Coronavirus 2019-nCov: Political Thread

[jdmee]

I thought it was all about bending the curve?

Now it’s about irradiating a “highly contagious” virus from existence?

What changed?

I have noticed that at the beginning it was about bending the curve. Then they started talking about slowing the spread. Then stopping it altogether. Now the signs I see it is about stopping the spread of germs and viruses. Not just COVID, but ALL germs and viruses. It will never stop.

[C0|dB|00ded]

But the mandate has been effect since April right? Why did we have another spike again with a mandate in place in July? A natural occurrence? Or everybody just simultaneously stopped wearing them all of a sudden?

Coronavirus positivity rates drop after mask mandates compared to areas without a mask mandate. This is a FACT!

Would you like to debate gravity next?

[ShockerFever]

Coronavirus positivity rates drop after mask mandates compared to areas without a mask mandate. This is a FACT!

Would you like to debate gravity next?

So how come it’s going back down again? There hasn’t been a new mandate in place since April.

[C0|dB|00ded]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-nashville-council-member-coronavirus-skeptic-dies-covid-19-n1240645

Ex-Nashville council member, a coronavirus skeptic, dies from Covid-19

A former Nashville, Tennessee, council member, who believed the threat of the coronavirus was being radically overblown, died from complications from Covid-19, officials said Monday.

Over the past several months, Tenpenny had been very active on social media voicing his support for President Donald Trump and his opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement and expressing extreme skepticism about the coronavirus.

On May 30, Tenpenny posted a statement on Facebook falsely attributed to former Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., putting forward conspiracy theories that the virus is nothing more than a political trick to derail Trump's re-election bid.

Gowdy did not make such a statement, and Facebook labeled Tenpenny's reposting as "false information."

Then, on June 29, Tenpenny posted a meme that equated wearing a mask to being "manipulated to live in irrational fear" and willing "to be controlled by a socialist agenda."

Sounds like a lot of the good folk on this board. I don't know if stupidity is lethal, but Covid-19 certainly is.

Don't find out the hard way. Stop the spread. Encourage your circle of influence. We all want to get the world back to normal.

[C0|dB|00ded]

So how come it’s going back down again? There hasn’t been a new mandate in place since April.

Wichita, K.C., Topeka all have mask mandates.

[ShockerFever]

NBC News... lol. Glad they threw those BLM nuggets in there as it was to any relevance.

So since you skipped over my other post, it’s now officially “stop the spread” now, right cold? Not “bend the curve”? Why the change?

[C0|dB|00ded]

https://www.vox.com/2020/9/22/214507...rtually-nobody

“It affects virtually nobody”: Trump erases coronavirus victims as US death toll hits 200,000


Trump’s Covid-19 rhetoric hit new heights of irresponsibility in Ohio.

Instead of taking a moment to grieve the nearly 200,000 Americans who were confirmed to have died from Covid-19 as of his rally Monday evening in Swanton, Ohio, President Donald Trump erased them.

“It affects virtually nobody,” Trump said of the coronavirus. “It’s an amazing thing.”

By Tuesday morning, the disease had officially had killed 200,000 people in the US — a number more than the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Afghanistan War, and the Iraq War combined — and “affected” even more.

The president was trying to highlight how deaths from the virus are concentrated among older people and those with preexisting conditions — never mind that more than half of the US population falls into one or both of those categories — but he made his point in a remarkably callous, revealing way.

First off, it’s not the case that young people have no risk of bad outcomes if they catch Covid-19. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 107 Americans age 18 or younger have died from the virus. That is a fraction of the US’s total deaths, but, to state the obvious, death isn’t the only way someone can be negatively affected by Covid-19.

A CDC study published last month found that there were 576 confirmed cases of children being hospitalized with Covid-19 between March 1 and July 25, with the hospitalization rate increasing over the summer. The number of child Covid-19 cases doubled between July and August, rising to 406,109, and the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better because of school reopenings.

Where have I heard THAT before?

The Trump Drones just eat that delusional **** up while his overall base continues to narrow.

What a total dumbass.

[C0|dB|00ded]

NBC News... lol. Glad they threw those BLM nuggets in there as it was to any relevance.

So since you skipped over my other post, it’s now officially “stop the spread” now, right cold? Not “bend the curve”? Why the change?

I didn't skip over anything. I haven't been on the forum since last week. I don't read or respond to every thread.

The directive is the same: attempt to slow the spread until a reliable vaccine is distributed. Remember, we're supposed to have a big surge of infections and deaths this fall after a relatively quiet September. We can't let our guard down!

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-0417-trump-coronavirus-good-job-20200416-3erb7wcgrbe25e3afzemnkwl34-story.html

People are dying, losing their jobs and are stranded in their homes. It is time for unity and support, not for finding fault. But if you must play the blame game, make sure you have all the pieces. President Donald Trump has not been the cause of any delay or slow response.

He was one of the first world leaders to limit travel from China and eventually Europe. At the time, he was chastised by the World Health Organization for overreacting, criticized by European leaders (who later shut down their own borders), and demonized by Joe Biden, who said Mr. Trump had “a record of hysteria, xenophobia and fear-mongering.”

Mr. Trump fully committed the Centers for Disease Control and every other federal health agency to our defense. This includes around 80,000 doctors, microbiologists and other personnel experienced in dealing with medical crisis. He deployed the National Guard to build hospitals and distribute food and supplies. He sent hospital ships to New York and Los Angeles. He obtained the cooperation of private corporations to transform their operations into the manufacturing of masks, respirators and other supplies to meet the extraordinary demand.

President Donald Trump also signed a $2.2 trillion funding package to mitigate the impact of an economic shutdown on employees and employers. He has worked closely with governors, respecting their authority to address the needs of their own states while providing backup resources. He has given the nation daily updates, praised the medical community and expressed that “not even one death is acceptable.”

[Shockm]

I'm very thankful that Gov. Kelly and Mayor Whipple were in office during this pandemic. Our positivity rate dropped the moment the mask mandates went into effect. Masks work.

How much do they work?
100%?
75%?
50%?
25%?
Give us your superior knowledge.

[C0|dB|00ded]

How much do they work?
100%?
75%?
50%?
25%?
Give us your superior knowledge.

Masks are effective at slowing the spread of Coronavirus and lowering the eventual death total. That's all a rational, non-sociopathic person needs to know.

[pinstripers]

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Saints and the Raiders were each fined $250,000 and their head coaches were fined $100,000 each for not wearing masks on the sideline during MNF.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Saints and the Raiders were each fined $250,000 and their head coaches were fined $100,000 each for not wearing masks on the sideline during MNF.

I believe Pete Carroll and the Seahawks were fined the same.

[Shockm]

Masks are effective at slowing the spread of Coronavirus and lowering the eventual death total. That's all a rational, non-sociopathic person needs to know.

Well I doubt your rationality but not your sociopathy, and your not being able to site any true scientific evidence to how much masks help in lowering the virus is telling to your veracity and knowledge on the subject.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Well I doubt your rationality but not your sociopathy, and your not being able to site any true scientific evidence to how much masks help in lowering the virus is telling to your veracity and knowledge on the subject.

You know the funniest thing about your attitude is, you claim to be a Christian. You are one of the biggest hypocrites I have ever met. You're a stumbling block to anyone that might have looked upon you as an example of how Christ would act. You don't worship God, you worship Trump. And you give praise to him with your head stuck 3 feet up his ass.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/02/study-refusal-to-wear-face-mask-associated-with-psychopathy-traits.html

Sociopathic traits linked to not wearing a mask or social distancing during pandemic: study

Wearing a mask is one of the easiest things that people can do to prevent the spread of Covid-19 — and yet it’s a topic that’s been highly politicized in the United States throughout the pandemic.

In the U.S., 34 states and the District of Columbia mandate wearing face masks in public areas. More than 85% of U.S. adults reported wearing a face mask most of the time in stores and businesses during the month of August, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Yet Americans have turned to violence and protests to show their disapproval of mask mandates. So have others around the world.

A recent study out of Brazil may shed some light on why some people are so resistant to wearing masks.

Researchers from the State University of Londrina found that people who reported “antisocial traits,” such as low levels of empathy and high levels of callousness and risk-taking, were less-likely to comply with Covid-19 prevention measures, such as wearing a mask and social distancing.

In this case, “antisocial” refers to traits that are typically present in people diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, which is defined as “a chronic and pervasive disposition to disregard and violate the rights of others,” according to the American Psychological Association. It is characterized by common behaviors such as repeatedly violating the law and exploiting others, and traits such as deceitfulness, impulsivity, aggressiveness, reckless disregard for the safety of self and others and irresponsibility, according to the APA. People with the mental health condition often lack of guilt, remorse, and empathy.

The disorder is also referred to as “dyssocial personality, psychopathic personality and sociopathic personality.” Antisocial personality disorder occurs in about 1% of the U.S. population, and is more common in men.

“These traits explain, at least partially, the reason why people continue not adhering to the containment measures even with the increasing numbers of cases and deaths,” the Brazilian study authors wrote.

Keep talking about sociopaths dumbass.

https://hartfordhealthcare.org/about-us/news-press/news-detail?articleid=27691&publicId=395

Of all the mask studies, the latest by Duke University researchers affirming the fitted N95 as king in the fight against COVID-19, the most important remains the study of all studies by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

The IHME, a research center that has provided projections on hospitalizations and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, performed a meta-analysis earlier this summer of mask studies from the United States, China and Germany that confirmed what most medical experts have advocated for months:

If 95 percent of people wear cloth masks when within 6 feet of other people in public, it will reduce COVID-19 transmission by at least 30 percent. So if every infected person transmits the virus to 30 percent fewer people, it improves the chances of subduing COVID-19’s spread in the United States.

“It’s as important as ever to wash your hands, wear a mask and don’t touch your face,” said Keith Grant, APRN, head of infectious disease for Hartford HealthCare. “Those are still the basic ways to avoid COVID-19 infection.”

Masks work. The meta-analysis assumed all masks in public use are cloth, not the even more effective N95 respirators worn by healthcare professionals.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cdc-director-face-masks-better-coronavirus-vaccine

Centers for Disease Control and Prevent Director Robert Redfield told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Wednesday that not only do face masks work to protect people from coronavirus, they might work even better than an eventual vaccine might.

During a hearing on coronavirus response efforts, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., criticized President Trump for typically not wearing a mask and holding events where attendees did not wear them. He then asked witnesses if Trump was "undercutting" an important step that Americans can take to protect themselves. Redfield did not take the bait, but he still had plenty to say about masks.

"I’m not going to comment directly about the president, but I am going to comment as the CDC director that face masks, these face masks are the most important, powerful public health tool we have," Redfield said, holding a mask in his hand. "And I will continue to appeal for all Americans, all individuals in our country, to embrace these face coverings. I’ve said that if we did it for six, eight, 10, 12 weeks we'd bring this pandemic under control."

The CDC director then made a bold claim about just how well face masks work.

"These actually, we have clear scientific evidence they work, and they are our best defense," he continued. "I might even go so far as to say this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine, because the immunogenicity might be 70%, and if I don't get an immune response the vaccine’s not going to protect me. This face mask will."

Redfield then called on the public -- particularly young adults -- to do their part to protect themselves and others.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-infection-severity-face-mask-use-study

Severity of coronavirus infection may be determined by face mask use, study suggests

'It’s likely that face masks, by blocking even some of the virus-carrying droplets you inhale, can reduce your risk of falling seriously ill from COVID-19,' one researcher said

Although face coverings are more effective in preventing droplets from being expelled into the air than they are in preventing droplets from being breathed in, masks still may be able to mitigate how severe an illness an individual gets if infected by COVID-19, researchers explained in the release.

“It’s likely that face masks, by blocking even some of the virus-carrying droplets you inhale, can reduce your risk of falling seriously ill from COVID-19," Monica Gandhi, MD, an infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco, said in a university press release. “The more virus you get into your body, the [sicker] you are likely to get."

Based on the researchers’ epidemiological observations, Gandhi and her colleagues suggest in the paper that masks can lead to milder or asymptomatic infections by reducing the amount of virus people breathe in.

"Masks, depending on [the] type, filter out the majority of viral particles, but not all," the researchers stated in the published report.

The notion of viral dose or viral inoculum was incorporated with early smallpox vaccines in the 16th century in China where small amounts of the virus were injected into a healthy person to create a mild illness followed by immunity. It was also involved with the influenza A virus, where healthy volunteers who received a larger dose of the influenza A virus had symptoms that were more severe, the release said.

https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Airline-passenger-face-masks-harvard-15575531.php

Face masks on flights 'critically important' to prevent COVID-19 spread, Harvard study finds

Harvard study examines infection risks for air travelers

A new study concludes that 100% use of masks by passengers can cut COVID risk to less than 1%.

To fly today, airlines require all passengers (except kids under 2) to wear face coverings. This requirement is being enforced: Major airlines have reportedly banned more than 700 fliers for non-compliance. Issues of “personal freedom” aside, are the airlines being overly cautious or is that mask policy important in protecting the traveling public?

Since COVID-19 is spread by tiny, invisible respiratory particles in aerosolized form – i.e., they can linger in the air – an aircraft cabin without any protections would normally be an ideal place for the virus to find new human hosts, since passengers are seated very close to each other for extended periods of time.

The Harvard researchers (with funding from airlines, airports and other aviation interests) found that without a vaccine, the use of face coverings is “one of the most pragmatic and effective options” for controlling the spread of the disease in an aircraft – as long as every single passenger is masked up.

“Universal use is key,” the report said. “A recent modeling study suggests that the universal use of surgical masks in the setting of ventilation rates of aircraft may reduce infection risk from respiratory particles to less than 1 percent.” (Surgical masks are those lightweight, papery pale blue ones with horizontal pleats, commonly handed out by airlines and stores to customers who didn’t bring their own.)

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/the-simple-science-behind-why-masks-work#Growing-evidence-supports-mask-effectiveness

In the July 14, 2020 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the authors of an editorial pieceTrusted Source said that “the time is now” for universal mask wearing.

In support of their opinion, they pointed to two case studies that were published that same day.

The first studyTrusted Source showed that a universal mask wearing policy in a Boston hospital system reduced the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Prior to the institution of the mask policy, new cases among healthcare workers who had either direct or indirect patient contact were increasing exponentially.

After the policy was put into place, however, the proportion of symptomatic healthcare workers who tested positive for COVID-19 “steadily declined,” according to the report.

The editorial additionally spoke about a reportTrusted Source in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) which showed that wearing a mask appeared to prevent two Missouri hairstylists from spreading the disease to their customers.

Both stylists had continued to see customers for several days after developing symptoms, but wore face masks as per local government ordinance. Ninety-eight percent of their customers wore masks as well.

Of the 139 customers that the stylists saw before being diagnosed, none developed COVID-19 symptoms during the follow-up period. None of their secondary contacts developed symptoms either.

In addition, of the 67 clients who agreed to be tested, none were positive for the virus.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/masks-bring-help-bring-down-covid-19-cases-governors-state-n1240448

Masks help bring down Covid-19 cases, governors and state health officials say

"Masks work. Physical distancing works. And the number don't lie," Indiana governor says about the state's declining new cases of coronavirus.

In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey announced a statewide mandatory mask order on July 16. Since then, the state saw a significant drop in daily Covid-19 cases, with numbers peaking above 2,000 toward the end of July and hovering over a 1,000 a month later. And now, cases have plummeted to 574 a day.

“The mask absolutely played a very important role and we really have had no other significant limitations or interventions other than the mask,” Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer at the Alabama Department of Public Health, told NBC News this week.

Indiana currently has one of the lowest coronavirus transmission rates in the U.S., a significant result of the statewide mask orders, Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday. "I don’t want that lost on anyone that what we’re doing is working," Holcomb said during a briefing. "Masks work. Physical distancing works. And the number don't lie."

South Carolina has no statewide mask requirements, leaving 11 jurisdictions with mask mandates and 61 without. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s latest findings, from mid-August, report that communities with mask mandates saw a drop of 34 cases per 100,000 people for the four weeks after the requirements were implemented, compared to before the orders took effect. In the same period, jurisdictions without mask requirements saw a rise of 24 cases per 100,000 people.

There is no statewide mask order in Nebraska, but health officials in Douglas County implemented a mask mandate on Aug. 11. and have publicly said the order had a direct effect on Covid-19 cases. On Sept. 13, there were new 529 cases in Douglas county, down from 836 on Aug. 15, the week the mask orders took effect.

“This is tremendous progress for the entire community,” Adi Pour, health director of the Douglas County Health Department, said in a statement. “That drop is a credit to everyone involved.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been numerous studies showing that masks work in stemming transmission of the virus. Among them is a study that shows state government mandates make a measurable impact. Using public data, the researchers found a bigger decline in daily Covid-19 cases in states with mask mandates compared with those without, estimating that as many as 200,000 Covid-19 cases were avoided.