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shadowkat1. New York vs. the Coronavirus and Federal Government
From the Governor's Email"
*. We are deploying a testing SWAT team to Western NY to address the recent uptick in COVID cases. Yesterday, the infection rate in the region rose to 2.0%. The testing SWAT team will open free rapid testing sites across the region. Sites will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Saturday through Wednesday. All residents are eligible for tests and appointments can be made by calling 1-833-NYSTRNG (1-833-697-8764).
*. The total number of COVID hospitalizations remains low. Yesterday, there were 490 total hospitalizations. Of the 83,437 tests reported yesterday, 791, or 0.95%, were positive—the 20th straight day of an infection rate under 1 percent. Sadly, we lost 4 New Yorkers to the virus.
*. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will not change our science-based testing guidance. The CDC's unexplained reversal of established testing guidelines this week is reckless and unsupported by the facts. Individuals who are in close contact with those positive for COVID should get tested. Read the full joint statement with NJ Governor Phil Murphy and CT Governor Ned Lamont.
2. Mother told me about her close friends, who they've know for about twenty years now. Both staunch Republicans. (My parents are liberal and Democrat in a conservative southern State.). Her friend has had COVID-19 for over 31 days now. She's tested positive three-four times. She aches all over, has no sense of taste, a light fever, and loss of appetite and fatigue. But keeps wondering if it is arthritis.
When she asked - because they emailed her - her husband's results, which were negative, then told her she was positive, confusing her - they said that if she didn't exhibit any symptoms in ten days, she didn't need to get tested again. She asked, "what if I still have it? I don't want to give it to anyone else!"
She voted for Trump.
I'm willing to bet that she regrets that decision now.
She's a kind person. This breaks my heart.
3. Delta Airlines Has Barred About 240 People From Flying For Not Wearing Masks
I had a long discussion with Jay today about this. Her son is a flight attendant for the airlines and is taking a voluntary leave of absence for as long as possible. She told me that Delta wasn't taking any risks and being hardcore. Delta flew back to the gate and kicked off a family of five for not wearing masks. They kicked off a woman whose two year old wouldn't wear a mask on the plane.
4. This is just heartbreaking... Hurricane Laura Slammed into the Pandemic in Lousiana and Texas last night.
From the NY Times Briefing: Hurricane Laura slammed into the Louisiana and Texas coasts overnight, sending residents in areas hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic scrambling to find shelter. The hurricane was among the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S., and more than 500,000 residents in its path were urged to leave their homes.
The challenge facing officials was immense: evacuate and house thousands of residents, quickly, while also protecting them from the coronavirus.
In Texas, many traditional shelters, which were running at lower capacity to allow for social distancing, had filled up by Wednesday morning, The Texas Tribune reported. Across the region, evacuees were instead urged to book hotel and motel rooms as a safer way to isolate themselves from others who might be infected with the coronavirus.In many ways, the virus changed the calculus for those weighing the decision to evacuate or hunker down. The risk of catching Covid-19 has made people less likely to evacuate in the event of a hurricane, reported Bloomberg. Others in Laura’s path simply did not have the means to escape because their livelihoods were eviscerated when the economy cratered. And those infected before the storm hit have found it difficult to find accommodations willing to host them.
As of this evening the storm continues to plow through Louisiana, and once it passes, the virus will be harder to track there. Louisiana, one of the states most ravaged by the pandemic, closed its testing sites ahead of the storm. Gov. John Bel Edwards said it would be difficult to get them running again because of the damage from the storm and staffing issues.
Rebuilding looks equally difficult.
Vernon Pierce, who coordinates nonprofit aid to victims of Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm that hit the region in 2017, told The Texas Tribune that he was worried people might be weary of donating cleaning supplies or volunteering to fix damaged homes.
The pandemic, he said, “is going to make it harder to bring people in to help.”
Hurricane Laura sweeps ashore as one of most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S.
Hurricane Laura, which began the day rolling ashore as one of the strongest storms ever to hit Louisiana, plowed trough the state from south to north, gradually weakening to become a tropical storm but wreaking destruction all along its path and killing at least six people before the afternoon was through.
After slamming coastal communities in the early hours of Thursday, the storm roared into the city of Lake Charles, La., ripping apart buildings and causing a fire at a chemical plant, which sent acrid smoke billowing into the sky and prompted the state to order people living nearby to stay inside with their windows shut.
Laura then steamrolled northward, maintaining hurricane force well into the afternoon, knocking out power to at least 880,000 utility customers in the region and leaving tens of thousands of people without drinkable water.
Four of the deaths tied to the storm in Louisiana were caused by trees falling on homes, according to Gov. John Bel Edwards. One was a 14-year-old girl in Leesville, La., a small city about 100 miles inland; the others were a 68-year-old man near Iota, La., a 64-year-old woman in Allen Parish and a 51-year-old man in Jackson Parish, which is 200 miles from the coast.
In Calcasieu Parish, where Lake Charles is, a 24-year-old man died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator inside his house, and another male, whose age was not yet known, drowned when a boat he was in sank during the storm, according to a spokesperson for Louisiana’s health department.
By 4 p.m. Central time, the storm had passed into southern Arkansas, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was trudging north-northeast at 15 miles an hour with maximum sustained winds of 50 miles an hour that extended out 90 miles from the center in all directions. The storm was expected to diminish to a tropical depression overnight.
Troops from the Army National Guard cleared downed trees and debris from the streets of downtown Lake Charles.
That just hurts my heart. I'm thinking of all those poor people in Lake Charles and New Orleans, terrified of the pandemic, being forced to evacuate and losing their homes.
Frigging 2020. My poor country, sweet land of liberty, is bleeding.
5.Good news? Or Bad News? Hard to tell
Downstream vaccines
Around 35 vaccines are speeding through human clinical trials, and experts predict that the first vaccines could become available as early as the beginning of next year. Behind those front-runners, more than 60 candidates are preparing to enter trials in the coming year.
With so many promising vaccines so much further along, why would researchers start trials at a time when the world may already have a viable vaccine — possibly even a few of them?
Our colleague Carl Zimmer, who covers science, told us that these slow and steady scientists are betting they can make stronger and cheaper vaccines.
“We don’t know if any of the vaccines that are in clinical trials actually work,” Carl told us. “And the fact that they got into clinical trials quickly does not mean that they’re going to turn out to be the best.”
Many of the leading candidates use a similar approach, and the slower scientists worry that we may be putting too many eggs in one basket. So research groups are designing vaccines that use different approaches, like nanoparticles or T cells. They’re trying new delivery methods, such as nasal sprays, or developing vaccines that they hope can protect people for longer.
The world may also need billions of doses, and some researchers believe their vaccines can meet the demand — and at a fraction of the cost.
“It’s possible that the first wave of vaccines is a luxury good that only wealthy nations can afford,” Carl told us. “And meanwhile, there can be other vaccines that are going to be effective, maybe even more effective, and they’re going to be super cheap.”
I don't know. I've watched enough sci-fi in my life-time to know better than to grab the first vaccine that comes out of the gate.
From the Governor's Email"
*. We are deploying a testing SWAT team to Western NY to address the recent uptick in COVID cases. Yesterday, the infection rate in the region rose to 2.0%. The testing SWAT team will open free rapid testing sites across the region. Sites will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Saturday through Wednesday. All residents are eligible for tests and appointments can be made by calling 1-833-NYSTRNG (1-833-697-8764).
*. The total number of COVID hospitalizations remains low. Yesterday, there were 490 total hospitalizations. Of the 83,437 tests reported yesterday, 791, or 0.95%, were positive—the 20th straight day of an infection rate under 1 percent. Sadly, we lost 4 New Yorkers to the virus.
*. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will not change our science-based testing guidance. The CDC's unexplained reversal of established testing guidelines this week is reckless and unsupported by the facts. Individuals who are in close contact with those positive for COVID should get tested. Read the full joint statement with NJ Governor Phil Murphy and CT Governor Ned Lamont.
2. Mother told me about her close friends, who they've know for about twenty years now. Both staunch Republicans. (My parents are liberal and Democrat in a conservative southern State.). Her friend has had COVID-19 for over 31 days now. She's tested positive three-four times. She aches all over, has no sense of taste, a light fever, and loss of appetite and fatigue. But keeps wondering if it is arthritis.
When she asked - because they emailed her - her husband's results, which were negative, then told her she was positive, confusing her - they said that if she didn't exhibit any symptoms in ten days, she didn't need to get tested again. She asked, "what if I still have it? I don't want to give it to anyone else!"
She voted for Trump.
I'm willing to bet that she regrets that decision now.
She's a kind person. This breaks my heart.
3. Delta Airlines Has Barred About 240 People From Flying For Not Wearing Masks
I had a long discussion with Jay today about this. Her son is a flight attendant for the airlines and is taking a voluntary leave of absence for as long as possible. She told me that Delta wasn't taking any risks and being hardcore. Delta flew back to the gate and kicked off a family of five for not wearing masks. They kicked off a woman whose two year old wouldn't wear a mask on the plane.
4. This is just heartbreaking... Hurricane Laura Slammed into the Pandemic in Lousiana and Texas last night.
From the NY Times Briefing: Hurricane Laura slammed into the Louisiana and Texas coasts overnight, sending residents in areas hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic scrambling to find shelter. The hurricane was among the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S., and more than 500,000 residents in its path were urged to leave their homes.
The challenge facing officials was immense: evacuate and house thousands of residents, quickly, while also protecting them from the coronavirus.
In Texas, many traditional shelters, which were running at lower capacity to allow for social distancing, had filled up by Wednesday morning, The Texas Tribune reported. Across the region, evacuees were instead urged to book hotel and motel rooms as a safer way to isolate themselves from others who might be infected with the coronavirus.In many ways, the virus changed the calculus for those weighing the decision to evacuate or hunker down. The risk of catching Covid-19 has made people less likely to evacuate in the event of a hurricane, reported Bloomberg. Others in Laura’s path simply did not have the means to escape because their livelihoods were eviscerated when the economy cratered. And those infected before the storm hit have found it difficult to find accommodations willing to host them.
As of this evening the storm continues to plow through Louisiana, and once it passes, the virus will be harder to track there. Louisiana, one of the states most ravaged by the pandemic, closed its testing sites ahead of the storm. Gov. John Bel Edwards said it would be difficult to get them running again because of the damage from the storm and staffing issues.
Rebuilding looks equally difficult.
Vernon Pierce, who coordinates nonprofit aid to victims of Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm that hit the region in 2017, told The Texas Tribune that he was worried people might be weary of donating cleaning supplies or volunteering to fix damaged homes.
The pandemic, he said, “is going to make it harder to bring people in to help.”
Hurricane Laura sweeps ashore as one of most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S.
Hurricane Laura, which began the day rolling ashore as one of the strongest storms ever to hit Louisiana, plowed trough the state from south to north, gradually weakening to become a tropical storm but wreaking destruction all along its path and killing at least six people before the afternoon was through.
After slamming coastal communities in the early hours of Thursday, the storm roared into the city of Lake Charles, La., ripping apart buildings and causing a fire at a chemical plant, which sent acrid smoke billowing into the sky and prompted the state to order people living nearby to stay inside with their windows shut.
Laura then steamrolled northward, maintaining hurricane force well into the afternoon, knocking out power to at least 880,000 utility customers in the region and leaving tens of thousands of people without drinkable water.
Four of the deaths tied to the storm in Louisiana were caused by trees falling on homes, according to Gov. John Bel Edwards. One was a 14-year-old girl in Leesville, La., a small city about 100 miles inland; the others were a 68-year-old man near Iota, La., a 64-year-old woman in Allen Parish and a 51-year-old man in Jackson Parish, which is 200 miles from the coast.
In Calcasieu Parish, where Lake Charles is, a 24-year-old man died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator inside his house, and another male, whose age was not yet known, drowned when a boat he was in sank during the storm, according to a spokesperson for Louisiana’s health department.
By 4 p.m. Central time, the storm had passed into southern Arkansas, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was trudging north-northeast at 15 miles an hour with maximum sustained winds of 50 miles an hour that extended out 90 miles from the center in all directions. The storm was expected to diminish to a tropical depression overnight.
Troops from the Army National Guard cleared downed trees and debris from the streets of downtown Lake Charles.
That just hurts my heart. I'm thinking of all those poor people in Lake Charles and New Orleans, terrified of the pandemic, being forced to evacuate and losing their homes.
Frigging 2020. My poor country, sweet land of liberty, is bleeding.
5.Good news? Or Bad News? Hard to tell
Downstream vaccines
Around 35 vaccines are speeding through human clinical trials, and experts predict that the first vaccines could become available as early as the beginning of next year. Behind those front-runners, more than 60 candidates are preparing to enter trials in the coming year.
With so many promising vaccines so much further along, why would researchers start trials at a time when the world may already have a viable vaccine — possibly even a few of them?
Our colleague Carl Zimmer, who covers science, told us that these slow and steady scientists are betting they can make stronger and cheaper vaccines.
“We don’t know if any of the vaccines that are in clinical trials actually work,” Carl told us. “And the fact that they got into clinical trials quickly does not mean that they’re going to turn out to be the best.”
Many of the leading candidates use a similar approach, and the slower scientists worry that we may be putting too many eggs in one basket. So research groups are designing vaccines that use different approaches, like nanoparticles or T cells. They’re trying new delivery methods, such as nasal sprays, or developing vaccines that they hope can protect people for longer.
The world may also need billions of doses, and some researchers believe their vaccines can meet the demand — and at a fraction of the cost.
“It’s possible that the first wave of vaccines is a luxury good that only wealthy nations can afford,” Carl told us. “And meanwhile, there can be other vaccines that are going to be effective, maybe even more effective, and they’re going to be super cheap.”
I don't know. I've watched enough sci-fi in my life-time to know better than to grab the first vaccine that comes out of the gate.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-28 02:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2020-08-28 09:50 pm (UTC)What also caught my attention? In the photo below of people standing in line the second person is not wearing a mask correctly.
(no subject)
From: