outbreak! (ebola, sars, coronavirus, etc)

the sad predictability of it all.

the trump administration has the blood of these people on their hands for a hundred other reasons but one of the most immediate egregious and pernicious act of COVID-related malevolence has to be the years of "don't trust the news." They set these people up to disbelieve helpful warnings and months of opportunities to properly prepare. It's hard to believe the number of people south of the mason dixon I had to repeatedly swear to that this was about death and illness and was not open to political debate. New York was not a mirage!

So ... death numbers generally lag infections by a couple of weeks, right? Infection spikes in and of themselves are one thing, but spikes that translate to big spikes in deaths and/or ICU hospitalizations are another. Doubling rate is another important number. According to covidexitstrategy.org, OK doubling rate is at 20 days right now (for comparison, AZ is down to 12 and FL is around 19; IL is at 153, but was down to 2 at its worst). Def. going the wrong direction in a lot of places, which is ... one way to learn a lesson. Or not.

xpost New York doubling rate (state, not city) is currently 416 days, which, yeah, is a big improvement. There is no way to know until we know, but I guess we'll find out if the cold weather states spike again once people go back inside, or the hot weather states subside a little when people leave the A/C. Though of course we'll hit some point this summer where every place will be hot, so I guess we'll see then.

https://gothamist.com/news/ny-nj-and-ct-impose-14-day-quarantine-visitors-states-high-coronavirus-infection-rates
vaccine vs civil war conversations on the horizon

I feel like it's really down in the big 'first spike' cities i.e. London, New York, though? Both cases and deaths?

For the moment. I can't comment on NYC, but all it means is that London is going to be the big 'second spike' city.

... in the UK, that is.

Greetings from california where I just decided to do a massive food shop tomorrow because it feels like things are about to get really real.

Just saw a news headline that "experts" are saying the US death toll may hit 300,000 by winter. That seems like a very achievable number.

it's amazing that we're in month 5 of this and republicans are still in denial until it actually personally affects them

good luck everyone

Abbott made comments today suggesting that he is coming around to new restrictions, although very slowly

xxpost Well, I might say 'even after' rather than 'until' but yeah

tbf the gop would much rather people die now than survive with scrambled lungs and be a drag on the economy for years to come

Greetings from california where I just decided to do a massive food shop tomorrow because it feels like things are about to get really real.

Good luck, caek. I'm in NY and have been meaning to stock up on some things that were hard to get during lockdown to prepare for when this happens here again (and it's going to happen here again).

VIDEO: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has worn a face mask at an official event in Brasilia, following a ruling by a federal judge ordering him to wear one in public spaces. Brazil is the second hardest-hit country by the virus worldwide pic.twitter.com/V63X08liMR

— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 24, 2020

wow, even bolsonaro wears a mask now (under court order, of course)

that might make trump the last leader in the world to refuse to do it?

seems right

the trump administration has the blood of these people on their hands for a hundred other reasons but one of the most immediate egregious and pernicious act of COVID-related malevolence has to be the years of "don't trust the news." They set these people up to disbelieve helpful warnings and months of opportunities to properly prepare. It's hard to believe the number of people south of the mason dixon I had to repeatedly swear to that this was about death and illness and was not open to political debate. New York was not a mirage!

agreed - the fact that he has turned wearing face masks, the simplest proven way to slow the spread, into another dumb culture war issue is singlehandedly going to get thousands of people killed. I know a lot of people on here think he's basically bad as any GOP president would've been but this is uniquely a Trump thing

Trump is uniquely bad but Republicans keep supporting him. Trump is a problem but Republicans will outlast him and they will continue being a problem.

Yeah, just watching those immature assholes at work during that hearing yesterday, that's not a fight that will be one with the ouster of Trump.

By the way, anybody else ever amazed at how quickly political boogeyman of every bent just vanish when they leave Washington? Like Paul Ryan, who the fuck cares where he is, but at the same time, where the fuck is he? Even Al Gore just pops his head up every once in awhile, but he clearly travels in circles of power parallel and invisible to most of our lives.

i think they're just busy making money

ryan is amassing cash and laying low so as to not be associated with this presidency in any way, doesn't want his name to be tainted when he sets up his own run. he's a genuinely dangerous guy: somebody willing to be completely amoral but smarter, more media savvy than the current set of garden tools. feel free to link back to this post in 2028 when he's rounding up dissidents.

Paul Ryan couldn't round up .99 cents.

nah, he'll be back in 2024

so will nikki haley, ted cruz, mitt romney, kasich. hawley. the whole gang will be there

would love to be wrong about this.

oops, forgot which thread this was! sorry. it's all one thread, etc

that might make trump the last leader in the world to refuse to do it?

Never seen a single member of the UK government in a mask btw, let alone the Prime Minister.

abbott orders pause in re-opening:

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced on Thursday that the state will pause further reopening phases in light of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surging.

Businesses that reopened under previous phases can continue to remain open.

“As we experience an increase in both positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, we are focused on strategies that slow the spread of this virus while also allowing Texans to continue earning a paycheck to support their families,” Abbott said in a statement. “The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses. This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business. I ask all Texans to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly, and socially distancing from others. The more that we all follow these guidelines, the safer our state will be and the more we can open up Texas for business.”

but still, they can't help but frame it all in the wrong way. it's not going "the wrong way", it's about adjusting to the realities of the spread and doing something to save lives

let alone the Prime Minister.

Boris is chock full of antibodies.

It's true, you could sort of describe the way he and Trump look as "anti-body."

The life of the mind

The steps Abbott is taking are about trying to give hospitals a little more capacity and not exacerbating things even more by expanding the re-opening, which I guess is better than nothing, but still doesn't address the main problem, which is containing the spread that is quickly getting out of control.

would love to be wrong about this.

― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Thursday, June 25, 2020 10:50 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

i would hope that paul ryan still has the taint of the first two trump years on him

fp

moodles - “containing” the spread?? in texas you’ll find that they’re “corralling” the spread in a very masculine way

Corralling people into hospital beds morelike

that might make trump the last leader in the world to refuse to do it?

Scott Morrison has warned Australians wearing a mask won't stop them from catching the coronavirus, adding there is only one reason non-health professionals should use one.

During a press conference this afternoon, the Prime Minister said the National Cabinet had received advice from the medical expert panel that wearing masks are "not necessary".

congrats people of bournemouth - you are now just as patriotic and free as the good people of the lake of the ozarks

‘MAJOR INCIDENT’ declared in BOURNEMOUTH - pls stay away.

With 1/2 million visitors in Dorset, roads are gridlocked, hindering emergency vehicles & beaches are full - with Dispersal Orders on both piers.
I’ve asked Police Minister to dispatch additional police if Dorset requests pic.twitter.com/YnSpfdXOLc

— Tobias Ellwood MP (@Tobias_Ellwood) June 25, 2020

Virus or no virus that looks like my idea of hell

koogs otm, you'd have to pay me a significant amount of cash to go somewhere like that in non-pandemic times

Jesus christ.

Isn't it easier to just chug some Drain-O or something if you're that committed to an early demise?

Bournemouth is pretty much the septic tank of the south coast at the best of times, wonder if they've opened the public toilets?

Yeah, that was precisely the first thought sparked by that photo. 'Wait, where is that horde of people peeing and pooing...oh. Oh, dear god no.'

about that...

Darren Slade, a journalist with Bournemouth Echo, told Sky News there had been “fights breaking out, illegal camping at the beach overnight, and with no public toilets or anything open, all the waste has been left behind on the beach.”

ahhhh, (the state of) nature!!

I guess you need to cover your bases and ensure that even if by some miracle you somehow dodge the 'vid you become infected by something.

shocked I can't see anyone fuckin' in that picture

Okay, I can grasp the idea of people flocking to a nice soft sandy beach resort that is next to a warm and pleasant body of water.

If people are flocking to the British seaside, that speaks of something rather different.

Palm Beach County commissioner’s meeting on masks — mashed up with “Parks and Rec” Town Hall.

The internet remains undefeated... pic.twitter.com/8r4lea9Dly

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) June 25, 2020

Okay, I can grasp the idea of people flocking to a nice soft sandy beach resort that is next to a warm and pleasant body of water.

If people are flocking to the British seaside, that speaks of something rather different.

Don't you be knocking sunny sandy Bournemouth.

The water made warmer - if not pleasanter - by the addition of vast oceans of piss.