As countries around the world consider easing restrictions, attention is being focused on the best ways to avoid a second wave pic.twitter.com/hYNN5R8QJP
— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) May 30, 2020
I was cautiously optimistic that cities, like NYC, that have been under #COVID19 #lockdown for 10+ weeks could transition towards opening, renewal. But across America the rage over George Floyd's murder & police violence against African Americans has eliminated social distancing. pic.twitter.com/HMI8gVoz1p
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) May 30, 2020
Global coronavirus cases surpass 6 million https://t.co/iMi2JWN5f4 pic.twitter.com/PCexXOoLIC
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 31, 2020
#UPDATES US records 960 #coronavirus deaths, bringing its total to 103,758 since the pandemic began, with 1,769,776 overall cases of the virus, far more than any other nation, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University pic.twitter.com/UybLxW57iG
— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 31, 2020
New @CDCgov modeling projects the U.S. death toll from #Covid19 will hit 115,000 by 06/20. State by state projections show some curves flattening, but others, like Iowa, still rising. This was all done before the George Floyd protests; could impact spread. https://t.co/GIev37ldum pic.twitter.com/c4U9yJF0aB
— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) May 30, 2020
⚠️Pandemic’s overall death toll in U.S. likely surpassed
100,000 weeks agoA state-by-state analysis shows that deaths officially attributed to covid-19 only partially account for unusually high mortality during the pandemichttps://t.co/1KkPqlbcZq
— COVID19 (@V2019N) May 30, 2020
“Half of new coronavirus infections in Washington are now occurring in people under the age of 40, a marked shift from earlier in the epidemic when more than two-thirds of those testing positive were in older age groups.” https://t.co/dwCtFejsUS
— David Wallace-Wells (@dwallacewells) May 30, 2020
A pandemic update, May 30th: the shift South
Brazil + LatinAmerica are now accounting for 40% of the deaths, US down to <25% by, @sdbernard @FT
Brazil at 1/4 of US in cumulative deaths and cases but still on
a steep slope for cases
Russia, India & Mexico little Δ, no improvement pic.twitter.com/hhpf5KmnhQ— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 30, 2020
The World Is Still Far From Herd Immunity for #Coronavirus. https://t.co/YmfnOvvHMc #covid19 pic.twitter.com/6L54gR7sD9
— Dr Minas Chrysopoulo (@drchrysopoulo) May 28, 2020
From discussions I see online it seems that some believe we are coming to an end of the pandemic.
Even in the UK – one of the very worst hit countries – only 5-8% of blood donors have COVID19 antibodies.https://t.co/0JgOc9d6R4
We are in the very early days of this pandemic.
— Max Roser (@MaxCRoser) May 30, 2020
Covid19 Deaths yesterday across Europe:
Spain 2
Italy 87
Germany 24
France 52
Turkey 28
Belgium 42
Sweden 84
Portugal 14
Ireland 6
Poland 13
Romania 13
Hungary 8
Netherlands 28UK … 324
— Andrew – Exil Volontaire (@ExilAndrew) May 30, 2020
Russia says coronavirus infections pass 400,000 https://t.co/GnJ9EaPR4Q pic.twitter.com/6UOzVypHdB
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 31, 2020
Head of Navalny's HQ in Ufa Lilia Chanysheva asks Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, "Why is the fatality rate for healthcare workers in Russia 16 times higher than in other countries?" He replies, "I don't think your question is appropriate." https://t.co/lwc2HrN8wo
— X Soviet (@XSovietNews) May 30, 2020
Singapore's health ministry confirms 518 more coronavirus cases https://t.co/5MwZPDa9cy pic.twitter.com/gQn2ErPO23
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 31, 2020
China reports two new coronavirus cases for May 30 https://t.co/iyDKodcdLB pic.twitter.com/BV3kTFMR0k
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 31, 2020
India coronavirus: Why is India reopening amid a spike in cases? https://t.co/QIKEaIZz6h
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 30, 2020
With bodies piling up in wards and patients sharing beds, the #Coronavirus has crippled Mumbai's health care system, but an ambulance service launched by three 20-somethings is trying to do its bit https://t.co/n6bZRLaYWM pic.twitter.com/W1wCUVlCrP
— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 31, 2020
Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound — the third-holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia — reopens after being closed for more than two months because of the #oronavirus pandemic https://t.co/iQHW4foAkg pic.twitter.com/2fEJOY3zH4
— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 31, 2020
Coronavirus in South Africa: Eight lessons for the rest of the continent https://t.co/hx0tuc13Gh
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 30, 2020
Spot on. #Coronavirus Australia: #COVID lockdown prevented 32,000 cases, modelling shows https://t.co/92kh642wcf
— MJA Editor in Chief (@MJA_Editor) May 30, 2020
The world's new #COVID19 epicenter could be the worst yet.
There are ~920,000 confirmed #coronavirus cases & nearly 50,000 deaths across Latin America's 33 countries, but those numbers are fast on the rise.https://t.co/6avkPQqpzk #COVIDbrasil pic.twitter.com/b3pDUZ9iBd
— Microbes&Infection (@MicrobesInfect) May 30, 2020
Brazil nears half a million coronavirus cases as more than 27,000 are recorded in one day https://t.co/4PpKSAKoYS pic.twitter.com/i0sT55WRjh
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 30, 2020
Mexico counts 9,779 coronavirus deaths, 87,512 cases https://t.co/rdcF4hhlVa pic.twitter.com/NZNaxkNJJX
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 31, 2020
Horror Movie Interlude:
Coronavirus: Monkeys 'escape with COVID-19 samples' after attacking lab assistant https://t.co/neUMb0nuhy
— SkyNews (@SkyNews) May 29, 2020
Ah i see we've entered the plague monkeys part of the nightmare timeline https://t.co/JW8vnPptXb
— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) May 29, 2020
Good news: all the monkeys were recaptured and all the virus blood samples were recovered intact https://t.co/913kLXO565
— The Dragon Demands (@ADragonDemands) May 29, 2020
The infectious dose for the coronavirus may vary depending on whether it’s ingested or inhaled. https://t.co/YnPRFcz9m8
— NYT Science (@NYTScience) May 30, 2020
"The missteps also raised concerns about how the government might handle the distribution of vaccines, which are likely to be in even greater demand when they become available." HHS must prepare today for vaccine distribution in the future. https://t.co/uLhexpMMxK
— Rachel Sachs (@RESachs) May 28, 2020
More than one-third of Covid-19 deaths have been traced back to nursing homes. Experts suggest several ways to make them safer. https://t.co/rzDJJoLeGW
— NYT Science (@NYTScience) May 31, 2020
Rest and fluids are essential, but not always enough. Here are some more things you can do to feel better. https://t.co/qYfr9siQuO
— NYT Science (@NYTScience) May 31, 2020
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s daily numbers: 57 new cases; of which four are Malaysians, 43 are either foreign workers or illegal immigrants, and 10 are imported cases in repatriated Malaysians.
23 more patients recovered and were discharged. Total 6,353 recovered, or 81.25% of all cases. No new new deaths (none since May 22, in fact), total stands at 115. Infection fatality rate 1.47%, case fatality rate 1.78%.
NotMax
As the morning thread will be garden and light banter oriented and who knows when a more open thread not primarily devoted to the civil unrest will appear, putting this here, subject to repetition later today should opportunity arise.
While there is no single cut and dried, one size fits all explanation, a relevant psychological perspective (which slightly predates the blooming of anti-mask animosity).
WereBear
I had a feeling virus load was a factor. It’s all about the numbers.
Amir Khalid
Some data I left out.
Total cases so far: 7,819. Of the 43 cases involving non-citizens, 24 of them at an illegal immigrant detention centre in Sepang district, and 15 in three workplace clusters in Pahang state.
1,351 active cases; nine in ICU of whom two are on ventilators. All of course being isolated in hopital.
Amir Khalid
@NotMax:
No need to apologise. That’s perfectly relevant to this thread.
Tony Jay
Look at those daily death figures and ask yourself “Why is the British Government so suicidal eager to dismantle all of the safety measures that make up The Lockdown?”
Because they’re a bunch of cold-blooded cashgroomers who exist only to facilitate the profits of their billionaire sponsors? Yes.
Because they’re incompetent ideologues with a severe aversion to helping people as opposed to conning and looting them? Yes.
Because they’re conducting a Randian experiment in product hardening to make Britain home to the world’s first ‘ Herd Immunity’ workforce prior to the national sell-off? Yes.
Because they’re well-meaning representatives of the people who are trying to balance public safety with the demands of a 21at century economy? Hard no.
Pity our national media is still farting around with variations on the last, false explanation, but did I ever point out that Britain, as a nation, is comprehensively and humiliating fucked?
BTW, Good Morning Juicers. I’m off to dismantle and move a chicken coop. Productive!
terben
Latest from the Australian Dept of Health:
‘As at 3:00pm on 31 May 2020, a total of 7,195 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Australia, including 103 deaths and 6,614 have been reported as recovered from COVID-19.
Following the peak of cases at the end of March 2020, there has been a sustained and relatively low number of new cases reported daily since approximately 19 April 2020.
Of cases with a reported place of acquisition, 62.2% have recent international travel history, including over 1,300 cases associated with cruise ships.
The overall proportion of cases under investigation in each state and territory is relatively low, indicating that public health actions, including case identification and contact tracing, is occurring in a timely manner.
To date, over 1,454,500 tests have been conducted nationally. Of those tests conducted 0.5% have been positive.’
There have been 10 new cases in the last 24 hours. 21 people are in hospital, 4 in ICU, 1 ventilated.
In my state, South Australia, it is now 49 days since our last Covid-19 death.Tomorrow, we move to a new stage in reopening. Here are some of the new rules.
Social distancing
From 1 June, social distancing measures should still be followed. This means
1 person per 4 square metres
1.5 metres between people
Public gatherings
From 1 June, more people may gather, depending on room size.
A maximum of 80 people may gather at a venue.
Any separate room or area may have a maximum of 20 people (subject to the 1 person per 4 square metre rule).
Business restrictions eased
From 1 June, restrictions will be eased on the following businesses and activities.
Hospitality (seated at a table) at restaurants, cafes, wineries, pubs, breweries, bars
Cinemas, theatres, galleries and museums
Beauty, nails, tattoo, non-therapeutic massage
Driving instruction lessons
Gyms and indoor fitness (10 participants per class)
Funerals (50 max room limit)
Non-contact outdoor sport (competition) (20 max participants)
Non-contact indoor sport and indoor recreation activities (20 max per room; group classes 10 max participants)
charon
@NotMax:
Which correlates (not mentioned) with just one of two major parties – one led a a man who ostentatiously goes unmasked. It is highly politicized behavior also.
RSA
The article doesn’t mention cost. A shared room in a nursing home averages over $90,000 per year, and almost every suggested change would increase that amount, some significantly. I don’t think anything will change (in the richest country in the history of the world).
Ohio Mom
If/when the numbers spike, Right-wingers who have been loudly denying everything the epidemiologists have been telling us will suddenly agree that the spike was caused by Blacks and their libtard allies who protested.
ThresherK
@NotMax: I was informed of WWII air raids by Looney Tunes on TV. “Hey! Put out that light!” is in a handful of them.
Fascinating to think if “open up” and “liberate” protestors would have followed air raid wardens during WWII, or just continue making sure nobody was the boss of them.
satby
I refuse to create a “free” account on the NYT website to view their supposedly unpaywalled covid coverage. What bullshit.
otmar
@satby: just turn off JavaScript
marklar
@NotMax: Reactance is not necessarily universal, and can be somewhat culturally dependent. It is typically much higher in cultures stressing independence/individualism over interdependence/collectivism. Unfortunately, that does not bode well for the United States, particular for those who align with political ideologies stress individualism.
This can in part explain the partisan divide with respect to mask wearing and need for distancing. Couple that with research on cultural cognition– which shows that people will go to vast lengths to justify the positions propping up their cultural affiliations (in our case, political identity), twisting evidence willfully ignoring counter evidence to do so– and you can pretty much account for much of the differences between Parties.
Given that the Party in charge of the Executive, the Senate, and the Courts lionize individualism, we’re in a tough spot.
YY_Sima Qian
Sigh, the COVID-19 pandemic is the great light that shines upon every polity, strips away all the illusions, deceptions, self-delusions, self-congratulation, and all the other BS, and expose the reality. For many polities, it is a harsh and ugly reality. For the US, it seems the disease developed over centuries and decay developed over decades are all coming home to roost, at once.
Now that Trump has called out the National Guard very quickly to suppress the occasionally violent protests, I do wonder how the administration will keep a straight face when criticizing the CCP regime for “violently” suppressing the anti-establishment protest movement in Hong Kong last year. After all, Hong Kong police restricted their use of force to standard anti-riot arsenal of tear gas, rubber bullets, later on water cannons. And the Chinese army and paramilitary never got involved. Based on the media coverage, it seems the level of protest violence currently seen in the US is higher than the mostly peaceful demonstrations in Hong Kong from Jun. to Aug. 2019, but lower than that in Hong Kong from Sept. to Nov. 2019, as the violent/nativist/nihilist/radical elements stepped to the fore and took over street actions (with the acquiescence, if not outright support, of the mainstream protest movement, since the movement generally failed to disavow or condemn these elements).
It is always interesting to compare and contrast the US MSM coverage of protests in the US (and France, Catalonia, Chile last year, for that matter) and Hong Kong. Most English language media (US/UK/AUS) willfully ignored the ugly aspects of the anti-establishment protest movement in Hong Kong, even as violence escalated over the months, or would bury the matter deep in the columns when it is covered. On the other hand, protestor violence is more much prominent in the coverage of the US protests. Case in point, both WP and NYT have supersizes photos of burning properties center in their websites when covering the current protests. What were defining images from NYT and WP from the Hong Kong protests? Ranks of black shirted youths in respirators and hardhats, looking determined. Never mind that the violent protestors in Hong Kong routinely lobbed Molotov cocktails toward police precincts, set fire to metro stations, trashed Chinese bank branches and travel agencies, smashed up businesses whose owners criticized (or is perceived to criticize) the movement, and harassed/assaulted people who were caught speaking Mandarin, took cell phone videos of their actions, and were trying to remove the concrete blocks they placed on the roads to block traffic.
Coverage of the the protests in Chinese state media is interesting, too. Naturally, protestor violence/nativism/nihilism/extremism makes up 80% of the coverage of the Hong Kong protests, the other 20% being suggestions of foreign instigation/support. On the US protests, violence is also front and center, to send the message that the US is a paper tiger falling apart at the seams. There is also superficial analysis of the plight of African Americans in the US society, but the the cynicism behind the expressions of sympathy is apparent. I imagine it is similar to Soviet invectives against. Jim Crow.
My apologies for careening further off topic!
arrieve
I watched And the Band Played On on HBOMax yesterday (turns out it’s free if you already have HBO — I assumed they would demand Moar Money!)
The movie ends with Matthew Modine as the CDC doctor at the deathbed of one of the AIDS activists saying, “This didn’t have to happen.”
We never fucking learn.
Amir Khalid
@Tony Jay:
I agree that Britain doesn’t seem anywhere near ready for easing lockdown restrictions to such an extent. I notice that Scotland has decided not to go along with it.
SiubhanDuinne
@Tony Jay:
In my early-morning fog, I mentally added a preposition to that sentence and thought you were moving to a chicken coop.
Coffee, stat!
SiubhanDuinne
@NotMax:
Know the phenomenon well. Didn’t know the word for it until now, so thanks!
artem1s
@Ohio Mom:
absolutely. And the effort to hide the fact that mega church services have been shown to be super spreading events is on. It’s always ‘those’ people who are at fault. Never white people.
Robert Sneddon
@Amir Khalid: Back around March or so a precis of some of the modelling being done by Imperial College, an early entry into the now burgeoning field of predictive modelling of pandemics and the COVID-19 outbreak in particular made mention that the first “hard” lockdown in the model would last eight to eleven weeks. After that mental fatigue within the general population would result in the lockdown being either watered down by the authorities or more and more people would just stop carrying out the “requests” to stay home and socially distance, especially as in the Northern hemisphere we’re moving into summer and generally better weather i.e. going out to the beach or parks etc.
Right now in many countries the authorities are simply staying ahead of what’s going to happen anyway, people going out and congregating regardless of the advice issued. The hope is that the reduced restrictions and increased activity won’t exceed the carrying capacity of society to cope with the numbers of sick and dying plateauing rather than tailing off steeply.
The pandemic models suggest there may be a second and even a third lockdown after folks have been granted a breathing space but sadly the virus population will also have been granted a similar chance to recoup. Those secondary lockdowns will be less effective than the first “hard” lockdown but they’re all we’re going to get. Contact tracing may be the big win for us in that case, along with expanded testing capabilities.
artem1s
reactance can be used to explain away conforming behavior too. why isn’t it being used to explain the behavior of the majority of those who are wearing masks? most of us started even when there was significant peer pressure from the MSM and some health care experts to treat this like any other flu. the protestors with guns are NOT there because of reactance. they are there because they are afraid of looking weak in their peer groups. How about those who will be pressured to go back to church this week? It is the opposite of reactance. those who are more afraid of having bad hair and nails than dying – reactance or fear of rejection by their peers? Covering their makeup with a mask?
those of us who are resisting a return to normal behavior are also exhibiting reactance. Why is the MSM once again oh so very concerned about mollifying and conforming to the most destructive reaction?
Tony Jay
@Amir Khalid:
A friend just e-mailed me pointing out that with sporting events restarting and vulnerable people allowed to go outside, we must officially be at Level 1 status, which means there’s no evidence the virus is being transmitted and a vaccine has been found.
Wow. What a turnaround in a mere 24 hours. Gongs and knighthoods all round.
Government by gaslight. This is not going to end well.
Tony Jay
@SiubhanDuinne:
If this white devil chicken doesn’t stop trying to escape from the new coop I may be forced to move in just to police her.
Cheryl from Maryland
@Tony Jay: I’d like to steal the term “cashgroomers.” Much easier in these times of problematic education to understand over the classic “rentier.” Thanks.
Jinchi
Branded by right wing media.
I understand the value in trying to understand the underlying psychology, but in these cases, virtually all of the reaction is being deliberately driven by right wing political actors and media. These are not intrinsic reactions to limits on personal freedom.
Scientists, doctors and medical experts are trusted and highly regarded by the overwhelming majority of the public. It’s Trump, Fox News and the Republican party that have branded them elitist snobs. Likewise, the peddling of hydroxycholorquine, the contempt of wearing masks and the push to go for “herd immunity” – all those things have been pushed by politicians, not by the public at large. That’s why the governors of Georgia and Florida lie about their numbers and why Betsy DeVos’ family funded the militia protests in Michigan. There is nothing ‘grass roots’ about it.
rikyrah
The rest of the world needs to ban travel from America.
Or force a 21 day quarantine on visitors from America.
rikyrah
@artem1s:
True.
But, it’s spreading in places without protests too?
Uncle Cosmo
@ThresherK: No need to wonder – just look at the obscene U-boat tally off the US East Coast in the months after Pearl Harbor, during the Kriegsmarine‘s Operation Paukenschlag. Much of it due to the fact that the lights of coastal cities blazed brightly in the night – allowing the hunters to sit back, watch for the silhouettes of cargo ships against the glow to the west, & move in for the kill.
ETA: COVID-19 fatalities in the USA have now officially passed the total number of US military deaths in all operations since the end of World War II (102,684). I guessed this would happen by the end of May.
Terraformer
Re: the Russian pol who responded to the question, “I don’t think your question is appropriate” – sounds a lot like our manbaby’s “that’s a nasty question”…
Uncle Cosmo
@Robert Sneddon: With the advent of warm weather people are naturally going to venture out. The zero’th-order effect on the pandemic is probably to decrease virus transmission – simply because the primary route is now understood as airborne droplets, and the droplets have a (very high) third dimension to disperse in outdoors. This is nothing more than common sense applied to the dynamics of airborne transport and diffusion. So if people stay outdoors – at least to the extent of eating & drinking on terraces with upward venting – ensuring that their gatherings are free of the infectious & maintaining 1.5m separation from other groups (preferably upwind) – they’d probably be at minimal risk.
Problems will accompany intensely hot & humid conditions, common in many parts of the USA from now til nearly October, when people will quite understandably look for shelter. In closed & crowded air-conditioned common spaces with low ceilings (bars, restaurants, etc.) it wouldn’t take more than one “super-spreader” infect everyone there. Multiply that by dozens or hundreds or thousands of such venues & you’re looking at an incipient second (or third) wave.
Another Scott
The BBC is giving the Downing Street spin on the UK’s numbers now. I’ve got the sound off. But I noticed that one of the graphs is for “confirmed” deaths from COVID-19. If I were in the UK, I would be very, very concerned that they are deliberately skewing the numbers (there are well known clinical symptoms of COVID-19 that shouldn’t depend on the availability and accuracy of test results to be counted).
I worry that too many places are going into “we’re past the peak, all is well, let’s get back to normal” mode and too many people are not understanding that we still don’t have an effective treatment, we still don’t have enough high-quality testing, we still don’t know if antibodies are sufficient to prevent re-infection, we still don’t have a vaccine.
To be clear (for Brachiator), of course we cannot stay “locked down” forever. But politicians should rely on experts for their messaging and for devising “opening-up” policies. We can “open up” in smart ways, or we can do it in stupid ways that will get many more people sick and killed.
Cheers,
Scott.
Another Scott
@NotMax: (I haven’t clicked your link.)
That word is doing a lot of heavy lifting in your excerpt. I’m not sure it’s true. (Insert Asimov’s quote here.)
e.g. Facebook … is algorithmic amplification optimized for outrage. Loudness =/= Large numbers.
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
Tony Jay
@Cheryl from Maryland:
Consider it your own. ;-)
Feathers
@Uncle Cosmo: One thing about beaches is that salt kills COVID19. So beaches are probably more safe than other outdoor areas, especially if people are in and out of the water. I read about proposals to open beaches, but not allow sunbathing. Figuring out a way to time limit visits was also suggested.
bluefoot
@Tony Jay: There’s a weird cargo cult thing going on that has causality backwards. That is, we are opening up so it must be safe. Rather than setting criteria and procedures to make things safer so we can open up. Things are going to get even uglier.
J R in WV
@YY_Sima Qian:
Way late to this thread…
Actually, Mr Trump can’t usually call out the National Guard, they report to the governor of the state they are in. So in Minnesota, the Governor of MN has called out their National Guard, etc.
Wife, who watches news far more than I do, reports that officials appear to accept that the Black Lives Matter (BLM) folks are not causing any violence, are going home early in the evening, and that semi-pro agitators are fomenting nearly all the violence. Wonder why reporters appear to be singled out for attack by rogue cops…
When police have joined BLM demonstrators in some cities, there was nearly no violence. Of course agitators haven’t the strength in numbers to appear at all cities where BLM is demonstrating. In most cities police are expected to attempt to separate BLM folks from anti-fa and 3% white supremacists, so as to be able to arrest the correct offenders if violence erupts again.
I hope the good photographic evidence against white vandals will result in people being IDed and warrants being issued, plus people can be fired from their jobs. Like the woman who accused the bird watcher of attacking her on video, while he attempted to give her tortured puppy a dog treat. Lost her puppy, lost her job.
One hopes people setting police cars on fire will at least suffer charges and job loss. Monsters on two legs! Rage is bad for you, I’m trying so hard to calm down… easy there ~!!~
LongHairedWeirdo
You know, that’s precisely what they’d say, whether it was true, or not.
(Though if it was true, I’d expect an amazing confluence of events to cause an accidental napalm fire over a large area.)