Octopus Overlords

Crowds pack Arizona river as U.S. posts record COVID cases for three days running

In Arizona, cases have risen by 267% so far in June and jumped by a record 3,857 cases on Sunday, the eighth record-breaking increase this month.

Formix wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:28 am We now have our first positive case of a staff member at the medical facility where I work. This is despite being a trained medical professional who always (reportedly) followed correct PPE procedures. I can't decide if this will make the folks I work with who are skeptical of the whole COVID hysteria more likely to take it seriously, or less. Because if they followed procedures and still got it, what good does the following of procedures do?

A choir of more than 100 people performed without masks at a robustly attended event in Texas at the First Baptist Church on Sunday that featured a speech by Vice President Mike Pence.

Nearly 2,200 people attended the "Celebrate Freedom Rally," in the Lone Star State, according to rally organizers, which has seen a severe surge in coronavirus cases since easing restrictions. The venue capacity for the indoor event was close to 3,000 attendees, organizers say.

Smoove_B wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 2:28 pm EDIT: And just so no one thinks I'm picking on any state, this was a NJ shore bar last night:

LawBeefaroni wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 3:25 pm

Formix wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:28 am We now have our first positive case of a staff member at the medical facility where I work. This is despite being a trained medical professional who always (reportedly) followed correct PPE procedures. I can't decide if this will make the folks I work with who are skeptical of the whole COVID hysteria more likely to take it seriously, or less. Because if they followed procedures and still got it, what good does the following of procedures do?

How many COVID+ patients have been through the facility? We've had hundreds, maybe thousands?, and over 200 who have gone through the ICU. We have had a lot of positive staff cases and 2 staff deaths. And that's with top notch protocols. I can't imagine it without PPE.

If you've seen a lot of positive patients and this is the first staff member, I'd say that that alone is evidence that PPE works.

Officials in Dallas County Saturday reported 561 new cases of COVID-19 -- the county's highest single-day total since the start of the pandemic -- and seven more coronavirus-related deaths.

The number of new cases is 65 more than Dallas County's previous high of 496, reported Friday, and is the highest single-day case count reported by any North Texas county. Tarrant County reported 517 cases Thursday.

Tarrant County reported its 225th death related to the coronavirus and 393 additional cases Sunday.
...
The county has reported a total of 11,476 cases, 225 deaths and 5,042 recoveries.

Texas Medical Center hospitals have stopped reporting key metrics showing the stress rising numbers of COVID-19 patients are placing on their facilities, undermining data that policy makers and the public have relied upon during the pandemic to gauge the spread of the coronavirus.

The change came one day after the hospitals reported their base intensive care capacity had hit 100 percent for the first time during the pandemic, with projections showing the institutions — which together comprise the world’s largest medical complex — were on pace to exceed their “unsustainable surge capacity” by July 6.

It also followed discussions between Gov. Greg Abbott and hospital executives in which the governor expressed displeasure with negative headlines about ICU capacity, sources familiar with the talks said.

Smoove_B wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 7:44 pm My understanding was that it was a voluntary agreement between the hospital systems and the state as to not cause panic

Smoove_B wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 6:56 pm Speaking of Dallas:

https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1 ... 3773016064

If people are losing their minds now, wait until mid-July.

Washington, DC(CNN) - President Donald Trump's campaign directed the removal of thousands of "Do Not Sit Here, Please!" stickers from seats in the Bank of Oklahoma Center in the hours before the President's much anticipated Tulsa rally, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.

As part of the BOK Center's safety plan for the June 20 rally, arena management had purchased 12,000 do-not-sit stickers with the intention of keeping people apart by leaving open seats between attendees, according to the Post.

Then on the day of the rally, when event staff had already placed the stickers on nearly every other seat in the 19,000-seat arena, the Trump campaign told event management to stop and then began removing the stickers, according to a person familiar with the event who spoke to the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

Jaymann wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 9:30 pm Not to worry, the place will be deserted during the rally.

malchior wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:52 pm Any updates based on this pandemic? A collection of the best bloopers? 'Oops NJ killed 12% of nursing home patients. Talk about egg on your face!?!' *Cue price is right tuba*

LawBeefaroni wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 9:39 pm

Jaymann wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 9:30 pm Not to worry, the place will be deserted during the rally.

This is the rally that already happened in Tulsa. Where they packed the stands behind the podium and in parts of the lower bowl while whole sections elsewhere sat empty. They had plenty of space to fit everyone in with adequate spacing and the venue had a plan. Instead, the campaign overrode the safety precautions and intentionally put lives in jeopardy.

They put lives of the public in real and significant danger to make the stupid rally look better on TV.

Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican, has attended recent House sessions without using a face mask, despite guidance issued last week by a congressional physician requiring that masks be worn during any committee hearings.

"I don't have the coronavirus, turns out as of yesterday I've never had it," Gohmert said about his reasoning for not wearing a mask.

Gohmert, 66, was seen at the Capitol Friday by CNN chatting at a "close distance" with Georgia Congressman Barry Loudermilk, also a Republican.

The Texas lawmaker insisted that he is routinely tested for the virus, which has killed nearly 125,000 people in the U.S. since February, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Unless he does test positive for the virus one day, Gohmert said he will continue not wearing a mask.

Isgrimnur wrote: Sun Jun 28, 2020 11:54 pm Newsweek

Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican, has attended recent House sessions without using a face mask, despite guidance issued last week by a congressional physician requiring that masks be worn during any committee hearings.

"I don't have the coronavirus, turns out as of yesterday I've never had it," Gohmert said about his reasoning for not wearing a mask.

Gohmert, 66, was seen at the Capitol Friday by CNN chatting at a "close distance" with Georgia Congressman Barry Loudermilk, also a Republican.

The Texas lawmaker insisted that he is routinely tested for the virus, which has killed nearly 125,000 people in the U.S. since February, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Unless he does test positive for the virus one day, Gohmert said he will continue not wearing a mask.

The nation's pediatricians have come out with a strong statement in favor of bringing children back to the classroom this fall wherever and whenever they can do so safely. The American Academy of Pediatrics' guidance "strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school."

The guidance says "schools are fundamental to child and adolescent development and well-being."

The AAP cites "mounting evidence" that transmission of the coronavirus by young children is uncommon, partly because they are less likely to contract it in the first place.

However, these guidelines don't necessarily address the health concerns of America's teachers or their willingness to return to in-person teaching. Federal data show nearly a third of teachers are over 50, putting them in a higher risk category when it comes to the disease.

Smoove_B wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:07 pm Pediatricians call for the re-opening of schools:

The nation's pediatricians have come out with a strong statement in favor of bringing children back to the classroom this fall wherever and whenever they can do so safely. The American Academy of Pediatrics' guidance "strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school."

The guidance says "schools are fundamental to child and adolescent development and well-being."

The AAP cites "mounting evidence" that transmission of the coronavirus by young children is uncommon, partly because they are less likely to contract it in the first place.

Broadly, I agree. I do think having schools open is likely an important goal. But as it has become increasingly popular to observe, we need to collectively decide *right now* what is more important? Having bars, restaurants and other indoor facilities open now or schools open in the Fall? Because I think there's strong evidence to suggest the decisions we're making today are absolutely going to affect the choices we're collectively going to be making in August.

And this is still a big issue:

However, these guidelines don't necessarily address the health concerns of America's teachers or their willingness to return to in-person teaching. Federal data show nearly a third of teachers are over 50, putting them in a higher risk category when it comes to the disease.

El Guapo wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:13 pm This also seems like a productive area to address via stimulus. Give schools (public and private) a ton of money to spend on protective gear as well as on any building / classroom modifications that can be done to increase safety, and to spend on hiring teachers and paraprofessionals, both to help with any vacancies among teachers who don't want to come back and to reduce classroom sizes.

Smoove_B wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:07 pm Pediatricians call for the re-opening of schools:

The nation's pediatricians have come out with a strong statement in favor of bringing children back to the classroom this fall wherever and whenever they can do so safely. The American Academy of Pediatrics' guidance "strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school."

The guidance says "schools are fundamental to child and adolescent development and well-being."

The AAP cites "mounting evidence" that transmission of the coronavirus by young children is uncommon, partly because they are less likely to contract it in the first place.

Broadly, I agree. I do think having schools open is likely an important goal. But as it has become increasingly popular to observe, we need to collectively decide *right now* what is more important? Having bars, restaurants and other indoor facilities open now or schools open in the Fall? Because I think there's strong evidence to suggest the decisions we're making today are absolutely going to affect the choices we're collectively going to be making in August.

And this is still a big issue:

However, these guidelines don't necessarily address the health concerns of America's teachers or their willingness to return to in-person teaching. Federal data show nearly a third of teachers are over 50, putting them in a higher risk category when it comes to the disease.

Smoove_B wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:07 pmI do think having schools open is likely an important goal.

stessier wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:16 pmAnd also to help the teachers who don't want to come back themselves. There are going to be a lot of people making hard decisions and it's not fair that they are just thrown to the wind.

BREAKING: The city of Jacksonville, Fla., host of RNC Convention in August, has just announced that masks will be mandatory indoors and in public places where social distancing is not possible.

Smoove_B wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 3:33 pm Is there a bet yet on whether or not the RNC will relocate?

https://twitter.com/DWUhlfelderLaw/stat ... 6740887552

BREAKING: The city of Jacksonville, Fla., host of RNC Convention in August, has just announced that masks will be mandatory indoors and in public places where social distancing is not possible.

In an about-face, Arizona's Gov. Doug Ducey has ordered the states bars, gyms, movie theaters and water parks to shut down for at least 30 days amid thousands of new coronavirus cases in the state.

Ducey issued the order Monday to go into effect from 8 p.m. local time, citing concern over a recent spike in new cases – including a one-day record of more than 3,800 in the state on Sunday. It was the seventh time in the past ten days that new cases in Arizona exceeded 3,000. He also ordered public schools to delay the start of classes until Aug. 17.

Fretmute wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 12:33 am This all reminds me of the book I read where the aliens infect everyone on Earth with a parasite that is 100% deadly to those that don't take routine medial precautions around the resulting sore (read: iodine, bandage) because they want to kill off all the idiots before they enslave us.