The COVID-19 Science and Medicine Question Thread

[Roccus7]

Hopefully over the hump in Maine, ironically, the graph is starting to actually look like the State of Maine...

 

[Roccus7]

I guess this was predictable...

Rural counties with a high number of seasonal homes across the United States have seen more cases of COVID-19 on average than those with less seasonal housing, according to an analysis by a researcher at the Carsey School of Public Policy in New Hampshire.

The research suggests that rural scenery has drawn visitors seeking to escape densely populated metropolitan areas, who likely brought the virus with them.

 

[jpd]

I guess this was predictable...

Rural counties with a high number of seasonal homes across the United States have seen more cases of COVID-19 on average than those with less seasonal housing, according to an analysis by a researcher at the Carsey School of Public Policy in New Hampshire.

The research suggests that rural scenery has drawn visitors seeking to escape densely populated metropolitan areas, who likely brought the virus with them.

Or the "Rural counties with a high number of seasonal homes" happen to be the most congested counties in their respective regions without the influx of summer visitors. You can do a lot of interesting things with data.

 

[Roccus7]

Or the "Rural counties with a high number of seasonal homes" happen to be the most congested counties in their respective regions without the influx of summer visitors. You can do a lot of interesting things with data.

Will never debate your, You can do a lot of interesting things with data observation, He who has the best statistician always wins is one of my mantras. In this case the US Census definition of "Rural" remains as all territory, persons, and housing units not defined as urban. As you can imagine, this really fogs WTH "Suburban" is.

Therefore if you were to consider two neighboring "Rural" counties with one more popular with seasonal visitors than the other, an influx of only a few infected "People From Away" would quickly make that county's infection count higher than the neighboring by virtue of the "importation" of the disease...

 

[cany]

If someone lived with someone who had it and died from it The person gets tested a week later and comes up negative is that it they done have it? or can it just not be showing yet?

 

[BennyV]

If someone lived with someone who had it and died from it The person gets tested a week later and comes up negative is that it they done have it? or can it just not be showing yet?

I thought incubation period was 14 days.

 

[jpd]

Therefore if you were to consider two neighboring "Rural" counties with one more popular with seasonal visitors than the other, an influx of only a few infected "People From Away" would quickly make that county's infection count higher than the neighboring by virtue of the "importation" of the disease...

The infection count is based on the availability of testing, so there is another problem if one neighboring county is a little more "well off" than its immediate neighbor - irregardless of summer visitors.

The death count to me seems to be the most consistent data barometer, now NYC is counting people that die with previous corona-like symptoms as having passed away from this pandemic. I'd bet they are picking up some common flu deaths by doing that.

It's a mess.

 

[Roccus7]

The infection count is based on the availability of testing...
...It's a mess.

Yes, inconsistent testing administration and requirements really skew the data.

For example, in Maine, 20% of the infected folks are Healthcare Workers. Is that really the case? HELL NO, but they are tested symptomatic or not. And when one person in a Long-Term Living facility gets sick and is tested, the entire facility, including staff and contractors is tested so, as if no one could figure that out, there's an immediate hot pocket with multiple cases...

 

[cany]

I thought incubation period was 14 days.

Me too so I guess its possible to test negative then positive a few days later?

 

[Roccus7]

Me too so I guess its possible to test negative then positive a few days later?

Absolutely!! Even the very sensitive diagnostic tests (NAT) have a time period of a few days between infection and detectable levels of virus. Additionally, there is somewhat of an "art" to getting good swab samples, so if you weren't swabbed effectively, it could be negative and finally some swabs destined for that 5 min test, have been put in an improper sample solution which reduces sensitivity.

 

[cany]

Absolutely!! Even the very sensitive diagnostic tests (NAT) have a time period of a few days between infection and detectable levels of virus. Additionally, there is somewhat of an "art" to getting good swab samples, so if you weren't swabbed effectively, it could be negative and finally some swabs destined for that 5 min test, have been put in an improper sample solution which reduces sensitivity.

Great

 

[pequa1]

I have already decided if I use my bay boat this year it will just be me or me and the better half. Hoping my fishing buddy feels the same way with his boat. Don't want to lose a friend over something as unnecessary as having to have a non-household buddy to go fishing with.

 

[jpd]

Not at all surprising

CORONAVIRUS IN NY STATE: 13.9% of people randomly tested had COVID-19 antibodies, suggesting 2.7 million infected statewide

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that 13.9 percent of people randomly tested across New York had COVID-19 antibodies, suggesting 2.7 million people across the state may be infected.

1010wins.radio.com

 

[Roccus7]

Not at all surprising

CORONAVIRUS IN NY STATE: 13.9% of people randomly tested had COVID-19 antibodies, suggesting 2.7 million infected statewide

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that 13.9 percent of people randomly tested across New York had COVID-19 antibodies, suggesting 2.7 million people across the state may be infected.

1010wins.radio.com

If this was a good, state-wide random sampling, I'd bet my 401(k) that the number is a least double in NYC and the immediately surrounding suburbs like Rockland.

 

[Roccus7]

Maine still looking like the worst is over. Tragically we lost 5 aged Veterans yesterday at a Veterans home, aged 50 - 90 years. Condolences to their families and friends, and thank you for your service!!

 

[Roccus7]

PLEASE WALK AWAY FROM THE LIGHT and other folks for that matter!!!!

A certain, MD in His Own Mind, started to ramble about the possibility of shooting UV light into COVID-19 the body of infected patients as a treatment. I'll stifle all urges to rant and scream about this with a basic biological fact. Yes, UV light kills bacteria and viruses, and ALL LIFE. The mechanism for this is simple, UV light degrades nucleic acids, RNA & DNA, rendering it useless or causing mutations.

There was also a "thought" about using disinfectants to treat sick folks, WRONG!!! Once again, disinfectants kill LIFE. Don't forget that the first poison gas used in WWI was CHLORINE, which is one of the most effective disinfectants.

At this moment, there are no, well-documented and tested treatments SPECIFIC for COVID-19. There are drugs and treatments being looked at, and they have had some excellent preliminary results in CERTAIN, specific clinical presentations. As far as treatments that will prevent the spread, the best we got is SOCIAL DISTANCING, wearing FACIAL MASKS when out, and ABSOLUTE HYGIENE, your hands should be raw from washing by now...

 

[jpd]

If this was a good, state-wide random sampling, I'd bet my 401(k) that the number is a least double in NYC and the immediately surrounding suburbs like Rockland.

More than likely, let's say 5 million total in NYC and surrounding suburbs. With 15,500 NY deaths to date from Covid, that would make the virus survival rate 99.7%. It's not very neat where you can just define what happens within the NYS borders though.

 

[Roccus7]

Possibly a plateau up here or a statistical adjustment as testing as been increased...

 

[pequa1]

Got that many in just the Massapequas down here. Stay safe !

 

[jpd]

What is the correct way to approach something like this?

We know now that 64 percent of those who have died in New York were aged over 70. Of patients hospitalized with the disease, 94 percent had underlying conditions such as obesity or diabetes. Did the models include a scenario in which we focused efforts on protecting the elderly and infirm while allowing the young and healthy to keep the economy ticking?