Coronavirus

[eddieq]

...and by "WARRIORS" he means "EXPENDABLE"

Cannon Fodder

[Econoline]

Exactly.

[Burning Petard]

First the POS-i-c announced this is a war against an invisible enemy. Then he said he can see light at the end of the tunnel.

Now the governor of Nebraska has figured out how to win this war--just fudge the numbers and declare the war is won. From WaPo today:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... atpacking/

when will we see this war's version of the Pentagon Papers?

snailgate.

[Big RR]

I'll bet they also keep inflating the number of individual viruses inactivated.

[Burning Petard]

The POS-i-c has touted a rapid test from Abbott that is used for all White House personnel testing.

Within Medical Diagnostics equipment community, Abbott has a very low reputation.

From a AFP news release quoted on Yahoo:

"The researchers found that the Abbott test produced false negatives about a third of the time when virus sample taken using a nasal swab was transported in liquid solution, and 48 percent of the time when the swab was dry, which is the method recommended by the company."

Remember, those false negatives are probably carriers. This pandemic has nothing on Typhoid Mary.

snailgate

[Scooter]

Ontario taking 'immediate action' after uptick in mysterious illness in kids that could be linked to COVID-19

TORONTO -- The Ontario government said it's taking immediate action after an increase in a mysterious inflammatory illness in children that could be connected to COVID-19.

Health officials say the illness appears to be similar to Kawasaki Syndrome, a rare but serious inflammatory disease. Symptoms associated with this illness include persistent fever, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as a rash.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said that in consultation with Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, the government is immediately updating the case definition of COVID-19 to include multisystem inflammatory vasculitis as an atypical symptom in children.

"This will support clinicians in making clinical assessments of patients who may have symptoms, including some of the most vulnerable of patients, children," Elliott said in a statement on Wednesday morning.

"Recent reports in Canada and internationally indicate that there may be an increase in multisystem inflammatory vasculitis, a rare but serious multisystem inflammatory illness that impacts children who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.”

Elliott said that recent data in Canada indicates the majority of COVID-19 infections in children are mild and do not require hospitalization. People under the age of 19 make up just five per cent of cases in the country and no children are known to have died.

Meanwhile, associate pediatrician-in-chief at The Hospital for Sick Children, Dr. Jeremy Friedman, told CTV News Toronto on Tuesday that reports of the inflammatory illness has put staff on "high alert."



"It certainly is highly suspicious that it seems to be related to the COVID-19 pandemic and obviously that’s going to put us on high alert," Friedman said.

He said he is aware of the reports children are “presenting quite sick” with an illness that is similar to Kawasaki Syndrome.

"Based on what we’ve heard from European countries from U.S. and now from Montreal, it would come as a big surprise to me if we don’t see a start to see a few cases over the next few weeks.

[Econoline]

[BoSoxGal]

Every week I watch the CNN Coronavirus Facts & Fears Global Town Hall with Anderson Cooper & Dr. Sanjay Gupta - it has been very informative and reassuring as they have brought on excellent guests including best & brightest scientists from around the country.

Tonight they won't have any U.S. government scientists because Trump has banned them all from appearances in media.

I urge folks to dial up Dr. Rick Bright's testimony to Congress today; it is damning and reveals sickening failures on the part of Trump's administration.

[Gob]

[Darren]

Looks like the World Health Organization is becoming, in a manner of speaking, less worldly. I wonder if Madagascar will recognize Taiwan as an independent nation after the US does.

" The Malagasy president says, Europe created organizations with the desire for Africans to remain dependent on them. Africa has found a medicine against Coronavirus but Europe thinks they have a monopoly of intelligence as such they are refusing to acknowledge it. It is against this backdrop that I invite all African Nations to quit the international organizations in order for us to build ours.

Rajoelina has put his reputation and credibility on the line touting the medicine as a cure. He said it cures COVID-19 in 10 days.

“No one will stop us from moving forward – not a country, not an organisation,” Rajoelina said in response to the WHO’s concerns.

He said the proof of the tonic’s efficacy was in the “healing” of “our patients”.

He called the medicine a “preventive and curative remedy”.

Rajoelina said Madagascar till date, has reported 212 coronavirus infections and 107 recoveries.

The country has one critical case, but no death.

“The patients who have healed have taken no other product than Covid-Organics,” the president said, adding that his country has a history of traditional medicine.

“What if this remedy had been discovered by a European country, instead of Madagascar?”, Rajoelina queried WHO and other skeptics.

“Would people doubt it so much? I don’t think so,” Rajoelina told FRANCE 24 and RFI .

The drink is derived from artemisia – a plant with proven anti-malarial properties – and other indigenous herbs.

“What is the problem with Covid-Organics, really?, he said.

“Could it be that this product comes from Africa?

“Could it be that it’s not OK for a country like Madagascar, which is the 63rd poorest country in the world… to have come up with (this formula) that can help save the world?” asked Rajoelina.

My country Madagascar leaves all the organizations tonight and I call on other African Nations to do same."

[MajGenl.Meade]

Those fun-loving Malagasies!

In 1845 Queen Ravalona I demanded that the entire court—along with a huge number of servants and slaves—go on a buffalo hunt. A total of 50,000 people set off to hunt buffalo. They carried with them very few supplies and had to build a road as they went as per Ranavalona’s orders. Many dropped dead from hunger and exhaustion, and it’s thought that around 10,000 people died during the 4-month-long hunt in which no buffalo were killed.

More interesting person than the nonentity peddling his muti

[Econoline]

“What if this remedy had been discovered by a European country, instead of Madagascar?”, Rajoelina queried WHO and other skeptics. “Would people doubt it so much? I don’t think so.

“What is the problem with Covid-Organics, really?”, he said. “Could it be that this product comes from Africa? Could it be that it’s not OK for a country like Madagascar, which is the 63rd poorest country in the world… to have come up with (this formula) that can help save the world?” asked Rajoelina.

Could it be that this product has not undergone any actual, scientifically run clinical testing for efficacy and safety? Nah, that couldn't be it...

[Darren]

Those fun-loving Malagasies!

In 1845 Queen Ravalona I demanded that the entire court—along with a huge number of servants and slaves—go on a buffalo hunt. A total of 50,000 people set off to hunt buffalo. They carried with them very few supplies and had to build a road as they went as per Ranavalona’s orders. Many dropped dead from hunger and exhaustion, and it’s thought that around 10,000 people died during the 4-month-long hunt in which no buffalo were killed.

More interesting person than the nonentity peddling his muti

Did I mention that along with living in SA, Doc lived for a very brief time in Madagascar with her husband and three kids? I think one still speaks French. Doc never picked it up except for basics.

[Darren]

Could it be that this product has not undergone any actual, scientifically run clinical testing for efficacy and safety? Nah, that couldn't be it...
[/quote]

Look up the Flexner Report, the history, and, most of all, who benefited from that back in the day. Hint: do you worship at the alter of big oil? Yes you do and you don't know it.

BTW, it's Doc's opinion, based on observation of her acquaintances in academia, that universities don't always do a good job scrutinizing the research listed in the CV of men they want to hire. For women, OTOH, the search committees get out the fine tooth comb.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Did I mention that along with living in SA, Doc lived for a very brief time in Madagascar with her husband and three kids?

Warning! Everyone, stop mentioning names of other countries and for heaven's sake don't say "Marco Polo" or we'll be in for a treatise on the Silk Route and Doc's many camels

[Darren]

Before the mediademic we were already short 250,000 healthcare professionals. With the kick in the head will we retain all of the over 1.4 million laid off along with the potential hospital closures?

"Michelle Sweeney could barely sleep. The nurse in Plymouth, Mass., had just learned she would be furloughed. She only had four hours the next day to call all of her patients.

"I was in a panic state. I was sick over it," Sweeney said. "Our patients are the frailest, sickest group."

Sweeney works for Atrius Health as a case manager for patients with chronic health conditions and those who have been discharged from the hospital or emergency room.

"It's very devaluing, like a slap in the face," Sweeney said. "Nursing is who you are ... I've never been unemployed my entire life."

It's an ironic twist as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the nation: The very workers tasked with treating those afflicted with the virus are losing work in droves. Emergency room visits are down. Non-urgent surgical procedures have largely been put on hold. Health care spending fell 18% in the first three months of the year. And 1.4 million health care workers lost their jobs in April, a sharp increase from the 42,000 reported in March, according to the Labor Department. Nearly 135,000 of the April losses were in hospitals."

[MajGenl.Meade]

He's citing NPR and other sources. Shame, she looks like a nice lady:

[Bicycle Bill]

-"BB"-

[Scooter]

I'm curious, Darren, how many U.S. deaths do there need to be for you to stop trivializing what is happening as a "mediademic"?

You'll be at 100,000 within a few days, so obviously that's not enough for you to take it seriously.

So what is the number? 200,000? 500,000? 1,000,000? 10,000,000?

Or does your criteria match Trump's view, that so long there are fewer dead than remain alive (so 164,000,000 corpses, give or take), then everything remains hunky dory?

Give us a number, Darren.

[dales]

Mind Games

John Lennon

We're playing those mind games together
Pushing the barriers planting seeds
Playing the mind guerrilla
Chanting the Mantra peace on earth
We all been playing those mind games forever
Some kinda druid dudes lifting the veil
Doing the mind guerrilla
Some call it magic the search for the grail
Love is the answer and you know that for sure
Love is a flower
You got to let it, you gotta let it grow
So keep on playing those mind games together
Faith in the future out of the now
You just can't beat on those mind guerrillas
Absolute elsewhere in the stones of your mind
Yeah we're playing those mind games forever
Projecting our images in space and in time
Yes is the answer and you know…