Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

Reality always gets a vote in the end.

How stupid are these people?

They spent the last eight months firing professionals and replacing them with ideologues.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Washington Post Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

Innocent people do not delay justice.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Saturday/Sunday, June 6-7

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Saturday/Sunday, June 6-7

by | 61 Comments

This post is in: , ,

Hey guys maybe we found us a scapegoat…


Or not:

Speaking of posturing, got this link from a commentor who didn’t include their nym:


One theory about this is that it’s hot enough in Arizona that people are clustering indoors, where the aggressive air conditioning expedites virus particle distribution. In which case, look out Nevada…


Couldn’t resist…

Reader Interactions

61Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    Among patients with severe or life-threatening #COVID19, convalescent plasma therapy added to std treatment did not significantly improve the time to clinical improvement within 28 days…”

    Why did people think that treating the clap would help with Covid?

  2. 2.

    NotMax

    If current daily numbers hold, U.S. will pass 2,000,000 confirmed cases early in the coming Infrastructure Week.

  3. 3.

    charon

    At Arizona Albertson’s supermarket a few days ago, about 50% of shoppers with masks.  One week previous, same store, about 95%.  So people here, PHX suburbs getting sloppy

    Lots of Trumpers in this area, I guess they find the GOP spin convincing.

  5. 5.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s daily numbers. 19 new cases: 13 cases from local infection, of which 2 are among non-Malaysians, 6 imported cases. Total 8,322 cases.

    39 more patients recovered, total 6,674 recovered or 80.2% of all cases so far. Of 1,531 active cases, five are in ICU of whom none is on a ventilator. No new deaths, total remains at 117 deaths.

    Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has announced that on 10 June, Malaysia enters a new phase of lockdown: recovery-phase movement control order, expected to last through 31 August — Merdeka (independence) Day. More business sectors will be allowed to reopen. Details on the RMCO are at The New Straits Times link posted above.

    There has been a change to the quarantine procedure for Malaysians returning from abroad: instead of mandatory 14-day quarantine, from June 10 they will be swabbed on return. Those who test positive will be hospitalised for isolation and treatment, those who test negative will be directed to quarantine at home for 14 days.

  8. 8.

    Geminid

    @charon: 100% of staff and customers at the Walmart I visited last week wore masks. Same with the Tractor Supply. These were in Greene County, Va., which one could call it a “red” county. But Virginia has a mask mandate for places of business. I think large businesses want masks and the customers accept the requirement. But if there is no mandate businesses are reluctant to impose the requirement even if they know it helps.

  9. 9.

    Zinsky

    Smart, cooperative societies can beat viral epidemics by socially isolating, quarantines, tracking and tracing and scrupulous hand-washing.  Unfortunately, the U.S. is not a smart or cooperative society!

  10. 10.

    terben

    From the Australian Dept of Health:

    ‘As at 3:00pm on 7 June 2020, a total of 7,260 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Australia, including 102 deaths and 6,703 have been reported as recovered from COVID-19.

    • Over the past week, there has been an average of 9 new cases reported each day. Of the newly reported cases, the majority have been from Victoria.
    • Of cases with a reported place of acquisition, 62% have recent international travel history, including over 1,300 cases associated with cruise ships.
    • To date, over 1,617,000 tests have been conducted nationally. Of those tests conducted 0.4% have been positive.’

    The numbers represent an increase of 5 new cases (+6/-1). There are 18 cases in hospital, 3 in ICU.

  11. 11.

    p.a.

    Anecdote =/= data but most ‘uncovered nose’ people I’ve seen have their 50th birthday in the rear view mirror.  I realize there are breathing issues, but…

  12. 12.

    Shalimar

    Not sure about the rest of Florida, but there was a massive increase in tourism in the Panhandle for Memorial Day, and it has held steady since then.  We went from very slow to normal year very quickly.

    And mask usage is under 10%.  No one shows any sign of caring.

  13. 13.

    satby

    @p.a.: I have severe asthma. I am newly 65, and overweight too. All risk factors for higher covid infection complications. So when people whine about having to wear masks I just want to call them big babies to their faces. If you take the risks seriously, you wear a mask, if you don’t consider it a risk *to you* you don’t. The common denominator in all the non-mask wearers is they don’t believe it’s going to affect them, period. So they make up bullshit excuses about how hard it is to breathe, or how they believe immune systems need to be strengthened by exposure, or constitutional rights. But the bottom line is that they’re just selfish assholes who don’t think that risks and collective action to slow the spread apply to them. I’ve resigned myself to the reality that probably 250,000 Americans will be dead from covid-19 before this is over.

  14. 14.

    Amir Khalid

    @Geminid:

    At the grocery store today, all customers were masked because otherwise security won’t let you in. But some uniformed store workers had their masks pulled down. If I see this again next week, I shall want a quiet word with a supervisor about reminding staff to respect the health and safety rules which are in place to protect them.

  15. 15.

    evodevo

    @charon: The RWNJ I  deal with on the Book of Faces thinks it’s all over (It’s not in the news headlines this week, so it was a hoax!), and even if it’s not, and I quote “I’m not spending my life indoors.  You do what you want, I will do what I want.  Death is a normal risk and no reason for me to stay home, and why aren’t the churches allowed to open!!!”

  16. 16.

    WereBear

    @satby: But the bottom line is that they’re just selfish assholes who don’t think that risks and collective action to slow the spread apply to them.

     
    One political party, cheating their way to dominance, seized on their worst traits to set themselves apart with.

    And so they did.

  17. 17.

    Matt McIrvin

    The Southwest is going to have to go through the same transition the Northeast did, where the infection rate gets high enough that everyone knows a bunch of people who have COVID-19, and starts hearing of friends-of-friends who died horribly. Then everyone actually gets scared, and you spend the next several months watching the ICUs fill up and trying to get the curve down.

    Hell, we might have to go through a second round of that in the Northeast too.

  18. 18.

    Matt McIrvin

    @satby: We’re probably already close to 200,000 dead in reality. 250,000 is certain; I’m just wondering whether we’ll have to do the full 1-2 million before there’s a vaccine/prophylaxis/better treatment.

  19. 19.

    donnah

    Here in Dayton, Ohio, masks are still prevalent. I had rug hooking friends stop in to buy a pattern from me, one of them wore a mask to my house and was very careful. She and her husband, like my husband and me, have stayed isolated and careful about venturing out. She and I chatted about caring for our elderly parents and how important it is to stay safe.

    The other woman came over a few days later and immediately commented on how long my hair has gotten and I told her that going three months without a trim was the reason. She looked shocked and said she has been “over this stuff” for a month and has gone about her regular business ever since. That made me feel queasy. I explained to her that I have two elderly, high-risk moms to care for and she shrugged. I wiped down the table where she was when she left and washed my hands again. It made me angry that she was so cavalier with my safety. It also made me angry that she gave off an exasperated vibe that I was still practicing careful measures to stay well.

    So from now on, no visitors here. While Ohio’s infection numbers have fallen, there could easily be a surge as things reopen. I don’t want to be a part of a surge because some smug idiot compromised my safety.

  20. 20.

    YY_Sima Qian

    After several days of no domestic confirmed cases reported in all of China, there one new case yesterday, reported by Hainan Province off the coast of Guangdong. It is an exported case from Tianmen City in Hubei Province, part of a tour group. The person had tested negative for PCR before leaving for the trip, but tested positive upon arrival at Hainan. The case has no outward symptoms, so was initially reported as asymptomatic. However, after further diagnosis by a team of experts, in accordance with the 7th edition of the China National Health a Commission’s COVID-19 treatment guide, the case was deemed confirmed. It is not known what is the symptom that triggered confirmation, there has been past case reports noting increased lymphocyte count as indicator.

    I would not be surprised if other cities in Wuhan conduct mass screenings one by one.

    After the mass screening at Wuhan, 3+ million people in Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang Province will also conduct 100% mass screening. The decision is curious, since the outbreak there has not reported a confirmed case in nearly a month. There is no plan, yet, to conduct 100% screen at the site of the most recent outbreak – Jilin City in Jilin Province. The entire city has just been re-designated as Low Risk area, after two weeks of no new cases.

  21. 21.

    Geminid

    @Matt McIrvin:     it’s sad but true that many people will have to experience this epidemic at close hand to understand how serious it is. But Covid-19  is going everywhere, and it won’t be long before the political argument boils down to “Seeing is believing” versus “Don’t  believe your lying eyes.”

  22. 22.

    trnc

    Sadly, Fauci is not wrong. 80% of tightly packed protesters wearing masks is good, but as everyone here knows, it’s the 20% who aren’t wearing masks who pose the greater danger since masks protect other people, not the wearer. Hopefully, being outside will mitigate the risk quite a bit, but when the crowds look like Obama 2008 rallies, I’m not sure how different it is than being indoors for people in the middle.

    Actually, my biggest hope is that the protesters are less risky because they’re the type of people who would have limited their exposure before the protests. IOW, people who have been taking Covid seriously for the last 3 months. Just don’t get near a cop without a mask, know what I’m sayin’?

    Obligatory: At the same time, I fully support the protests and recognize that this is the moment. I am somewhat heartened to see a few newscasts that explicitly point out that most protesters are wearing masks and that they are making the choice to stand up for their beliefs even during this time of heightened risk.

  23. 23.

    WereBear

    @Geminid: it’s sad but true that many people will have to experience this epidemic at close hand to understand how serious it is.

     
    I also see the deliberate encouraging of Republican voters to live by many Big Lies.

    Like: they are the Real Americans, they are the Real White Americans, their branch of religion is the true one, *slurs* want to destroy their lives, science is trying to con them, and expertise is a liberal plot.

    A global pandemic has no meaning to them when their only source of news is the likes of Faux News, Rush Limbaugh, and their equally ignorant cohorts. They would have to uproot their entire lives to adjust to reality.

    And they won’t.

  24. 24.

    trnc

    Brazil’s government has stopped publishing a running total of coronavirus deaths and infections in an extraordinary move that critics call an attempt to hide the true toll of the disease in Latin America’s largest nation.

    apnews.com/bd42a5a5b9abfc8a582a86af1dd7790a?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP&utm_campaign=…

    Yeah, AP, it’s only the critics who think that. There’s just no way a person could objectively decide that hiding the Covid numbers is absolutely the only reason to stop reporting them.

  26. 26.

    YY_Sima Qian

    My and I took out daughter to the zoo in Wuhan today, we did it last weekend, too. Both times, the place was crowded, with the parking lots full. It is actually more crowded today. Everyone old and young and infant wore masks, though (it is required). Temperature and health code check at the entrance and exit. All indoor exhibits are still closed. I get the impression that the people in Wuhan are more relaxed, after the mass screening.

    The zoo itself is rather forgettable, indeed sad, in my opinion. It has not been renovated in decades, most of the buildings remain the same as when my wife visited as a child. The animals are confined to cages, or limited outdoor areas mostly of concrete. The exceptions are the ones for the giant panda and the red panda. My daughter was fascinated by hippos, elephants, ponies and raccoons, but indifferent to the pandas, giraffes, tigers and lions.

    I think I prefer to take my daughter on safaris and see the wild animals in their natural habitat, when she old enough. The COVID-19 pandemic should be over by them.

  27. 27.

    trnc

    @satby: If you take the risks seriously, you wear a mask, if you don’t consider it a risk *to you* you don’t. The common denominator in all the non-mask wearers is they don’t believe it’s going to affect them, period.

    Yup, and this despite the fact that if there is any single piece of information that has been hammered on relentlessly, it’s that masks are to protect the people around you more than yourself.

  28. 28.

    mrmoshpotato

    @evodevo:

    Death is a normal risk 

    This person is a selfish asshole, and I reeeeeeally hope they don’t have kids.

  29. 29.

    Matt McIrvin

    @trnc: It’s almost like there’s a mental block induced by decades of ideological training–these people simply can’t conceive of an action that keeps people safe collectively rather than individually. It’s got to be constructed in “I got mine, fuck you” terms.

    (But they still vote, even though the article in Reason magazine about how voting is irrational on individual-benefit terms has been written a hundred times. I don’t know, go figure.)

  30. 30.

    mrmoshpotato

    @WereBear:

    science is trying to con them, and expertise is a liberal plot. 

    This would be hilarious in its absurdity if it wasn’t so very true.

  31. 31.

    Matt McIrvin

    @trnc: The concern is legitimate–it’s been the thing making me reluctant to get out there personally and join the crush of protesters. It’s being a fucking coward but I’m in an age group with some elevated risk and after all this time carefully avoiding it, I don’t wanna get this thing. I’m dreading the uptick in the Northeast, if it comes.

    BUT. I’m also dreading the nationwide rise in cases being blamed on the protests, when clearly there are huge chunks of the country nowhere near the protests that have decided to go back to business as usual and cram into workplaces and restaurants and casinos without masks. Arizona, by all accounts, is just being collectively foolish in the face of an exponential spike, and the state is chock full of old people. I suspect that once they realize a bunch of them are dying they’re going to start blaming it on BLM somehow, which will be bullshit.

    Also, boy, right-wingers sure are mad that more people aren’t calling liberals hypocrites for going out and protesting killer cops in the face of an pandemic, after condemning them for going out and protesting fighting the pandemic in the face of a pandemic. But that’s more a source of amusement. They’re upset that their bullshit protests against fake tyranny got upstaged by a protest against actual tyranny.

  32. 32.

    trnc

    @Matt McIrvin: I suspect most of the right wing hordes don’t read Reason, and that particular sentiment is probably not widely distributed in the more highly viewed RWNJ outlets because it would inherently mean losing more elections.

  33. 33.

    Skepticat

    The Bahamas entered Phase 4 of reopening except for the areas with recent (month-ago) outbreaks, Nassau and Bimini. A few people are coming in from the States, but they must have proof of a negative test and quarantine. The project another loosening of strictures in a week.

    I expected the Portland Press Herald to give attention to the swabs that had to be throw out after a certain selfish visitor refused to wear a mask when visiting the company in Maine, and I hop eit’s only belated.

  34. 34.

    trnc

    @Matt McIrvin: The concern is legitimate–it’s been the thing making me reluctant to get out there personally and join the crush of protesters. It’s being a fucking coward but I’m in an age group with some elevated risk and after all this time carefully avoiding it, I don’t wanna get this thing.

    Nothing to be ashamed about. I’ve done some marches in the past, but I’m not taking part in these protests because I have a high risk family member with a respiratory illness. Even if it weren’t for that, I’d be hesitant even though I’m reasonably healthy. One of the things I didn’t mention above that makes me feel more hopeful that the protesters won’t be affected too much is that they are bound to be healthier than most to be doing this. They ain’t coming from nursing homes, that’s for damn sure.

    Also, BINGO on the right wing blame that is sure to come. I was thinking about posting something about that, but you said it perfectly. Since most of the protests are in large cities that are already higher risk AND places are starting to reopen, it won’t even be possible to fact check the claims. On the other hand, it’s hard to thread the needle of “they infected everyone” and “the virus isn’t dangerous.”

  35. 35.

    Nicole

    @trnc:
    Slate ran an article on the risks of Covid-19 transmission and protesting and what struck me in the article is that the things that will most increase the risk are things the police are doing- using tear gas, arresting protestors and jamming them into small holding areas. But overall, the medical professionals they talked to were of the opinion that anti-black racism is also a very serious public health crisis, and the protesting is calling attention to that.

    It’s one of those situations where I’d never judge anyone for going out to protest (well, maybe that one person who was symptomatic for Covid-19 and went out anyway; I judge them a bit), and I’d never judge anyone for not going out to protest due to fear for health. But I’m so glad and proud of my fellow citizens for not letting up on the pressure to reform policing.

  36. 36.

    Matt McIrvin

    @trnc: Credit where credit is due, what started me thinking about misplaced COVID blame was that @glitterninja on Twitter called it when the protests were just starting.

  37. 37.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Nicole: That’s the most frustrating thing about it– THE POLICE, the very people who this is all about, are the ones who are doing their damndest to make the COVID risk worse. And I’d say it’s deliberate except that the people they’re putting at greatest risk include themselves; that’s the weirdest bit.

  38. 38.

    Starfish

    @Matt McIrvin:  I let people know that you can write letters to the editor from home. You can petition your congresspeople from home.

    Last week, I sat inside and wrote the newsletter for the local branch of the NAACP. This week, I gave a little money to the fund created by the local Black Lives Matter folks to bail people out.

  39. 39.

    CliosFanBoy

    @donnah: my cousin in Beavercreek says that she and her family have been called “big —ssies” for wearing masks.

  40. 40.

    trnc

    @Nicole: Amen, sister. I’m a little concerned that unrepentant cops might try to maximize the risk, but I guess riot shields will mitigate the risk from them some.

  41. 41.

    CliosFanBoy

    Yeah, the protests WILL spread COVID, but it’s for a damn better cause than “I want a haircut” or “I want to have a beer at the sports bar.”

  42. 42.

    WereBear

    @CliosFanBoy: my cousin in Beavercreek says that she and her family have been called “big —ssies” for wearing masks.

     
    If there is an ethos about our RWNJs, it is the enshrinement of toxic masculinity: for everyone.

    An incredible book I just read nailed it: it is The Man They Wanted Me to Be: Toxic Masculinity and a Crisis of Our Own Making by Jared Yates Sexton.

    Co-host of another recc: The Muckrake podcast.

  44. 44.

    trnc

    A couple of articles for the musicians among us.

    crosscut.com/2020/05/apocalypse-now-what-why-you-cant-band-together

    westpointband.com/westpointmusicresearchcenter/army-band-covid-19-risk-mitigation-for-large-groups.h…

    I’m trying to figure out if my band can get together in a large room with some of the other risk mitigations. We have a huge room available that would allow for 12 feet between everyone, and 2 doors that would help with airflow. The plexiglass shield on the army band page also seems like a great idea. The 2-3 hour practice time is probably the biggest drawback.

  45. 45.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Nicole: Maybe they’ll play the victim and blame the protesters for infecting them, after they kettled the protesters into tight groups, rounded them up in mass arrests and confiscated their masks.

  46. 46.

    germy

    @Matt McIrvin:

    reminded of when at peak covid in NYC people saw like 20 percent of NYPD out sick and were thinking "oh no all the cops are spreading it" and not "the guys with more job security than any other profession in the country decided to stop going to work until until this blows over"
    — 'Weird Alex' Pareene (@pareene) June 7, 2020

  47. 47.

    J R in WV

     

    I too hate it that I don’t feel like I can afford to participate in demonstrations. I’m an old, now, tho, and my wife depends upon me for much of her care. She had  a lobe of her left lung removed after it went necrotic during a siege of pneumonia that caused septic shock and over 2 months in hospital back in 2013 or so.

    So I go out only when necessary, we went to the rural county seat last week to do early voting in the delayed WV primary. Everyone was wearing masks, plenty of hand sanitizer was available, I also took care of getting tax receipts to enable getting the car’s registration renewed. First time wife was out of our hollow since we went next door last December for a winter solstice party.

    I support the young or healthy demonstrating for equal justice for all, and support candidates who will work to make that happen to the extent that we can accomplish it.

  48. 48.

    Michael Cain

    A couple of caveats to keep in mind while looking at the Washington Post map.  (1) East of the Great Plains there are large numbers of geographically small counties; the South and parts of the Midwest are notorious for this; they look overwhelmed just because of the number of symbols drawn.  (2) The size of the symbols is not tied to population; in the state where I live, a dark line (greater percentage increase) for a county of 6,000 people is the same length as the lighter line for a county of 600,000 people, even though the larger county had far more new cases; if the length of the lines represented county populations, the map would look very different.

  49. 49.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Africa has only 1.5% of the world’s reported #Covid19 cases and less than 0.1% of deaths, @WHO says.

    Serveral on line friends of mine in Africa said when the virus hit all the poor walked off the job, went back to their home villages and barracked the villages and won’t come out until it’s over.

  50. 50.

    Fair Economist

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    After the mass screening at Wuhan, 3+ million people in Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang Province will also conduct 100% mass screening. The decision is curious, since the outbreak there has not reported a confirmed case in nearly a month.

    It could have a scientific basis, looking to see if outbreaks can go dormant and wait undetected. I do wonder about the false positive rate with these mass screenings. If you have a false positive rate of 1 in 10,000 (which is very very good), you’d get 300 false positives from a mass screening that size.

  51. 51.

    Fair Economist

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    I think I prefer to take my daughter on safaris and see the wild animals in their natural habitat, when she old enough. The COVID-19 pandemic should be over by them.

    The US has some “outdoor zoos” where many of the animals are free in the park and people take safari-like rides to see them. Some animals still need to be confined due to safety or escape reasons but they still at least get large naturalized enclosures. Obv. not as good as a real safari, but much better zoos to visit than the old style you’re describing. (Also no malaria, yellow fever, etc.)

  54. 54.

    Matt McIrvin

    One thing that fuels unwise behavior is that people naturally want an “OK/not OK” bright line rather than a weighting of relative risk and benefit. That leads to a lot of “it’s not fair–if we can do this, why can’t we do that?” If we can go to the grocery store why can’t we go to church? If it’s OK to protest in person, why can’t we tell everybody to vote in person? Of course, taken to its logical extreme it just leads to opening up everything.

  55. 55.

    VOR

    I went to my local grocery store Friday and was unpleasantly surprised by the reduction in mask wearing. Then on the Book of Faces, a MAGA relative posted a picture of a get together at an outdoor restaurant table where people from different households were all sitting together, nobody wearing masks. One person had waited in line for an hour to get food. In the background were a lot of people close together, nobody wearing a mask. I was appalled.

    I agree with commentators above, people think this is over. The State is opening restaurants back up, with significant limits, hair salons are opening, dentists are opening, and churches resumed in-person services (with significant restrictions). The President is no longer on TV talking about it. He’s clearly bored with COVID and wants it to go away. The protests have almost pushed COVID deaths off the front page.

    Sometimes I wonder if Sweden was right. Clearly efforts to stop COVID have failed, except for islands like Iceland and New Zealand, so perhaps we need to focus on limiting spread via a set of restrictions which can be sustained for the next 12-18 months. Then I remember that simply wearing a mask, a pretty simple public health measure, has become a political issue. What measures could be sustained for 12-18 months when people still claim it is a hoax with >100k dead?

  56. 56.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @Fair Economist: I am fairly certain that in Wuhan they retested the positive batch samples at least once more to confirm the positive result. If the batch is confirmed to be positive, then they test the individual samples that made up the batch, and also retested the positive individuals to confirm (plus antibody and CT chest scans as supplementary tools). This is relatively easy to manage when the prevalence is assumed to be very low. Swabbing everyone and making sure the samples are collected correctly is the far greater logistical challenge.

  57. 57.

    Matt McIrvin

    @VOR: If you look at the state-by-state numbers, there’s a lot of geographic variation here. The Northeast was doing pretty well at getting the curve down before the protests started–it’s too early to say if that’s going to ruin it all, but there hasn’t been a huge new spike in cases yet, and this has been going on for a week now.

    The West, particularly Southwest is where the biggest trouble is now. These are places where it never got bad enough for people to get really traumatized. It was mostly a faraway thing for them. I suspect a big wave of deaths will sober them up, but that may be what it takes.

  58. 58.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @Fair Economist: Are you talking about Busch Garden? Yeah, that is better than the  old school zoos in China. Even Bronx or San Diego Zoo is better in that regard, at least there is good faith effort to replicate the habitats of the exhibited animals. The Panda research centers are good examples in China.

    However, having done safaris in Tanzania, Botswana and Zimbabwe, the zoo experience does nothing for me. There is just so much drama and story with real wildlife.

  59. 59.

    Matt

    @WereBear: TBH at some point it may be easier to just fence off one of the square states and turn it into an open-air sanitarium featuring TVs that all broadcast “simulated news” that all the lies are true and 80 is the new 20 – warehouse the Trumpkins there and let the sane people get on with their lives.

  60. 60.

    Matt

    @p.a.: Over 50 means they spent their entire childhood and adolescence marinating in tetraethyl lead – long-term consequences include impulsivity and diminished empathy.

    We’ve got an entire generation of people in this country who suffered serious long-term brain damage from lead poisoning, and they’re now entering prime-time for dementia.

  61. 61.

    Bill Arnold

    @CliosFanBoy:

    my cousin in Beavercreek says that she and her family have been called “big —ssies” for wearing masks.

    Your cousin has been called that by people who believe that they have a constitutional right to kill random people.
    (Sometimes, the person they randomly kill will be themselves, but so it goes.)
    There is no such right in the US constitution. (If they believe that it’s a hoax, then their gullible and stupid.)

    Also, they’re fucking stupid. Universal mask wearing while indoors in public places is the single easiest intervention[1]. From the look of the New York State by-county statistics, it looks like it reduced R0 noticeably since Cuomo’s April 17 mask order. (New case rates in high-infection-rate counties dropped by about a factor of two(+) about 5-10 days later, and have stayed low since.) People in my area are near 100% compliant, and it’s just trivial; mask/face covering goes on while they’re walking from their car to the store, and they probably spend much more time parking.

    [1] I also suggest not being vitamin D deficient; seems to be a very high correlation (a few studies) between vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency, and the rate of severe COVID-19 cases. Newer papers are still in peer review.

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