Covid-19 miscellany

[southernhybrid]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/29/nyregion/party-400-people-coronavirus-nyc.html

Sheriff’s deputies arrived at a building in Midtown Manhattan just before 3 a.m. on Saturday and found almost 400 people drinking and partying inside. Few were wearing face masks.

Deputies shut the party down and arrested four people. The episode reflected the way that, despite the onset of a second wave of the coronavirus, people are continuing to gather at large events in New York City in violation of public health safeguards.

Sheriff Joseph Fucito said Sunday that his office has responded to similar events around twice every weekend for the last several months.

The frequency has not changed, he said, despite increasingly dire warnings from city officials about gathering indoors during the Thanksgiving weekend and the winter holidays.
Officials are having difficulty changing people’s behavior as the city enters a precarious phase of the pandemic.

The seven-day average test positivity rate in New York City was 3.9 percent, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Sunday, up from less than 2 percent at the beginning of the month. About 720 people were hospitalized in the last seven days, according to city data, while the average for the last four weeks was 555.


Coronavirus case counts are breaking records nationwide. Federal health officials on Sunday forecast another spike in infections after Thanksgiving that could lead to more deaths and more stress on hospitals. Cold weather in the months ahead will continue to force people indoors and increase the risk of transmission.


Sheriff Fucito declined to say how deputies found out about the party on Saturday. But they arrived at the building at 202 West 36th Street — about two blocks north of Pennsylvania Station — around 2:45 a.m. and found more than 393 people inside.

People had paid to attend the party and for alcohol service, but the organizers did not have a liquor license or permit to serve alcohol, Sheriff Fucito said. Photos shared by the sheriff’s office show a room lit by a black light and dozens of bottles of tequila, whiskey and vodka lining one counter.

My sister, who lives in NJ frequently brags about the tight rules that they up in NJ and NY compared to Georgia. The problem, I always tell her, is that regardless of the rules, they are almost impossible to enforce. Sure, some of these rule breakers are being caught, but does anyone really think that there aren't a lot of people purposely being careless regarding COVID?

While we have no state mandates in Georgia, most of the people who shop early in the morning wear masks and are careful to stay away from other shoppers, But, later in the day, the stores are crowded and a good percentage of people are not wearing masks and are not bothering to try to stay away from other shoppers. So, I only shop very early in the morning when people are more respectful of their fellow citizens and more importantly, the doctors and nurses who are putting their lives on the line to care for those who have become infected.

I can only imagine how stressful their job is, especially when they have patients who are fighting to survive but still in denial about COVID. Yes. Some nurses have said that they have cared for dying patients who claim that the virus is a hoax.

If people would voluntarily show some respect for their fellow citizens as well as protecting themselves when they are out in public, we would have a much better chance of getting the spread under control, while waiting for effective vaccines to be distributed. And yes. I do know people who won't take the vaccine for no rational reason. Imo, they are idiots.

 

[marc]

Got an alert on my phone this morning. It said that hospitals are at capacity due to COVID, and encourages everyone to stay at home.

from a meme I saw: "We're gonna have to retire the expression 'avoid it like the plague' because it turns out humans do not do that"

 

[TSwizzle]

The UK government continues to overstate the the C19 "pandemic";

Number 10 was today accused of running a 'brainwashing PR campaign' after MailOnline's analysis of official data showed only three NHS trusts in England are busier now than they were this time last year — despite warnings the health service would be crippled by coronavirus without the revamped three-tier lockdown system. Michael Gove sparked fury over the weekend when he claimed that every hospital in England would be 'physically overwhelmed' by Covid-19 without the Government's new restrictions, as he tried to persuade MPs and the public to support the brutal curbs. But NHS England figures paint an entirely different picture, with thousands more hospital beds spare this year than last winter. On average, 77,942 out of 88,903 (87.7 per cent) available beds were occupied across the country in the week ending November 22, which is the most recent snapshot.

DailyMail

Your chances of surviving C19 is better than if you are an Iranian nuclear physicist.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Beds or icu beds?

 

[Bomb#20]

Your chances of surviving C19 is better than if you are an Iranian nuclear physicist.

Your chance of surviving death row is better than if you are an Iranian nuclear physicist.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Your chances of surviving C19 is better than if you are an Iranian nuclear physicist.

Chances of getting hospitalized with Covid-19 aren't that high either, around 1 in 33 to 1 in 50. That adds up though. Most of them survive... and hog their beds.

We are also technically nearing 300,000 confirmed deaths, and over that for excess deaths.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Beds or icu beds?

Unless it is a small regional hospital, it'd have to be standard ICU.

 

[cycomiko]

The UK government continues to overstate the the C19 "pandemic";

Number 10 was today accused of running a 'brainwashing PR campaign' after MailOnline's analysis of official data showed only three NHS trusts in England are busier now than they were this time last year — despite warnings the health service would be crippled by coronavirus without the revamped three-tier lockdown system. Michael Gove sparked fury over the weekend when he claimed that every hospital in England would be 'physically overwhelmed' by Covid-19 without the Government's new restrictions, as he tried to persuade MPs and the public to support the brutal curbs. But NHS England figures paint an entirely different picture, with thousands more hospital beds spare this year than last winter. On average, 77,942 out of 88,903 (87.7 per cent) available beds were occupied across the country in the week ending November 22, which is the most recent snapshot.

DailyMail

Your chances of surviving C19 is better than if you are an Iranian nuclear physicist.

Reading that article it sounds like even with the three-tier system they're only running slightly over their normal capacity (bed usage down 7.2% from last year). Without the restrictions currently in place, how quickly would that deficit be made up?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

The UK government continues to overstate the the C19 "pandemic";

Number 10 was today accused of running a 'brainwashing PR campaign' after MailOnline's analysis of official data showed only three NHS trusts in England are busier now than they were this time last year — despite warnings the health service would be crippled by coronavirus without the revamped three-tier lockdown system. Michael Gove sparked fury over the weekend when he claimed that every hospital in England would be 'physically overwhelmed' by Covid-19 without the Government's new restrictions, as he tried to persuade MPs and the public to support the brutal curbs. But NHS England figures paint an entirely different picture, with thousands more hospital beds spare this year than last winter. On average, 77,942 out of 88,903 (87.7 per cent) available beds were occupied across the country in the week ending November 22, which is the most recent snapshot.

DailyMail

Your chances of surviving C19 is better than if you are an Iranian nuclear physicist.

And why should we believe the Daily Fail?

 

[lpetrich]

Bipartisan group of senators announces $908 billion stimulus plan, aiming to break partisan logjam - The Washington Post

With negotiations among congressional leaders at a standstill, senators in both parties have worked together for weeks on a proposal that could break the logjam. Several centrist lawmakers in the Senate — including Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) — held a news conference Tuesday morning to push their proposal as a template for legislation that could pass Congress as the economy faces increasing strain from a winter surge in coronavirus cases.

...
It would provide $300 a week in federal unemployment benefits for four months — a lower amount than the $600 per week Democrats sought, while still offering substantial relief to tens of millions of jobless Americans. The agreement includes $160 billion in funding for state and local governments, a key Democratic priority opposed by most Republicans, as well as a temporary moratorium on some coronavirus-related lawsuits against firms and other entities — a key Republican priority that most Democrats oppose. The measure also includes funding for small businesses, schools, health care, transit authorities and student loans, among other measures.

Let's see if they get anywhere.

 

[TSwizzle]

The incompetent EDD in California has been screwed out of millions of dollars due to fraudulent unemployment claims;

State investigators have so far identified $400 million paid on some 21,000 unemployment benefit claims improperly filed in the names of California prison inmates, officials said Monday, as state lawmakers called for legislative hearings over the massive fraud. Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a letter to several district attorneys on Tuesday that he has been “deeply alarmed” since first reports of fraud involving prisoners emerged at the San Mateo County Jail in August. He noted that a task force he announced last week began meeting Monday to coordinate a statewide investigation. The new total is nearly three times the $140 million in claim payments estimated last week by a group of nine district attorneys across California and a federal prosecutor. The local prosecutors said claims were filed with the EDD on behalf of prisoners, including San Quentin State Prison inmate Scott Peterson, who was convicted of killing his wife and unborn son, as well as Cary Stayner, who was convicted of murdering two women and two girls near Yosemite in 1999. On Monday, lawmakers including state Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber) called for legislative hearings to determine how the fraud — which included claims filed in the names of 133 inmates on death row — occurred.

LA Times

While Newsom and his shit for brains and hypocrite cronies fuss over how dangerous outdoor dining is and closes restaurants he oversees the incompetent EDD giving away millions of tax payer dollars.

Gotta love the LA Times. "improperly filed" claims, like it was some mistake on the paperwork.

 

[ZiprHead]

The incompetent EDD in California has been screwed out of millions of dollars due to fraudulent unemployment claims;

State investigators have so far identified $400 million paid on some 21,000 unemployment benefit claims improperly filed in the names of California prison inmates, officials said Monday, as state lawmakers called for legislative hearings over the massive fraud. Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a letter to several district attorneys on Tuesday that he has been “deeply alarmed” since first reports of fraud involving prisoners emerged at the San Mateo County Jail in August. He noted that a task force he announced last week began meeting Monday to coordinate a statewide investigation. The new total is nearly three times the $140 million in claim payments estimated last week by a group of nine district attorneys across California and a federal prosecutor. The local prosecutors said claims were filed with the EDD on behalf of prisoners, including San Quentin State Prison inmate Scott Peterson, who was convicted of killing his wife and unborn son, as well as Cary Stayner, who was convicted of murdering two women and two girls near Yosemite in 1999. On Monday, lawmakers including state Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber) called for legislative hearings to determine how the fraud — which included claims filed in the names of 133 inmates on death row — occurred.

LA Times

While Newsom and his shit for brains and hypocrite cronies fuss over how dangerous outdoor dining is and closes restaurants he oversees the incompetent EDD giving away millions of tax payer dollars.

Gotta love the LA Times. "improperly filed" claims, like it was some mistake on the paperwork.

This is going on all over the country because unemployments boards are inundated with unemployment claims because cheeto jesus fucked up the pandemic response.

 

[lpetrich]

Coronavirus stimulus update: McConnell shoots down new relief bill

• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected a new bipartisan $908 billion stimulus plan put forward in an effort to break the legislative stalemate as the coronavirus surges throughout the country.
• The plan aims to address the expiration of key economic aid programs, including an unemployment insurance extension.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and McConnell have not held talks on a relief bill since the 2020 election.

MMC is a disgrace.

 

[ZiprHead]

Judge rejects Michigan restaurant lawsuit seeking to overturn indoor dining ban

The Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association on Wednesday lost its bid to have a federal judge overturn a state order that "pauses" indoor dining.

U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney issued a written ruling denying the MRLA's request for a temporary injunction in its case against the state over the order, which went into effect Nov. 18.

The ruling is another blow to Michigan's restaurant industry and means that restaurants must remain closed to indoor dining at least through Dec. 8 when the "three-week pause" ordered by state Health Director Robert Gordon ends. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer earlier this week said she hadn't decided yet whether her administration will extend the shutdown, although many in the industry expect that will happen.

In his ruling, Maloney — a former Republican prosecutor in Berrien County appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush — said the court finds that "a plausible explanation for the emergency order exists: Restaurant patrons cannot wear a mask while eating or drinking."

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Beds or icu beds?

Unless it is a small regional hospital, it'd have to be standard ICU.

We probably should be looking local, though, as opposed to nationally. It's not like if someone is sick in location X, then get sent to location Y 700 miles away.

In reality land, which is different than whatever TSwizzle is posting, Nevada is going to have problems with bed availability a month from now. So will many other areas in the US. But many other areas will not have capacity problems. And in fact since so many are staying home, there's probably less beds being used for other related reasons: less car accidents and who knows what else. The outbreaks and super spreaders tend to hit areas at a time and then go to other areas even if there is a bigger baseline broadly.

All that said, this isn't merely a flawed metric for assuming uniformity across localities, it's moreover flawed for not considering that prevention (social distancing and mask wearing) is keeping the bed resource problem down. If everyone was running around not wearing masks and not social distancing, partying for hours like TSwizzle wants, we'd have had those capacity problems months ago and a million in the US would have died already.

We've got 100K coronavirus cases in hospitals now. We have 3K dying a day. It would be an order of magnitude more. We wouldn't have to wait for a Christmas surprise.

 

[ZiprHead]

1 In Every 800 North Dakota Residents Now Dead From Covid

 

[TSwizzle]

A minor victory I suppose;

Superior Court Judge James Chalfant declined to immediately issue a court order in a lawsuit filed by the downtown restaurant Engine Co. No. 28, owned by attorney Mark Geragos, against L.A. County. While Chalfant declined to take action, the judge set another hearing for next Tuesday, saying he wants the county to provide evidence about the threat of COVID-19 transmission at outdoor dining establishments being used to justify the ban. Wednesday’s hearing was held in conjunction with a hearing in a separate lawsuit on the same topic filed by the California Restaurant Association.

CBS

LA officials showed up to the hearing with a 15 page document of declarations and opinions that contained ZERO evidence that outdoor dining was a significant threat for Covid spread. And of course, we already know that LA county supervisors don't believe it is dangerous.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl visited an eatery in Santa Monica, Calif., last week, just hours after she voted to ban outdoor dining at restaurants in the county due to COVID-19 safety concerns, according to a report.

Fox

Shameless.

 

[ZiprHead]

Couple who tested positive for Covid are arrested after boarding flight
"They knowingly boarded a flight aware of their positive COVID-19 test results, placing the passengers of the flight in danger of death," a Kauai police spokeswoman said.

Assholes...

 

[TSwizzle]

More "do as I say" hypocrisy;

In early November, as health officials warned of a impending COVID-19 spike, Austin Mayor Steve Adler hosted an outdoor wedding and reception with 20 guests for his daughter at a trendy hotel near downtown. The next morning, Adler and seven other wedding attendees boarded a private jet bound for Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where they vacationed for a week at a family timeshare. One night into the trip, Adler addressed Austin residents in a Facebook video: “We need to stay home if you can. This is not the time to relax. We are going to be looking really closely. ... We may have to close things down if we are not careful.”

News

Shameless.

 

[ronburgundy]

More "do as I say" hypocrisy;

In early November, as health officials warned of a impending COVID-19 spike, Austin Mayor Steve Adler hosted an outdoor wedding and reception with 20 guests for his daughter at a trendy hotel near downtown. The next morning, Adler and seven other wedding attendees boarded a private jet bound for Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where they vacationed for a week at a family timeshare. One night into the trip, Adler addressed Austin residents in a Facebook video: “We need to stay home if you can. This is not the time to relax. We are going to be looking really closely. ... We may have to close things down if we are not careful.”

News

Shameless.

Like everyone who traveled for thanksgiving he's a selfish immoral piece of shit. The fact that he's also a hypocrite is rather minor by comparison.