The Countdown to the restart of the economy has begun.

[Gob]

Call out the respirators
Because there's something in the air
If we get together sooner than later
We'll all be dying here, and you know that's right
And you know that it's right
We must not all get together
We must not all get together now
Lock up all our shops and houses
Because there's something in the air
etc. ad nauseam
(cont. p94)

Having that!!

ETA:

expanded it a little


Call out the respirators
Because there's something in the air
If we get together sooner than later
We'll all be dying here,
and you know that's right
And you know that it's right

We must not all get together
We must not all get together now

Lock up all our shops and houses
Because there's something in the air
Don't get together, sooner or later
Until a proper vaccines's here.

We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now

Wash up your arms and hands now
Disinfect your clothes
We'll get together sometimes, probs later
Because the covbid-19's here,

and you know it's right
And you know that it's right
We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now

etc. ad nauseam
(cont. p94)

[Darren]

Roche announced that its test is 100% accurate at detecting coronavirus antibodies and 99.8% accurate at ruling out the presence of those antibodies, meaning only one in 500 tests will get a false positive. Antibody tests use blood samples to assess whether a person had been previously infected, so they’re useful to determine the true spread of coronavirus.

From https://qz.com/1850518/roches-new-coron ... -accurate/

If true, and I have not read the original report, this is very good news.

Abbott has already shipped 4.6 million antibody tests which have been confirmed to be similar to the new Roche tests. The tests are designed to be used on the maker's existing testing equipment in medical facilities.

[Darren]

This brings up questions. What did they do with the unemployment money they collected all those years. I understand they've always had continuing unemployment claims. Did the employer deposits go into the general fund?

"California has become the first state to borrow money from the federal government so it can continue paying out rising claims for unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Golden State borrowed $348 million in federal funds after receiving approval to tap up to $10 billion for this purpose through the end of July, a Treasury Department spokesman said Monday.

The U.S. government has also approved loans of up to $12.6 billion for Illinois and up to $1.1 billion for Connecticut through the end of July to replenish state unemployment insurance funds, though the two states hadn’t yet started borrowing by the end of April. California was the only state to have accessed the program so far in the current downturn, the Treasury spokesman said."

[MajGenl.Meade]

If you have questions, Google. That's what Lincoln recommended.

California took out its first $348 million unemployment insurance loan last week, slipping into the red just two years after repaying the $65 billion it borrowed from the federal government during and after the Great Recession. It was one of about three dozen states that took out federal loans to weather the last downturn, a scenario likely to repeat itself in the coming weeks and months as unemployment numbers soar nationwide.

The latest national figures last week showed that more than 30 million had filed jobless claims since mid-March.

California's unemployment insurance system, funded by payroll taxes, was barely solvent before the pandemic blindsided the economy, with less of a cushion than any other state or territory except for the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the Department of Labor's Trust Fund Solvency Report.

[Darren]

If you have questions, Google. That's what Lincoln recommended.

California took out its first $348 million unemployment insurance loan last week, slipping into the red just two years after repaying the $65 billion it borrowed from the federal government during and after the Great Recession. It was one of about three dozen states that took out federal loans to weather the last downturn, a scenario likely to repeat itself in the coming weeks and months as unemployment numbers soar nationwide.

The latest national figures last week showed that more than 30 million had filed jobless claims since mid-March.

California's unemployment insurance system, funded by payroll taxes, was barely solvent before the pandemic blindsided the economy, with less of a cushion than any other state or territory except for the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the Department of Labor's Trust Fund Solvency Report.

All I need to see is Trust Fund.

Calpers used to do well with investments. That still doesn't answer why the trust fund was barely solvent. Is part of the answer the migration of businesses out of the state?

"I spoke with business relocation expert Joe Vranich, president of Spectrum Location Services, which was based in Irvine, Calif., but relocated to Cranberry Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He has been tracking the exodus of companies from California and noted that, “A rule of thumb among business site-selection experts is that five companies leave for each one that actually gets reported in the press. So, it’s probable that as many as 10,000 companies have left California in recent years.”

So, why did Vranich leave California?

“Just look at the squalor, the filth, the homelessness that is not being addressed. I moved for three reasons — taxes, regulations and quality of life. I am free of California’s notorious regulatory environment and threats of frivolous lawsuits that hurt small businesses like mine,” he said."

https://www.kiplinger.com/article/busin ... ornia.html

[Darren]

Arizona antibody testing

"The highest reported antibody test results were on April 12 when 29.4% of those administered were positive.

AZDHS reports that 3.7% of the state’s antibody tests have yielded positive results."

https://ktar.com/story/3129847/arizona- ... y-testing/

[Scooter]

Crowds gather to buy new Air Jordans in Atlanta after lockdown lifted



An Atlanta mall saw massive crowds gather Saturday to buy the new Air Jordan sneakers after lockdown restrictions were lifted, according to a report.

Shoppers packed close to form lines that wrapped outside Greenbriar Mall on Saturday to get their hands on the new Air Jordan 5 “Fire Red” sneakers, news station 11Alive reported.

Video posted to social media showed people waiting to get into the mall and then again outside the shoe store Jimmy Jazz.

“Everyone I talked to was in line for a new Air Jordan 5 that sold out online,” tweeted NBC producer Charlie Gile.

The sneaker frenzy comes after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp allowed shelter-in-place orders to expire and encouraged businesses to reopen.

[TPFKA@W]

Anyone here ever wear Air Jordans? Would they be worth standing in line for? I have never stood in much of a line for anything and think these shoes would have to do the walking for me to entice me to stand in a line like this.

[Darren]

A UPMC doctor on Thursday made a case the death rate for people infected with the new coronavirus may be as low as 0.25% — far lower than the mortality rates of 2-4% or even higher cited in the early days of the pandemic.

(U.S. population ≈328,000,000) x (~0.70 for "herd immunity") ≈229,600,000 cases x 0.0025 ≈574,000 deaths.

The doctor must have been unaware of the 30% to 50% found with antibodies in Chicago. That will depress the mortality rate. The CDC estimates the deaths from flu this last season at 24,000 to 62,000. That shows the uncertainty associated with determining cause of death.

The fact Blacks are inordinately affected shows the problem with comorbidities.

We'll have a much better picture of how lethal COVID-19 is or isn't in the very near future with the number of antibody kits shipping at five million+ per week. There's a silver lining here that will become more apparent through the summer.

Given the attention the disease will not only be well known along with how it affects the body, the epidemiological aspects will be very well known given the antibody testing. We'll also see more testing to determine when the disease started which will explain why the models were wrong.

[Darren]

For some reason we're not seeing as many deaths as expected.

Week ending date in which the death occurred
COVID-19 Deaths (U07.1)1 39,910
Deaths from All Causes 751,953
Percent of Expected Deaths 95%
Pneumonia Deaths 67,372
Deaths with Pneumonia and COVID-19 17,683
Influenza Deaths 5,910
Deaths with Pneumonia, Influenza, or COVID-19 94,681

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/COVID19/index.htm

[Scooter]

Reopened restaurant told workers: Don't wear face masks — or don't work

Texas restaurants that reopened at partial capacity last week have a choice to make: Whether or not their employees should wear masks.


One restaurant company landed on a decision that has some employees weighing their safety versus their jobs.

No face masks or face coverings of any kind.

That's what a back-of-the-house employee at a Hillstone Restaurant Group establishment in Dallas was told last week, as restaurants prepared to reopen at 25% capacity, according to CBS Dallas.

That employee, who did not want to be identified publicly, expressed discomfort and was told to think about it—and then was removed from the schedule, the employee told CBS Dallas' Brooke Rogers.

Another employee said some agreed to work because they were offered a 40-hour work week, but were told if they declined, they wouldn't be eligible for rehire.

The employees said management also told her that face masks don't complement the restaurant group's style or level of hospitality.

Infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Diana Cervantes called Hillstone's decision concerning.

"It is really important to be able to wear those face coverings, especially if you can't keep that six-foot social distancing, which of course when you go to a restaurant, that it very hard to maintain," Cervantes, of UNT Health Science Center, said.

She points to Governor Greg Abbott's minimum standard health protocols for restaurants, which encourages social distancing first. But if that's not feasible, it says measures such as face coverings should be rigorously practiced.

"The best way to precent that transmission is to prevent those droplets, and the face coverings really help with that," Cervantes said.

Hillstone management also points to the law, writing on its website: "Current orders do not require our staff or guests to wear face masks. If you are concerned about your safety in this respect, we hope you will join us a later date."

It's clear what this re-opening agenda is about.

It was never about allowing people to get back to work.

It's about forcing them to work with absolutely no regard for their safety, and then, if they decline, they will be denied government benefits which they might otherwise be entitled to receive.

As this example shows, any commitments by these states to maintain the safety of employees and customers of re-opened businesses were nothing but lip service.

[Darren]

To be herd or not to be herd. It's up to the individual. Walmart's hiring and they support employees wearing masks.

Locally they keep their mouths shut when you walk in w/o a mask and violate the directions on the aisle floors.

[Scooter]

[Scooter]

[ex-khobar Andy]

If I lived in Dallas I'd just let them (Hillstone with 45 locations) know not to expect my custom anytime soon. Or maybe never. Here they always post the local H&S inspection results on the door. 95% gets you an A, I think. When I see 99% - even though it's an A - I want to know what they lost the 1% for.

[ex-khobar Andy]

"I spoke with business relocation expert Joe Vranich, president of Spectrum Location Services, which was based in Irvine, Calif., but relocated to Cranberry Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He has been tracking the exodus of companies from California and noted that, “A rule of thumb among business site-selection experts is that five companies leave for each one that actually gets reported in the press. So, it’s probable that as many as 10,000 companies have left California in recent years.”

So, why did Vranich leave California?

“Just look at the squalor, the filth, the homelessness that is not being addressed. I moved for three reasons — taxes, regulations and quality of life. I am free of California’s notorious regulatory environment and threats of frivolous lawsuits that hurt small businesses like mine,” he said."

https://www.kiplinger.com/article/busin ... ornia.html

I've been to Cranberry Township. I've been to California. Trust me, I'd rather live in California.

[Darren]

I had an opportunity to have Bechtel relocate me to California about 35 years ago. I had worked near San Diego, at the office near LA and finally near Fair Oaks not far from Sacramento when I got an offer they thought I couldn't refuse. I'd seen and experienced enough of California.

I passed on the offer and went back to Mississippi. Looking back, it was one of my better choices.

If I'd accepted the offer and mentorship I'd have eventually ended up working at Disneyland in Florida and then overseas.

No thanks!

[MajGenl.Meade]

I wonder how Cranberry is doing. She was on the Cafe board, no?

And Darren, ain't that DisneyWorld in Floriduh?

[RayThom]

Anyone here ever wear Air Jordans? Would they be worth standing in line for? I have never stood in much of a line for anything and think these shoes would have to do the walking for me to entice me to stand in a line like this.

Most fans of Air Jordan never wear them. They are collectors and see the shoes mostly as commodities where the price keeps going up.

Here's an image from a fan/collector:

[Econoline]

A UPMC doctor on Thursday made a case the death rate for people infected with the new coronavirus may be as low as 0.25% — far lower than the mortality rates of 2-4% or even higher cited in the early days of the pandemic.

(U.S. population ≈328,000,000) x (~0.70 for "herd immunity") ≈229,600,000 cases x 0.0025 ≈574,000 deaths.

The doctor must have been unaware of the 30% to 50% found with antibodies in Chicago. That will depress the mortality rate.

So it seems that the UPMC doctor you quoted so approvingly before doesn't meet with your approval after all? I'm sure that comes as a great disappointment to Dr. Yealy.

I can't believe he didn't check with a real expert like you before going public with his statement. You should probably call and remind him to check with you for all the true facts before he opens his yap again.