COVID-19 news & status

OOPS!
OHio Gov. DeWine takes second test, no Covid.
NBC

The later test was a PCR test, which detects tiny bits of the virus' genetic material, DeWine's office said. The office said that DeWine and his wife will have a second test Saturday out of an abundance of caution and that those results would also be released publicly.

The first test that came back positive was an antigen test, DeWine's office said. Antigen tests detect specific proteins on the surface of the virus, according to the FDA.

Antigen tests are just about worthless. I'm surprised and disappointed to find out that these tests are being used to screen people who will be coming into contact with the President.

Now if DeWine was Average Joe, he'd be hunkered down for 2 weeks of quarantine based on that initial faulty result.

And exactly how many people and relatives of people had to hunker down and be included in "Positive" cases for the same scenario? Makes you wonder.

Narrow Minded..... that is exactly my worry about daughter going back to school. We don’t want to be quarantined because a classmate tests positive or false positive.

Narrow Minded..... that is exactly my worry about daughter going back to school. We don’t want to be quarantined because a classmate tests positive or false positive.

I just saw a news story (cbc.ca) that says the USA just surpassed 5 million cases. This gives you and infection rate of 13 per 1000. These numbers perplex me.  Canadians and our way of life and most of the way we've dealt with this has been the same as in the USA. Meanwhile our infection rate is 3 per 1000 people. This makes me wonder if something is amiss in the numbers.

Nope, nothing amiss with the numbers. The real numbers are probably higher since we still don’t have adequate testing. Some states have dealt with it like you are and many more have not, with very few restrictions and no mask orders.. Plus people have gotten bored and are being careless. It will be interesting to see what happens after all the bikers go home from Sturgis as there are thousands of maskless people in close proximity.

Vh67......but people here are also bored with it. Most places have also only had mandatory mask mandates for less than a month. Many, many places still don't mandate masks. All of our businesses have been fully open for months now (restaurants being the exception - they've only been fully open about 3 weeks).  We've also had rampant protesting as well. Our beaches are absolutely packed. It's strange.

Sturgis, S. Dakota. No doubt a bunch of Canadians there too.
Official site: https://sturgis.com/
ABC News

Rig, in Ontario we have the Sturgis equivalent. The town I grew up in, population, then, 3500, now 6000, has about 50,000 bikers descend on it every Friday the 13th. The last one was March 13th, right when the proverbial sh%t hit the fan.

ONTARIO wrote:Vh67......but people here are also bored with it. Most places have also only had mandatory mask mandates for less than a month. Many, many places still don't mandate masks. All of our businesses have been fully open for months now (restaurants being the exception - they've only been fully open about 3 weeks).  We've also had rampant protesting as well. Our beaches are absolutely packed. It's strange.

Tracing is far from perfect, but I have not seen any cases traced back to beaches or the protests or really any outdoor activities here. Is it the better air circulation, naturally more distancing outside, sunlight, teargas? I don’t know, but it would be very helpful to know.

There have been clusters traced to parties, weddings, funerals and offices. And the number of cases we had here in long term care facilities and prisons were very high. Indoors, for hours not minutes, close contact seems like a high risk.

Many of the states where the numbers are currently high never drove the curve down before they started opening restaurants and bars and other indoor gathering places - which some did as early as May.

Ontario I have my theory on the differences, but since it just a theory, I am not yet prepared to share what I think. Its a medical theory vs a political one. There are any number of political ones. Its the medical ones that I'm waiting to see if they pan out before sharing.

Narrowminded....now I'm intrigued by your theory.

Week 31 Stats:

NZ is sending our biggest city back into level three lockdown (stay home, schools and businesses closed) and the rest of us on alert - wear masks, social distance. Because one family has been found with Covid, and the source is unknown - no connection with travel or people working on the border.

Huge sigh here. We've been clear for months and were enjoying business more or less as usual.

Wow, one family shuts down a big city. Are they sick or just tested positive and feeling fine?

New Zealand decided to try to eliminate the virus, not just flatten or decrease the curve. They went straight to full lockdown early, and quick response to new cases is part of their plan.

They had just passed 100 days without a new community spread case.

Ekba, that about sums it up.

Rig, yes they had pretty strong symptoms, although no one is in hospital. They have been going to a variety of schools and workplaces, and also have travelled and visited people and tourist sites in other towns.

Interesting approach to this. But also very interesting that it didn't seem to be in the country at all and then someone shows up with it. That is very strange. I don't think their travel could have accounted for it, if no one in the country had it.

No, their travel would not have accounted for it, but could potentially have spread it, since they are reported to have been symptomatic.

There will be a link somewhere. Auckland is where our incoming arrivals are supposed to stay in isolation and/or quarantine. Someone will have brought it in and passed it either to people working in those areas, or to the public when escaping to go shopping which they are supposed not to do.

It will be neat to follow the progression from this and see if it amounts to anything.

Well there are 13 new cases identified today, one of whom had to go to hospital briefly.  Some of the first people have visited a resthome, and gone sailing with crowds of strangers. We still don't know where they contracted it.

So it's interesting, though I wouldn't call it "neat"

We've come to a new low.....now the government is asking restaurants to contact trace. Yep, you are supposed to leave your name, address and phone number in case they need it. Yep, sure, that's gonna go over. I see one of two things happening.......

1. People just don't go out to eat and it further hurts the struggling restaurant industry,
2. People give false information because they don't want the government to track them.

Either way this is stupid. Do you really think I want my 17 year old daughter to go places and write down her name, address and phone number for any employee (or customer if they happen to become privy to it) to have? Hell no!

WTH is happening?

Two things I am seeing and hearing from people:

1. People have stopped going out anywhere except groceries. People are DONE with it all. They aren't shopping in retail and they aren't going out to eat. They just can't be bothered. I hear story after story like this in our office all day long. Son said there is definitely an uptick in grocery sales again.

2. People are done with the masks. Everywhere you go the masks are pulled down. You go into a small business and the first thing you ask is, "Do I really have to wear this?" to which the answer is almost always a "Not unless you want to". Basically, if no one's looking no one's wearing the mask. I see it in our plaza allllll the time. I pop into the businesses often to say Hi to an owner and they're never wearing the masks. But everyone has them handy in case the mask-exempt by-law officer comes by. I see people rip off the masks before their second foot has stepped out the doors.

People are starting to get pretty pissy about things. It's like you can actually feel the dissent now. It's a strange feeling.

Annie - I was thinking about my post yesterday and I was like, wait interesting in the word I wanted to use, not neat. Sorry about that.

Ontario - I hear it and feel it here too. Most that I talk with here are like "it is what it is" We are adults, most of us will probably get some version at some point, just like a cold or the flu.

I think the worst part of all of this is how it is hurting the economies around the world. Governments cannot afford to take care of everyone. If no one works, there are no tax dollars coming in to go back out.

Then weird stuff is now in short supply. Heard today that Dr. Pepper products are now hard to find. Doesn't bother me, but Dr. Pepper??

Ontario - Hmm, that's interesting, considering it took a while till people reached this degree of frustration.

I already feel that way about both the masks and the contact tracing, and it hasn't even been fully imposed yet.

NM, that's ok. What's dr Pepper?

Annie - Dr Pepper is a soft drink, like coke or Pepsi. Not sure you have either there. I believe in England they call them fizzy drinks. Maybe that makes more sense? Anyway, it's a carbonated sugar loaded drink.