The Countdown to the restart of the economy has begun.

[Darren]

AFAIK the current protocol uses hydroxycloroquine which has been around since 1955 for use against malaria and more recently prescribed for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

And which is causing fatal arrhythmias among patients who are being treated with it in trials now underway (some of which have been cancelled as a result), a known adverse effect of the drug which is, of course, more likely to occur in the very patients at greatest risk of complications from COVID-19.

The potential for cardiac issues is well known. That's why medical personnel take and review medical histories.

[Darren]

Looks like asymptomatic COVID-19 cases are far more widespread than thought. This is from Boston.

"The broad-scale testing took place at the Pine Street Inn homeless shelter in Boston’s South End a week and a half ago because of a small cluster of cases there.

Of the 397 people tested, 146 people tested positive. Not a single one had any symptoms.

“It was like a double knockout punch. The number of positives was shocking, but the fact that 100 percent of the positives had no symptoms was equally shocking,” said Dr. Jim O’Connell, president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, which provides medical care at the city’s shelters."

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/trending/co ... rLUg1x2_x0

[Scooter]

So in that sample, over one third of the population are carrying the virus and spreading it to others without knowing it. If that's supposed to be good news....

[Joe Guy]

I certainly won't be in that group...

We have a nice selection of sausages, bacon, hamburger meat, salami, ham, little smokies and more available in the fridge and freezer...

So we're well positioned to deal with any short term meat shortages...

Tomorrow I'm making a nice hearty batch of Shepherds Pie...

I found a photo of Jim contemplating his next meal....

[Darren]

So in that sample, over one third of the population are carrying the virus and spreading it to others without knowing it. If that's supposed to be good news....

Ava, it means herd immunity is increasing faster than known. So far the only account of antibody testing I've found showed 30% to 50% already have antibodies.

If you've been following my links. Mayo Clinic and others are recruiting volunteers who had COVID-19 for plasma donations to treat the severe cases.

[Lord Jim]

Where do you get your shepherds from, LJ? Kroger is out of them this week

Yes, at times they can be hard to find...

Sometimes I have to substitute with a goat herder, but they tend to be a bit gameyer ...

[Scooter]

So in that sample, over one third of the population are carrying the virus and spreading it to others without knowing it. If that's supposed to be good news....

it means herd immunity is increasing faster than known.

Once again you are conflating identification of infections with immunity. Once might have been a mistake, twice is clearly deliberate. And dishonest.

[Scooter]

Oh, look, Cheeto blinked, again!

In battle with governors over reopening, Trump backs down

In the battle to reopen their states, governors faced off against U.S. President Donald Trump with the law and public opinion on their side, and in the end, Trump deferred.

Trump said Thursday the governors can "call their own shots" about when to reopen businesses and schools, and released new guidelines that allow states to phase in reopening, saying some states are in better position than others and could start right away.

"Governors will be empowered to tailor an approach that meets the diverse circumstances of their own state. If they need to remain closed, we will allow them to do that," said Trump, who began the week saying he had total authority to force states to reopen.

Critics say the announcement changes little since the governors already have that authority under the constitution.

"His directive today will be greeted with eye-rolls in governors' offices across the country I suspect," said Democratic strategist Ian Russell.

"For a lot of people … there was never a question that they would actually be the ones in control."

Apart from having legal authority, governors have also built up the trust and credibility to reassure a nervous public, says Jai Chabria, who was a senior adviser to former Ohio governor John Kasich.

"Because [Gov. DeWine] has been transparent the entire time, he will be a credible voice on that effort," said Chabria, who notes the governor's daily briefings have become known as "Wine with DeWine."

Polls reflect the prominent place governors have taken in the public eye during the crisis. A Quinnipiac University poll last week found 74 per cent of respondents approved of their governor's response to the pandemic, compared to 46 per cent for the president.

The White House's seemingly erratic response has further contributed to the rise in governors' popularity and credibility, said law professor Dick Howard.

"The president's policies seem to change from day to day," said Howard, who teaches at the University of Virginia. "So when you look at that performance in Washington compared with a much more steady hand of at least some of the governors, then it's not surprising that the governors end up looking pretty good."

Howard says the governors' daily briefings bring to mind the "fireside chats" of President Franklin Roosevelt, which offered comfort during unsettling times in the 1930s and '40s.

"People want that kind of reassurance — and frankly, they're not getting it from the president."

Handling what comes next also comes down to experience and preparation, said Raymond Scheppach, a former executive director with the National Governors Association. He said the association holds orientation for new governors, and the first session is always on emergency management.

"We'd always told them that the very first person that you nominate is your emergency person, before your chief of staff," said Scheppach, noting the increasing prevalence of natural disasters has given many governors lots of on-the-job crisis training.

Scheppach said governors are also more inclined to work together, across party lines.

"Governors are governors first and Republicans and Democrats second," Scheppach said.

[Darren]

"Another day, and yet more evidence has appeared that could indicate the number of people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, might be vastly higher than official figures suggest. This time a Californian study suggests the figure in one county could be more than 50 times the number who knew they had had the virus.

A team from Stanford University and other colleges recruited volunteers in Santa Clara County via Facebook adverts and produced a sample of 3,000 representatives of the county as a whole. They were then invited for blood tests to detect the presence of antibodies to the virus. The result was positive in 1.5 percent of cases. Adjusting for age, gender and ethnicity the results suggest that 2.8 percent of people in the county had already had the virus. That might not seem many, but at the time of the study — on April 4 and 5 — only 1,094 people in the county were recorded as having the virus. The study suggests the real figure is between 48,000 and 81,000."

https://spectator.us/stanford-study-sug ... -realized/

[Darren]

Oh, look, Cheeto blinked, again!

"His directive today will be greeted with eye-rolls in governors' offices across the country I suspect," said Democratic strategist Ian Russell.

"Governors are governors first and Republicans and Democrats second," Scheppach said.

That makes sense to me.

Any time someone wants more rope, give it to them.

Especially if they want to take responsibility for the economic well being of their constituents.

[Scooter]

Someone whispered in your Fuhrer's ear that his blustering about his "absolute power" is as flaccid as his microscopic dick.

[RayThom]

How false hope spread about hydroxychloroquine to treat covid-19 — and the consequences that followed

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... rc=nl_fact

[Darren]

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., April 15, 2020

"Abbott Launches Third COVID-19 Test, a Laboratory-Based Antibody Blood Test That Will Ship in the U.S. Starting Tomorrow

This adds to Abbott's previously announced COVID-19 molecular tests: the m2000™ lab-based test and ID NOW™ rapid point-of-care test.

New antibody test will run on Abbott's ARCHITECT® i1000SR and i2000SR laboratory instruments and will expand to its new Alinity™ i system.

Abbott begins shipping tomorrow and intends to distribute 4 million tests in April, ramping to 20 million in the U.S. per month in June and beyond."

https://abbott.mediaroom.com/2020-04-15 ... g-Tomorrow

[Scooter]

So there won't be a good picture of infection/immunity until well into 2021.

[Scooter]

[Darren]

So there won't be a good picture of infection/immunity until well into 2021.

Don't be so optimistic, Ava,

[Scooter]

Just sayin', all the sources you provide as evidence of "progress" seem to point away from establishing the conditions necessary for restarting the economy any time in the foreseeable future.

[Darren]

"DETROIT (Reuters) - Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on Friday she is hopeful the state can begin to reengage parts of its economy beginning on May 1, days after facing a barrage of criticism for her strict measures to combat the new coronavirus."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-heal ... SKBN21Z2F6

[Darren]

"Gov. Phil Scott on Friday announced the initial steps that his administration is taking to reopen Vermont’s economy, starting next week. "

https://vtdigger.org/2020/04/17/scott-a ... usinesses/

[Darren]

"OMAHA, Neb. -- An upscale outlet mall near Omaha plans to reopen later this month even as the number of coronavirus cases and deaths continue to grow and even though a statewide order prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people."

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory ... s-70150935