit I find myself thinking that if he died of the infection there would be a silver lining in terms of public awareness. It's the sort of thing that might shake a few more people out of denial mode.
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I think an even better sliver lining would be if he survived to admit he was wrong and raise public awareness.
 
Meadmaker said:
I wonder how people think viruses weaken.

They don't get old and tired. They are little bits of protein that reproduce, making copies of themselves. How would a virus "weaken"? I guess it would have to mutate to a form that was just as contagious, less dangerous, but similar enough to the original that antibodies against the less dangerous form also protected against the original.

Does that ever happen? What's this about "weakening"?
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I think it happens through the use of hand sanitizer. It doesn't actually kill the virus outrigjt, but if you use it frequently, the virus becomes an alcoholic.
 
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