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31 minutes ago, LoveMyBeautifulGift said:

 

Wonder if this is why we're finally getting drive through testing in Contra Costa County. If anyone is interested in charts, we've got lots of numbers over here. I only wish they would indicate how many are recovered. They recently added this dashboard , too, which I think might be more informative than any of the other stats in terms of monitoring how hard its hitting in our area. 

People are also nagging Santa Clara County for the recovered statistics. People are also asking for case numbers by zip code.  Their dashboard is on this link https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/dashboard.aspx

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5 minutes ago, Mom2mthj said:
1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

Not sure if you mistyped the number in your post or misread Pen's post, but you've got an extra zero in there. She said that 1,000 IU/day was inadequate, not 10,000 IU. Most D3 supplements are sold in doses of 1000 IU or 5000 IU. I have very low D levels for genetic reasons, so I need to supplement, but very few doctors understand what the optimal level should be (as opposed to minimum level needed to prevent rickets). I've tested as low as 12 (which is really bad) and had a doctor tell me I was "a little low" and I should consider taking 400 IU daily — which is way too low to have any real impact. I take around 25,000 IU per week.

Thanks...1000 makes much more sense.  The original had IU with no space and I misread it.  Thinking it may be close to time for new reading glasses

 

Oh! I didn’t notice the extra 0! 

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https://uscensus.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/7f254e8861bd48df9532fc6e6e829571
 

us census data Covid hub

its not working too well for me on my phone but might work for someone on pc

according to twitter folks it’s showing for New York City

1 in 57 tested positive

1 in 221 hospitalised 

1 in 530 died

no idea how they got that but maybe someone else can work it out.

 

 

 

 

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16 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

https://uscensus.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/7f254e8861bd48df9532fc6e6e829571
 

us census data Covid hub

its not working too well for me on my phone but might work for someone on pc

according to twitter folks it’s showing for New York City

1 in 57 tested positive

1 in 221 hospitalised 

1 in 530 died

no idea how they got that but maybe someone else can work it out.

No idea. It only goes down to county level on your link. Also, it only shows census data, not COVID data. Its an impact planning report. 

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55 minutes ago, BeachGal said:

 

You can order finger prick test kits that you can do at home. You order a test and poke your finger with an enclosed poke-a-rooni (that is the scientific name. LOL). The $65 test I've used also asks you to fill out a kind of longish online questionnaire about your sun exposure, supplements and general health -- all tied to a number, not name. They use this information for research on Vitamin D.

One thing to ask about if you order one, is how long to get test results online. They might be short staffed, or maybe they're okay. I've had to wait several weeks before to get results.

Another point -- read instructions very carefully and multiple times. Watch the short video showing how to get the right sized drop of blood. The drop of blood must fill the dot on the enclosed blotter paper just so. You get multiple tries but to get an accurate result, you need that drop of blood to fill the entire dot.

https://daction.grassrootshealth.net/tests/

Pen has some good info but here are some more studies for you to read if you're so inclined:

https://www.grassrootshealth.net

Researcher Rhonda Patrick has some info about vitamin D and Covid if you want to understand some of the technical stuff:

https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/covid-19-episode-1:

https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/vitamin-d-covid-19

 

These are good links—thanks!

@ElizabethB a  Rhonda Patrick video I saw part of on YouTube which is probably same as Beachgal has linked above also might be important with regard to your D levels and deaths comparison chart.  For example, if a country has a high average level of D, but certain groups with low D are disproportionately represented amongst the dead (elderly, or people from a particular background—such as she mentions people from Somalia in Sweden having lower D and higher deaths?) 

Edited by Pen
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31 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

https://uscensus.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/7f254e8861bd48df9532fc6e6e829571
 

us census data Covid hub

its not working too well for me on my phone but might work for someone on pc

according to twitter folks it’s showing for New York City

1 in 57 tested positive

1 in 221 hospitalised 

1 in 530 died

no idea how they got that but maybe someone else can work it out.

13 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

And if those stats are accurate, if the whole of the US had an NY city level outbreak (unlikely I hope, given social distancing and population density differences) that would lead to over 600,000 deaths.

Those stats are correct, but they are not from the link.

NYC 2018 population estimate 8,398,748 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/newyorkcitynewyork

cases 1 in 57.47

hospitalized 1 in 221

confirmed deaths 1 in 781

deaths 1 in 530 (confirmed and probable)

NYC https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page  

Cases: 146,139
Hospitalized*: 37,995
Confirmed deaths: 10,746
Probable deaths: 5,102
Updated: April 24, 2:30 p.m.
Edited by Arcadia
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49 minutes ago, Mom2mthj said:

Thanks...1000 makes much more sense.  The original had IU with no space and I misread it.  Thinking it may be close to time for new reading glasses.

 

Sorry, I didn’t realize your reply to me had the extra zero. I think I will try to use commas in future !

1,000 is easier to distinguish from 10,000 probably. 

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9 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

Those stats are correct, but they are not from the link.

NYC 2018 population estimate 8,398,748 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/newyorkcitynewyork

cases 1 in 57.47

hospitalized 1 in 221

confirmed deaths 1 in 781

deaths 1 in 530 (confirmed and probable)

NYC https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-data.page  

Cases: 146,139
Hospitalized*: 37,995
Confirmed deaths: 10,746
Probable deaths: 5,102
Updated: April 24, 2:30 p.m.

Thanks that makes sense.  I couldn’t figure out how they were getting it but half the page was cut off on my phone so I was assuming there was something hidden.

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11 minutes ago, Pen said:

 

These are good links—thanks’

@ElizabethB a  Rhonda Patrick video I saw part of on YouTube which is probably same as Beachgal has linked above also might be important with regard to your D levels and deaths comparison chart.  For example, if a country has a high average level of D, but certain groups with low D are disproportionately represented amongst the dead (elderly, or people from a particular background—such as she mentions people from Somalia in Sweden having lower D and higher deaths?) 

Yes, you really can't chart it all, but almost every group seeing higher deaths rates is also deficient in vitamin D, those with darker skin, the obese, the elderly, etc.

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Just now, Ausmumof3 said:

Thanks that makes sense.  I couldn’t figure out how they were getting it but half the page was cut off on my phone so I was assuming there was something hidden.

I tried the same link on my iPhone, iPad and 15.4" windows laptop but could only get county census data. I could not find NYC's population from that link.

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@Penor any other vitamin D converts, I started a new thread with what I think is the strongest vitamin D information to share with people.  Even if it doesn't help with Covid, good D levels are healthy overall and it is easy and cheap and low risk to get good vitamin D levels.  Feel free to add good videos and other things that D helps with there!

(I have no stock in vitamin D gummies!!)

Edited by ElizabethB
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https://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=7459493

about 2 Swedish nursing homes where all residents were tested for CV19 and a lot tested positive even if they had no symptoms...

seems Somalis and other immigrants also often work in nursing homes as staff and then live in more dense situations with more extended family groups than average Swedish populations.  Plus may not have understood about Distancing in same ways...

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3 minutes ago, Pen said:

https://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=7459493

about 2 Swedish nursing homes where all residents were tested for CV19 and a lot tested positive even if they had no symptoms...

seems Somalis and other immigrants also often work in nursing homes as staff and then live in more dense situations with more extended family groups than average Swedish populations.  Plus may not have understood about Distancing in same ways...

We’re seeing a few similar studies.  It would be really great to see a follow up two to three weeks later to confirm that no one developed symptoms.

also are there other viruses that have that level of asymptomaticness (which I guess is not a word!)

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1 minute ago, Ausmumof3 said:

We’re seeing a few similar studies.  It would be really great to see a follow up two to three weeks later to confirm that no one developed symptoms.

also are there other viruses that have that level of asymptomaticness (which I guess is not a word!)

 

Guess it just became a word ! 

 

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5 hours ago, Pen said:

 

The dormitory living is very apt to lead to rapid spread.  

But I expect they are relatively young—not like elders in close quarters nursing homes

And if latitude and Vitamin D is relevant Singapore is in a great area for that!

 

plus advanced health care

 

Also they might have had the TB vax.

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I'm pro vitamin D, but I'm wondering - how do they know the country's average levels of vitamin D?  In my experience, they only test when trying to find out what's wrong, so people with good health / energy levels would not be included in the stats?  And I'm sure this varies from country to country, so is this really a reliable comparison?

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4 minutes ago, SKL said:

I'm pro vitamin D, but I'm wondering - how do they know the country's average levels of vitamin D?  In my experience, they only test when trying to find out what's wrong, so people with good health / energy levels would not be included in the stats?  And I'm sure this varies from country to country, so is this really a reliable comparison?

They take random people and do vitamin D levels, some countries take random samples from a variety of cities and will have a Northern City vs. Southern city difference, they report the average of the cities sampled as the country average.

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15 minutes ago, ElizabethB said:

They take random people and do vitamin D levels, some countries take random samples from a variety of cities and will have a Northern City vs. Southern city difference, they report the average of the cities sampled as the country average.

All countries do this?

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@square_25@mathnerd

Santa Clara county declared state of emergency on Feb 10, SIP from March 17

NYC declared state of emergency on March 13, PAUSE from March 20

The early declaration of state of emergency by my county might have make unaware people in my county more aware. People that did not start worrying in January might have started worrying in early February. 

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42 minutes ago, SKL said:

I'm pro vitamin D, but I'm wondering - how do they know the country's average levels of vitamin D?  In my experience, they only test when trying to find out what's wrong, so people with good health / energy levels would not be included in the stats?  And I'm sure this varies from country to country, so is this really a reliable comparison?

I’m needing to reread it but I think they did some studies here linked to maternal health/well being.  I know a friend who was a dental hygienist and she was involved with a study on levels in pregnant mums and the general tooth health of the babies. I’m not sure what they found they were going to follow them till the kids adult teeth came through to see if it affected positioning.  I also know there have been various studies done tracking vit d levels and depression and anxiety.  They found not surprisingly that Queenslanders had better levels than Tasmanian’s from memory.

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23 minutes ago, SKL said:

All countries do this?

I think what you would do is look at all the countries that have some data and see if there’s any apparent link between that and Covid.  Then you’d be able to form a hypothesis but you can’t draw any conclusions without then doing a controlled study where you measure vit d levels and check for coronavirus infection and severity.  That would have to be large scale and over a period of time.   So yeah we can’t draw any solid conclusions from country by country data but we can get an idea whether it’s worth looking at.

any more sciency people are more than welcome to fix/expand on that non expert explanation 

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46 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

@square_25@mathnerd

Santa Clara county declared state of emergency on Feb 10, SIP from March 17

NYC declared state of emergency on March 13, PAUSE from March 20

The early declaration of state of emergency by my county might have make unaware people in my county more aware. People that did not start worrying in January might have started worrying in early February. 

I am beginning to think that Dr Sarah Cody is one of the bravest Public Health Officers in the country and she made a smart move in convincing all the Health Officers in the 7 neighboring counties to collectively shut down the bay area on March 16th (almost 7 million people under SIP). She lobbied to get the collective buy-ins from all the mayors of the cities involved and used her power as the county health officer to pull off the "flattening" of the curve. The reason that it was so effective was because she came up with the plan to make it a joint action with the health officers of the East and North bay since all of us move between all the neighboring counties for work and other matters every single day and the SIP saved thousands of lives. At that time I thought that the SIP order came very late because we were all aware that there was community spread already in Feb and March, looking at the numbers coming out of other states, I think that her move was very bold and it also inspired Gov Newson to announce his statewide SIP directive.

 

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3 hours ago, SKL said:

All countries do this?

Some countries also separated out men, women, pregnant women. 

Those with large hijab wearing populations separated those out, they were 10 - 20 lower than women not wearing hijab.

Some countries with large immigrant populations separated those out too, those with darker skin usually had lower levels.

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California did clear a slew of backlogged cases a couple days ago, but they also announced at the same time that going forward, their data would be tests performed & not people tested. Thus, it won't be possible to tell from their data how many specific people have tested positive since the state is no longer tieing test results to individual people. This means if you test positive twice, that will be counted as two positives instead of one person positive. 

There has been a noticeable uptick in testing in multiple states over the last few days. It is too early to know if it is an anomaly or a new level of test-performing capability across significant parts of the country.

For the first time my state has relaxed testing guidelines to allow for testing people who aren't already in the hospital, had travel-related exposure, or are otherwise connected enough to get a test. Most areas have not seen much spread, but our meat-packing plant areas are showing extensive spread. (Many people who work there live in multi-generational households in tight housing conditions.)

Edited by RootAnn
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6 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

We’re seeing a few similar studies.  It would be really great to see a follow up two to three weeks later to confirm that no one developed symptoms.

also are there other viruses that have that level of asymptomaticness (which I guess is not a word!)

I read an article the other day about asymptomatic flu cases. The study it discussed showed 77% were asymptomatic or had symptoms so mild they didn't register them. I'll see if I can find it.

Ok. Different article but it's about the same study. 

https://www.nhs.uk/news/medical-practice/three-quarters-of-people-with-flu-have-no-symptoms/

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2 hours ago, RootAnn said:

 

There has been a noticeable uptick in testing in multiple states over the last few days. It is too early to know if it is an anomaly or a new level of test-performing capability across significant parts of the country.

Minnesota has started testing more broadly. Any symptomatic person can now be tested and at some locations any asymptomatic person with a covid positive contact can be tested. Fingers crossed, but I do suspect this is happening across the country.

It does mean that watching daily cases will become even more meaningless. In MN, the number of daily cases has risen about 50% since expanding testing here and I expect that will just get higher. It will look like there are suddenly far more cases, but that's not actually the case. 

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There was a discussion about the really long swabbing that was done in Covid testing and the home tests. I still don't know how the home samples will be taken, but I saw a video of a journalist (who had been working in a hard hit area but who was traveling back into a low exposure area) getting the test done earlier this week, and he was definitely swabbed in that deep and penetrating way. It depends on the test type, I guess. It looked quite uncomfortable.

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17 hours ago, square_25 said:

I really hope this doesn't wind up spiking the Bay Area cases. 

I think people are doing their version of the hammer and the dance. They are watching the county’s health dept Twitter feed, Dashboard like a hawk and plotting their own graphs of the data since February.

3 hours ago, square_25 said:

I think NY state declared an emergency on March 7th?

But I’m sure it helped in Santa Clara to do it earlier.

@mathnerd

I remembered reading this and going more often to the Asian supermarkets because it feels safer.


Feb 3rd https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/03/coronavirus-bay-area-has-highest-concentration-of-u-s-cases-that-shouldnt-be-a-surprise/

“Santa Clara County Health Officer Sara Cody said she wasn’t surprised as she announced the first confirmed case in the Bay Area Friday in a local man who had returned from traveling in China, where the disease outbreak originated. Her department had “been preparing for this possibility for weeks, knowing that we were likely to eventually confirm a case.”

...

In the Bay Area’s Chinese American communities, fears are running high. At Pacific Rim Plaza in north San Jose, business has been down all weekend at restaurants and shops, retailers say.

Henry Pei, who owns a vitamin supplement store called Healthsource U.S.A. at the strip mall on Hostetter Road, posted handwritten signs in Mandarin on the door and at the counter of his shop warning people to stay away if they have been to China over the past two weeks.

“Business has almost stopped,” said Pei adding that face masks and hand sanitizer are selling out everywhere. “Everyone is scared.”

At the beauty parlor next door, hair stylist May Yip says she’s especially worried being in such close physical contact with her customers, and she doesn’t like wearing a mask because it’s hard to breathe.

“All my clients are Asian,” Yip said. “I ask if they’re just back from China. “You can’t ask everyone, sometimes they’ll get mad.”

At a travel agency across the street, people are not just canceling trips to and from China, but canceling flights to New York and four-day bus tours to Las Vegas and back.

At Ranch 99 market next door, a list is posted of all the symptoms of Coronavirus and how to help stop its spread. All the employees are now required to wear masks and rubber gloves and follow a long list of rules, including frequently washing their hands.

“Everybody is taking care,” said Ping Lu, the market’s assistant manager.

...

California has the largest Chinese American population in the U.S., and the regions with the largest Chinese American communities are the New York metropolitan area, San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles region. Those areas also have frequent business and leisure travel to and from China.

Silicon Valley’s technology industry also has close connections to the country, said Carl Guardino, president of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which represents the region’s major technology companies.

Executives at various Bay Area companies have reported various measures, including limiting or suspending travel to and from China and within the country. Some have screened employees returning to work, or asked them to work from home for two weeks if they’ve been to China, canceled trade show appearances and postponed meetings with vendors from China.

“Bay Area business ties to the Pacific Rim and China are quite extensive,” Guardino said, adding that impacts on local companies due to the coronavirus are “equally extensive.””

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11 hours ago, ElizabethB said:

I'm not getting different average numbers, but Dublin looks bad for vitamin D, I wonder if many of the Ireland cases were from Dublin?

 

Where are your Ireland figures coming from? 

The quote at bottom is closest I can find and it isn’t a single figure — also note that units are nmol/l —   I think pretty much everywhere but USA uses nmol/l as standard. So probably it is just the USA figure that needs to be adjusted. 

I think in nmol/l as compared to what is being found about levels in people with mild versus critical etc outcomes, a takeaway is that even the higher average D levels you found for countries are too low.    

30 ng/ml (break point that seems to at least correlate with good results if not confer some protection)  is the equivalent of  75 nmol/l  . —.  

On your chart, only Slovakia seems to have that high or above (and I am a bit doubtful about Slovakia statistics accuracy). 

“Year-round prevalence rates for serum 25(OH)D concentration < 30, < 40, < 50 and < 75 nmol/l were 6.7, 21.9, 40.1 and 75.6 %, respectively (11.1, 31.1, 55.0 and 84.0 % in winter, respectively). Supplement users had significantly higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations compared to non-users. However, 7.5 % of users had winter serum 25(OH)D < 30 nmol/l. Only 1.3 % had

serum 25(OH)D concentrations >125 nmol/l. These first nationally representative serum 25(OH)D data for Irish adults show that while only 6.7 % had serum 25(OH)D < 30 nmol/l (vitamin D deficiency) throughout the year, 40.1 % had levels considered by the Institute of Medicine as being inadequate for bone health”

 

Edited by Pen
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@square_25 New York https://abc7news.com/retailer-charged-with-hoarding-gouging-nearly-6-tons-of-ppe/6129027/

“Federal prosecutors charged a New York retailer Friday with hoarding tons of disposable masks, surgical gowns and hand sanitizer in a Long Island warehouse and selling the items at huge markups.

Amardeep "Bobby" Singh, 45, was charged with violating the Defense Production Act of 1950 in what authorities described as the first such prosecution during the coronavirus pandemic.

...

In late March and early April, authorities said, Singh stockpiled more than 1.6 tons of disposable masks; 2.2 tons of surgical gowns; 1.8 tons of hand sanitizer and seven shipments of digital thermometers.

Records from the store showed he bought the face masks for 7 cents apiece and then resold them for $1 each, prosecutors said.

A search of his business and warehouse turned up more than 5,000 face shields, 2,471 full-body isolation suits and 711,400 disposable vinyl gloves, according to court records.

Authorities said Singh marketed the products on social media and continued selling them even after he received a cease-and-desist letter from the New York Attorney General's Office, which called his pricing "unconscionably excessive."

Singh's stockpiles for now are being held as evidence, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency is "working through the details" of how to reallocate the materials to institutions in need of such equipment, said a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. The person wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the materials and spoke on the condition of anonymity.”

Edited by Arcadia
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1 hour ago, Pen said:

 

Where are your Ireland figures coming from? 

The quote at bottom is closest I can find and it isn’t a single figure — also note that units are nmol/l —   I think pretty much everywhere but USA uses nmol/l as standard. So probably it is just the USA figure that needs to be adjusted. 

I think in nmol/l as compared to what is being found about levels in people with mild versus critical etc outcomes, a takeaway is that even the higher average D levels you found for countries are too low.    

30 ng/ml (break point that seems to at least correlate with good results if not confer some protection)  is the equivalent of  75 nmol/l  . —.  

On your chart, only Slovakia seems to have that high or above (and I am a bit doubtful about Slovakia statistics accuracy). 

“Year-round prevalence rates for serum 25(OH)D concentration < 30, < 40, < 50 and < 75 nmol/l were 6.7, 21.9, 40.1 and 75.6 %, respectively (11.1, 31.1, 55.0 and 84.0 % in winter, respectively). Supplement users had significantly higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations compared to non-users. However, 7.5 % of users had winter serum 25(OH)D < 30 nmol/l. Only 1.3 % had

serum 25(OH)D concentrations >125 nmol/l. These first nationally representative serum 25(OH)D data for Irish adults show that while only 6.7 % had serum 25(OH)D < 30 nmol/l (vitamin D deficiency) throughout the year, 40.1 % had levels considered by the Institute of Medicine as being inadequate for bone health”

 

Almost all my numbers can from that one article, the print was tiny, I assumed it was the same units we use in the US, you're right, they are in nmol/L. I'll have to go back and standardize my units and see how the chart looks.

Edited by ElizabethB
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https://www.today.com/parents/will-covid-19-pandemic-result-baby-boom-experts-weigh-t179806

“But experts say the truth is that the COVID-19 pandemic will not result in a rise in the American birthrate nine months from now. In fact, they predict the exact opposite, and possibly for years to come.

There are several reasons this pandemic will not create a baby "blip" or a baby boom. Basically, University of Wisconsin professor Christine B. Whelan told TODAY Parents, "People are freaking out."

"Couples are in bed at night on their phones, scrolling through the CNN or New York Times newsfeeds checking various infection and death totals," she said. "That's not conducive to 'sexytime.'"

This is especially true for parents at home with existing children. Research shows that particularly for mothers, spending lots of time at home with young children leaves them feeling less amorous, not more. "They're exhausted," Whelan said.

"We're not sleeping well. We're having anxiety dreams. A lot of people are unemployed. All this existential angst does not add up," Whelan said, to baby-making.

"People are freaking out," said sociologist Christine B. Whelan. Panic, it turns out, is not an aphrodisiac.

...

"We have really interesting data on this," Whelan said. "In times of infection, we are really programmed not to go out and have sex with a stranger. Our bodies actually tell us not to go do that."

University of Maryland economics professor and Brookings senior fellow Melissa Kearney told TODAY Parents that along with these factors, economics will play a large role in the lack of a baby boom as a result of the pandemic.

The key factor to birthrate, she said, is that it is "pro-cyclical": When unemployment is low and wages are high, the number of babies born will go up. People will wait to add to their families until their economic situation is better, research shows.

So while the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a shutdown that has forced people to spend a lot of time confined together, it has also caused "really large economic shock" and left Americans with "widespread economic insecurity," Kearney explained. "This will lead to a decline in births," she said, possibly for years to come.”

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@square_25New York, California https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-develops-covid-19-prototype-ventilator-in-37-days (video in link)

“A new high-pressure ventilator developed by NASA engineers and tailored to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) patients passed a critical test Tuesday at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, an epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States.

The device, called VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally), was developed by engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California to free up the nation's limited supply of traditional ventilators so they may be used on patients with the most severe COVID-19 symptoms.

NASA is helping the medical community address the shortage of ventilators needed to treat coronavirus patients with a ventilator prototype. Within 37 days, engineers and others at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California created a high-pressure ventilator prototype tailored to the needs of patients with COVID-19 and sent it to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York for testing.

"We specialize in spacecraft, not medical-device manufacturing," said JPL Director Michael Watkins. "But excellent engineering, rigorous testing and rapid prototyping are some of our specialties. When people at JPL realized they might have what it takes to support the medical community and the broader community, they felt it was their duty to share their ingenuity, expertise and drive."

NASA next is seeking expedited FDA approval for the device via an emergency use authorization, a fast-track approval process developed for crisis situations that takes just days rather than years. To get input from a gold-standard medical facility, JPL delivered a prototype of the device to the Human Simulation Lab in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Mount Sinai for additional testing.”

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4 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

@square_25New York, California https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-develops-covid-19-prototype-ventilator-in-37-days (video in link)

“A new high-pressure ventilator developed by NASA engineers and tailored to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) patients passed a critical test Tuesday at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, an epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States.

The device, called VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally), was developed by engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California to free up the nation's limited supply of traditional ventilators so they may be used on patients with the most severe COVID-19 symptoms.

NASA is helping the medical community address the shortage of ventilators needed to treat coronavirus patients with a ventilator prototype. Within 37 days, engineers and others at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California created a high-pressure ventilator prototype tailored to the needs of patients with COVID-19 and sent it to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York for testing.

"We specialize in spacecraft, not medical-device manufacturing," said JPL Director Michael Watkins. "But excellent engineering, rigorous testing and rapid prototyping are some of our specialties. When people at JPL realized they might have what it takes to support the medical community and the broader community, they felt it was their duty to share their ingenuity, expertise and drive."

NASA next is seeking expedited FDA approval for the device via an emergency use authorization, a fast-track approval process developed for crisis situations that takes just days rather than years. To get input from a gold-standard medical facility, JPL delivered a prototype of the device to the Human Simulation Lab in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Mount Sinai for additional testing.”

 

I hope in that case that high pressure is what’s needed.  Not that the doctors who think low pressure is needed and that high pressure is causing harm are correct. 

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Re the flu being 70+% asymptomatic - after looking at the article, it looks likely, but I would note only 20% of the people tested for the flu antibodies (after a season of NOT isolating) had apparently had the flu.  So apparently there isn't the same concern with asymptomatic cases spreading the flu all over the place without knowing it, which is the scary part of Covid19.

Edited by SKL
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58 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

"But experts say the truth is that the COVID-19 pandemic will not result in a rise in the American birthrate nine months from now. In fact, they predict the exact opposite, and possibly for years to come."

"This will lead to a decline in births," she said, possibly for years to come.”

I'm not an expert like the people coted in this article, but I see more unplanned births in the states which closed down their abortion providers. I don't see a huge surge in intact, already-married-and-have-kids families having babies in nine months, but in other groups who rely on easy-to-access contraception that isn't necessarily as easy to access (or maybe as inexpensive) during the current shut down.

Sexy? No. Tired? Yes. But, looking for "comfort" might lead down the baby path especially when you can't access Plan B in your state.

But, maybe the experts will be right & me wrong. 

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51 minutes ago, SKL said:

Re the flu being 70+% asymptomatic - after looking at the article, it looks likely, but I would note only 20% of the people tested for the flu antibodies (after a season of NOT isolating) had apparently had the flu.  So apparently there isn't the same concern with asymptomatic cases spreading the flu all over the place without knowing it, which is the scary part of Covid19.

I hate to bring this thread down a flu bunny trail, but I'm reading this differently. At the end of a season 20% had antibodies (showing they had been infected by the flu.) However, 77% of them had not identified themselves as having flu like illness during that time period. The article says that this raises concerns about asymptomatic spread.

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Saliva could be a better method for testing active infections (vs nasal swab).

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.16.20067835v

twitter thread

COVID-19 patients: SARS-CoV-2 detection from saliva is comparable to (or better than!) NP swabs and more consistent over time (a. since symptom onset; b. by sampling moment = variability between collections). Our results highlight the potential for false-negativity from NP swabs.

Plus, the detection of SARS-CoV-2 from the saliva of two asymptomatic healthcare workers from their NP swabs suggests that saliva could be a viable alternative for identifying mild or subclinical infections. 

The takeaway: saliva should be considered as a viable alternative for SARS-CoV-2 detection. To meet growing testing demands, our findings support the need for immediate validation and implementation of saliva sampling for #SARSCoV2

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California https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/networth/article/California-will-soon-have-to-borrow-to-pay-15225426.php

"California will soon have to borrow to pay unemployment benefits during coronavirus crisis

Within the next couple weeks, California’s unemployment insurance fund — which was the most-insolvent state fund coming into the coronavirus crisis — will run out of money. It’s vying with New York and Ohio to be the first state fund to go negative since the last recession.

People receiving unemployment benefits won’t notice a difference because when a fund runs dry, a state can borrow from the federal government to keep benefits flowing. California has been authorized to borrow, and will probably start “at the end of April or beginning of May,” Loree Levy, a spokeswoman for the Employment Development Department, said in email.

Going into debt will matter to California employers that survive the coronavirus crisis, because they will start paying higher taxes in a few years to retire it, unless Congress provides some relief."

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18 hours ago, LoveMyBeautifulGift said:

Wonder if this is why we're finally getting drive through testing in Contra Costa County.

@mathnerd  This might be why

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Here-s-what-coronavirus-testing-will-look-like-15225582.php

"As Californians dream of a return to normalcy, tens of thousands will have to be swabbed by armies of coronavirus testers before that can happen.

Now that Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for 60,000 to 80,000 diagnostic tests a day as a condition for reopening the economy — which amounts to 420,000 tests a week, and 1.8 million a month — here’s what will be in store in the coming weeks if the still-vague plan is executed:

Nurses, doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants wearing masks, face shields, gloves and gowns will stick a 5-inch metal-and-plastic swab down the throats and into the nostrils of thousands of people at hundreds of drive-through testing sites, hospitals, nursing homes, homeless shelters and jails."

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/wisconsin-saw-no-coronavirus-infection-rate-spike-after-april-7-election-study-says

A feared spike in Wisconsin’s coronavirus infection rate following its April 7 in-person presidential primary never materialized, although some new cases of the virus were possibly linked to the election, according to a report.

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