Mitch McConnell's View on Labor Shortage

[djAdvocate]

i forgot about this one:


www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-tracker


the tabulated results are really interesting.  three countries had fewer dead than nominal, due to increased masking: New Zealand, Cyprus, and Singapore.

the US keeps moving up the ranks.  early on it was getting an F.  now it is getting a good solid D, along with Mexico, Brazil, and Italy.  countries with a passing grade include UK, Switzerland, and Finland.  countries getting a B include Ireland, Canada, Costa Rica and Norway.  A rated countries include Japan, Iceland and Australia (in addition to the three A+ countries listed in previous paragraph).

we got beaten out by Paraguay, Iran, Portugal and Spain.  it is not how l like to think of this country, but it is how we are.  we could EASILY have saved 1M people.  that would have garnered an A grade and put us along side Japan and better than South Korea, which is about what i would have expected from the US before Trump.  instead, our response gets a D, which is all on Trump, imo.  he could have mobilized massive testing, etc if he listened to advice and took problems seriously.

hopefully he will do the same when he develops serious health conditions.

[raeoflyte]

At this point I'm not sure how important it is to know the exact # of cases. Everyone who wants to be vaccinated is. The hospitalization rate is what's important now.

[djAdvocate]

just to be clear, my post was about morbidity.  i agree with rae.  we can't really measure cases any longer, because of home testing, anyway.  actually we could, if the federal government stepped in and requested self reporting, perhaps implementing a reward system that gave out gas coupons.  
but, of course, that will not happen.

but you have to admit, it is a good idea.  

[teen persuasion]

Jul 9, 2022 16:10:32 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

just to be clear, my post was about morbidity.  i agree with rae.  we can't really measure cases any longer, because of home testing, anyway.  actually we could, if the federal government stepped in and requested self reporting, perhaps implementing a reward system that gave out gas coupons.  
but, of course, that will not happen.

but you have to admit, it is a good idea.  

But now you've got the problem of reinfections - are we counting cases, or people?

DS4 learned Friday that his boss's wife has Covid.  Saturday, boss tested positive, too - his second bout, first was the week before Thanksgiving, when he exposed everybody by coming in to work (trying to work away from everyone else).  Yep, he's still working this time, too - away from people, he claims.     Doubt he's wearing a mask, either.

Gee, thanks!  DS4 was the one who brought it home from work and gave it to me in May (probably BA2.12.1).  This time it's likely boss has BA5 - so it's possible we might get it again.


Anyway, people are on their second, third, even fourth bout of Covid.

[djAdvocate]

Jul 9, 2022 18:17:01 GMT -5 teen persuasion said:

Jul 9, 2022 16:10:32 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

just to be clear, my post was about morbidity.  i agree with rae.  we can't really measure cases any longer, because of home testing, anyway.  actually we could, if the federal government stepped in and requested self reporting, perhaps implementing a reward system that gave out gas coupons.  
but, of course, that will not happen.

but you have to admit, it is a good idea.  

But now you've got the problem of reinfections - are we counting cases, or people?

DS4 learned Friday that his boss's wife has Covid.  Saturday, boss tested positive, too - his second bout, first was the week before Thanksgiving, when he exposed everybody by coming in to work (trying to work away from everyone else).  Yep, he's still working this time, too - away from people, he claims.     Doubt he's wearing a mask, either.

Gee, thanks!  DS4 was the one who brought it home from work and gave it to me in May (probably BA2.12.1).  This time it's likely boss has BA5 - so it's possible we might get it again.


Anyway, people are on their second, third, even fourth bout of Covid.

good point.  i will stick with mortality.

[kadee79]

And let's not forget that some states didn't report the proper #'s to begin with...like Fl.  I don't think they reported either the cases correctly or the deaths that were attributed to some other cause like a heart attack.

[djAdvocate]

Jul 10, 2022 12:09:09 GMT -5 kadee79 said:

And let's not forget that some states didn't report the proper #'s to begin with...like Fl.  I don't think they reported either the cases correctly or the deaths that were attributed to some other cause like a heart attack.

the economist data does not rely on reporting.

[raeoflyte]

Jul 9, 2022 18:17:01 GMT -5 teen persuasion said:

Jul 9, 2022 16:10:32 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

just to be clear, my post was about morbidity.  i agree with rae.  we can't really measure cases any longer, because of home testing, anyway.  actually we could, if the federal government stepped in and requested self reporting, perhaps implementing a reward system that gave out gas coupons.  
but, of course, that will not happen.

but you have to admit, it is a good idea.  

But now you've got the problem of reinfections - are we counting cases, or people?

DS4 learned Friday that his boss's wife has Covid.  Saturday, boss tested positive, too - his second bout, first was the week before Thanksgiving, when he exposed everybody by coming in to work (trying to work away from everyone else).  Yep, he's still working this time, too - away from people, he claims.     Doubt he's wearing a mask, either.

Gee, thanks!  DS4 was the one who brought it home from work and gave it to me in May (probably BA2.12.1).  This time it's likely boss has BA5 - so it's possible we might get it again.


Anyway, people are on their second, third, even fourth bout of Covid.

Not being snarky- but does that matter? As long as hospital stays and death count are "within norms" what would knowing each case do?

Long term data still needs to be done, but I don't want to go back to needing a pcr for every sniffle or sore throat.

[pulmonarymd]

The disease will always be with us. Like other coronaviruses, long term immunity wanes, so re-infections happen. As long as the number of people who are hospitalized or die is "reasonable", life needs to go on. People getting colds will always happen. We need to have reasonable sick policies at work, and people should be better about going out when sick, but that also pertains to the flu. We need to find our new normal.

[teen persuasion]

Jul 11, 2022 10:51:55 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Jul 9, 2022 18:17:01 GMT -5 teen persuasion said:

But now you've got the problem of reinfections - are we counting cases, or people?

DS4 learned Friday that his boss's wife has Covid.  Saturday, boss tested positive, too - his second bout, first was the week before Thanksgiving, when he exposed everybody by coming in to work (trying to work away from everyone else).  Yep, he's still working this time, too - away from people, he claims.     Doubt he's wearing a mask, either.

Gee, thanks!  DS4 was the one who brought it home from work and gave it to me in May (probably BA2.12.1).  This time it's likely boss has BA5 - so it's possible we might get it again.


Anyway, people are on their second, third, even fourth bout of Covid.

Not being snarky- but does that matter? As long as hospital stays and death count are "within norms" what would knowing each case do?

Long term data still needs to be done, but I don't want to go back to needing a pcr for every sniffle or sore throat.

If we have useful tests for Covid, and people are using the home tests to know that that is what they are ill with (vs allergies, etc), we should use the self-testing numbers in deciding if a region's cases are on the rise with a new wave or new variant. If only so that high risk people can avoid large crowds at a riskier time.

You are right, going for PCR tests frequently is a PITA, but home tests are easy. Why not collect that data and use it, instead of ignoring it? The data average people are exposed to on the news says cases are low, but that's because the data is only PCR tests, now.

I think people might be more likely to accept occasional masking, if it was targetted - just when there's a quick surge in your area, or when you are sick -to protect others. But, no, it's every man for himself RN.

When I took DS4 to work this morning, boss AND his wife were there, talking with another employee, no masks in sight. Employee was between them, spaced out, yes, but not enough for my comfort. DS4 had to cut thru the group to get to the door to clock in, and then back thru so I could drive him to the warehouse. Why are they on site, not quarantining? Why no mask?

[raeoflyte]

Jul 11, 2022 12:21:57 GMT -5 teen persuasion said:

Jul 11, 2022 10:51:55 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Not being snarky- but does that matter? As long as hospital stays and death count are "within norms" what would knowing each case do?

Long term data still needs to be done, but I don't want to go back to needing a pcr for every sniffle or sore throat.

If we have useful tests for Covid, and people are using the home tests to know that that is what they are ill with (vs allergies, etc), we should use the self-testing numbers in deciding if a region's cases are on the rise with a new wave or new variant. If only so that high risk people can avoid large crowds at a riskier time.

You are right, going for PCR tests frequently is a PITA, but home tests are easy. Why not collect that data and use it, instead of ignoring it? The data average people are exposed to on the news says cases are low, but that's because the data is only PCR tests, now.

I think people might be more likely to accept occasional masking, if it was targetted - just when there's a quick surge in your area, or when you are sick -to protect others. But, no, it's every man for himself RN.

When I took DS4 to work this morning, boss AND his wife were there, talking with another employee, no masks in sight. Employee was between them, spaced out, yes, but not enough for my comfort. DS4 had to cut thru the group to get to the door to clock in, and then back thru so I could drive him to the warehouse. Why are they on site, not quarantining? Why no mask?

Collecting the data from home tests is tricky and we have waste water testing for early detection and hospitalizations to go by.

Dumbasses not isolating when they know they are positive is beyond frustrating, but I don't think anything will get through to them. Because they either don't care, or they don't have an option - low or no sick time and employers who will fire people for less put plenty of people in a bad spot.

[thyme4change]

Collecting the data from home tests is tricky and we have waste water testing for early detection and hospitalizations to go by.

I keep seeing this, but how does hospitalizations count the general population. How do we know the hospitalization-to-infected people ratio if we don't know the number of infected people? Or is this just directional? Hospitalizations are going up, therefore infections must be going up?

[raeoflyte]

Jul 11, 2022 16:29:19 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Collecting the data from home tests is tricky and we have waste water testing for early detection and hospitalizations to go by.

I keep seeing this, but how does hospitalizations count the general population. How do we know the hospitalization-to-infected people ratio if we don't know the number of infected people? Or is this just directional? Hospitalizations are going up, therefore infections must be going up?

I was thinking the #'s of hospitalized people with covid. So a static #, but easy to see if it starts increasing. But I could have that wrong.

[pulmonarymd]

Jul 11, 2022 16:29:19 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Collecting the data from home tests is tricky and we have waste water testing for early detection and hospitalizations to go by.

I keep seeing this, but how does hospitalizations count the general population. How do we know the hospitalization-to-infected people ratio if we don't know the number of infected people? Or is this just directional? Hospitalizations are going up, therefore infections must be going up?

We do not test every sick person for the flu, but we know when flu cases are going up. We do test symptomatic people at the start of the flu season when they are seen in those places, but we do not test everyone. We know how the disease acts, and we know there is an outbreak. The CDC monitors visits for flu-like symptoms as well, and you will see those spike after we start to see positive flu cases. Something similar will be done here. This just complicates matters as the symptoms overlap. Monitoring of sewage is also going to be helpful to see the degree of infection in a community. These types of surveillance are what will take place.

More importantly, we cannot eradicate the disease, and immunity is not long lasting. So, like the flu, we will be dealing with spikes in the number of cases from now on. Just like catching the flu is something to expect, we will need to expect we will contract COVID. We have a vaccine for this like the flu. We will need to live with this as well. Preventing severe disease and death, and avoiding overwhelming the medical system again is what the focus should be.

[teen persuasion]

Jul 11, 2022 13:03:37 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Jul 11, 2022 12:21:57 GMT -5 teen persuasion said:

If we have useful tests for Covid, and people are using the home tests to know that that is what they are ill with (vs allergies, etc), we should use the self-testing numbers in deciding if a region's cases are on the rise with a new wave or new variant. If only so that high risk people can avoid large crowds at a riskier time.

You are right, going for PCR tests frequently is a PITA, but home tests are easy. Why not collect that data and use it, instead of ignoring it? The data average people are exposed to on the news says cases are low, but that's because the data is only PCR tests, now.

I think people might be more likely to accept occasional masking, if it was targetted - just when there's a quick surge in your area, or when you are sick -to protect others. But, no, it's every man for himself RN.

When I took DS4 to work this morning, boss AND his wife were there, talking with another employee, no masks in sight. Employee was between them, spaced out, yes, but not enough for my comfort. DS4 had to cut thru the group to get to the door to clock in, and then back thru so I could drive him to the warehouse. Why are they on site, not quarantining? Why no mask?

Collecting the data from home tests is tricky and we have waste water testing for early detection and hospitalizations to go by.

Dumbasses not isolating when they know they are positive is beyond frustrating, but I don't think anything will get through to them. Because they either don't care, or they don't have an option - low or no sick time and employers who will fire people for less put plenty of people in a bad spot.

Or, in this case, they ARE the employer.

Just learned the husband/wife team that does maintenance/cleaning for my library, and the church across the street, are out with Covid, too.  They are quarantining!

Local tv news had a story about what happens when you are traveling and get Covid - one of their sports reporters was in Italy for a holiday, and tested positive.  So he's quarantining with his mom, while his wife is off seeing the sights alone (it was meant to be a third anniversary celebration.)

And Sen Schumer tested positive, after he was here recently about the Jefferson 10.

National hospitalization rate is going up, according to ABC News.  BA5 is now dominant, and the most infectious yet. Moderna says its new vaccine is 6x better against BA4 & BA5, but won't be out until Oct or Nov. At the rate new variants displace the previous ones now, we will be 2 generations past BA5 by then. And 71 million still have not vaxxed, at all!

Living with it, and just letting it rip, are two entirely different things. Doing absolutely nothing to reduce transmission leaves us very little room to maneuver when hospitals DO get overwhelmed. Or hospital staff are overrun by ever-more-contagious variants - as is happening in Australia. A Dr on Twitter said, due at least in part to community spread, the entire nursing staff was out sick, except for one nurse, who can't leave her post! Next nearest hospital was 400km away. Absolutely bonkers.

[tbop77]

These people need to get their story straight! 

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/desantis-uses-federal-covid-19-relief-funds-to-send-nearly-60000-florida-families-a-dollar450-per-child-check-to-offset-the-costs-of-rising-inflation/ar-AAZPxFV?ocid=spartanntp


DeSantis uses federal COVID-19 relief funds to send nearly 60,000 Florida families a $450-per-child check to 'offset the costs of rising inflation'