# Coronavirus COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Thread - 2020 Breaking News **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [February 11, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758 "2020-02-11T01:16:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 202
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4038 "2020-08-04T00:59:39Z")
No: everyone is free to decide how useful a conversation is to themselves. “Useful” in this context is entirely subjective. If someone doesn’t feel a conversation is useful, they are free to not participate in it. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4039 "2020-08-04T01:30:09Z")
It’s relevant when people say that 150k dead is not a big deal, per capita. If this were a war, this death rate would be shocking ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4040 "2020-08-04T01:42:23Z")
> [@Dagobian](#): > > Well, everyone is free to decide how useful they wish make their conversations. They always are/were. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4041 "2020-08-04T04:39:03Z")
18,444,642 total cases 697,189 dead 11,675,539 recovered In the US: 4,862,174 total cases 158,929 dead 2,446,798 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 18,236,624 total cases > 692,819 dead > 11,446,952 recovered > > In the US: > > 4,813,647 total cases > 158,365 dead > 2,380,217 recovered I admit that I’m having a hard time believing that the numbers from the US and from Brazil are at all accurate these past few days. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4042 "2020-08-04T04:47:42Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I admit that I’m having a hard time believing that the numbers from the US and from Brazil are at all accurate these past few days. You sure you’re not forgetting about the weekend effect? ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4043 "2020-08-04T05:15:40Z")
I noticed yesterday that there were only 467 more U.S. deaths than the day before, and there were only 564 more deaths today than yesterday. If those numbers are to be believed, the death rate has slowed significantly, right? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4044 "2020-08-04T05:37:51Z")
That’s the weekend effect I mentioned in the post above yours. Go look at the graph of US daily deaths at [Worldometers.com](http://Worldometers.com). Notice that 2 days out of every 7 (or 3 out of 7 when it’s a 3-day weekend) are lower than the other 5 (or 4). Those two days are Sundays and Mondays (and Tuesdays). Some people involved in reporting deaths in various jurisdictions are off weekends and no one else does the job then. The decrease shows up a day later because it takes a bit of time for the numbers to get to web pages that are harvested by Worldometers. The same effect happens in Brazil and probably other countries. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4045 "2020-08-04T21:33:32Z")
Yes, I made my statement accounting for the so-called weekend effect. Here’s some news: > **['Too many are selfish': US nears 5 million virus cases](https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-ms-state-wire-ap-top-news-ma-state-wire-health-24e2247bb296d6381dc14c0cc1d27d96)** > > BOSTON (AP) — Fourth of July gatherings, graduation parties, no-mask weddings, crowded bars — there are reasons the U.S. has racked up more than 155,000 coronavirus deaths, by far the most of any country, and is fast approaching an off-the-charts 5... That article has some descriptions of outbreaks that did not need to happen. > [@](#): > > In Massachusetts, health officials are investigating at least a half-dozen new clusters of cases connected to such events as a lifeguard party, a high school graduation party, a prom party, an unsanctioned football camp and a packed harbor cruise trip. > > One recent house party on Cape Cod attended by as many as 60 people led to more than a dozen new cases and prompted some restaurants to close or limit service at the height of tourist season. > [@](#): > > In South Dakota, a spike erupted at a Christian youth summer camp in the Black Hills, with cases growing to 96 among 328 people who attended. > [@](#): > > A Bible camp east of Portland, Oregon, saw an outbreak among at least 25 youngsters and staff members. The Trout Creek Bible Camp’s executive director, Joe Fahlman, said the cases popped up even though it followed all requirements set by state officials, including daily temperature checks, frequent hand-washing and hand-sanitizer stations throughout the grounds. He said the children were split into groups of no more than 10 campers each. And also expressions of selfishness: > [@](#): > > In Brandon, South Dakota, thousands of car racing fans packed the 9,000-seat Huset’s Speedway over the weekend. Many did not cover their faces or keep their distance from others. > > “We’re kind of over this whole COVID thing. I won’t wear a mask unless I absolutely have to,” 21-year-old Veronica Fritz said. She added: “I am a very strong Christian and I know where I’m going, and I believe God will take me when I’m supposed to go. So if I get COVID and I die from COVID, it’s not my decision.” No; that _is_ your decision, Miss Fritz. It’s a selfish, myopic, uncaring decision, too. You’re an asshole. And because of you and people like you, the US will have over 5,000,000 confirmed cases in the next two days. Because of you and people like you, over 160,000 of your fellow Americans are dead. Asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4046 "2020-08-04T22:07:25Z")
Cats, dogs and minks are all susceptible to the coronavirus: > **[CDC Newsroom](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/s0422-covid-19-cats-NYC.html)** > > Press releases, advisories, telebriefings, transcripts and archives. > **[Louisiana dog tests positive for COVID-19, agency announces](https://apnews.com/db84a66b4b01785afada487c30ed9487)** > > BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana's agriculture department said a dog in the state has tested positive for the coronavirus, the state's first confirmed case in an animal. A nasal swab test... > **[More than 1 million minks killed as a precaution after COVID-19 outbreaks at...](https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-nw-covid-19-mink-farms-20200802-kjibl42wobealhjlfwh6oxugs4-story.html)** > > The outbreaks among the minks on farms in the Netherlands and Spain likely started with infected workers, although officials aren’t certain. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4047 "2020-08-04T22:12:24Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Cats, dogs and minks are all susceptible to the coronavirus: There were some stories about using dogs to sniff out coronavirus. I guess that’s not going to work out if the dogs are susceptible to infection. But even if dogs couldn’t get infected, it seems like a bad idea to introduce lots of virus to a new animal since there’s always a chance the virus will mutate in the animal’s body. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4048 "2020-08-04T22:18:27Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > She added: “I am a very strong Christian and I know where I’m going, and I believe God will take me when I’m supposed to go. So if I get COVID and I die from COVID, it’s not my decision.” > > No; that _is_ your decision, Miss Fritz. It’s a selfish, myopic, uncaring decision, too. You’re an asshole. We’ll all send her the appropriate thoughts and prayers. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4049 "2020-08-04T22:28:58Z")
> **[Exposure to common cold coronaviruses can teach the immune system to...](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-08-exposure-common-cold-coronaviruses-immune.html)** > > Your immune system's 'memory' T cells keep track of the viruses they have seen before. This immune cell memory gives the cells a headstart in recognizing and fighting off repeat invaders. There are four coronaviruses that cause colds. Apparently the spikes on those are close enough to SARS-CoV-2 that the human immune system (specifically memory T-cells) reacts to the latter if it’s been exposed to the former. This seems to explain why many people get mild or no symptoms. They’ve probably had a cold caused by a coronavirus in the past few years. Personally, I rarely get colds. I never thought there’d be a disadvantage to that. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4050 "2020-08-05T00:06:06Z")
This quote is great: “The bride has said that when she shows her children her wedding video, she doesn’t want it to be a documentary of the 2020 pandemic.” And when the kids say they wish they had known grandma and grandpa, she can just tell them that they don’t talk about that. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4051 "2020-08-05T04:11:57Z")
18,702,737 total cases 704,365 dead 11,917,247 recovered In the US: 4,918,420 total cases 160,290 dead 2,481,680 recovered Yesterday’s numbers for comparison: > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 18,444,642 total cases > 697,189 dead > 11,675,539 recovered > > In the US: > > 4,862,174 total cases > 158,929 dead > 2,446,798 recovered ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4052 "2020-08-05T12:36:04Z")
This just grinds me down even further about religion. > **[State debunks popular Oahu church’s fake face mask waiver](https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/08/03/state-shoots-down-popular-oahu-churchs-fake-face-mask-waiver/)** > > As coronavirus cases rise in Hawaii, one of Oahu’s largest churches has been accused of preaching the wrong message in regard to wearing face masks. "…As recently as Monday morning, the website of Calvary Chapel of Honolulu had a link to a document that appeared to serve as a waiver form for mask wearing, saying individuals can be exempt from donning a face covering because ‘wearing a face mask is far more hazardous than the threat of coronavirus.’ The document was meant to appear like an official government message, complete with a seal from the Department of Justice." “It also cited the Americans with Disabilities Act, saying masks are dangerous because they impede breathing and collect bacteria ― claims which experts say are just not true.” This group is a branch from a larger organization in California. Using official seals on bogus documents is a Federal offense. Same as those individual cards claiming exemption from masks. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4053 "2020-08-05T16:46:50Z")
This doesn’t seem like good development: > **[Virus testing in the US is dropping, even as deaths mount](https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-ms-state-wire-ia-state-wire-ap-top-news-iowa-aebdc0978de958f20ab3f398cdf6f769)** > > U.S. testing for the coronavirus is dropping even as infections remain high and the death toll rises by more than 1,000 a day, a worrisome trend that officials attribute largely to Americans getting discouraged over having to wait hours to get a test... > [@](#): > > An Associated Press analysis found that the number of tests per day slid 3.6% over the past two weeks to 750,000, with the count falling in 22 states. That includes places like Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri and Iowa where the percentage of positive tests is high and continuing to climb, an indicator that the virus is still spreading uncontrolled. > [@](#): > > Some of the decline in testing over the past few weeks was expected after backlogged commercial labs urged doctors to concentrate on their highest-risk patients. But some health and government officials are seeing growing public frustration and waning demand. > > In Iowa, state officials are reporting less interest in testing, despite ample supplies. The state’s daily testing rate peaked in mid-July but has declined 40% in the last two weeks. Why no interest? > [@](#): > > Jessica Moore of rural Newberry, South Carolina, said that after a private lab lost her COVID-19 test results in mid-July, she had to get re-tested at a pop-up site organized by the state. > > Moore and her husband arrived early on a Saturday morning at the site, a community center, where they waited for two hours for her test. Moore watched in the rear-view mirror as people drove up, saw the long line of cars, and then turned around and left. > > “If people have something to do on a Saturday and they want to get tested, they’re not going to wait for two hours in the South Carolina heat for a test, especially if they’re not symptomatic,” Moore said. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4054 "2020-08-05T17:11:48Z")
IIRC the wait to get a test done was even longer in Arizona recently , like 8-10 hours. And now they’re waiting up to 26 days for test results. > **[Arizona student describes "unacceptable" 26-day wait time for COVID-19 test...](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-arizona-covid-19-test-results/)** > > Coronavirus numbers surged in Arizona Tuesday with 4,273 new cases reported, just over 3,500 hospitalizations and 92 deaths — a new record for the state. > **[As COVID Testing Soars, Wait Times For Results Jump To A Week — Or More](https://khn.org/news/as-covid-testing-soars-wait-times-for-results-jump-to-a-week-or-more/)** > > The delays can be excruciating, with some extreme cases running more than 20 days. People getting tested at urgent care centers, community health centers, pharmacies and state-run drive-thru or wal… ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4055 "2020-08-05T17:30:28Z")
It’s sad and messed up to think that many of those people didn’t change their minds about getting tested just because they had better things to do on a Saturday morning. Most people are sick as a dog when they try to get tested. If you are sick as a dog, you’re aren’t going to feel like doing anything, let alone sitting in a parking lot for two hours. My parents were sick as a dog when they stood in line (not in a car, but literally standing in a line) for almost an hour in the Georgia heat. My father’s primary COVID symptom was diarrhea. So yeah, I’m not surprised that people are noping out of getting tested. (I’m relieved my parents were infected with COVID before they stood in that line. Because they would have surely been infected standing out there with all those sick people.) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4056 "2020-08-05T17:53:21Z")
There is no denying the coolness factor of fully regaled ‘plague doctors’ but they didn’t really show up until after the worst of it. [Cite](https://youtu.be/n6i0u-flpTE?t=500) ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758/4057 "2020-08-05T23:01:41Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > “If people have something to do on a Saturday and they want to get tested, they’re not going to wait for two hours in the South Carolina heat for a test, especially if they’re not symptomatic,” Moore said. That doesn’t seem too outrageous. Why would I wait two hours to get tested if I have no symptoms? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=201) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-covid-19-2019-ncov-thread-2020-breaking-news/847758.md?page=203)