All things political. Coronavirus Edition. (7 Viewers)

[Maxp]

I fear we are really going to be in a bad place due to the obvious cuts to the federal agencies that deal with infectious disease, but also the negative effect the Affordable Care act has had on non urban hospitals. Our front line defenses are ineffectual and our ability to treat the populous is probably at an all time low. Factor in the cost of healthcare and I can see our system crashing. What do you think about the politics of this virus?

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

Interesting piece. Not that I have read a ton of these, I do like that this one gives a timeframe on the "hammer" portion and makes the case for why there would not be a spike after relaxation. Those are the concerns I have wondered about.

I agree, uncertainty is one of the biggest hurdles to getting people on board with a lot of these asks. Just telling people to stay home, with no end date raises a ton of anxiety. And then throwing in mentions of a timeline of 18 months doesn't help... 18 months of what? Not being able to go into work?

The author is pretty clear that his timelines are not firm though. He said the Hammer phase can be 3-7 weeks depending on how soon you start and how hard the hammer is. And he also says that he doesn't have enough data to determine what the appropriate steps are for the Dance phase, but I really like the approach he takes with trade-offs between the benefit to R reduction vs. the cost of the mitigation. This is the sort of analysis decision makers should be using.

Ideally this week we'll get some clarity on how long we need to be locked down. Virginia went with a fairly soft hammer. There's a wide range of business still allowed to operate, but the ones involving close interactions have all been closed. Our total number of cases isn't super high yet, so maybe that will be enough for a 4 or 5 week hammer phase, which would not be too bad. And then with schools closed for the rest of the school year, the dance phase can be tweaked a bit on allowing other activities.

It's a tough problem and I don't envy people responsible for making these decisions. But the data analyst geek in me would love to start modeling this.

 

[JimEverett]

In Today's version of Obvious News..Bernie Sanders has made a provision that those unemployed workers as a result of the virus would get 100% of their salary up to 75k..

Republicans including Lindsay Graham object and hold up the passing of the legislation over disputing that it would "incentivize" not working.

Last-minute complaints threaten $2T Senate coronavirus emergency aid

A round of eleventh-hour objections is throwing a curveball into the Senate’s consideration of a mammoth stimulus package. Senate leadership announced the deal on th…

www.google.com

If Republicans in Congress cared half as much about the working class as they do obsessing over people not working, we would be so much better off as a country.

I doubt it has much chance of passing either way, bt would be interested in the details of Bernie's plan.

I think some sort of increased unemployment benefits combined with forbearance on things like mortgages and car payments (taxpayers bailed them out just over a decade ago), and forgiveness of utility payments to utilities with monopolies while unemployed due to virus and up to a couple or three months after things get to "normal" is a better plan then checks sent out to everyone. But that is virtually impossible to do nationwide. Something could be done for renters as well, perhaps some calculation to pay a certain amount by the government depending on locale.

 

[The moose]

Trump team failed to follow NSC’s pandemic playbook

The 69-page document, finished in 2016, provided a step by step list of priorities – which were then ignored by the administration.

www.politico.com

This is about the nsc's pandemic playbook. A step by step plan finished in 2016 on how to exactly handle this exact thing that was completely ignored by this administration.

Good read. Would actually like to read the actual document.

 

[zztop]

( how christian of him)

The US arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby has said it will remain open during the coronavirus epidemic – but has also refused sick pay for workers who fall ill, including from Covid-19.

The chain is keeping some stores open in states that have not ordered non-essential retailers to shut down. In a letter to all employees on 19 March, founder and CEO David Green warned that times would be tough: “To help ensure our company remains strong and prepared to prosper once again when this passes, we may all have to ‘tighten our belts’ over the near future.”

However, in a March 23 memo to store managers seen by Business Insider, store operations vice president Randy Betts wrote that the business would “make every effort to continue working the employees”, and that sick workers will be expected to use their personal paid leave or take an unpaid leave of absence.

 

[samiam5211]

Would love to see which pharmaceutical companies Kushner and the rest of the family have invested in during the past 3 months.

 

[The moose]

( how christian of him)

The US arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby has said it will remain open during the coronavirus epidemic – but has also refused sick pay for workers who fall ill, including from Covid-19.

The chain is keeping some stores open in states that have not ordered non-essential retailers to shut down. In a letter to all employees on 19 March, founder and CEO David Green warned that times would be tough: “To help ensure our company remains strong and prepared to prosper once again when this passes, we may all have to ‘tighten our belts’ over the near future.”

However, in a March 23 memo to store managers seen by Business Insider, store operations vice president Randy Betts wrote that the business would “make every effort to continue working the employees”, and that sick workers will be expected to use their personal paid leave or take an unpaid leave of absence.

Yeah that David Green guy is an absolute piece of work.

The stolen antiquities he has been busted with I would like to think God would frown on.

I don't get how the religious psychos can do things so horrible.

 

[insidejob]

Yeah that David Green guy is an absolute piece of work.

The stolen antiquities he has been busted with I would like to think God would frown on.

I don't get how the religious psychos can do things so horrible.

Because all they have to do is ask for forgiveness from God and they're good to go do whatever the hell they want again until they need another round of forgiveness.

 

[cuddlemonkey]

Are you claiming that it wasn't effective initially?

Chloroquine, an old malaria drug, may help treat novel coronavirus, doctors say

According to early research, an old malaria drug called chloroquine might also work for the new coronavirus.

abcnews-go-com.cdn.ampproject.org

Are you denying chloroquine is considered a safe medication? This is from the CDC:

Trump was immediately corrected by the FDA commissioner that chloroquine had not been approved yet by the FDA for treatment of Coronavirus. Let's not act like his intial statement was left out there for people to think it was correct.

Only people who hate Trump could claim he has any culpability for someone who drank fish tank cleaner.

I am not denying any of that. I am saying that he gave a very different impression than the reality of the situation. The woman in Arizona even said that they heard it mentioned on TV.

Given that it has not been approved for use in treating COVID-19, do you not find it irresponsible for the president to discuss it on national TV, especially since you say that he had to be corrected after the fact?

 

[JimEverett]

I am not denying any of that. I am saying that he gave a very different impression than the reality of the situation. The woman in Arizona even said that they heard it mentioned on TV.

Given that it has not been approved for use in treating COVID-19, do you not find it irresponsible for the president to discuss it on national TV, especially since you say that he had to be corrected after the fact?

Given that he was discussing FDA fast-tracking clinical trials to treat the virus - no, I don't think it was irresponsible to discuss it.

 

[The moose]

Given that he was discussing FDA fast-tracking clinical trials to treat the virus - no, I don't think it was irresponsible to discuss it.

Yet considering he did not bring up the massive doses of vitamin c that really has worked and is being used around the world to help.

Oh the other thing is they can't fill up the trial of medical workers to do the fast track on the drug because the medical workers don't believe in the risk out weights the potential benefits.

 

[Farb]

I am not denying any of that. I am saying that he gave a very different impression than the reality of the situation. The woman in Arizona even said that they heard it mentioned on TV.

Given that it has not been approved for use in treating COVID-19, do you not find it irresponsible for the president to discuss it on national TV, especially since you say that he had to be corrected after the fact?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-malaria-drug-trump-says-could-treat-covid-19

It appears that actual practicing doctors across the country seem to agree that this drug is showing great promise. I am sure they would not waste resources and time obtaining and a drug that won't work when they are in dire need of other medical supplies.

On an unrelated side note, I didn't know Bloomberg news covered anything besides the Trump impeachment.

 

[Dadsdream]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-malaria-drug-trump-says-could-treat-covid-19

It appears that actual practicing doctors across the country seem to agree that this drug is showing great promise. I am sure they would not waste resources and time obtaining and a drug that won't work when they are in dire need of other medical supplies.

On an unrelated side note, I didn't know Bloomberg news covered anything besides the Trump impeachment.

The Mueller Report. They covered that until it came out and Mueller live on camera sounded like Joe Biden on one of his bad days.

 

[Saintamaniac]

My uncle died of COVID-19 in New Orleans this morning. He most likely got it during Mardi Gras. It kinda makes it real when it hits this close to home. He was 77 and had diabetes but other than that, he was still pretty active.

 

[efil4]

Would love to see which pharmaceutical companies Kushner and the rest of the family have invested in during the past 3 months.

welllll if he invested in Regeneron because is Daddy-in-law said they produce redemisvir, id laugh. ( in a presser Trump said "we have Redemisvir by Regeneron )


When its actually Gilead Pharma.

lol.

 

[efil4]

My uncle died of COVID-19 in New Orleans this morning. He most likely got it during Mardi Gras. It kinda makes it real when it hits this close to home. He was 77 and had diabetes but other than that, he was still pretty active.

oh my. Condolences.

Diabetes is a number one factor here - at least its bearing out to be.

2 weeks ago Tulane had 21 patients - 20 with diabetes.

Man im so sorry.

When was he admitted?

 

[Saintamaniac]

oh my. Condolences.

Diabetes is a number one factor here - at least its bearing out to be.

2 weeks ago Tulane had 21 patients - 20 with diabetes.

Man im so sorry.

When was he admitted?

He was admitted 4 days ago. With pollen season in full swing in the New Orleans area, he thought he was just having allergy issues. It wasn't until his wife found him struggling to breath one morning that they took him in.

 

[bdb13]

My uncle died of COVID-19 in New Orleans this morning. He most likely got it during Mardi Gras. It kinda makes it real when it hits this close to home. He was 77 and had diabetes but other than that, he was still pretty active.

Sorry to hear that man.

 

[SaintForLife]

Well it's 500 billion vs. 150 billion. Is that correct? Doesn't seem like BS to me.

Both the Senate and House bills had the same exact mechanism for distributing that money to the businesses. The House Bill made up the difference between the 500 Billion to 150 Billion with their own plans to spend the money.

Color me cynical after this administration's history tells a different story.

That was a screenshot of the actual Senate bill. I understand the skepticism, but the President can only sign the bill and can't change anything in the bill himself right?

That was essentially one big rant. I'm not saying it's nonsense, but I'd be interested to see a more insightful breakdown. Sure, the liberals (neolibs) have their own agenda, but it's just astonishing to me that anyone supports Republican leadership when they don't hide that they don't GAF about the average worker, and even go as far as to shame them as they did whenever Sanders proposed paying furloughed workers weekly for 4 months saying essentially 'we can't encourage lazy behavior'.

You can call it a rant, but once again those were actual screenshots of Pelosi's bill. He even posted the link to the bill. I don't support Republican leadership at all. I share your outrage at the Republicans behavior like Graham during the crafting of the bill, but it seems like you didnt get too upset while the Democrats were holding up the bill for 3 days so they could get their irrelevant liberal pet projects in the bill.

They give a finger to the working class and have successfully convinced many folks barely getting by that it's the less fortunate that are the problem. Game. Set. Match.

I think we live in an economy and government by the rich, for the rich, and I don't see Americans writ large caring enough to change that downhill freight train anytime soon. Many of my views on the economy and worker's rights are considered 'extreme' by both parties (see my avy), so I'm happy whenever either side does something in line with what I consider right. Just my 2 cents.

The right does cater to the rich more than the left, but the left isn't far behind. I don't think many politicians actually care about the public. They find ways to tailor their message to act like they do. The Democrats holding up the bill to get their unrelated pet projects in the agreement, while people and companies desperately needed money, imo showed all their talk about caring for people is mostly bs.