At what point did you / will you take the coronavirus epidemic seriously?

[Uncle Ted]

I personally know four. Early on before the ease of transmission was fully understood, one of those individuals unfortunately transmitted the infection to her mother in a care home. The mother was possibly the first covid related death in our city.

That SoB Cuomo needs to go to jail for killing all these old people in care homes...

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[Uncle Ted]

The indifference about educating the children and youth really is a litmus test for our values. The world ought to belong to them first. There is no excuse for not opening the schools this fall. There are ways to protect the teachers, given what we know about how this virus spreads, where the deaths have been concentrated. Teachers shouldn’t be coming within 6 feet of students anyway. In colleges, a lot of the classes are taught by video anyway. Or, teachers can get different jobs. Apparently in California all the teachers retire in their 50s. Our society is truly sick, and not just physically sick with Covid-19.

Yeah, even Dr F. is finally saying we can't keep locked down... But to get people back to work we are going to need to get their kids back in school. (Wow... California teachers retire in their 50's on those six pensions? Maybe I should have considered a different career path.)

Anthony Fauci warns of 'irreparable damage' if lockdowns are kept in place for too long

• Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a CNBC interview on Friday that extended lockdowns could cause "irreparable damage."
• "We can't stay locked down for such a considerable period of time that you might do irreparable damage and have unintended consequences, including consequences for health," Fauci said.
• Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the Senate earlier this week that there was a risk of "permanent damage" to the economy if states kept strict restrictions in place.

[...]

https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-fauci-irreparable-damage-stay-at-home-too-long-2020-5

But the irreparable damage may already be done:

Drawing on firm-level expectations at a one-year forecast horizon in the Survey of Business Uncertainty (SBU), we construct novel, forward-looking reallocation measures for jobs and sales. These measures rise sharply after February 2020, reaching rates in April that are 2.4 (3.9) times the pre-COVID average for jobs (sales). We also draw on special questions in the April SBU to quantify the near-term impact of the COVID-19 shock on business staffing. We find 3 new hires for every 10 layoffs caused by the shock and estimate that 42 percent of recent layoffs will result in permanent job loss.

https://bfi.uchicago.edu/working-paper/covid-19-is-also-a-reallocation-shock/

[SeattleUte]

I personally know four. Early on before the ease of transmission was fully understood, one of those individuals unfortunately transmitted the infection to her mother in a care home. The mother was possibly the first covid related death in our city.

I think you made this up, as is your wont. But if it's true, you have a point. This anecdote is reason enough to eliminate formal education from our civilization.

[tooblue]

I think you made this up, as is your wont. But if it's true, you have a point. This anecdote is reason enough to eliminate formal education from our civilization.

Do tell, what stories have I manufactured in support of your accusation? Regardless, the ad hominem tenor of your posts is worrisome. You are not typically a cruel persona. Again, I am sorry for the impact this epidemic has had on you. These are truly trying times.

[SeattleUte]

Do tell, what stories have I manufactured in support of your accusation? Regardless, the ad hominem tenor of your posts is worrisome. You are not typically a cruel persona. Again, I am sorry for the impact this epidemic has had on you. These are truly trying times.

Ad hominem response.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Sorry if this has been posted already... A Yahoo Poll asked respondents whether they believed various internet stories/rumors. The story, "Bill Gates wants to use a mass vaccination campaign against COVID-19 to implant microchips in people that would be used to track people with a digital IC," is believed by 50% of those for whom Fox News is their primary TV news source.

[Pelado]

Operation warp speed... the US will buy 300 million doses of vaccine in October:

https://www.thedesertreview.com/news/push-for-october-vaccine-start-u-s-secures-300-million-doses-of-potential-astrazeneca-covid/article_ab635edc-9c50-11ea-8663-131bb9d6f6ee.html

Warp Speed... What a great name: "Engage, number 1."

I hope there's a provision in the contract that allows them to void the order if the vaccine proves ineffective.

[tooblue]

I hope there's a provision in the contract that allows them to void the order if the vaccine proves ineffective.

Or worse, it comes with unpleasant or dangerous side effects ... of course just typing that makes me feel like I know too many anti-vaxxers. We live in a messed up world.

[Uncle Ted]

Sorry if this has been posted already... A Yahoo Poll asked respondents whether they believed various internet stories/rumors. The story, "Bill Gates wants to use a mass vaccination campaign against COVID-19 to implant microchips in people that would be used to track people with a digital IC," is believed by 50% of those for whom Fox News is their primary TV news source.

I, for one, would welcome my RFID chip implant. These things are cool. You could use them to unlock your car, pay for things, or, as the name implies, as an ID. I may not even need a wallet anymore. And implanting everyone with a RFID chip would make it easier to implement voter ID too and keep those damn dems from committing voter fraud!

[Moliere]

I hope there's a provision in the contract that allows them to void the order if the vaccine proves ineffective.

Likely not and that's a good thing. They wouldn't ramp up production before approval if they were left on the hook for the cost. Dr. Fauci has been adamant that they will pay to get production ramped up before approval, which is a first, given that importance of having a vaccine quickly...and, although he doesn't say it, he seems to believe that a vaccine is more of a "when" question and not an "if" question.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Likely not and that's a good thing. They wouldn't ramp up production before approval if they were left on the hook for the cost. Dr. Fauci has been adamant that they will pay to get production ramped up before approval, which is a first, given that importance of having a vaccine quickly...and, although he doesn't say it, he seems to believe that a vaccine is more of a "when" question and not an "if" question.

I'd like to know more about the deal. As the article said, "AstraZeneca recognises that the vaccine may not work." But we're going to pay them a billion anyway (although nowadays, a billion is chump change)? My concern is whether this creates a disincentive for dozens of other labs who may be working on a product that might be more effective, or is the U.S. handing every lab a billion?

[myboynoah]

I'd like to know more about the deal. As the article said, "AstraZeneca recognises that the vaccine may not work." But we're going to pay them a billion anyway (although nowadays, a billion is chump change)? My concern is whether this creates a disincentive for dozens of other labs who may be working on a product that might be more effective, or is the U.S. handing every lab a billion?

Yeah, sounds like a risky approach. We shouldn't be paying full price for a vaccine with limited efficacy. The companies should bear some risk as well, otherwise, they would just produce whatever.

[myboynoah]

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[SeattleUte]

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Haha. One of your best posts.

[myboynoah]

The government has spent decades studying what a life is worth. It hasn’t made a difference in the covid-19 crisis.

Economists at the University of Wyoming estimated the economic benefits from lives saved by efforts to “flatten the curve” outweighed the projected massive hit to the nation’s economy by a staggering $5.2 trillion. Another study by two University of Chicago economists estimated the savings from social distancing could be so huge, “it is difficult to think of any intervention with such large potential benefits to American citizens.”

In other words, the economists are saying, “the cure” doesn’t come at a cost at all when factoring in the economic value of the lives saved.

. . . . . . . . .

“It’s missing from the discussion,” said Linda Thunstrom, an economist at the University of Wyoming, “so instead you have such loud voices on both sides — advocating that all lives should be saved or that, no, we need to open the economy. But there are trade-offs. It’s hard. But we should be talking about them.”

Yes, this discussion needs to be had. But it looks like the Trump team can't stand the thought, likely because it won't go the way they want.