COVID-19 2020

good read: What you need to know about the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines

246K today. America, you've done it again!

woof.

sweetcell wrote:

Side-Seditionist wrote:
Devin Nunes

antibodies only, no live virus.  looks like he got over it and survived.  too bad.

He's actually one of only 70 Republican House members who didn't sign on to overthrow the election. So there's that.

been saying since April…rapid, easy, cheap testing is absolutely necessary.
https://www.axios.com/rapid-covid-19-tests-curb-coronavirus-pandemic-f3cfc74e-c2e8-43fd-adfb-6e56e5422705.html
Tuesday, the FDA granted emergency authorization to Ellume's over-the-counter antigen COVID-19 test for fully at-home usage — akin to a standard home pregnancy test.

This is the first test the FDA has approved that can be taken without a prescription and produce results — in about 20 minutes — without the need to either mail in a sample to a lab or wait in line for a clinic.
Michael Mina, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, believes if just half the U.S. population were able to test themselves every four days, the country could quickly achieve vaccine-like "herd immunity" by letting people know in real time when they were contagiouss.
"Scale these tests up, get these into everyone’s home, put these at the door of a restaurant, put these at the door of a gym," Mina said in a press call last week. "We change the balance."

All for this but are we to think people who won’t wear masks will be responsibly testing themselves?


They should make these widely available and subsidize the costs or have health insurance pay for say 5 a month or some number

Also these tests could help but also might contribute to giving people a false sense of security about going out more…therefore increasing risk of actually getting covid

Just wrote:
All for this but are we to think people who won’t wear masks will be responsibly testing themselves?

I don't think you'd get 100% of them, but if all the sensible people and 30% of those idiots do it…Yes I think this could work

Just wrote:
Also these tests could help but also might contribute to giving people a false sense of security about going out more…therefore increasing risk of actually getting covid

So if they aren't accurate, that could be a problem
But the article suggests people could take a test before entering a concert or a Gym
I think knowledge is power

Part of the problem is people are infected and they don't know…so they are spreading
even a MAGA if they knew, I think some large percentage would get that result and say….well I should probably stay home
Not 100%, but big enough to make a difference

So what would be the motivation for people to take these tests regularly? I tested once for travel purposes back in the summer, and the state I was going to wouldn't even accept this antigen test.

Guys…I don't freaking know
but if we mailed 300 million home tests to people, I guarantee that at least 200mill would be used and then we'd have an accurate idea of where the infections are and where to focus

then do it again 2 weeks later and we'd uncover some more pockets of infection

and in like 6 weeks we could identify 90% of the infections and act accordingly

Sidehatch you totally overestimate the American people

First of all a huge segment is flat out broke and have to show up to work regardless.. paycheck to paycheck… no savings..they aren’t going to be testing themselves and then not showing up to work!!!

Second of all a lot of people just don’t care.. “freedom” etc…

This will mainly benefit-as usual- the wealthy and the more vulnerable sectors which are the poorer will continue dying at disproportionately higher rates..

I still think it’s a good idea but let’s be realistic

Do you really think it a MAGA got mailed a free home test they just had to stick under their tongue (don't actually know how they are administered) that they wouldn't do it?

Ask your inlaws?

yes there are a bunch of wackadoodles in Michigan who will have rallies where they burn their tests
but I'd say the crazy part of maga is really like 15% and the rest are just culture warriors/Taxes/Judges voters and aren't that crazy

By the way, just found $2.6 bil we can use to pay to send all Americans 10 of these tests
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/530593-biden-would-save-us-21-billion-by-halting-border-wall-construction

I guess am feeling pessimistic…

The United States is now a failed state… how else can we interpret the covid debacle?


The idea the US government is going to be able to run a mass testing kit distribution program is straining belief.

Also, think about how the issue may be politicized and conspiracy theories develop (Insert name is trying to kill us while enriching himself with the tests made in China by communists!)…. You may see red states make these tests or their distribution illegal. Nothing is too wacky for modern America

I'm with Hutch, skeptical that people who don't have ample paid sick leave are going to stay home from work just because of a positive test result.

we have to try, we can't just give up
if people want to be willfully ignorant, well we'll just have to deal with that on a case by case basis

Space wrote:
I'm with Hutch, skeptical that people who don't have ample paid sick leave are going to stay home from work just because of a positive test result.

Maybe Congress passes a Covid Sick leave plan
where if you test positive, the gov't will pay your employer your salary for 1 month
I just found $2.6 bill, not sure it that will pay for all of that, but it's a start
what if we cut off funding to PBS, that's like 5 trillion right?

I agree we have to try using all tools and policies at our disposal but we need to be realistic. There is no reason to think these rapid tests will in it of themselves control the pandemic. How much they may help is unclear to me…

Killswitch-hatch wrote:

Space wrote:
I'm with Hutch, skeptical that people who don't have ample paid sick leave are going to stay home from work just because of a positive test result.

Maybe Congress passes a Covid Sick leave plan
where if you test positive, the gov't will pay your employer your salary for 1 month
I just found $2.6 bill, not sure it that will pay for all of that, but it's a start
what if we cut off funding to PBS, that's like 5 trillion right?

Let's say the average Joe makes 4k per month. 2.6 billion pays for about 650K people to stay home for a month. We're averaging 1.4 million new cases a week.

I was actually making the same argument several months ago, wish the tests had been ready then

No way Republicans will agree to fund this…so unless we pick up both senate seats in Georgia - and I think it’s unlikely-you can forget about it!