The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Thread

sgamer82

[h=3] Dept. of “We Have It Totally Under Control.”[/h]
Global: Total confirmed cases: ~13,027,000; deaths: ~571,000
U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~3,347,000; deaths: ~136,000
Source: Johns Hopkins University

Trump’s advisers anonymously sent media outlets a “lengthy list” of remarks made by Dr. Anthony Fauci in an effort to discredit him and stop him from making additional statements about the dangers of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. One White House official said several Trump administration officials are “concerned about the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong on things,” citing Fauci’s comments in January that the coronavirus was “not a major threat” and his guidance in March that “people should not be walking around with masks.” The scientific and medical consensus on how to respond to the virus, however, has evolved over time, both in the U.S. and around the world. Many of Fauci’s “wrong” statements highlighted by the White House official were based on the best available data at the time and were widely echoed by Trump, other members of the coronavirus task force, and senior White House officials. Fauci, meanwhile, said that the states recently reopening had driven a spike in cases across the country. “We did not shut down entirely,” Fauci said. “And that’s the reason why — when we went up, we started to come down, and then we plateaued at a level that was really quite high, about 20,000 infections a day. Then, as we started to reopen, we’re seeing the surges that we’re seeing today as we speak.” (NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News)

Trump – without evidence – retweeted a former game show personality who accused doctors and the CDC of “lying” about the coronavirus. There is no evidence the CDC or doctors are “lying.” (ABC News / Politico)

Internal CDC documents warned that fully reopening K-12 schools and universities would be the “highest risk” for the spread of coronavirus. The 69-page document was circulated within the administration as Trump attacked the CDC guidelines around reopening schools as “too tough” and he, Pence, and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos increased their pressure on schools to fully reopen by the fall. During a White House task force briefing last week, Pence announced that the CDC would issue new guidance on reopening schools next week because “we just don’t want the guidance to be too tough.” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield, however, later said that the CDC would not be releasing new guidance nor changing the guidance. (New York Times / CNN)

Betsy DeVos refused to say whether schools should follow the CDC guidelines on reopening, saying the guidelines are meant to be “flexible.” DeVos also told “Fox News Sunday” that “If schools aren’t going to reopen and not fulfill that promise, they shouldn’t get the funds,” and that the money should be redirected to families who can use it to find another option for their children. (CNN / Axios / Politico)
The Los Angeles and San Diego unified school districts will be remote-only in the fall. The two largest public school districts in California enroll about 825,000 students. (Los Angeles Times / Axios / New York Times)
Attorneys general in 17 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration over its guidance to not allow foreign students to take online-only courses this fall. Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology also filled lawsuits against the guidance last week and nearly 100 members of Congress sent a letter to DHS urging the department to rescind the policy. (CNN / New York Times)

Two top health officials in the Trump administration said they “expect deaths to go up” in the U.S. as coronavirus cases continue to skyrocket in parts of the country. Admiral Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary with the Health and Human Services department, and surgeon general Dr. Jerome Adams both emphasized their concerns about the surging outbreaks, many of which are occurring in areas where people haven’t followed the recommendations from the CDC on how to limit the spread. “We’re all very concerned about the rise in cases, no doubt about that,” said Adm. Giroir, who has been in charge of the Trump administration’s testing response. “We do expect deaths to go up. If you have more cases, more hospitalizations, we do expect to see that over the next two or three weeks before this turns around.” (New York Times)

Florida reported a record 15,300 new coronavirus cases on Sunday – the most by any state in a single day. It shattered previous highs of 11,694 reported by California last week and 11,571 reported by New York on April 15. (Miami Herald / Washington Post / CNN / Politico)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered indoor operations for restaurants, wineries, bars, movie theaters, and more to close immediately. 30 counties – which represent about 80% of Californians – will also be required to close fitness centers, places of worship, offices for noncritical sectors, personal care services, hair salons, barbershops, and malls. (CNBC / Politico / Axios)
Trump wore a mask for the first time in public. [[I]Editor’s note: I can’t believe this is “news” but here we are.] (CBS News / CNN / Associated Press)

FelRes

@sgamer82:

The Los Angeles and San Diego unified school districts will be remote-only in the fall. The two largest public school districts in California enroll about 825,000 students. (Los Angeles Times / Axios / New York Times)

Meanwhile, in between them: OC School Board Votes To Allow In-Person Instruction This Fall Without Masks, Social Distancing

Can we just like… feed these people to sharks or something?

RoboBlue

@sgamer82:

 Dept. of “We Have It Totally Under Control.”

Global: Total confirmed cases: ~13,027,000; deaths: ~571,000

U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~3,347,000; deaths: ~136,000

Source: Johns Hopkins University

Trump’s advisers anonymously sent media outlets a “lengthy list” of remarks made by Dr. Anthony Fauci in an effort to discredit him and stop him from making additional statements about the dangers of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. One White House official said several Trump administration officials are “concerned about the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong on things,” citing Fauci’s comments in January that the coronavirus was “not a major threat” and his guidance in March that “people should not be walking around with masks.” The scientific and medical consensus on how to respond to the virus, however, has evolved over time, both in the U.S. and around the world. Many of Fauci’s “wrong” statements highlighted by the White House official were based on the best available data at the time and were widely echoed by Trump, other members of the coronavirus task force, and senior White House officials. Fauci, meanwhile, said that the states recently reopening had driven a spike in cases across the country. “We did not shut down entirely,” Fauci said. “And that’s the reason why — when we went up, we started to come down, and then we plateaued at a level that was really quite high, about 20,000 infections a day. Then, as we started to reopen, we’re seeing the surges that we’re seeing today as we speak.” (NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News)

Trump – without evidence – retweeted a former game show personality who accused doctors and the CDC of “lying” about the coronavirus. There is no evidence the CDC or doctors are “lying.” (ABC News / Politico)

We need to be very careful when talking about this, because there are no good guys in this story and the facts are being warped to rehabilitate Dr Fauci's credibility just because Trump has decided to attack him.

Trump is bad because he very obviously lied to the public many times and has actively worked to warp what our medical personnel advise the public to do, and that includes Dr Fauci.

Dr Fauci is bad because he knowingly lied to the public about mask use for months, even though it's good that he eventually admitted that he and others had been lying to protect the country's supply of PPE from high demand by the public (which he was only put in the position to do because China bought most of our stock and Trump allowed manufacturers to continue shipping vital medical supplies overseas through at least April).

Woolery (the guy Trump retweeted) is bad because he's promoting the lie that "science" supports reopening schools early. The "lies" he's talking about appear to be facts, not the known lies that coincidentally happen to exist.

.

Take this statement from MSNBC:

The Trump White House has spent the weekend trying to undermine Dr Fauci by pointing out that he has changed his mind about some aspects of the Coronavirus as the scientific evidence has developed and expanded our knowledge of the virus. That is of course what scientists do: change their minds based on changing evidence, but no one in the Trump White House seems to know that.

Compare it to one of the several identical recent statements from Fauci:

"Getting back to your first question, which was what about a month or two or three ago when people were saying you don't really need to wear a mask, well the reason for that is that we were converned, the public health community and many people were saying this, were concerned that it was at a time when personal protective equipment including the N95 masks and the surgical masks were in very short supply, and we wanted to make sure that the people, namely the healthcare workers who were brave enough to put themselves in harm's way to take care of people whom you know were infected with the coronavirus, and the danger of them getting infected, we did not want them to be without the equipment that they needed. So there was not enthusiasm about going out and everybody buying a mask or getting a mask, we were afraid that that would deter away from the people who really needed it. Now we have masks. We know that you don't need an N95 if you're an ordinary person in the street. We also know that simple cloth coverings that many people have can work as well as a mask in many cases. So right now, unequivocally, the recommendation is when you're out there, particularly if you're in a situation where there's active infection, keep the distance physically and wear a mask. So although there appeared to be some contradiction of "you were saying this then, why are you saying this now?", actually the circumstances have changed. That's the reason why.

Do you see the problem?

Robby

Considering people were running out and buying hundreds of rolls of toilet paper, yes, it was important to not create mass hysteria about people getting all the masks that this administration had diminished our supply of.

RoboBlue

@Robby:

Considering people were running out and buying hundreds of rolls of toilet paper, yes, it was important to not create mass hysteria about people getting all the masks that this administration had diminished our supply of.

Was it worth destroying the credibility of our medical institutions and planting lasting misinformation in the heads of most of the populace?
What if we're stuck in the same situation this time next year, with President Biden still unable to convince half the country to wear masks for their own protection?

CosmicDebris

@FelRes:

Meanwhile, in between them: OC School Board Votes To Allow In-Person Instruction This Fall Without Masks, Social Distancing

Can we just like… feed these people to sharks or something?

I lived in OC for 37 years, I'm kind of glad I moved to SD :P

Satsuki

sigh I have nothing but sympathy for the poor medical professionals (doctors, nurses, all of 'em) who must be banging their heads on the wall because so many patients aren't listening to them.

Robby

@RoboBlue:

Was it worth destroying the credibility of our medical institutions and planting lasting misinformation in the heads of most of the populace?
What if we're stuck in the same situation this time next year, with President Biden still unable to convince half the country to wear masks for their own protection?

It wasn't misinformation. It was a "this is the situation as it stands right now." When cases were lower and more isolated, and we knew less about the virus, social distancing alone would have been enough. It WAS enough in other countries.

People didn't social distance, so now the masks ARE needed.

The circumstances changed, and the needed steps have changed.

Even in Canada where its largely cleared up they're now mandating masks, despite the numbers being lower than they were, almost gone even, because we know more now than we did.

And the idiots aren't going to listen to Biden anyway. Country is screwed for the foreseeable future.

Unless they just say "Oh, and it turns out the coronavirus also makes your penis shrivel up as part of the long term damage" and then everyone will be wearing masks the next day.

RoboBlue

@Robby:

It wasn't misinformation. It was a "this is the situation as it stands right now." When cases were lower and more isolated, and we knew less about the virus, social distancing alone would have been enough. It WAS enough in other countries.

Maybe you weren't aware, but we were fed tons of misinformation.

There was never a point at which masks were more likely to make us sick, but Fauci was among the first to parrot that lie as part of his "don't wear masks" campaign.

@Robby:

People didn't social distance, so now the masks ARE needed.

The masks were needed all along.
It wasn't even possible to properly social distance because people had to drive from store to store to store searching for basic essentials like food and medicine, and the federal and state governments made no attempts to set up emergency door to door deliveries. If you wanted food, didn't want to break the bank by eating out three meals a day and didn't have a thousand dollars in savings to buy an entire month's worth of groceries all at once, you had to spend hours each week outside waiting on line with people who got much too close to be safe.

There were also millions of essential workers whose employers forbade them from wearing masks they paid for themselves because "it'll scare the customers".

@Robby:

The circumstances changed, and the needed steps have changed.

Even in Canada where its largely cleared up they're now mandating masks, despite the numbers being lower than they were, almost gone even, because we know more now than we did.

A third of the planet knew masks were a necessity because that knowledge has been around for decades.
We learned nothing mask-related over the last six months.

@Robby:

And the idiots aren't going to listen to Biden anyway. Country is screwed for the foreseeable future.

Unless they just say "Oh, and it turns out the coronavirus also makes your penis shrivel up as part of the long term damage" and then everyone will be wearing masks the next day.

Unfortunately yeah, but it definitely would have helped if a large number of medical experts hadn't very publicly lied to us for weeks while social media sites banned anyone who tried to correct their misinformation.

I can't really blame anyone who refuses to trust the CDC, WHO, NIAID, Surgeon General, or any American or Chinese medical official ever again.

andre

@Robby:

It wasn't misinformation. It was a "this is the situation as it stands right now." When cases were lower and more isolated, and we knew less about the virus, social distancing alone would have been enough. It WAS enough in other countries.

People didn't social distance, so now the masks ARE needed.

The circumstances changed, and the needed steps have changed.

Even in Canada where its largely cleared up they're now mandating masks, despite the numbers being lower than they were, almost gone even, because we know more now than we did.

And the idiots aren't going to listen to Biden anyway. Country is screwed for the foreseeable future.

Unless they just say "Oh, and it turns out the coronavirus also makes your penis shrivel up as part of the long term damage" and then everyone will be wearing masks the next day.

History says that this is the correct decision. During the Spanish Flu the communities that relaxed their restrictions too early ended up getting right back to square one. It's important to let these precautions seriously for the amount of time that is necessary, not the amount that is convenient.

Wintermute

Why doesn't it surprise me that Robo willfully misinterprets Fauci's statements, hard.

When Europe and the US needed a Billion masks within a month. Where were you Robo? Why didn't you produced some 100000 from wherever you think they would appear suddenly?

pariston_hill

It’s not misinformation when you want the product, medical masks, going for medical staff. The rest of the world doesn’t live by eastern asia standards were common mask to filter air pollution are normal occurrence.

It’s specially not misinformation because we already had international cases were wealthy gov’ts and individuals tried to gain monetary advantage, like US buying by thrice the price on the strips medical chinese supplies being shipped, or the Tennessee dude and his 18k flasks of hand sanitizer.

And in every epidemic, there’s bound to be fumbles in the early months when you don’t have enough info proper, not enough to generate a statistical analysis of it to proper deal with it.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

We gained a valorous ally. Hey Australia, I never asked anything from you guys, can we borrow 20,000 emus?

RoboBlue

@pariston_hill:

It’s not misinformation when you want the product, medical masks, going for medical staff. The rest of the world doesn’t live by eastern asia standards were common mask to filter air pollution are normal occurrence.

It’s specially not misinformation because we already had international cases were wealthy gov’ts and individuals tried to gain monetary advantage, like US buying by thrice the price on the strips medical chinese supplies being shipped, or the Tennessee dude and his 18k flasks of hand sanitizer.

And in every epidemic, there’s bound to be fumbles in the early months when you don’t have enough info proper, not enough to generate a statistical analysis of it to proper deal with it.

This is still the "he lied for a good reason" argument.
You can't claim that he didn't lie if you're making that argument.

I don't believe that the end result of millions of Americans refusing to ever wear masks or social distance was worth eliminating the risk that people buying thousands of masks from local drug and hardware stores would seriously impede the government's ability to buy masks in bulk from manufacturers.

The majority of this is still obviously Trump's fault: if he'd used the Defense Production Act back in February, before our medical officials started enacting the plan they'd spent two months developing, the mask shortage (which is still ongoing) would have been greatly improved.

pariston_hill

@RoboBlue:

This is still the "he lied for a good reason" argument.
You can't claim that he didn't lie if you're making that argument.

I still think that there’s a difference in basing a statement on the current data and believing in the common sense of people and lying with ill intent. The guy is serving since Reagan, if he was not competent in his job he would’ve been booted long ago. Trump is pushing Fauci is evil just like WHO, because he refuses to backdown from a technical position and agree with the political ones Trump want.

I don't believe that the end result of millions of Americans refusing to ever wear masks or social distance was worth eliminating the risk that people buying thousands of masks from local drug and hardware stores would seriously impede the government's ability to buy masks in bulk from manufacturers.

This has jackshit to do with official statements, we had the same scenario in Brazil earlier. Save masks to health professionals, didn’t serve to prevent the spread, so we made it mandatory.
People refusing to wear masks, doing social distance or taking care is more linked to this:

They want to believe in the source of information that fits their believes regardless of what scientific knowledge has to say about.
It’s exactly like the anti-vax movement.

The majority of this is still obviously Trump's fault: if he'd used the Defense Production Act back in February, before our medical officials started enacting the plan they'd spent two months developing, the mask shortage (which is still ongoing) would have been greatly improved.

He dis use this, he bought shipments of medical supplies that China sold to Brazil, France and Germany right on the air strip were they were being shipped. 3M was for like two months prohibited to sell masks to LATAM.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

sgamer82

Today's COVID-19 Specific What the Fuck Just Happened Today: https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2020/07/14/day-1272/

[h=1]Day 1272: "Find something new."[/h]

[h=3] Dept. of “We Have It Totally Under Control.”[/h]
Global: Total confirmed cases: ~13,201,000; deaths: ~576,000
U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~3,407,000; deaths: ~137,000
Source: Johns Hopkins University
An experimental coronavirus vaccine has been found to trigger an immune response with mild side effects – fatigue, chills, headache, and muscle pain –– in all 45 participants in the first human tests. Whether that immune response, however, is enough to protect someone from the coronavirus remains unclear. (Washington Post / USA Today / Wall Street Journal / CNN)

The Trump administration rescinded its rule barring international students from living in the U.S. while taking classes online this fall. The policy change, issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, required international college students to take at least one in-person class or leave the country. The White House will instead apply the rule to new students. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia, and Harvard University and MIT sued the administration over the requirement. (NBC News / New York Times / CNN / Wall Street Journal / USA Today / Bloomberg / Washington Post)
Ivanka Trump announced a White House-backed ad campaign that encourages people who are unemployed due to the coronavirus to “find something new.” The campaign, which encourages people to “learn a completely new skill,” has reportedly been in the works for some time, but gained new urgency after efforts to slow the coronavirus outbreak left millions of people unemployed. Meanwhile, the federal program that provides a $600-per-week increase to unemployment benefits will expire in less than two weeks. More than 30 million people receive this benefit. Trump and White House officials have argued the $600-per-week unemployment bonus disincentivizes people from working. (Associated Press / Bloomberg / Washington Post / CNN)
The Trump administration ordered hospitals to bypass the CDC and send all coronavirus patient information to a central database maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services. Starting Wednesday, HHS will collect daily reports about patients each hospital is treating, how many beds and ventilators are available, and more. The Trump administration has also asked governors to send the National Guard to hospitals to collect data about coronavirus patients, supply, and capacity. Hospital industry leaders say any issues with data collection lie primarily with HHS and the administration’s constantly changing instructions. (New York Times / Washington Post)
Four former CDC chiefs rebuked Trump’s “repeated efforts to subvert” CDC guidelines. In a Washington Post op-ed, Tom Frieden, Jeffrey Koplan, David Satcher, and Richard Besser accused Trump of undermining science with “partisan potshots,” arguing that his “extraordinary” efforts to diminish the agency’s guidance were contributing to a resurgence of coronavirus cases across the United States. They said they “cannot recall over our collective tenure a single time when political pressure led to a change in the interpretation of scientific evidence.” (Axios / Politico / CNBC)

The Trump administration’s coronavirus testing czar rejected Trump’s suggestion that public health officials are liars. “Look, we may occasionally make mistakes based on the information we have, but none of us lie. We are completely transparent with the American people,” Adm. Brett Giroir said. Giroir’s remarks came after Trump retweeted a conservative former game show host, who wrote: “Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust.” (TODAY / Politico)

The Strategic National Stockpile may not have the capacity to supply medical professionals with personal protective equipment. Between FEMA and the stockpile, the U.S. has 56 million N-95 or KN-95 respirators in reserve after sending out more than 130 million masks since the COVID-19 crisis began. There are fewer than 900,000 gloves in the reserve after shipping 82.7 million earlier this year. Hospitals, meanwhile, are looking ahead and securing supplies of drugs for treating COVID-19 that have been found effective for some patients, including the dexamethasone and remdesivir, should a second wave of the virus threaten drug shortages. The administration has also struggled to procure body bags. (NBC News / Wall Street Journal)
A record 4.5 million Americans lost health insurance between February and May. More adults have lost coverage due to job losses during that three-month period than in any one-year period in history. A study conducted by the nonpartisan consumer advocacy group Families U.S.A. found that the estimated increase in uninsured laid-off workers over the three-month period was nearly 40% higher than the highest previous increase during the 2008 to 2009 recession when 3.9 million people lost insurance. “This is the worst economic downturn since World War II,” said the author of the study. “It dwarfs the Great Recession.” (New York Times)
A Mexican immigrant died after contracting COVID-19 while in ICE custody. Onoval Perez-Montufa is the third known ICE detainee to die of COVID-19 complications. More than 3,180 immigrants have tested positive for the coronavirus while in ICE custody, according to the agency’s latest statistics. At least 949 detainees who tested positive remain detained and have been placed in isolation or are under monitoring. Some have been deported or released. (CBS News)

poll/ 71% of American parents say it would be risky to send their children back to school in the fall, including a majority of Republicans. (Axios)

RoboBlue

@pariston_hill:

I still think that there’s a difference in basing a statement on the current data and believing in the common sense of people and lying with ill intent. The guy is serving since Reagan, if he was not competent in his job he would’ve been booted long ago.

He didn't lie with ill intent, he lied with good intent. His statement was based solely on the low supply of masks and contradicted the publicly available medical data at the time, but he clearly hoped that it would be for the best in the long run and misjudged how human psychology would come into play.

@pariston_hill:

Trump is pushing Fauci is evil just like WHO, because he refuses to backdown from a technical position and agree with the political ones Trump want.

Yes, and it's a really bad idea to allow Trump to paint himself as "the one who exposed Fauci" when it was obvious that he lied months ago.

All of these claims that "he didn't really lie, he just followed the data!" are playing right into Trump's hands.

@pariston_hill:

This has jackshit to do with official statements, we had the same scenario in Brazil earlier. Save masks to health professionals, didn’t serve to prevent the spread, so we made it mandatory.
People refusing to wear masks, doing social distance or taking care is more linked to this:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200715/bc8c8ed407da3b9708e5d9fc8812dc62.jpg
They want to believe in the source of information that fits their believes regardless of what scientific knowledge has to say about.
It’s exactly like the anti-vax movement.

There are people like that, but it's a minority. Most people are just confused and uninformed, and after seeing our medical officials and the Trump administration make many, many contradicting statements they've given up and are just going to do whatever they feel like until it causes easily visible harm.

Consistent guidance from February onwards was really needed, but Trump had already screwed that up by telling everyone that the virus was a hoax and then lying about it.

Still, in March a lot of people suddenly started taking the virus seriously, and at least older people trusted Fauci over Trump. Now that their trust in him is damaged a lot more people are going to die.

@pariston_hill:

He dis use this, he bought shipments of medical supplies that China sold to Brazil, France and Germany right on the air strip were they were being shipped. 3M was for like two months prohibited to sell masks to LATAM.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He took forever to invoke it and barely used it at all.

Trump's lack of early and thorough use of the DPA is going to be looked back on as one of the greatest mistakes by any president in history.

pariston_hill

Surgical masks have been around for 60 years, one may not know how to explain the filtering principals of microbiological protection as one may not know how a cathode tv worked, but they know what the object do. There's no misinformation, there's no confusion; it's pretty simple it can be: a)partisan denial of the facts, b)sheer stupidity, c)sexist bravado or d)all of the above.
In the same way choosing to listen to a politician over a technical authority is the same as asking the Pope for guidance on the operation of a melting nuclear reactor, a fucking Hail Mary that involves more luck and faith than brains.

And dealing with an epidemic of a new virus is not hard science where you have proper answers before the question even appears, you have given the available data following X parameters seems appropriate, a week later X+Y must be the new parameters and so on. Fauci didn't lie because there's no way for him to omit truth in it's absolute when there' no absolute truth - quite contrary to the russian involvement in the last elections - and saying so it's not playing in Trumps hands, it's simply stating the facts .

Satsuki

They want the doctors to wear them, they just don't want to have to wear them THEMSELVES.

sgamer82

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2020/07/15/day-1273/

[h=1]Day 1273: "We could go on for days."[/h]

[h=3] Dept. of “We Have It Totally Under Control.”[/h]
Global: Total confirmed cases: ~13,406,000; deaths: ~581,000
U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~3,466,000; deaths: ~137,000
Source: Johns Hopkins University

Trump’s senior trade adviser criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci’s handling of the pandemic, accusing the nation’s top infectious disease expert of being “wrong about everything” related to the coronavirus. The White House tried to distance itself from Peter Navarro’s USA Today op-ed, saying Navarro wasn’t speaking on behalf of the administration and that he “didn’t go through normal White House clearance processes.” Trump also lightly rebuked Navarro’s remarks, saying “He made a statement representing himself. He shouldn’t be doing that.” Fauci, meanwhile, responded: “I can’t explain Peter Navarro. He’s in a world by himself.” The Trump administration has tried to raise questions about Fauci’s credibility in recent days, including sending reporters a list of instances in which they alleged Fauci had been wrong about aspects of the pandemic. (Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Politico / CNBC)
Dr. Anthony Fauci called the White House’s attempts to discredit him “bizarre,” saying “it doesn’t do anything but reflect poorly on them.” The nation’s top infectious disease expert said undermining a top health official in the middle of a pandemic “ultimately hurts the president […] Rather than these games people are playing,” Fauci said, “let’s stop this nonsense […] We’ve got to figure out, How can we get our control over this now, and, looking forward, how can we make sure that next month, we don’t have another example of California, Texas, Florida, and Arizona?” (The Atlantic / Washington Post / NBC News / Axios / NPR)
At a press conference to announce new measures against China, Trump quickly veered into a rambling, stream-of-consciousness set of remarks, drifting from one topic to another for 54 minutes. Trump briefly addressed the coronavirus – vaguely promising a vaccine and demanding that Beijing be held responsible for “unleashing [the coronavirus] upon the world” – as he wandered from China, to trade, to Joe Biden, to military spending, to his friendship with Mexico’s president, to crime in Chicago, to the death penalty, to energy taxes, to climate change, to historical statues, to European trade, and more. At one point Trump paused and said: “We could go on for days.” Nevertheless, he persisted, suggesting that Biden would get rid of windows and “abolish the suburbs” if elected. At the end of the speech, he took questions from reporters for six minutes. (New York Times / CNN / Washington Post)

Trump – again – insisted that the U.S. would have fewer coronavirus cases if it reduced the amount of testing across the country. “Think of this, if we didn’t do testing, instead of testing over 40 million people, if we did half the testing we would have half the cases,” Trump said at his Rose Garden press conference. “If we did another, you cut that in half, we would have, yet again, half of that. But the headlines are always testing.” Hospitalizations across the country, however, continue to hit new record highs, indicating widespread community transmission. (CNBC)

Green_vs_Red

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/brazils-bolsonaro-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-again/

Lol

pariston_hill

Guess that hydroxrychloroquine + azithromycin ain't doing miracles.

Green_vs_Red

I mean if it did we’d be reading an obituary.

pariston_hill

Don't give me hope.

RoboBlue

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp just issued an executive order banning Georgia cities and counties from mandating masks and face coverings.

The Republican Party is officially a suicide cult.

sgamer82

@RoboBlue:

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp just issued an executive order banning Georgia cities and counties from mandating masks and face coverings.

The Republican Party is officially a suicide cult.

May Darwin have mercy on their souls.

Today's Covid-19 specific WTFJHT news: https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2020/07/16/day-1274/

[h=1]Day 1274: "Red zones."[/h]

[h=3] Dept. of “We Have It Totally Under Control.”[/h]
Global: Total confirmed cases: ~13,671,000; deaths: ~587,000
U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~3,550,000; deaths: ~139,000
Source: Johns Hopkins University

Another 1.3 million people filed unemployment last week – the 17th straight week that news claims exceeded 1 million. Continuing claims totaled 17.4 million and another 14.3 million people claimed Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which brings the total number of people on all programs to 32 million unemployed. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the record for weekly unemployment filings was 695,000 in 1982. (Washington Post / CNBC / CNN / ABC News / NBC News)
The U.K., U.S., and Canadian governments accused hackers from Russia’s intelligence services of attempting to steal coronavirus vaccine research. The U.K. National Cyber Security Centre said the Russian hacking group, known as APT29, “the Dukes” or “Cozy Bear,” is targeting vaccine research and development organizations, and therapeutic sectors. The National Security Agency said the Russian hackers are using malware and fraudulent emails to trick people into turning over passwords and other security credentials in an effort to access the research. The hacking group is one of the two Russian intelligence groups that hacked the Democratic National Committee servers during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. (New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post / CNN / Bloomberg)
Previously public data disappeared from the CDC’s website after the Trump administration directed hospitals to submit information on COVID-19 patients directly to the Department of Health and Human Services, rather than through a longstanding CDC reporting system. The information removed from the website includes the current inpatient and intensive care unit bed occupancy, health care worker staffing, and personal protective equipment supply status and availability. Since the pandemic began, the CDC has published data on availability of hospital beds and intensive care units across the country. [[I]Update: Hours after the data disappeared, HHS directed the CDC to re-establish their public hospital data.] (CNBC / NBC News / CNN / Vice News)

Day 1272: The Trump administration ordered hospitals to bypass the CDC and send all coronavirus patient information to a central database maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services. HHS will collect daily reports about patients each hospital is treating, how many beds and ventilators are available, and more. Officials claimed that the change will streamline data gathering and assist the White House coronavirus task force in allocating supplies. The HHS database, however, will receive information that is not available to the public, which could affect the work of researchers, modelers, and health officials who rely on CDC data to make projections and public health decisions. The Trump administration has also asked governors to send the National Guard to hospitals to collect data about coronavirus patients, supply, and capacity. Hospital industry leaders say any issues with data collection lie primarily with HHS and the administration’s constantly changing instructions. (New York Times / NBC News / CNN / Washington Post)

A White House coronavirus task force document shows 18 states are in the “red zone” for COVID-19 cases with more than 100 new cases per 100,000 population last week. The document, dated July 14, suggests that more than a dozen states should revert to strict protective measures, limit social gatherings, close bars and gyms, and require residents to wear masks at all times. (Center for Public Integrity)

A national mandatory mask mandate for employees of public-facing businesses could have save 40,000 lives. The study by MIT and the Vancouver School of Economics estimated that mandating masks for employees in public would have reduced the death toll by 40%, with a 90% chance that the actual number would have been from 17,000 lives to 55,000 lives. (Bloomberg)
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp explicitly banned cities from requiring people to wear masks in public to stop the spread of COVID-19, insisting that the state’s less-stringent guidelines take precedence. Kemp’s order voids existing mask mandates in more than a dozen cities or counties, calling mask mandates “a bridge too far.” On Wednesday, Georgia reported its second-highest new coronavirus case count to date. (NPR / Washington Post / Associated Press / Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

RoboBlue

The White House is blocking the CDC from testifying before Congress on reopening schools.

Is it stupid that I was expecting Trump and his people to eventually get on board with the need to shut down again?

It's literally his only hope of recovering in the polls and coming anywhere near winning in November.

What the hell is going on in the White House? I thought there were still a few sane people working there.

Green_vs_Red

@RoboBlue:

It's literally his only hope of recovering in the polls and coming anywhere near winning in November.

Ehhhh shutting down and mandating masks at this point would lose him support among his base (some of whom are fleeing specifically because of him not doing the opposite).

@RoboBlue:

What the hell is going on in the White House? I thought there were still a few sane people working there.

…...How did you come to this conclusion, especially after he gave Rick Perry a job and chose Mike "we don't need Planned Parenthood or needle exchanges in our state" Pence as his Vice President in addition to the fact that the Republican Party as a whole have been committed to waging war against science (and facts) for years?

Kaiolino

The Trump campaign strategy is basically "sit it out until October while downplaying virus statistics, then have Barr open a special investigation into Biden's connection to Burisma shorty before the election".

killerbee1000

@RoboBlue:

The White House is blocking the CDC from testifying before Congress on reopening schools.

Is it stupid that I was expecting Trump and his people to eventually get on board with the need to shut down again?

It's literally his only hope of recovering in the polls and coming anywhere near winning in November.

What the hell is going on in the White House? I thought there were still a few sane people working there.

The Republicans don't care that when kids get shot and killed at a school, so of course they're not gonna care if kids get sick and die from getting covid at school.

Insider2000

I want to scream. As of right now, I'm rather fortunate so far. I've been working as a substitute teacher before this took place, and I refuse to go back into a school at this point. I've been trying to see if I can sign up as a remote learning teacher, but so far, I don't think any schools are doing remote learning in my district. Majority of my family is staying home. My sisters with kids are planning to either home school and find a school with remote learning. Most of us who are working are able to work at home, and we're taking care of each other as best as we can. My biggest issue is the sister I'm living with. Her job wants to act like nothing is wrong and that life has to go on, so she has to travel to multiple places by car or plane. My sister has been smart and has been wearing glasses, a mask, and a face shield at airports, and her job IS in support of wearing protective masking and closing down areas that have cases. But I just want her to stay home. I want to tell her to quit but she got this job about a month and half ago out of sheer fame of her talent. She quit her last job in March, so to tell her to quit again… It's not like I'm providing much money at the moment to preach about this.

It's killing me because it is amazing how much majority of this country doesn't seem to care. They don't give a shit. Every single one of us can die as long as their simple lives don't change even in the slightest. I realize this isn't a novel realization, but living in such a vibrant example of this realization makes me want to hurl. I don't know what to do. I have zero faith anything will get better in this country, and even if I wanted to leave... No one can. So many people are going to die... And for what? Power and money that ultimately mean nothing in the end.

pariston_hill

@Insider2000:

it is amazing how much majority of this country doesn't seem to care. They don't give a shit. Every single one of us can die as long as their simple lives don't change even in the slightest. I realize this isn't a novel realization, but living in such a vibrant example of this realization makes me want to hurl. I don't know what to do. I have zero faith anything will get better in this country

Welcome to the third world, I'm your guide sir, how can I help you? No, sir, no, you can't reclaim your old status, this one is for life.

RoboBlue

@Green_vs_Red:

…...How did you come to this conclusion, especially after he gave Rick Perry a job and chose Mike "we don't need Planned Parenthood or needle exchanges in our state" Pence as his Vice President in addition to the fact that the Republican Party as a whole have been committed to waging war against science (and facts) for years?

They're not all Trump appointees, that's how.
For the last few years a lot of the crazier and more dangerous things Trump has been tempted to do were undermined by the "steady state".

The fact that he's been actively killing Americans by the tens of thousands for months and is now targeting children as his next victims despite his own experts knowing that it will only help Biden win is proof enough that all traces of sanity have finally been driven from the building. That's not something that would have happened last year.

@killerbee1000:

The Republicans don't care that when kids get shot and killed at a school, so of course they're not gonna care if kids get sick and die from getting covid at school.

They do care about election results… I hope.

We're no longer living in the period when Trump could get away with anything and have unlimited blind support from the right.

Zeorn

@Insider2000:

My sister has been smart and has been wearing glasses, a mask, and a face shield at airports, and her job IS in support of wearing protective masking and closing down areas that have cases.

Did you mean gloves? Sorry, but it just made me think there might be people who are wearing glasses for the sole reason of stopping their fingers from touching their eyes or something instead of for vision improvement.

Monkey King

@pariston_hill:

Welcome to the third world, I'm your guide sir, how can I help you? No, sir, no, you can't reclaim your old status, this one is for life.

Even modern Brazil is a paradise compared to the Brazil of the previous generation, to say nothing of before.

Very wrong statement.

Insider2000

@Zeorn:

Did you mean gloves? Sorry, but it just made me think there might be people who are wearing glasses for the sole reason of stopping their fingers from touching their eyes or something instead of for vision improvement.

She has been wearing gloves, but glasses too. Glasses have been good for protecting against particles. She has no vision problems, so they're just basic fashion glasses that you can get real cheap. Granted: They're no where near as important as a mask, but they do help.

pariston_hill

@Monkey:

Even modern Brazil is a paradise compared to the Brazil of the previous generation, to say nothing of before.

Very wrong statement.

Oh no sir I know that. But the increase in quality of life hasn't come with a increase of international status has it?

KageKageKing

We're like above Dane Cook, but we're still too far from George Carlin status.

Monkey King

@KageKageKing:

We're like above Dane Cook, but we're still too far from George Carlin status.

Brazil is on the better end of world countries in terms of living standards.

And I mean I don't say that to imply it's all good. If anything that should make you shudder at how worse much of the world is.

GRANTED, Brazil is huge so some states might be way shittier than Brazil's average level is. Like I know in sharp contrast to the US, your Northeast is apparently very rough.

starlalilymoon

@Zeorn:

Did you mean gloves? Sorry, but it just made me think there might be people who are wearing glasses for the sole reason of stopping their fingers from touching their eyes or something instead of for vision improvement.

Glasses can actually help with not getting the virus. The virus can go through your eyes too, though it's easier to get it more through the nose and mouth, so hence why mask usage is just as important. Hope that makes sense.

Edit: I only really wear a mask (Well, bandanna because I wanna look cool lol) and social distance. Though I wear glasses for vision problems too, so it's helpful since I'm at a higher risk than most people.

KageKageKing

@Monkey:

Brazil is on the better end of world countries in terms of living standards.

And I mean I don't say that to imply it's all good. If anything that should make you shudder at how worse much of the world is.

GRANTED, Brazil is huge so some states might be way shittier than Brazil's average level is. Like I know in sharp contrast to the US, your Northeast is apparently very rough.

Yeah, if you pick the three states located at the far south that are just above Uruguay and compares to the states in the Amazon area that borders Venezuela, Bolivia and Peru, it's two different worlds.

pariston_hill

@KageKageKing:

Yeah, if you pick the three states located at the far south that are just above Uruguay and compares to the states in the Amazon area that borders Venezuela, Bolivia and Peru, it's two different worlds.

If you compare Leblon, Copacabana, Ipanema and Barra against Santa Cruz, Campo Grande, Bangu, Maré e Complexo do Alemão are already different world in regards of living conditions inside the same city.
Brazil may have a better acquisitive power and a better living than some of our neighbors,most of Africa and South East asia. But the status of a third world country remains (as matter of fact that status should be bogus now that the Soviet Block aka Second World doesn't exist anymore, yet still clings) because the ruling classes are not interested in the betterment of living conditions for all as long as they get the cake and can eat it too.
As a result, we can see, besides the disastrous response that Tump gave, we are the only other country that is rushing to meet that catastrophic numbers.

Monkey King

Worst country in the Americas is unquestionably Haiti.
But some runners up are generally those countries between Mexico and Costa Rica.

Paraguay, Venezuela and Bolivia are also on the low end for various reasons.

Satsuki

Researchers have released a preliminary data result identifying six "symptom cluster types" of COVID-19:
https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/news/researchers-identify-six-distinct-types-of-covid-19-337592?fbclid=IwAR1_vxIYfzY9W7QPaAfrngxr2G2hlN8Od8XgC3741uQrLjm3Yv_E3ryk_80

Can you imagine having number 6? Ugh.

Captain Krupp

I know this could be old but it still deserves some exposure. https://kyutoryu.tumblr.com/post/624096558112276480/lets-not-forget-that-there-are-government

RoboBlue

@Captain:

I know this could be old but it still deserves some exposure. https://kyutoryu.tumblr.com/post/624096558112276480/lets-not-forget-that-there-are-government

The fourteen thousand kids dying are unfortunately a drop in the bucket compared to all the older family members they'd be killing, and all the kids who'll have lifelong injuries resulting from the virus.

We'll be living with the consequences of Trump's malicious failure for a century.

starlalilymoon

@Satsuki:

Researchers have released a preliminary data result identifying six "symptom cluster types" of COVID-19:
https://www.technologynetworks.com/diagnostics/news/researchers-identify-six-distinct-types-of-covid-19-337592?fbclid=IwAR1_vxIYfzY9W7QPaAfrngxr2G2hlN8Od8XgC3741uQrLjm3Yv_E3ryk_80

Can you imagine having number 6? Ugh.

Well, then looking at the different clusters, seems having losing your sense of smell happens in all of them. At least I know if that happens, I'm gonna get myself tested proto.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

This was a good video by John Oliver. Especially at the end, where it can be used to convince people who actually believe that the Coronavirus is a hoax that it's actually real or nudge those people in the right direction. I always have trouble arguing with people who believe in conspiracy theories as I get too emotional and annoyed. John Oliver brought up good points like talking to them on their level and be empathic and then nudge them in the right direction. Honestly, that takes a lot of patience, maybe one day I get there as well.

pariston_hill

You can always be over the top with them too. "Oh the moon landing is fake? Check this dude he believes in the moon."
Although I don't know where to fit Reductio ad Absurdum in the pyramid of debate.

Green_vs_Red

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/psychotic-california-restaurant-hammered-for-refusing-to-serve-customers-wearing-masks/

When you’re blatantly encouraging a health hazard.

pariston_hill

How long until the place run out of business and some wackos create a go fund me for them to open a new one? A month? Month and half?

onemoment

Another story in the saga of retail employees getting punished for asking people to wear masks (link):

TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A New Jersey shopping mall store employee was spat at and struck with a belt after asking two customers to pull up their masks earlier this month, authorities said.

Toms River police said a man and woman entered a Zumiez in the Ocean County mall shortly after 3 p.m. on July 9 with face coverings around their necks.

When the female employee asked them to wear the masks, the man became irate and snapped a belt at the worker, striking her once, police said. The man's female companion spit at the worker before both left, police said.

Police searched the area without finding them, and their investigation continues.