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šŸ¤® Coronavirus (Community Thread)

23% seems scarily high!

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What borders on stupidity? Canada and Mexico.

A US passport used to be an asset. Under Trump it has become a liability

The president has stopped pretending to do anything about coronavirus. Travellers from the US are about to becomes the pariahs of the world

Donald Trumpā€™s favourite hobbies seem to consist of golf, Twitter and banning people from the US. Alas, he may no longer have the opportunity to do as much of the latter, because who would now want to come to the US anyway? The country is doing such a bad job of containing coronavirus that you are better off almost anywhere else. Indeed, last month, a number of American citizens in Lebanon declined a repatriation offer, saying they were safer in Beirut.

Itā€™s not just a trip to the US that looks unappealing right now; it seems many countries arenā€™t exactly salivating at the prospect of hosting American visitors in the near future. The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, for example, called the border with the US a clear ā€œvulnerabilityā€ for Canada in terms of infections; the US-Canada border has been closed since March, and will remain closed to nonessential travel until at least 21 June.

Meanwhile, officials in Mexican border cities are reportedly tightening checks on visitors from Texas, because theyā€™re worried new coronavirus cases are coming from the American side of the border. Which brings to mind a joke that is going around: what borders on stupidity? Canada and Mexico.

An American passport used to be an asset, now itā€™s looking rather more like a liability. ā€œItaly plans to reopen to travellers on June 3 ā€“but not to Americansā€ ran a recent headline in the travel magazine Afar. This is somewhat misleading: Italy is opening its borders and removing quarantine restrictions only for people from other countries in Europe, it is not singling out Americans. However, Americans arenā€™t used to being told they canā€™t do things and a screenshot of the article quickly went viral.

While Italy might not have explicitly implemented an American ban (yet), it seems increasingly likely that ā€“ as the Daily Beast put it ā€“ ā€œAmerican travellers are about to be pariahs in this new world.ā€ The travel industry is still figuring out how to keep tourists safe, but it makes sense that countries doing a good job of managing the pandemic will heavily restrict entry to travellers from those doing a poor job. And the US is doing an extremely poor job.

Most worryingly, it feels as if Trump has given up trying to pretend to do any sort of job at all. The US neared the morbid milestone of 100,000 dead at the weekend; Trump marked the occasion by going to play golf (without a mask) and shaking peopleā€™s hands. When he wasnā€™t teeing off he was mouthing off: calling Hillary Clinton a ā€œskankā€ and ordering that states reopen places of worship. It seems inevitable that Trump is going to do his best to open up the country way before it is safe, just because he is worried about the economy and his chances of re-election. Plus, Covid-19 is not exactly killing his base: it is disproportionately killing African Americans. To paraphrase Kanye Westā€™s comments about George W Bush, I donā€™t really think Trump cares about black people.

ā€œThe coronavirus scenario I canā€™t stop thinking about is the one where we simply get used to all the dying,ā€ the New York Times columnist Charlie Warzel wrote earlier this month. Just as America has grown resigned to school shootings and preventable gun violence, he suggests, it looks as if it is becoming numb to Covid-19 deaths. Just as the US has prioritised the rallying call of ā€œfreedomā€ over common sense gun control, it looks set to prioritise ā€œfreedomā€ over public health. Looking at images from the crowded pool parties in Missouri over the weekend, looking at Trumpā€™s calls for schools to reopen ā€œASAPā€, it seems as if that is exactly whatā€™s happening. But hereā€™s the thing the US might soon find out about its highly individualistic freedom fetish: it doesnā€™t travel well.

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What Is the Real Coronavirus Death Toll in Each State?

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Patients in clinical trials are usually faceless. But as the experimental Covid-19 vaccine being developed by Moderna Therapeutics has begun advancing through studies, it has found a much more visible advocate: trial volunteer Ian Haydon, a 29-year-old in Seattle.

Haydon has spoken about the vaccine on CNN and CNBC. He even said heā€™d volunteer to be exposed to the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, if researchers want to test to see if the vaccine was actually effective. But up until now he has left out a key detail: He is, apparently, one of three people in the trial who had a systemic adverse reaction to the vaccine.

Twelve hours after receiving his second dose, he developed a fever of more than 103 degrees, sought medical attention, and, after being released from an urgent care facility, fainted in his home. He recovered within a day.

He has not brought up the side effects previously, he said, out of ā€œan abundance of caution.ā€

ā€œI understand that sharing the story, itā€™s going to be frightening to some people,ā€ he said. ā€œI hope that it doesnā€™t fuel any sort of general antagonism towards vaccines in general or towards even this vaccine.ā€

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What about what is happening right now is great?

Trump campaign flying ā€œKeep America Greatā€ aerial banners Memorial Day weekend

Mexico Health Officials Say New Coronavirus Cases Coming From People Crossing U.S. Border

ā€˜This Is Not the Hunger Gamesā€™: National Testing Strategy Draws Concerns

The Trump regimeā€™s report to Congress sees states taking responsibility for coronavirus testing with federal guidance.

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Trump administration might consolidate pandemic response at State Department

The proposal could establish an alternative mechanism to some of the work done by the World Health Organization, which Trump has criticized.

Trump planning to strip pandemic response from health officials, and give it to State Department

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Itā€™s a misspelling. It should be ā€œGRATEā€ But why any one would want to Keep America Grate I have no idea.

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For the record, 102,635 is the number of Americans killed in ALL wars since the end of WWII in 1945.

At some point tonight or tomorrow we will pass that number.

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AAAAARRGH.

Masks Sold by Former White House Official to Navajo Hospitals Donā€™t Meet FDA Standards

New information from the Indian Health Service calls into question why the agency purchased expensive medical gear that it now cannot use as intended.

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Andrew Slavitt, former Obama Admin Medicare expert and pundit puts together a lot of data suggesting more vulnerable age groups 45 - 64, among those who work/exist inside, teachers, grocery workers, meat packing, health care workers etc with at least one co-morbidity are facing a worse outcome if they were to get Covid-19. Because they would work indoors and also be in contact with many people, they MAY be truly more vulnerable over the next year.

Here are a few of his long thread tonight.

Read Kaiser Family Statement

Teachers as a vulnerable populationā€¦follow links

Nearly one third of U.S. teachers are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 due to age - Child Trends

Referring to Iowa meat packing industry.

Pitch to open safely.

Side note: Some are suggesting that the negligence on the federal level to not shut down again is to get us to herd Immunity, by way of thousands more dying (Rep Karen Bass - Town Hall 5.27.20):exploding_head:

I have not listened to his podcast (Apple)

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The Pennsylvania House scandal is exploding.

ā€˜Callous liarsā€™: Pennsylvania Democrats say GOP put them at risk by hiding memberā€™s positive covid-19 test










Trump takes jab at journalist for wearing mask

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Trumpā€™s death toll has now passed the Korean War.


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No directionā€¦except by the States. :exploding_head:

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ā€œMexican health officials, doctors and residents along the border with the United States say new outbreaks of COVID-19 are tied to people crossing south over the border.ā€

Hey, Iā€™ve an idea, maybe they should build a wall. Oh waitā€¦

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Chart with Pneumonia Numbers - FL, TX, GA

Pneumonia Cases 2020 - aka Covid-19

Florida -
2020 Feb - May 2020 - 4259
2018 Feb - May - 935

Texas
2020 Feb - May - 4,217
2018 Feb - May 973

Georgia
2020 Feb - May 1,368
2018 Feb - May 474

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Illogic rules mask rulesā€¦

A contingent of House Republicans continues to defy the recommendations of public health experts and Congressā€™ top physician to wear face coverings to limit the spread of Covid-19, refusing to wear them on the floor of the chamber, in the hallways of the Capitol or when chatting with aides and colleagues ā€“ even when theyā€™re unable to maintain a social distance.

Some members say they will wear masks in more crowded locations, like in airports, on airplanes and in grocery stores. And others flatly refuse to wear them at all.

ā€œCan you smell through that mask?ā€ Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican of Louisiana, told CNN on Thursday. ā€œThen youā€™re not stopping any sort of a virus. Itā€™s part of the dehumanization of the children of God. Youā€™re participating in it by wearing a mask.ā€

"What youā€™re wearing is a bacteria trap; itā€™s not helping your health or anybody elseā€™s," said Higgins, who had just gotten off a cramped elevator with two other GOP members, none of whom were wearing masks.

Higginsā€™ statement is not supported by the science. Smells do not carry viral particles. Viruses are carried in particles of mucus or saliva that spray from the mouth and nose when people sneeze, cough or talk.

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:bookmark: Bookmark this page, excellent resource of health conditions by zip code

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FUCK.

Started. Spreading. In. Fucking. Mid-January.

My wifeā€™s grandmother died in late January. And now we wonder.

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