And the mask policy was already dead when I went into work yesterday after my weekend. Completely pointless.
StlToday - Missouri life expectancy fell to a 40-year low in 2021
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... 71395.html
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... 71395.html
- 1,868
Something to keep in mind when they say stuff like "US life expectancy has fallen by 3 years" is that they're just looking at the age people died this year. They aren't doing any forward-looking projection of, for example, the effect of getting COVID 2-3x a year for the rest of your life. In other words, the life expectancy of a 2022 newborn is potentially a lot lower than what they're reporting.quincunx wrote: ↑Sep 13, 2022StlToday - Missouri life expectancy fell to a 40-year low in 2021
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... 71395.html
Or due to covid deaths pushing the current number down and we don’t know what new treatment/medicines will be here in 30 years, newborns could have a much longer life expectancyMarkHaversham wrote: ↑Sep 14, 2022Something to keep in mind when they say stuff like "US life expectancy has fallen by 3 years" is that they're just looking at the age people died this year. They aren't doing any forward-looking projection of, for example, the effect of getting COVID 2-3x a year for the rest of your life. In other words, the life expectancy of a 2022 newborn is potentially a lot lower than what they're reporting.quincunx wrote: ↑Sep 13, 2022StlToday - Missouri life expectancy fell to a 40-year low in 2021
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... 71395.html
- 1,868
Yes, or we could discover immortality, or Earth could be unlivable due to xenoforming, etc. But COVID is already here and is already inflicting cumulative long-term damage that is not fully accounted for in the data. Whether or not those losses are offset by future gains elsewhere is purely speculative.jshank83 wrote: ↑Sep 14, 2022Or due to covid deaths pushing the current number down and we don’t know what new treatment/medicines will be here in 30 years, newborns could have a much longer life expectancyMarkHaversham wrote: ↑Sep 14, 2022Something to keep in mind when they say stuff like "US life expectancy has fallen by 3 years" is that they're just looking at the age people died this year. They aren't doing any forward-looking projection of, for example, the effect of getting COVID 2-3x a year for the rest of your life. In other words, the life expectancy of a 2022 newborn is potentially a lot lower than what they're reporting.quincunx wrote: ↑Sep 13, 2022StlToday - Missouri life expectancy fell to a 40-year low in 2021
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... 71395.html
And to be clear I was using newborns as an extreme example to illustrate, the drop in life expectancy impacts all ages.
https://covidactnow.org/us/missouri-mo/ ... s=44683214
The weekly COVID admission rate for the county is up to 20/100k, double the "green zone" level of the CDC's already-generous standards. Cases reported remains low, but the positive test rate is up to 34%, which should tell you everything about how much we don't know. ICU utilization is reported at 91%. Might be time for mask mandates locally to stem the bleeding, or just cross fingers and hope the hospitals don't get overwhelmed.
XBB1.5 variant is also becoming the dominant COVID strain, with an R0 around 12. That's between Chicken Pox and Measles. That means we might see the holiday surge lengthened by an XBB surge, which will further strain hospitals. So, don't go to the hospital for a couple months if you can avoid it.
The weekly COVID admission rate for the county is up to 20/100k, double the "green zone" level of the CDC's already-generous standards. Cases reported remains low, but the positive test rate is up to 34%, which should tell you everything about how much we don't know. ICU utilization is reported at 91%. Might be time for mask mandates locally to stem the bleeding, or just cross fingers and hope the hospitals don't get overwhelmed.
XBB1.5 variant is also becoming the dominant COVID strain, with an R0 around 12. That's between Chicken Pox and Measles. That means we might see the holiday surge lengthened by an XBB surge, which will further strain hospitals. So, don't go to the hospital for a couple months if you can avoid it.
- 188
Coronavirus found in samples from 96% of flights
https://www.audacy.com/wwjnewsradio/news/national/coronavirus-found-in-samples-from-96-percent-of-flights
The coronavirus is speaking. It’s saying it’s not done with us.
By Eric Topol
There’s no sugar-coating it: The world has let its guard down on covid-19. And the virus’s latest dominant form, XBB.1.5, makes clear that we’re doing so just as the virus finds new ways to hurt us.
The new dominant strain shows that the virus is always evolving to spread more quickly and infect us more efficiently. That should serve as a wake-up call for the country to re-invest in new vaccines, treatments and pandemic monitoring.
The XBB strain is the first fast-spreading recombinant variant — meaning it is a fusion of two omicron lineages. Its original version led to a wave of infections in Singapore. Then it added two critical mutations to become XBB.1.5, which was first detected in New York.
These two mutations maintain the high level of immune escape of XBB, while also adding more infectivity advantage, giving the virus better ability to attach itself to the receptors that get it into our cells. The variant identified has rapidly become dominant throughout the Northeast and is destined to do so across the country in the weeks ahead.
The Post's View: Congress has not stepped up to fight covid-19 — or the next pandemic
What’s more, it is picking up steam in many European and Asian countries. This tells us that XBB.1.5 is no slouch. It is outcompeting a soup of new omicron variants that have arisen in recent months.
While there is no indication that XBB.1.5 is more pathogenic or virulent, its ability to spread seems striking, given how quickly it rose to dominance in New York and contiguous states. XBB.1.5 now comprises well beyond 75 percent of infections in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Hospitalizations have risen among seniors to levels only the first omicron wave surpassed.
Of course, it is hard to solely attribute this to XBB.1.5, given the population’s waning immunity, less frequent use of masks and other mitigation measures, and indoor gatherings during the holiday season. But the spike in hospitalizations in these states is significantly greater than in other regions in the country. And it is people 65 and older who, along with the immunocompromised, are the most vulnerable.
What can be done to defend against XBB.1.5? It is essential to get boosted, as new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. Those who are 65 and older who received the bivalent vaccine are 80 percent less likely to be hospitalized. Furthermore, there is evidence that the bivalent vaccine — even though it targeted the earlier BA.5 variant — helps induce neutralizing antibodies and broaden immunity against XBB.1.5. Beyond boosters, the use of high-quality masks, rapid testing before gatherings, distancing, air ventilation and filtration will all help protect against infections.
Americans can take some comfort in the combined immunity from the country’s massive numbers of infections, reinfections, vaccinations and boosters. That should blunt the effect of XBB.1.5. Still, we have already seen the levels of covid hospitalizations in the United States reach their highest level in almost 11 months, and we’re not done with this wave yet.
Sign up for The Checkup With Dr. Wen, a newsletter on how to navigate the pandemic and other public health challenges
The implications of XBB.1.5 are also much bigger than just this formidable variant. The virus is talking to us, and it is telling us it has many more ways to evolve. It is revealing that it not only can fake out or elude our immune response, but can also get better at penetrating our cells. What will happen next? Will we see a whole new family of variants arise that are distinct from the omicron family? It is entirely possible.
And we’re not ready for it. Genomic surveillance around the world has dropped 90 percent since early 2022, as reflected by sequenced samples deposited at the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data. That’s unacceptable. China is in the midst of a covid crisis with unmitigated spread, and it could become a breeding ground for functionally important variants in the months ahead.
Worse, there’s no coordinated, high-priority, accelerated or even funded efforts — either in the United States or globally — to develop the next-generation vaccines that will block infections, such as universal, variant-proof vaccines with extended duration of protection. Nor do we have drugs to replace the monoclonal antibodies that no longer work or for Paxlovid, in case resistance emerges to that treatment.
We’ve moved from complacency to frank capitulation at just the wrong time. If XBB.1.5 is telling us one thing, it’s that we can’t be oblivious. We’re all tired, but we’re up against a force that isn’t. We have the intelligence, resourcefulness and ingenuity to finally get ahead of the virus, but politics and unwillingness to invest are holding us back. We cannot afford that gridlock.
https://www.audacy.com/wwjnewsradio/news/national/coronavirus-found-in-samples-from-96-percent-of-flights
The coronavirus is speaking. It’s saying it’s not done with us.
By Eric Topol
There’s no sugar-coating it: The world has let its guard down on covid-19. And the virus’s latest dominant form, XBB.1.5, makes clear that we’re doing so just as the virus finds new ways to hurt us.
The new dominant strain shows that the virus is always evolving to spread more quickly and infect us more efficiently. That should serve as a wake-up call for the country to re-invest in new vaccines, treatments and pandemic monitoring.
The XBB strain is the first fast-spreading recombinant variant — meaning it is a fusion of two omicron lineages. Its original version led to a wave of infections in Singapore. Then it added two critical mutations to become XBB.1.5, which was first detected in New York.
These two mutations maintain the high level of immune escape of XBB, while also adding more infectivity advantage, giving the virus better ability to attach itself to the receptors that get it into our cells. The variant identified has rapidly become dominant throughout the Northeast and is destined to do so across the country in the weeks ahead.
The Post's View: Congress has not stepped up to fight covid-19 — or the next pandemic
What’s more, it is picking up steam in many European and Asian countries. This tells us that XBB.1.5 is no slouch. It is outcompeting a soup of new omicron variants that have arisen in recent months.
While there is no indication that XBB.1.5 is more pathogenic or virulent, its ability to spread seems striking, given how quickly it rose to dominance in New York and contiguous states. XBB.1.5 now comprises well beyond 75 percent of infections in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Hospitalizations have risen among seniors to levels only the first omicron wave surpassed.
Of course, it is hard to solely attribute this to XBB.1.5, given the population’s waning immunity, less frequent use of masks and other mitigation measures, and indoor gatherings during the holiday season. But the spike in hospitalizations in these states is significantly greater than in other regions in the country. And it is people 65 and older who, along with the immunocompromised, are the most vulnerable.
What can be done to defend against XBB.1.5? It is essential to get boosted, as new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. Those who are 65 and older who received the bivalent vaccine are 80 percent less likely to be hospitalized. Furthermore, there is evidence that the bivalent vaccine — even though it targeted the earlier BA.5 variant — helps induce neutralizing antibodies and broaden immunity against XBB.1.5. Beyond boosters, the use of high-quality masks, rapid testing before gatherings, distancing, air ventilation and filtration will all help protect against infections.
Americans can take some comfort in the combined immunity from the country’s massive numbers of infections, reinfections, vaccinations and boosters. That should blunt the effect of XBB.1.5. Still, we have already seen the levels of covid hospitalizations in the United States reach their highest level in almost 11 months, and we’re not done with this wave yet.
Sign up for The Checkup With Dr. Wen, a newsletter on how to navigate the pandemic and other public health challenges
The implications of XBB.1.5 are also much bigger than just this formidable variant. The virus is talking to us, and it is telling us it has many more ways to evolve. It is revealing that it not only can fake out or elude our immune response, but can also get better at penetrating our cells. What will happen next? Will we see a whole new family of variants arise that are distinct from the omicron family? It is entirely possible.
And we’re not ready for it. Genomic surveillance around the world has dropped 90 percent since early 2022, as reflected by sequenced samples deposited at the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data. That’s unacceptable. China is in the midst of a covid crisis with unmitigated spread, and it could become a breeding ground for functionally important variants in the months ahead.
Worse, there’s no coordinated, high-priority, accelerated or even funded efforts — either in the United States or globally — to develop the next-generation vaccines that will block infections, such as universal, variant-proof vaccines with extended duration of protection. Nor do we have drugs to replace the monoclonal antibodies that no longer work or for Paxlovid, in case resistance emerges to that treatment.
We’ve moved from complacency to frank capitulation at just the wrong time. If XBB.1.5 is telling us one thing, it’s that we can’t be oblivious. We’re all tired, but we’re up against a force that isn’t. We have the intelligence, resourcefulness and ingenuity to finally get ahead of the virus, but politics and unwillingness to invest are holding us back. We cannot afford that gridlock.
- 1,868
I have two disagreements with this.mikenewell48 wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023We’ve moved from complacency to frank capitulation at just the wrong time. If XBB.1.5 is telling us one thing, it’s that we can’t be oblivious. We’re all tired, but we’re up against a force that isn’t. We have the intelligence, resourcefulness and ingenuity to finally get ahead of the virus, but politics and unwillingness to invest are holding us back. We cannot afford that gridlock.
- We're not moving from complacency to capitulation, we've been capitulating continuously. The illusion of movement comes from the way that the virus keeps getting worse, so we need to capitulate even harder to keep up with not doing anything about it. We have to successively tear down more and more public health measures and institutions in order to continue avoiding acting.
- "We/us" aren't the people who need to act, it's the people in charge. I can't develop a new vaccine, I can't upgrade air filters at work, it's simply the people in charge who refuse to divert any of their dragon's hordes toward the purpose of health and safety. Regular folks don't even understand what's going on because they're being fed a constant stream of normalcy-biased propaganda by billionaires who don't want to address society's problems (or relinquish power to allow anyone else to do anything).
An overwhelming majority of Americans, and the world, are over Covid. We have vaccines and treatments to deal with it. Most everyone knows the risks at this point, yet they continue to go about their lives because of choice. The era of draconian lockdowns, mandates, and more is over. If China apparently let those rules go, and they have a strangle hold over their populace, then it's over for good. New strands will come and go. To be fearful as if this was a brand new thing with little information, like was the case in early 2020, is insane.
At this point, this thread is as dead as the public's concern over Covid. It's time to move on.
At this point, this thread is as dead as the public's concern over Covid. It's time to move on.
- 760
Well-said. But it’s wonderful entertainment reading Haversham’s posts from his basement while he wears 3 masks after returning from Walgreens where he got his 9th booster. I do genuinely hope he doesn’t have a stroke or heart attack soon.
- 9,674
“ draconian lockdowns” outside of China, who had those?chriss752 wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023An overwhelming majority of Americans, and the world, are over Covid. We have vaccines and treatments to deal with it. Most everyone knows the risks at this point, yet they continue to go about their lives because of choice. The era of draconian lockdowns, mandates, and more is over. If China apparently let those rules go, and they have a strangle hold over their populace, then it's over for good. New strands will come and go. To be fearful as if this was a brand new thing with little information, like was the case in early 2020, is insane.
At this point, this thread is as dead as the public's concern over Covid. It's time to move on.
Most of Europe with their full-on stay at home lockdowns that only allowed people out for exercise and nothing much else without purpose. China took the "prison state" road and decided just having people stay at home wasn't enough. The U.S. had stay at home orders, but you wouldn't get in trouble for going anywhere during that timeframe even as the politicians and others scoffed at those out and about. The U.S. was pretty lenient but there were still hardcore lockdown enthusiasts who tried to the end to lock people inside their homes. All countries decided what jobs are "essential" or not, which to me was the biggest f-you of it all. All jobs are essential when you need to pay bills, get food, and live.dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023“ draconian lockdowns” outside of China, who had those?chriss752 wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023An overwhelming majority of Americans, and the world, are over Covid. We have vaccines and treatments to deal with it. Most everyone knows the risks at this point, yet they continue to go about their lives because of choice. The era of draconian lockdowns, mandates, and more is over. If China apparently let those rules go, and they have a strangle hold over their populace, then it's over for good. New strands will come and go. To be fearful as if this was a brand new thing with little information, like was the case in early 2020, is insane.
At this point, this thread is as dead as the public's concern over Covid. It's time to move on.
- 1,868
So your position is that any danger that is older than 3 years is not worth worrying about? I guess we should close the crime thread too, crime has existed for several years and everybody knows the risks by now.chriss752 wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023An overwhelming majority of Americans, and the world, are over Covid. We have vaccines and treatments to deal with it. Most everyone knows the risks at this point, yet they continue to go about their lives because of choice. The era of draconian lockdowns, mandates, and more is over. If China apparently let those rules go, and they have a strangle hold over their populace, then it's over for good. New strands will come and go. To be fearful as if this was a brand new thing with little information, like was the case in early 2020, is insane.
At this point, this thread is as dead as the public's concern over Covid. It's time to move on.
We're still discovering more about the long-term impact of COVID on the body, and more-infectious strains come out every few months. Literally nobody on Earth "knows the risks."
In America, "draconian lockdown" = "I couldn't go to Applebee's for a couple weeks".dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023“ draconian lockdowns” outside of China, who had those?chriss752 wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023An overwhelming majority of Americans, and the world, are over Covid. We have vaccines and treatments to deal with it. Most everyone knows the risks at this point, yet they continue to go about their lives because of choice. The era of draconian lockdowns, mandates, and more is over. If China apparently let those rules go, and they have a strangle hold over their populace, then it's over for good. New strands will come and go. To be fearful as if this was a brand new thing with little information, like was the case in early 2020, is insane.
At this point, this thread is as dead as the public's concern over Covid. It's time to move on.
I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is that it's no longer worth worrying or being terrified about because most people know how to deal with it. We have the tools we need to sufficiently deal with this. If you're still stressed out over it, the mental health toll will soon be visible. Unfortunately, it seems like you can't figure out how to deal with it.MarkHaversham wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023So your position is that any danger that is older than 3 years is not worth worrying about? I guess we should close the crime thread too, crime has existed for several years and everybody knows the risks by now.chriss752 wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023An overwhelming majority of Americans, and the world, are over Covid. We have vaccines and treatments to deal with it. Most everyone knows the risks at this point, yet they continue to go about their lives because of choice. The era of draconian lockdowns, mandates, and more is over. If China apparently let those rules go, and they have a strangle hold over their populace, then it's over for good. New strands will come and go. To be fearful as if this was a brand new thing with little information, like was the case in early 2020, is insane.
At this point, this thread is as dead as the public's concern over Covid. It's time to move on.
We're still discovering more about the long-term impact of COVID on the body, and more-infectious strains come out every few months. Literally nobody on Earth "knows the risks."
Ooooooh. I'm so scared about more infectious strains even though I, like the world, have the tools and guidance I need to take care of myself. Oh the horror. I must immediately submit to staying inside until Covid is eradicated to meet Mark Haversham's desired level of zero cases or until the scientific community deems it ok to emerge from the den and enjoy life again. I must disinfect all house guests with Lysol spray before they even step on my front porch and when they come in, they must wear latex gloves, a mask, a face shield and sit 12ft away. I want to feel like I'm in a hospital in my own house.
And comparing this to crime is just lame. We rarely, if ever, talk about a crime that happened a week ago. We no longer talk about the crime that took place three years ago because it's not relevant anymore. To criminologists it might be, but to the average person it's not.
- 1,868
COVID is still killing an order of magnitude more people than crime every day between surges but sure, it's ancient history.chriss752 wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is that it's no longer worth worrying or being terrified about because most people know how to deal with it. We have the tools we need to sufficiently deal with this. If you're still stressed out over it, the mental health toll will soon be visible. Unfortunately, it seems like you can't figure out how to deal with it.MarkHaversham wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023So your position is that any danger that is older than 3 years is not worth worrying about? I guess we should close the crime thread too, crime has existed for several years and everybody knows the risks by now.chriss752 wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2023An overwhelming majority of Americans, and the world, are over Covid. We have vaccines and treatments to deal with it. Most everyone knows the risks at this point, yet they continue to go about their lives because of choice. The era of draconian lockdowns, mandates, and more is over. If China apparently let those rules go, and they have a strangle hold over their populace, then it's over for good. New strands will come and go. To be fearful as if this was a brand new thing with little information, like was the case in early 2020, is insane.
At this point, this thread is as dead as the public's concern over Covid. It's time to move on.
We're still discovering more about the long-term impact of COVID on the body, and more-infectious strains come out every few months. Literally nobody on Earth "knows the risks."
Ooooooh. I'm so scared about more infectious strains even though I, like the world, have the tools and guidance I need to take care of myself. Oh the horror. I must immediately submit to staying inside until Covid is eradicated to meet Mark Haversham's desired level of zero cases or until the scientific community deems it ok to emerge from the den and enjoy life again. I must disinfect all house guests with Lysol spray before they even step on my front porch and when they come in, they must wear latex gloves, a mask, a face shield and sit 12ft away. I want to feel like I'm in a hospital in my own house.
And comparing this to crime is just lame. We rarely, if ever, talk about a crime that happened a week ago. We no longer talk about the crime that took place three years ago because it's not relevant anymore. To criminologists it might be, but to the average person it's not.
I agree that we have the tools to deal with it, I just posted an update to warn people to use those tools (masks and distancing). I'm not sure how that turned into me inhaling clouds of Lysol in my basement. I'm enjoying life fine, thank you, I'm not the one piling onto simple news updates with vitriol and personal attacks.
- 1,649
$200 billion Covid funds stolen, waste, fraud. If I knew it was going to be that easy I would have got in on the action.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/g ... r-AA1d7Y2s
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/g ... r-AA1d7Y2s
- 744
^of course it's easy. Rich people can get away with it because conservative media doesn't consider it welfare fraud if a top doner to Eric Schmidt or Josh Hawley does it.
It's only when a poor "urban" person uses food stamps on fresh produce do they go on a drunk uncle tirade.
It's only when a poor "urban" person uses food stamps on fresh produce do they go on a drunk uncle tirade.
- 1,868
As always, as far as the Powers That Be are concerned, any money going to workers is "fraud" and anything that ends up with capitalists is "legitimate". The government will spend more money and effort auditing WalMart cashiers than on recovering any of this money.
This will tagged as spam or drivel
Air monitor can detect COVID-19 virus variants in about 5 minutes
Proof-of-concept device could also monitor for flu, RSV, other respiratory viruses
Washington University St. Louis MO
https://source.wustl.edu/2023/07/air-monitor-can-detect-covid-19-virus-variants-in-about-5-minutes/
Air monitor can detect COVID-19 virus variants in about 5 minutes
Proof-of-concept device could also monitor for flu, RSV, other respiratory viruses
Washington University St. Louis MO
https://source.wustl.edu/2023/07/air-monitor-can-detect-covid-19-virus-variants-in-about-5-minutes/