Trump VS COVID-19 Threat

[Copernicus]

What on earth is Trump talking about that an anti malaria drug will be available to fight corona?

From CNN https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news...0-intl-hnk/h_0836a85dbba5060f6fecae63c1fd2a52

President Trump says he’s pushed the Food and Drug Administration to eliminate barriers to getting therapeutics for coronavirus to patients.

He said a drug currently used as an antimalarial — hydroxychloroquine — would be made available almost immediately to treat coronavirus.

"It’s been around for a long time, so we know if things don’t go as planned, it’s not going to kill anybody,” Trump told reporters at the White House today.

Trump said it was a common drug and would soon be available for “prescribed use” on coronavirus. He called it a “game-changer."

"We have to remove every barrier or a lot of barriers that were unnecessary and they’ve done that to get the rapid deployment of safe, effective treatments and we think we have some good answers,” Trump said.

Since when are drugs that fight single cell organisms effective against a virus?

new He appears to have jumped he gun. (Surprise, surprise) https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/politics/trump-fda-anti-viral-treatments-coronavirus/index.html

Trump probably read about it on Twitter. Some folks here were posting about this drug, as well. It seems to have gone viral as a potential miracle cure, so Donald Trump naturally fell for it. He thinks that his Twitter feed is more reliable than his own medical experts, whom he did not bother to consult before telling them and everyone else to make the malaria drug available to the public. It is hard to imagine that someone this idiotic is still loved and supported by a minimum of 2 out of 5 American voters.

 

[lpetrich]

Trump probably read about it on Twitter. Some folks here were posting about this drug, as well. It seems to have gone viral as a potential miracle cure, so Donald Trump naturally fell for it. He thinks that his Twitter feed is more reliable than his own medical experts, whom he did not bother to consult before telling them and everyone else to make the malaria drug available to the public. It is hard to imagine that someone this idiotic is still loved and supported by a minimum of 2 out of 5 American voters.

Also that anti-Trump Republicans have gotten very little political support. Like Bill Weld, who recently ended his run for the Presidency.

A common argument that I've seen for him is that he is a genius at managing the economy. Which is just plain bullshit.


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "2/3 of NYC residents are renters.
Now that New York State has issued a MORTGAGE moratorium, we must also enact a RENT moratorium to prevent mass displacement.
Relief and protection from displacement shouldn’t just be for homeowners and the wealthy.
It should be for everyone." / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

Senator Dumped Up to $1.6 Million of Stock After Reassuring Public About Coronavirus Preparedness — ProPublica - "Intelligence Chair Richard Burr’s selloff came around the time he was receiving daily briefings on the health threat."

Soon after he offered public assurances that the government was ready to battle the coronavirus, the powerful chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, sold off a significant percentage of his stocks, unloading between $582,029 and $1.56 million of his holdings on Feb. 13 in 29 separate transactions.

As the head of the intelligence committee, Burr, a North Carolina Republican, has access to the government’s most highly classified information about threats to America’s security. His committee was receiving daily coronavirus briefings around this time, according to a Reuters story.

A week after Burr’s sales, the stock market began a sharp decline and has lost about 30% since.

U.S. spy agencies monitor coronavirus spread, concerns about India: sources - Reuters - 2020 Feb 27

U.S. intelligence agencies are monitoring the global spread of coronavirus and the ability of governments to respond, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, warning that there were concerns about how India would cope with a widespread outbreak.

Senator Richard Burr Warned Of Coronavirus Effects In Private Meeting : NPR

The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee warned a small group of well-connected constituents three weeks ago to prepare for dire economic and societal effects of the coronavirus, according to a secret recording obtained by NPR.

The remarks from U.S. Sen. Richard Burr were more stark than any he had delivered in more public forums.

On Feb 27, Trump had this to say:

"It's going to disappear. One day, it's like a miracle. It will disappear," the president said then, before adding, "it could get worse before it gets better. It could maybe go away. We'll see what happens.

But on the same day, Burr had this to say:

"There's one thing that I can tell you about this: It is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history," he said, according to a secret recording of the remarks obtained by NPR. "It is probably more akin to the 1918 pandemic."

 

[lpetrich]

Senator Richard Burr: R-NC
Robert Faturechi on Twitter: "NEW: After assuring the public about the government's coronavirus preparedness, Senate Intel chair Richard Burr, in one day, sold off up to $1.6 million is stock.
A week later, the market began its fall.
His committee was receiving daily briefings. https://t.co/LlMDnKnYoQ" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "As Intel chairman, @SenatorBurr got private briefings about Coronavirus weeks ago.
Burr knew how bad it would be. He told the truth to his wealthy donors, while assuring the public that we were fine.
THEN he sold off $1.6 million in stock before the fall.
He needs to resign. https://t.co/IAITMbJ3R5" / Twitter

I'm reminded of this: User Clip: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez "Corruption Game" | C-SPAN.org

 

[lpetrich]

Kamala Harris on Twitter: "Earlier today, Congress passed emergency legislation to address the coronavirus pandemic. ..." / Twitter

Earlier today, Congress passed emergency legislation to address the coronavirus pandemic. But one thing’s for sure—we have to do more.

That's why right now, I’m laying out five priorities that I'm fighting for in the next legislative package:

-Direct cash assistance
-No interest loans for small businesses & more protections for families
-Expand public assistance, including food stamps & unemployment
-No ICE raids that endanger public health
-Fair treatment for tribes and territories

We can and should do all of this.

N.C. Sen. Burr defends 'no' vote on insider trading act | McClatchy Washington Bureau - February 07, 2012 07:17 AM

The Winston-Salem Republican characterized the time spent debating the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act as "ludicrous" when existing laws are already in place that address insider trading. The laws apply to all Americans, including members of Congress, he said.

"We're doing this at a time when we should be talking about the economy and jobs," he said. "...Why do (Americans) think so little of us? Because we're not even debating the things that are most important to them."

...
Burr's vote against the measure brought closer scrutiny to his own stock portfolio. The Huffington Post reported on Saturday that Burr owns investments in the natural-gas industry that could benefit from legislation he co-sponsored offering tax credits for natural gas-fueled vehicles.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Is it my math or has the number of disclosed cases quadrupled in two days?

And of course, this tracks original exposure a week or two ago.

 

[Half-Life]

Hannity was just talking about how Trump's travel ban did more to curb the spread of the virus than anything else would've. He then showed a clip of Biden saying "the travel ban is racist." So we know Biden wouldn't have eneacted the travel ban. It would've been worse.

"Did the media praise Trump for the travel ban? Nope, they demonized him and called him racist like Biden did," Hannity added. "In the mind of anti-Trump cultists, Trump can do no right."

Just admit the travel ban is a GOOD THING. Keep in mind China also lied to us about the virus at first.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I see the need to make sure healthcare workers are protected. Just saying that something about the messaging doesn't make sense. Nothing new about that.

Without training and fitting N95s aren't that good protection. Lesser masks trap most of what you exhale but only reduce the amount of crud you inhale, they aren't protection. As someone allergic to crabgrass there's no point in wearing the simple masks. I can either use stick-on N100s or a respirator. (N95s might work with fitting, but that requires access to stuff I don't have.)

 

[Loren Pechtel]

What on earth is Trump talking about that an anti malaria drug will be available to fight corona?

From CNN https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news...0-intl-hnk/h_0836a85dbba5060f6fecae63c1fd2a52

President Trump says he’s pushed the Food and Drug Administration to eliminate barriers to getting therapeutics for coronavirus to patients.

He said a drug currently used as an antimalarial — hydroxychloroquine — would be made available almost immediately to treat coronavirus.

"It’s been around for a long time, so we know if things don’t go as planned, it’s not going to kill anybody,” Trump told reporters at the White House today.

Trump said it was a common drug and would soon be available for “prescribed use” on coronavirus. He called it a “game-changer."

"We have to remove every barrier or a lot of barriers that were unnecessary and they’ve done that to get the rapid deployment of safe, effective treatments and we think we have some good answers,” Trump said.

Since when are drugs that fight single cell organisms effective against a virus?

new He appears to have jumped he gun. (Surprise, surprise) https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/politics/trump-fda-anti-viral-treatments-coronavirus/index.html

It's been being talked about for a few days now. If there's any red tape involved it's with importing them as it's not a drug in big demand in the US.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Trump probably read about it on Twitter. Some folks here were posting about this drug, as well. It seems to have gone viral as a potential miracle cure, so Donald Trump naturally fell for it. He thinks that his Twitter feed is more reliable than his own medical experts, whom he did not bother to consult before telling them and everyone else to make the malaria drug available to the public. It is hard to imagine that someone this idiotic is still loved and supported by a minimum of 2 out of 5 American voters.

It doesn't look crackpot. There are multiple studies over the last month.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

The red tape would be that fancy dancy anti-American science that is involved with demonstrating something first before concluding it.

 

[fromderinside]

Are you criticizing the war president who leads by dodging, blaming, naming, gaming, and painting?

 

[funinspace]

Is it my math or has the number of disclosed cases quadrupled in two days?

And of course, this tracks original exposure a week or two ago.

I think it was only about double...

I thought this was a really good, but long, article on the spread of Covid-19, with a snippet (note: it was written on 10 March):
https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

Then, you know the mortality rate. For this scenario, I’m using 1% (we’ll discuss later the details). That means that, around 2/12, there were already around ~100 cases in the area (of which only one ended up in death 17.3 days later).
Now, use the average doubling time for the coronavirus (time it takes to double cases, on average). It’s 6.2. That means that, in the 17 days it took this person to die, the cases had to multiply by ~8 (=2^(17/6)). That means that, if you are not diagnosing all cases, one death today means 800 true cases today.

By the time most of the US was locking down in a major way we earlier this week, we had around 160 deaths. So our cases are probably already probable well above 100,000. We had Congressional critters pissing and moaning until at least 2 days ago as well, never mind the alt-right idiots my wife sees on Facebook. And this mega church (seating 7,000) in Miami Florida didn't shut down until 18 March:

https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post...people-who-stayed-home-over-coronavirus-fear/

Guillermo Maldonado, the Florida megachurch pastor and self-declared apostle who hosted President Donald Trump at a January rally for the president’s reelection campaign, defied recommendations by public health officials, urging his congregants to attend church Sunday. During the service, he mocked those who stayed away and declared that fear of the coronavirus is a “demonic spirit.”

 

[lpetrich]

Caught!

Photo of Trump Remarks Shows ‘Corona’ Crossed Out and Replaced With ‘Chinese’ Virus – NBC 7 San Diego

A photograph taken at Thursday’s White House coronavirus task force press briefing shows President Donald Trump reading from notes where the word "corona" was crossed out and replaced with "Chinese" to describe COVID-19, NBC News reported.

The picture, taken by a Washington Post photographer, shows the word crossed out in what appears to be Sharpie and in the president's own handwriting.

 

[Elixir]

 

[lpetrich]

Total Cost of Her COVID-19 Treatment: $34,927.43 | Time
then
Abby Vesoulis on Twitter: "An uninsured COVID-19 patient just got her medical bill: $34,927.43. @abbyabrams has the story. https://t.co/jOPJJ4VqKG" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "We need to cover 100% of the costs of uninsured & underinsured people right now.
Not just Coronavirus bills, either - getting sick can set off a domino effect of complications.
It’s barbaric to bankrupt people over healthcare & medicine they need to live.
Always has been. #M4A https://t.co/WsD0vZyO8d" / Twitter
#M4A = Medicare for All
"Underinsured" - having inadequate medical insurance, like big copays and/or big deductibles.

 

[marc]

Trump Told Governors to Buy Own Virus Supplies, Then Outbid Them

How pathetically low is that? Kind of like telling someone "pick yourself up by the bootstraps" then go buy all the bootstraps out from under them.

 

[Copernicus]

Trump probably read about it on Twitter. Some folks here were posting about this drug, as well. It seems to have gone viral as a potential miracle cure, so Donald Trump naturally fell for it. He thinks that his Twitter feed is more reliable than his own medical experts, whom he did not bother to consult before telling them and everyone else to make the malaria drug available to the public. It is hard to imagine that someone this idiotic is still loved and supported by a minimum of 2 out of 5 American voters.

It doesn't look crackpot. There are multiple studies over the last month.

Source? Dr. Fauci said that there was one study, which he termed "anecdotal". There may currently be studies underway, but Fauci said that we are months away from a definitive answer.

[YOUTUBE]EIIgIKMgUIQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

[J842P]

Trump Told Governors to Buy Own Virus Supplies, Then Outbid Them

How pathetically low is that? Kind of like telling someone "pick yourself up by the bootstraps" then go buy all the bootstraps out from under them.

Pick yourself up by your bootstraps was always meant ironically, because it is impossible to actually pick yourself up by your bootstraps.

Fitting, that the right wing takes it as serious advice.

 

[southernhybrid]

Total Cost of Her COVID-19 Treatment: $34,927.43 | Time
then
Abby Vesoulis on Twitter: "An uninsured COVID-19 patient just got her medical bill: $34,927.43. @abbyabrams has the story. https://t.co/jOPJJ4VqKG" / Twitter
then
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "We need to cover 100% of the costs of uninsured & underinsured people right now.
Not just Coronavirus bills, either - getting sick can set off a domino effect of complications.
It’s barbaric to bankrupt people over healthcare & medicine they need to live.
Always has been. #M4A https://t.co/WsD0vZyO8d" / Twitter
#M4A = Medicare for All
"Underinsured" - having inadequate medical insurance, like big copays and/or big deductibles.

I agree that nobody should have to pay for any treatment related to this virus. I agree that we need some form of UHC, but I also believe that M4A would be vastly underfunded any time conservatives took control. I read an editorial in the NYTimes yesterday by a doctor in the UK. He said that due the to vastly underfunded single payer healthcare in the UK, the healthcare system there was collapsing and couldn't provide care to all of the victims of the virus. I'm sure it's more complicated than that, but this is exactly why I have been very skeptical of he concept of M4A. AOC means well, but from my point of view, she is incredibly naive about a lot of things. Why can't people come to terms with the fact, that we can't afford M4A, unless it's more like the Medicare system that we currently have in place, complete with copays, premiums and private insurance choices? M4A will not solve all of the complicated problems related to COVID-19. It won't stop the shortage of ventilators, masks, disinfectants, hospital beds etc.

Obama expanded M'caid to cover a large number of people who had no insurance before that bill was passed. But, as I'm sure know, SCOTUS refused to make the expansion mandatory and I live in a state that has rejected the expansion. Changing our healthcare system won't be easy, and there will always be conservatives as well as some moderates in government who will underfund any attempt to have single payer. It's a very unrealistic idea. If both sides would compromise, they might come up with a plan that would cover everyone, but considering the animosity that each side has for the other, I'm not expecting to see much progress towards that goal in the near future.

Right now, we need to try and get the supplies needed to protect our medical professionals and come up with a plan to decrease exposure to this potentially deadly virus.