Corona Virus: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

[RunningMn9]

Yeah, I think being in the NY Metro area, it’s going to be impossible to not see direct impacts. Probably >20k deaths so far, just in this area. Good Lord.

[El Guapo]

Honestly I feel a little in a bubble on this stuff. I've yet to know personally someone who has it. Apparently someone in my office tested positive a couple weeks ago, but I don't know who it is. So everything seems vaguely fine in this small corner of the world, just with this immense cloud of impending doom.

[El Guapo]

I assume that everyone at OO is going to rush out and discredit "injecting people with disinfectant" just because you all want to discredit Trump.

Well, the virus won't survive long in a dead body, so...

Potentially Promising Covid-19 Vaccine Hits Roadblock After Testing Reveals It’s Just Shotgun.

[Smoove_B]

I mean I could have skipped a store but it meant missing at least one staple component. All and all it took about 2 hours and it was terrible all around.

My town is ~8K people and getting pickup from our local grocery store takes me anywhere from 7-10 days of lead time. I don't actually need to go to the store but my parents (despite telling them in early March to get ready) never shifted from their retirement shopping mentality of just going every three days. So now I'm scrambling to get them things so they don't venture into the store and wander around and socialize - what they normally do. My dad called me today to indicate he was going to Lowe's to buy shims for the toilet; I had to shut that down with the quickness. They're frustrated (I get it) and kinda angry that they can't do what they've been doing, but its been a struggle. I'm glad they're opening stores early, but I have no doubt a-hole non-seniors are horning in to take advantage because it's unenforceable. I also see quite a few cars in my area with NY and PA plates and I'm not amused at all. F those people.

Anyway, I'm mainly shopping for them and my aunt and doing the best I can to get fresh foods locally and dry goods via online purveyors (manly Amazon).

Regarding the outbreak in our state, my understanding is that last week it started transitioning from the NE corner to central and now South Jersey. I think you're in for a surge over the next week, if I'm to believe what I'm seeing (data).

[malchior]

I'm glad they're opening stores early, but I have no doubt a-hole non-seniors are horning in to take advantage because it's unenforceable. I also see quite a few cars in my area with NY and PA plates and I'm not amused at all. F those people.

I'm not a fan of senior hours every day. I want to run into the store at 6 AM and avoid a crowd. That was possible until they rolled this out everywhere. I think some of the elder's are abusing it to be honest. I went and tried to get in a few times this week before just resigning myself to going in and every day I'm watching older folks rolling out heaping carts of food. I go in and can't get carrots. It's beyond frustrating at this point.

Anyway, I'm mainly shopping for them and my aunt and doing the best I can to get fresh foods locally and dry goods via online purveyors (manly Amazon).

I would have kept doing this but Amazon is completely broken for me. All my stuff comes out of PA despite Amazon warehouses in Edison (next town over), Robbinsville, etc. My wife and I have orders open from March with them right now. That has been the worst part. No reliable Amazon. Grocery stores are unreliable for us here. The price club has been abysmal. I hear Costco is not bad but we don't have a membership. Some restaurants are starting to convert over to grocery sales but not in big numbers. The first two weeks also saw every Chinese restaurant close en masse for us. And then many others closed down. They've been trickling back online which has been a help so we've been able to order meals to stretch things but it's been pretty bad here. My friends in Asbury are having a rough time of it too. They actually live in Jersey City full-time but went down to their 2nd house to ride this out. It's better than JC but still we've been trading stories lately. The population density is just working against us here.

Edit: I forget what the number is now but something close to 2% of my town has official positive cases now so it could be in that 10-20% range people think it is.

Regarding the outbreak in our state, my understanding is that last week it started transitioning from the NE corner to central and now South Jersey. I think you're in for a surge over the next week, if I'm to believe what I'm seeing (data).

The surge is definitely occurring. I also think the shadow economy/immigrant population is hiding a lot. My wife's factory is still running 3 shifts a day but nearly 80% of the workforce has turned over in the last month. Some quit. Others got sick. Some may have died but we'd never know because they are trained to be insular. And these are the type of people who have to work because they have no safety net. It's really rough here.

[Kraken]

On groceries, in our experience in Boston so far it's possible to get grocery deliveries, but with a 2 week lag, and it's not at all rare to have grocery store delivery periods fully booked up. We got one delivery near the beginning of this process (about a month ago), and I think we got on the schedule for a delivery two weeks from now. But otherwise we're mostly venturing out to the grocery store once every 1.5 to 2 weeks.

Though my wife (who has been doing the shopping) tells me that the local grocery stores seem to be holding up ok - well stocked, people keeping their distance for the most part.

Not impossible, but it takes persistence. I tried three times and struck out. When I realized how hard it is to schedule, I decided to pass in favor of those who need the service more than I do.

The only thing that is consistently 100% out of stock is toilet paper. I tried two grocery stores and two drugstores last week. I keep thinking it has to normalize soon. Since making random spot checks is obviously dumb, I'm going to have to find it online.

[Defiant]

https://twitter.com/matthewamiller/stat ... 0892943360

Needs a soundtrack. Something like...

[Combustible Lemur]

I assume that everyone at OO is going to rush out and discredit "injecting people with disinfectant" just because you all want to discredit Trump.

Well, the virus won't survive long in a dead body, so...

You just need like a lot of light either inside the body or through the skin.


Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk



Sigh. Lo Pan as a night light and my ability to post gifs don't seem to work together.

[$iljanus]

Holy shit.

https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1253 ... 19586?s=20

He really just seemed to suggest that injecting people with disinfectant would clean their lungs.

Mr. Yuk does NOT approve!

[Skinypupy]

Florida lawyer will be travelling to newly-opened beaches dressed as the Grim Reaper, raising money for Democratic candidates.

https://twitter.com/DWUhlfelderLaw/stat ... 8037833729

[Freyland]

The umbrella is a nice touch.

[Defiant]

https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/1253347107353886723

We don't have enough PPE's, but yes, let's use space suits. (and, of course, wearing a space suit is no easy task)

[Holman]

We're about two weeks out from a Trump surrogate suggesting "Just let the Virus decide" who lives and who dies. And there will be rallies supporting it.

[El Guapo]

I mean, if embracing "hey, let's just let a lot of people die" doesn't get people to vote the GOP out, then maybe we deserve what we're getting.

[El Guapo]

The Trump tweets doubling down on injecting people with disinfectant, that are inevitably coming this afternoon, are going to be something to behold.

[YellowKing]

Those teens eating Tide pods were so ahead of their time.

[raydude]

The Trump tweets doubling down on injecting people with disinfectant, that are inevitably coming this afternoon, are going to be something to behold.

If he does then it certainly will demolish this attempted fact check.

[Holman]

We don't have enough PPE's, but yes, let's use space suits. (and, of course, wearing a space suit is no easy task)

That's the real irony here. Assuming he meant ventilator suits rather than actual spacesuits, what he was really trying to say in his stupid Trump-administration way was "let's put everyone in PPE."

It's actually an excellent idea. We might even start with medical professionals, just to, you know, be safe.

[Skinypupy]

The Trump tweets doubling down on injecting people with disinfectant, that are inevitably coming this afternoon, are going to be something to behold.

If he does then it certainly will demolish this attempted fact check.

The gaslighting on social media this morning around "he didn't say that" has been fascinating to watch. I just keep posting the video of him saying those exact words and asking what it is that the "evil liberal media" misrepresented. I have yet to get an answer.

Good thing the makers of Lysol have posted a new warning on their website

Improper use of Disinfectants
Due to recent speculation and social media activity, RB (the makers of Lysol and Dettol) has been asked whether internal administration of disinfectants may be appropriate for investigation or use as a treatment for coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route). As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information.

We have a responsibility in providing consumers with access to accurate, up-to-date information as advised by leading public health experts. For this and other myth-busting facts, please visit Covid-19facts.com.

For more information on our response to COVID-19, visit this link: Coronavirus information

Inching closer to Idiocracy by the day...

[YellowKing]

Also, if you want people to stop misinterpreting your president's words, maybe, you know, elect someone who can speak English at higher than a third grade level.

[Daehawk]

They would need a backhoe to dig down enough to find his IQ score.

https://twitter.com/sarahcpr/status/1253474772702429189

[Kraken]

I mean, if embracing "hey, let's just let a lot of people die" doesn't get people to vote the GOP out, then maybe we deserve what we're getting.

Trump announced that a death toll under 100k would be a huge success. It looks like we're going to plateau around 60k. There's lots of slack left in the budget!

[Unagi]

Also, if you want people to stop misinterpreting your president's words, maybe, you know, elect someone who can speak English at higher than a third grade level.

So, insulting 3rd graders is now something you’re totally blind to.

[Unagi]

I mean, if embracing "hey, let's just let a lot of people die" doesn't get people to vote the GOP out, then maybe we deserve what we're getting.

Trump announced that a death toll under 100k would be a huge success. It looks like we're going to plateau around 60k. There's lots of slack left in the budget!

Someone needs to mash that statement up against his “soon it will be zero cases”, from a month or so ago.

[Zaxxon]

https://twitter.com/PresVillain/status/ ... 43264?s=20

[Blackhawk]

FWIW, grocery delivery isn't an option for many. I could get it here, but only from one store, and that store charges ~30% more than where I shop. Add in fees and a tip on top of that and I'm looking at increasing my grocery budget by probably 40%. Which ten days this month do I not eat to account for that?

I assume it is the same in any major city where not everyone has an extra buffer of cash to suddenly start paying more.

[LordMortis]

I mean, if embracing "hey, let's just let a lot of people die" doesn't get people to vote the GOP out, then maybe we deserve what we're getting.

Trump announced that a death toll under 100k would be a huge success. It looks like we're going to plateau around 60k. There's lots of slack left in the budget!

Someone needs to mash that statement up against his “soon it will be zero cases”, from a month or so ago.

If true, at least the every changing target moved from 200k to 100k. Of course the movement between "flu kills that many" and "fake news liberals told you two million" could be a totally be totally different tomorrow.

We need old guard Izzy to stand behind every speech carrying an XKCD "citation needed" posterboard.

[ImLawBoy]

FWIW, delivery seems viable here in Chicago. I know that my neighbor (single mom to a not-yet 5 year old) has been using Instacart, but I don't know how far out she has to order to get a delivery slot. I haven't been using it because I figure I should save slots for those who really need it and we also buy so much produce (vegetarian wife) that I really want to see what I'm buying and be able to substitute at will if something seems iffy. The store we go to has occasional shortages of certain elements, but overall seems well stocked on essentials, including paper products, dairy, meat, and pasta. Cleaning supplies are still pretty low, but we had a decent stock to begin with.

My parents are using contactless pickup out in the suburbs. They place the order online, go to the store at their designated time, pop the trunk, and a worker loads things up.

[Unagi]

So trump is tweeting about sending testing and ventilators to Ecuador and Honduras

No 3M masks for Canada, but the invaders from the south can have ventilators. I’d think his base would be scratching their heads at some point.

[El Guapo]

So trump is tweeting about sending testing and ventilators to Ecuador and Honduras

No 3M masks for Canada, but the invaders from the south can have ventilators. I’d think his base would be scratching their heads at some point.

I'm sure that nothing is happening. Trump's just trying to convey to his supporters the idea that "there are plenty of ventilators, so much so that we can send some to others".

[Zaxxon]

The delivery cost point that BH makes is a good one. Even where it works, it is substantially more expensive. There's a delivery fee, a tip (10-20% right there), and at least for me one that I've noticed is that you order and see the sales/pricing applicable at that time, but you pay the prices applicable when your shopper shops. When that's 3-10 days out, it effectively means you are not buying sale items (intentionally, at least), which adds another 5-20% depending on how frugal a sale shopper you are.

Just another way that this situation impacts the less well-off far more deeply.

[LawBeefaroni]

My parents are using contactless pickup out in the suburbs. They place the order online, go to the store at their designated time, pop the trunk, and a worker loads things up.

I tried that I'm the city. Took an hour and a half of waiting in the lot. Fortunately I needed some "outdoor time" and had to hit Foremost Liquors across the street so I survived. But I'm not doing it again.

Plus, I ended up going into the store anyway to pick up replacement items for things the pickup couldn't fulfill.

Service was free. Staff was getting the shit abused out of them by customers though so I tipped 20% but you could get out of there with no fee. Tips aren't really expected.

[malchior]

I mean, if embracing "hey, let's just let a lot of people die" doesn't get people to vote the GOP out, then maybe we deserve what we're getting.

Trump announced that a death toll under 100k would be a huge success. It looks like we're going to plateau around 60k. There's lots of slack left in the budget!

Plateau around 60k?!? We're 10K away and 2K or so per day are still dying. We'll be there by the end of next week and cases are still linear upward. Yesterday new cases number was near the top from April 10th. The *death rate* might very well plateau at current rate for weeks still. It'll be far more than 60K.

[Octavious]

We'll easily be at 200k in a couple of months. Of course they will just start pushing harder that the numbers are inflated blah blah blah.

[LawBeefaroni]

We (Illinois) are expected be on the backside of peak by mid May. "Flattening the curve" is good but it also means a longer, sustained peak and a non-immediate decline. I can say that the hospital where I work didn't get the worst-case flood we prepared for, thankfully, but wer are still seeing a substantial number of cases per day with no meaningful decline for several days.

[malchior]

We (Illinois) are expected be on the backside of peak by mid May. "Flattening the curve" is good but it also means a longer, sustained peak and a non-immediate decline. I can say that the hospital where I work didn't get the worst-case flood we prepared for, thankfully, but wer are still seeing a substantial number of cases per day with no meaningful decline for several days.

Right but some folks are talking like this is near over when we're in the midst of it and data is suggesting that infections have broken out in the rural areas now. It won't be as sharp as it could have been but you can't help but get a sense this is far from over. The total deaths count is still increasing linearly. It isn't slowing at least yet. Also we have no way of knowing what the distribution will look like. If it is normal then we are looking at 80 - 100K right now even if we were on the declining side of the curve. Which doesn't seem to be the case. The outlook is grim.

[Unagi]

“When this is all over, if it feels like we did it for nothing, then it worked.”

[Isgrimnur]

We need old guard Izzy to stand behind every speech carrying an XKCD "citation needed" posterboard.

To whom do I expense the lime green speedo?

[Zaxxon]

We need old guard Izzy to stand behind every speech carrying an XKCD "citation needed" posterboard.

To whom do I expense the lime green speedo?

I'll spring for it if you make this happen.

[LordMortis]

The delivery cost point that BH makes is a good one. Even where it works, it is substantially more expensive. There's a delivery fee, a tip (10-20% right there), and at least for me one that I've noticed is that you order and see the sales/pricing applicable at that time, but you pay the prices applicable when your shopper shops. When that's 3-10 days out, it effectively means you are not buying sale items (intentionally, at least), which adds another 5-20% depending on how frugal a sale shopper you are.

Just another way that this situation impacts the less well-off far more deeply.

Locally, most places have you subscribe to nominal fee service but items are marked up 10% plus and then you tip. I have no idea what the tipping rate is. As far as I know picklists do not happen from sale pricing.

(Until late March I was a very frugal shopper. Last Friday, I got what I need if it was on the shelf and spend $340 between three grocers. That is not my normal method. I also may regret the volume of snacks and cheese I bought. I *might* have over compensated for living without either for three weeks. Needless to say the 25 pounds I shrank in three weeks, well, not so much)

For context, I expect this to last about a month. $350 per month vs about $50 a week or $225 a month. Delivery? I dunno. Add 15% maybe? $225 to nearly $400 to feed a family of one for a month.