I'm starting this thread as a side discussion of all things Corona Virus related. I understand that this is going to be discussed in almost all other topic threads but we could collect news and other items here. 

 

At work, many conferences have been cancelled.

NBA - Suspended.

NHL - About to be suspended. 

NCAA March Madness - Playing - no crowd. 

 

Political Rallies have been cancelled. 

Travel bans. 

 

Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks tested positive. They're in Australia where testing is available. If they were in the US, they wouldn't have been tested. 

1 minute ago, Mark H. said:

What sort of intervention would you suggest?  Care homes are a reflection of what’s going on in larger society.  It’s not like people can stop going in and out of care homes, unless you’re going to have employees live there 24/7.  This was bound to happen as soon as we started seeing those high case numbers. 

We could adopt the Australian model, which has been dramatically effective.

When I was working in the healthcare system, I had occasion to speak to administrators who were responsible for geriatric service. They told me that about a third of patients in hospitals and residents in care facilities could do better (have fewer medical crises/needs, report feeling more comfortable and cost the system less) in their own homes. The problem is that there would have to be a boost in resources in home care immediately until the patient crest moved from the hospitals and care hofacilities. This would take about two years where the number of healthcare workers would be sharply higher and then there would be a reduction in hospital and care facility staffing as home care service assumed more of the load. But that would mean significantly greater funding for that two year period, and therein lies the rub.

Its like the Guaranteed Annual Income program that was introduced in Dauphin some time back. It worked well and reduced operating costs of service delivery as well as overall costs, but politicians did not know how to get past the perception of "the government is giving away free money" and it was scrapped despite its success.

18 minutes ago, Tracker said:

We could adopt the Australian model, which has been dramatically effective.

Are you referring Australian care homes?  If so, the opposite is true, look it up. 

32 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

Are you referring Australian care homes?  If so, the opposite is true, look it up. 

 

The Australian statistics were skewed by a several private for-profit care homes in one province who were not following government regulations. The care homes who were either government-run or not-for-profit or were for-profit and following regulations were much, much better. The rules are very simple: one resident per room, a two-week total  lockdown as soon as COVID was reported in the area, strict PPE adherence and absolutely no staff working in more than one facility. 

Good plan, but not simple at all. Especially not when a good number of the staff have to isolate themselves. 

54 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

Good plan, but not simple at all. Especially not when a good number of the staff have to isolate themselves. 

Yet, Australia did it. I have no doubt that the cost to the country (not to mention the cost in human suffering) was much lower because of the apparently harsh measures. The staff who were affected were compensated, BTW.

1 hour ago, Tracker said:

Yet, Australia did it. I have no doubt that the cost to the country (not to mention the cost in human suffering) was much lower because of the apparently harsh measures. The staff who were affected were compensated, BTW.

Oh, I don’t consider the measures harsh, they would just be difficult in situations where a large number of staff have to isolate. 

Im not into the love what Australia/NZ have done group. They are islands(okay, ones a continent) on the edge of the earth and its damn expensive to get there.

12 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Im not into the love what Australia/NZ have done group. They are islands(okay, ones a continent) on the edge of the earth and its damn expensive to get there.

True!  We get this a lot in the school system.  Every few years it’s time to make a fuss over what NZ & AU are doing.  

And now I need to remember that there won't be any COVID bulletins til Sunday

 

Edited December 24, 20205 yr by iHeart

Was hoping for a sub-200 number.

Wild Scheme to Sabotage COVID Vaccine Is Too Creepy for Some Anti-Vaxxers
AWAY WE GO
Vaccines are here, and while skeptics hyping misinformation is nothing new, the frantic effort to conjure up dead people is getting spooky, fast.
In the days since the United States began rolling out coronavirus vaccines, many Americans have been searching for information on when, where, and how they and their loved ones will be able to get a jab. The question of who gets to be first in line, and why, is inescapable.

But a small, vocal minority has begun frantically trying to find something grimmer and nonexistent: evidence that these vaccines against COVID-19 have started killing people.

“Comprehensive list of COVID vaccine-related deaths?” one Reddit user posted in a conspiracy theory-focused forum recently. “Anyone putting one together yet?”

“Pick a date and time when the first recorded death of someone who had the vaccine [sic],” another user posted. “For bonus, which news site will announce it?”

Anti-vaxxer rhetoric has, for many months now, primed some Americans to falsely believe that COVID-19 vaccines will kill people, that the powers that be will suppress it, and that they must hunt down and share evidence of this alleged outrage. Experts on anti-vaxxer rhetoric and conspiracy theories worry that this wild hunt for deaths and disaster could lead reasonable but worried people down conspiratorial rabbit holes, ultimately hindering efforts to curb this nightmare pandemic.

The current quest for deaths is so off the rails that even some old-guard vaccine skeptics are distancing themselves from the frenzy.

-Getty News

Welp, it's here

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/first-two-cases-of-u-k-coronavirus-variant-found-in-ontario-health-officials-confirm-1.5245525

 

There was no reason to believe that it wouldn't be found here, in all probability it was here before they found it in the UK, at this point all they know it that is spreads easier and isn't any worse, haven't really read anything about the vaccine's effectiveness positive or negative against this particular strain.

No reason whatsoever that the new variant wouldn’t get here.  Until they shut down airports, it’s going to be really hard to believe they are actually serious about combatting Covid.  You can’t drive over the border, but as long as you fly, it’s all good.  It is all far too arbitrary. 

24 minutes ago, bustamente said:

There was no reason to believe that it wouldn't be found here, in all probability it was here before they found it in the UK, at this point all they know it that is spreads easier and isn't any worse, haven't really read anything about the vaccine's effectiveness positive or negative against this particular strain.

yeah but I have my doubts, I want to believe that we wouldn't have anything to worry about with this new variant, but to me this comes off as this is what happens if you don't control it fast enough

2 hours ago, bustamente said:

There was no reason to believe that it wouldn't be found here, in all probability it was here before they found it in the UK, at this point all they know it that is spreads easier and isn't any worse, haven't really read anything about the vaccine's effectiveness positive or negative against this particular strain.

The developers of the Moderna vaccine have said they believe that their vaccine will be equally effective. This is far from a guarantee, though.

Man I am not looking forward to today's case count *opens flask and drinks*

 

 

 

Astra Zeneca today stated that their vaccine is effective against the new variant.

 

This is the lowest it's been in awhile for one day

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 20205 yr by iHeart

https://www.chrisd.ca/2020/12/28/canada-teachers-virtual-high-schools-students-cheating/

Edited December 28, 20205 yr by FrostyWinnipeg

2 hours ago, iHeart said:

This is the lowest it's been in awhile for one day

 

 

 

 

Great! We're almost down to double-digit new infections, but the test will  come next week when the results of Christmas gatherings will appear.