Covid 19 Updates Part 2

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I just checked airfares from Newark Intl Airport in New Jersey to Miami, round trip:  $47.  (That's no error)...

And if memory serves me well, you’ll end up in a mandated 14-day self isolation in Florida. Or Rhode Island, if you drive there.

[William Walker]

It was not an attack, merely a friendly suggestion how to entice the readers to click on the links in a particular post.
In the last month, we have seen so many links, that it would be very difficult and time consuming to open and read all of them. Any help to help the dummies will be helpful.

Hi Les, my responses was not directed at you nor did I see it as an attack. I simply quoted you because your post was the last.... 

[LesPalenik]

Hi Les, my responses was not directed at you nor did I see it as an attack. I simply quoted you because your post was the last.... 

William, no offense taken. I just used the opportunity to elaborate on how the posts are written and read.

[Rob C]

Instead of just showing a link with the implied message - "Trust me and read it", it would be a good practice to show always the three pieces of information Jeremy requested:

Poster's brief comment or position
Excerpt or summary of the quoted / external link
URL link(s)

Optionally, insertion of a suitable picture (typically from the quoted link) can be beneficial

Les, in that case one might as well stop making links at all and just rewrite the entire matter thought to be of interest. And who has the patience or interest in doing so on a closed-circuit chat show as this has become? Better, up-to-date information comes from my tv set.

The fun here is watching the climate-change denying brotherhood latching on to the very same political branch of the Corona Phenomenon. Herd immunity? Herd mentality. Passes an otherwise pretty empty hour or so, this watching of the armchair experts reciting their catechisms. Of course, courtesy the digital age and editing equipment provided on LuLa, one of the foremost but also most unbearable such musicians no longer spoils the ammusement with his resounding trumpet blasts. The spiritual comfort of seeing five or six empty pews in a row! No need for a précis to know what I haven't missed!

I my own case, I base the opening or passing of links on the poster: some I always open and others never, knowing by their long-revealed colours just where their heads are at and my natural reaction to them.

;-)

[Jim Pascoe]

As to his fortunes. Being President has cost him buckets of his personal fortune.  I will specular he will be the only recent President to have less money when it leaves office than when he went in.  To think this is about his fortune disregards the facts on the ground.

Come on Craig - when immensely wealthy people want to make yet more money - they don't do it so they can buy more cars or enjoy a better quality wine.  They do it for fame, power, glory etc.  Being President must be the ultimate power-trip and I'm sure was well worth any amount of money Trump needed to spend on securing the role.......

Jim

EDIT - I do think though that it is not the time to be partisan regarding politics - let's deal with the real threat.  In spite of some shortcomings, I'm glad that here in the UK politics have largely been absent from the commentary so far - that can come later.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I've come across this on Facebook. I do not vouch for the veracity of the statements, but seem to offer an interesting angle on the stats.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/The-evidence-on-Covid-19-is-not-as-clear-as-we-think?fbclid=IwAR15hg0z3vZgSr0z_GyCbz-pYoxiypu0OSl2mxZI1A_EJrSkc86_WpTZGYE

"Dr John Lee
How deadly is the coronavirus? It’s still far from clear
There is room for different interpretations of the data"

The post on Facebook accompanying the link, coming from a pro-Trump black public figure Candace Owens (bold mine)

Important information for everyone to know about #coronavirus. Obesity is the number 1 killer in America. Right now, they are giving everyone who dies a Covid-19 lab test. If people die from heart disease, but were asymptomatic carriers of Covid-19, their deaths are counted toward the total. Same with other viruses an illnesses. I am an asthmatic. If I die from an asthma attack today, and it is determined that I have Covid-19 in my system at the time of death, my death counts as “complications from coronavirus”, even if I never had any symptoms. They are trying desperately to get the numbers they need to justify this pandemic response.

Below is an article that explains how they are manipulating deaths. I spent all day today trying to look up daily death rates for any other diseases. You can’t get it anywhere. They are reporting ONLY on coronavirus deaths. I suspect if we begin to demand the daily death toll numbers for heart disease, we will observe a deep decline. I am most interested in NYC overall deaths for this past month (Not just from Covid-19). If anyone knows where we can get this information, please let me know. They seem to be locking it down. If they can tell us how many people are dying from coronavirus daily— why can’t they tell us how many people are dying otherwise?

[LesPalenik]

Les, in that case one might as well stop making links at all and just rewrite the entire matter thought to be of interest. And who has the patience or interest in doing so on a closed-circuit chat show as this has become? Better, up-to-date information comes from my tv set.

The fun here is watching the climate-change denying brotherhood latching on to the very same political branch of the Corona Phenomenon. Herd immunity? Herd mentality. Passes an otherwise pretty empty hour or so, this watching of the armchair experts reciting their catechisms. Of course, courtesy the digital age and editing equipment provided on LuLa, one of the foremost but also most unbearable such musicians no longer spoils the ammusement with his resounding trumpet blasts. The spiritual comfort of seeing five or six empty pews in a row! No need for a précis to know what I haven't missed!

I my own case, I base the opening or passing of links on the poster: some I always open and others never, knowing by their long-revealed colours just where their heads are at and my natural reaction to them.

;-)

Rob,

copying the entire information from a supplied link would make the posts too long. Here is a concrete illustration, how to use a quote block and an external link to a prematurely published article on how to reduce your load on the next photography trip. As a matter of fact, quoting the said reference today is also premature, but now only by two days.

Mirrors or mirrorless?
One of the latest developments in the camera industry have been the mirrorless cameras. They are lighter and less susceptible to damage resulting from falls and vibrations, so switching to a mirrorless camera is a good first step. If you can’t give up the mirrors entirely, you can always carry a light travel shave mirror, they come in both, the spherical and rectangular form factors. For panoramic image scenes, you can use a polished metal spoon (use the outside convex side).

Clearing the Card Images
If you are in the habit of reusing memory cards, it’s a good practice to delete all old images from your memory cards. Why carry all those superfluous bits? You can delete the old images individually in your camera or computer, but it is always better to reformat the old cards. This gets rid not only of the old images but also of all the separating lines between the individual images and it results even in more weight savings.

Full article:
https://luminous-landscape.com/reduce-load-and-travel-lighter/
     

[Ray]

I've come across this on Facebook. I do not vouch for the veracity of the statements, but seem to offer an interesting angle on the stats.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/The-evidence-on-Covid-19-is-not-as-clear-as-we-think?fbclid=IwAR15hg0z3vZgSr0z_GyCbz-pYoxiypu0OSl2mxZI1A_EJrSkc86_WpTZGYE

Thanks for the link, Slobodan. That's an interesting article, and food for thought, particularly the Facebook comment below.

I spent all day today trying to look up daily death rates for any other diseases. You can’t get it anywhere. They are reporting ONLY on coronavirus deaths. I suspect if we begin to demand the daily death toll numbers for heart disease, we will observe a deep decline.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Thanks for the link, Slobodan. That's an interesting article, and food for thought, particularly the Facebook comment below.

When a Facebook post persona says: "I suspect ...", you've made me lose my attention.

Even people who should know a bit more than average, all of a sudden portrait themselves as experts on fields they clearly are unqualified to speak about with any authority. I prefer to rely on real experts, and they will say that they do not fully understand the novel virus.

[Craig Lamson]

Come on Craig - when immensely wealthy people want to make yet more money - they don't do it so they can buy more cars or enjoy a better quality wine.  They do it for fame, power, glory etc.  Being President must be the ultimate power-trip and I'm sure was well worth any amount of money Trump needed to spend on securing the role.......

Jim

EDIT - I do think though that it is not the time to be partisan regarding politics - let's deal with the real threat.  In spite of some shortcomings, I'm glad that here in the UK politics have largely been absent from the commentary so far - that can come later.

Yes its generally true that making money for a wealthy person is more a way to keep score.  None of that diminishes the point that Trumps properties have been hit hard by the loss of Anti Trumpers visits and boycotts.  There have been numerous articles showing the declining revenue since he took office.  Just facts.  He will likely leave office with less than he went in with.

It may be a power trip or simply a desire to better the nation.  Only Trump knows.

[Ray]

When a Facebook post persona says: "I suspect ...", you've made me lose my attention.

Even people who should know a bit more than average, all of a sudden portrait themselves as experts on fields they clearly are unqualified to speak about with any authority. I prefer to rely on real experts, and they will say that they do not fully understand the novel virus.

Bart,
The linked article from The Spectator, provided by Slobodan, was written by Dr John Lee who is a retired Professor of Pathology who had previously worked with the National Health Service as a consultant. The Facebook comment on that article was from a female African-American political commentator, Candace Owens.

After reading  the article, I found it interesting that Candace claims to have spent a whole day searching for daily death rates for other diseases, but couldn't find any information. Perhaps you, Bart, with your superior skills, could do a better search and find out whether or not the reported deaths from heart disease, and other diseases, have remained constant whilst the deaths from Covid-19 have been escalating.

[Rob C]

Bart,
The linked article from The Spectator, provided by Slobodan, was written by Dr John Lee who is a retired Professor of Pathology who had previously worked with the National Health Service as a consultant. The Facebook comment on that article was from a female African-American political commentator, Candace Owens.

After reading  the article, I found it interesting that Candace claims to have spent a whole day searching for daily death rates for other diseases, but couldn't find any information. Perhaps you, Bart, with your superior skills, could do a better search and find out whether or not the reported deaths from heart disease, and other diseases, have remained constant whilst the deaths from Covid-19 have been escalating.

I understand why you'd like to be able to differentiate between Corona-only deaths and those deaths in patients with comorbidities. However, I'd guess that the interest for the population at large is different: after all, Corona can come at you from your buddy - or a stranger sneezing in your presence or, alternatively, from heavy breathing that's aimed at you (but not via the telephone).

Heart attacks, cancer, excess fat, all the usual killer suspects are often avoidable depending on your own actions: Corona doesn't offer many such avoidance options within its agenda, and so it becomes far more scary and newsworthy because it's a hidden threat. Just like the nutter with a gun or knife. There is more mileage in the unseen menace.

Regarding the self-inflicted killers, I'd imagine statistics may only serve a purpose for those ordering medications, specialist equipment etc. but hardly for the public. I have had two heart attacks but it doesn't interest me in the least to know how many other people have had how many: it doesn't alter my future one iota. It's as interesting for me as reading about the number of spanners in the main Ford factory.

However, knowing how many people are sick (if any) with Corona in the local village is very interesting to me.

Rob

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Rob,

The issue raised here is not of comorbidity. The issue is if a person with other conditions dies, say from a heart attack, and is tested positive for Coronavirus, but is otherwise asymptomatic, do you classify that that as a Coronavirus death or a heart-attack death?

[Paulo Bizarro]

Death statistics in Portugal for 2018:

- 113,051 (11/1,000 inhabitants). Majority people over 75 year old.

From the above number:

- 32,732 due to circulatory diseases: heart, strokes, etc
- 27,849 due to tumours

Covid-19: thus far, death rate in people over 70 is 8%. Similar to other countries whose population is dominated by old people. But yesterday we had a child of 14 that died. The cocktail is explosive - people with preconditions like above,plus diabetis, asthma, are a large part of the population, and are critically at risk.

[Rob C]

Rob,

The issue raised here is not of comorbidity. The issue is if a person with other conditions dies, say from a heart attack, and is tested positive for Coronavirus, but is otherwise asymptomatic, do you classify that that as a Coronavirus death or a heart-attack death?

Yes, but as I pointed out, such statistics are mainly of academic interest to the general public but of great, real importance to medical specialists, of which I am not one. It's akin to pixel peeping for the rest of us.

However, as I pointed out in my first sentence, there are those who simply enjoy statistics per se.

Bending my argument closer to your concern, it's similar to trying to classify how folks die if they have AIDS. Is it the disease or its effect elsewhere on the system? If you get fatally stabbed, do you die of fright, of loss of blood or a punctured vital organ? Does it matter, aren't you just as much past tense?

[Jim Pascoe]

I've come across this on Facebook. I do not vouch for the veracity of the statements, but seem to offer an interesting angle on the stats.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/The-evidence-on-Covid-19-is-not-as-clear-as-we-think?fbclid=IwAR15hg0z3vZgSr0z_GyCbz-pYoxiypu0OSl2mxZI1A_EJrSkc86_WpTZGYE

"Dr John Lee
How deadly is the coronavirus? It’s still far from clear
There is room for different interpretations of the data"

The post on Facebook accompanying the link, coming from a pro-Trump black public figure Candace Owens (bold mine)

Thanks for the link - very interesting in the suggestion that Covid 19 may not be that deadly and in fact most of those who are dying might have died soon anyway.  However I find the fact that 50 doctors in Italy have died in the past few weeks from the virus somewhat discredits the theory.  I cannot believe that those 50 doctors were mostly elderly and with serious health problems.....

Jim

[Robert Roaldi]

Rob,

The issue raised here is not of comorbidity. The issue is if a person with other conditions dies, say from a heart attack, and is tested positive for Coronavirus, but is otherwise asymptomatic, do you classify that that as a Coronavirus death or a heart-attack death?

An eternal problem with multi-variate data. If a patient with a heart condition dies while infected with C19, how do you determine if he would have lived had he not been infected?

One way would be to compare data with previous time periods in which C19 was not a factor, but of course not everything else is equal in those comparisons. There are statistical methods to assign probability to estimates, and their correctness depends on the number of data points. We're still collecting data. But you can probably take reasonable calculated guesses based on past contagions. There are buildings full of people whose job it is to do these calculations. It has been decades since I worried about multi-variate statistics.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... However I find the fact that 50 doctors in Italy have died in the past few weeks from the virus somewhat discredits the theory.  I cannot believe that those 50 doctors were mostly elderly and with serious health problems.....

I might not discredit the theory, but rather complement it. Doctors who are fighting coronavirus are extremely overworked and overstressed. Which in itself lowers your immunity.

[KLaban]

Rob,

The issue raised here is not of comorbidity. The issue is if a person with other conditions dies, say from a heart attack, and is tested positive for Coronavirus, but is otherwise asymptomatic, do you classify that that as a Coronavirus death or a heart-attack death?

In that case the cause of death would be as a result of a heart attack.

On the other hand, if a heart attack wasn't addressed in time or wasn't addressed properly or wasn't addressed at all because the health system in question was overwhelmed by coronavirus patients then it could be argued that other's coronaviruses played a part in that death.

[LesPalenik]

Reminder to play it safe and stay at home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTODB54JalU&feature=youtu.be