Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston: racist, modeling, map)

[Louisville Slugger]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

Florida has also surpassed Massachusetts.

So we dropped from 4 to 7 in total cases.

Damn you Biogen.

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

We should have done a Taiwan and met all inbound international flights with public health officials to screen everyone. Same for the border crossings with Mexico and Canuckistan. Doesn’t matter if you’re a CEO coming home from a business trip in the Gulfstream or a refugee. This playbook should have been set up under Obama and it should have kicked in automatically in January. If there’s ever a next time, the politicians should be lined up against the wall and shot if that isn’t how it’s handled.

If you make it a felony with mandatory jail time to hire an illegal, the problem goes away. We’re so dependent on that labor that we’d quickly adopt a rational visa policy. OT in this thread but illegals exist to be exploited by wealthy people since US workers are too expensive.

I thought about how the the countries in the Far East were dealing with the coronavirus spread and if the U.S. could emulate such procedures without backlash and my conclusion came to a resounding "no". For one thing, those countries and especially China have a lot more people working in security and public works readily available to assist in screening. I recall seeing so many more security guards out East than here in the U.S. even during normal times. I'm sure not a few were even "voluntold" to take up the work in the name of the preservation of the nation's safety and security and for lesser wages too during this crisis. When comes a time of danger for the nation, everyone is a soldier called up to do their duty. Try implementing something like that in the U.S. and you'll get all sorts of complaints about infringing on privacy, obstruction of interstate commerce, violation of due process, and anything else that violates the United States Constitution.

This same goes with clampdowns. In China for instance, the authorities can implement a police state with ease during times of emergency. They can stop you at any time and demand where you had been in the last 24 hours, how many people did you interact with, etc. That is how data can quickly be collected and the virus cornered. If the authorities tell you to stay home they MEAN it and 24/7 security guards are posted everywhere, ready to shoot to kill anyone who dares to violate curfew and believe me, they have the manpower to muster such a security force. We don't. Here in the US, the government is having a hard time even persuading people to voluntarily stay at home as you can see with all those clips of the beachgoers in Miami, the long lines at the RMVs, and the still crowded buses and trains. The American people are never going to agree to the same system as China. Our 1st, 4th, 5th, 8th, and 14th Amendments to the Constitution protect the individual and prohibit such things, they do not protect the system the way the Chinese protect theirs.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

Depends on the company really.

I have close contact with someone who tested positive so they asked me to work from home for 2 weeks. They didn't ask me to get tested, but I was able to get a test done based on the close contact. Still don't have the results back. (been 3 days)

Coworker's g/f had symptoms and was able to get tested today in Waltham. Was then told up to 2 weeks to get results back. Coworker is starting to feel symptoms, so he is home.

Now the issue isn't getting a test...it's getting results back in a timely manner.

Once you are on the backside and recovering, you may not even test positive. At that point the only way to tell is through a blood test to look for antibodies. Good luck getting one of those.

My father got tested yesterday. Won’t get results for at least 7 days. His symptoms are mild now, and he’s at home. There’s no way they’re testing for antibodies now. We asked - I traveled frequently to Europe in Dec/Jan/Feb and exhibited symptoms in Jan.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

Massachusetts seems like it has it under control to some extent. Louisiana and New Jersey have blown past Massachusetts over the last couple days (largest one day increase still last Wednesday) and Mass still doesn’t have a death.

Don’t get your hopes up. We are garbage at testing and even more garbage at getting results in a timely fashion. There are over 2000 people tested in MA, and only 258 confirmed. The gap isn’t because they’re all negative, the gap is because we are waiting on results.

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Don’t get your hopes up. We are garbage at testing and even more garbage at getting results in a timely fashion. There are over 2000 people tested in MA, and only 258 confirmed. The gap isn’t because they’re all negative, the gap is because we are waiting on results.

LA has tested about 500. So that’s true everywhere.

[Arya Stark]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Don’t get your hopes up. We are garbage at testing and even more garbage at getting results in a timely fashion. There are over 2000 people tested in MA, and only 258 confirmed. The gap isn’t because they’re all negative, the gap is because we are waiting on results.

But if we don't have any deaths yet... that seems kind of impressive and seems to suggest we couldn't have that many infections... unless they are lying about the deaths. The first diagnosed MA case was February 1.

[Arya Stark]

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

That is how data can quickly be collected and the virus cornered. If the authorities tell you to stay home they MEAN it and 24/7 security guards are posted everywhere, ready to shoot to kill anyone who dares to violate curfew and believe me, they have the manpower to muster such a security force. We don't.

Dude if you want that you need to apply to live in China but in the USA we have freedom and civil liberties.

This right here scares the crud out of me and makes me think those conspiracy theorists are right.

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by Louisville Slugger

Damn you Biogen.

If not Biogen's conference, certainly one of the many people flying in and out of Boston and traveling and visiting elsewhere and returning and and.

I say this as a former longtime resident of Cambridge/Mass. and a retired RN with a master's in public health and a lot of experience with infectious disease.

[Amontillado]

Coronavirus cases in Massachusetts reach 256 after 38 new positive tests.

https://boston.cbslocal.com/coronavi...atest-updates/

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by western mass and love it

My personal observations about this outbreak.

Last Thursday I woke up with a very sore throat, Runny nose and low grade fever. Symptoms were still present on Friday. I did not go into work either day. Symptoms persisted throughout the weekend so I called my pcp on Monday. They advised me to stay inside , don’t go anywhere and to call if symptoms progressed. I gradually began to feel better and today I am just having a runny nose. My employer told me to stay home the past three days and now are asking me to get tested.

Are these people not paying attention to the news? Is this not being taken seriously by the majority of corporations and businesses. My PCP said no way I get tested at this point , most people never progress beyond the common cold symptoms and there is still a shortage of test kits. Did I have Covid -19 , I don’t think so. But I also have no clue if I did or didn’t because I’ve never known another person who has had it. Was a good precaution from my employer to tell me to stay home , yes I believe it was. But for them to ask for testing is so out of touch with what we are being told.

Is anyone else experiencing this disconnect from reality with their employer?

The runny nose indicated it was a cold or some other common issue rather than covid-19 or flu. Covid-19 has flu-like symptoms.


Warmer weather tends to help from two standpoints. For one, higher temperatures do kill the virus more rapidly on surfaces and in the air by drying it out more rapidly. Second, warmer temperatures naturally encourage more "social distancing."