https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/494236-pandemic-sparks-concerns-about-surging-std-hiv-rates
Public health resources being shifted to the fight against the coronavirus are leaving std and hiv resources wanting.
I am happy to report that the ferret population of Chez Psychonaut is alive and (mostly) well. Last week little Knödel had to go to the vet as a result of getting his toe caught under a door, but after some anti-inflammatory treatment he’s made a full recovery.
Coronavirus now causing Social Security on pace to potentially be depleted much sooner than before, in this upcoming decade.
Thanks. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I volunteered to mod this forum. It’s a lot harder than GQ, because opinions are allowed, and it can get contentious. And then most everyone is frazzled and in a bad mood these days. Trying to keep the peace isn’t easy. But thanks to all the posters who generally manage to keep things civil.
Things are indeed getting desperate. Panama has instituted a “dry law” for the duration and all sales of alcohol are prohibited. Despite rationing my supply, I’m down to my last two cans of beer. Fortunately, I have adequate stocks of scotch, bourbon, rum, vodka, tequila, and liqueurs. (And I haven’t been desperate enough to consume the bottle of Jim Beam apple/bourbon liqueur that my sister gave me for Christmas several years ago.)
I can see that you must have been watching me eat.
Yes, thanks, and sorry for making extra work for you.
The Jim Beam Apple is quite good, actually.
Apparently, up to 92% of a population can become infected, so…herd immunity seems to have limited effect (granted, this is talking about a very dense population):
On the positive side of the scale, New York is calculating a 0.5% fatality rate:
I guess this is the place to put this:
Footballer Emanuel Adebayor will not donate money to fight the coronavirus.
Today in Austria:
[ul]
[li] With the recent loosening of the lockdown restrictions, local authorities are now granting permission for public protests and demonstrations. The first of these, to take place tomorrow, will be a demonstration by the Initiative for Evidence-based Corona Information, a group that intends to protest the pandemic control measures because its members reportedly believe either that the coronavirus is not particularly dangerous or that it doesn’t exist at all. According to police, only five demonstrators are expected to attend. (I’m not sure if that’s because public gatherings of more than five people are still banned, or if this group couldn’t muster a bigger turnout anyway.) The protest will be held just down the street from where I work—I am thinking of popping down to have a look-see, though on the other hand I’m not sure I want to give this group the benefit of a visible audience.[/li]
[li] Opinion polls show that support for the government’s pandemic control restrictions is slipping, from 90% four weeks ago to 79% today. Nonetheless, 63% of respondents oppose instituting much looser restrictions, as in Sweden.[/li]
[li] The ruling coalation has introduced into parliament a bill allowing for the exclusion of “certain groups of people” from public events until 2021. The opposition believes that the government intends to define “certain groups of people” as “people who do not have a tracking app installed on their cell phone”. If so, this would run contrary to the government’s previous assurances that use of such apps would be entirely voluntary.[/li]
[li] Starting in May, there will be a special express train between Romania and Austria for 24-hour care workers. The train will run three times per week and bring in 350 care workers on each run, each of whom will serve a six-week contract before returning home. Each compartment in the train will seat a maximum of four passengers in order to maintain social distancing, and the train will not make any stops between Romania and Austria.[/li]
[li] Religious services will be permitted to resume from 15 May, with the restrictions on the number of participants based on the size of the place of worship. Worshippers will also be required to wear face coverings and maintain a distance of two metres from anyone not living in the same household.[/li]
[li] The city of Vienna is providing financial aid to its famous Fiaker (hackney coach) drivers to the tune of €250 per horse per month. This is over and above whatever aid the drivers may be receiving from the federal government for lost wages/earnings.[/li]
[li] State-run day-care centres will gradually be resuming normal service. Starting on 4 May, attendance will be open to children in their final year, children with special language needs in their penultimate year, and children who are the only child in their household. However, attendance is not compulsory, and parents who elect not to send their children back to day-care will not lose their place.[/li]
[li] Two of Vienna’s biggest tourist attractions, the Schönbrunn Palace and Schönbrunn Zoo, will reopen on 15 May. (We live just down the road from both, and are regular visitors to the zoo and the palace grounds.)[/li]
[li] Vorarlberg is the first state to announce the imminent reopening of its children’s playgrounds, planned for 1 May.[/li]
[li] Current statistics: 14,963 confirmed infections, 522 deaths, 11,694 recovered.[/li][/ul]
IL Gov Pritzker just announced extending stay-at-home through May, w/ some relatively minor tweaks such as allowing some stores to open w/ masks/distancing.
Maybe you could just walk past them on the other side of the street as if you’re on your way to somewhere else. 
Preliminary test results suggest 21.2% of NYC residents have COVID antibodies and 13.9% for the whole state population.
Gavin Newsom just issued an executive order requiring all creditors to stop taking people’s stimulus checks, and ordered those who have already taken them, to give them back.
This should have been a part of the initial federal law.
I wonder if he has the authority to do this. This is interstate commerce although I agree it shouldnt happen.
2,725,920 total cases
191,060 dead
745,905 recovered
In the US:
886,709 total cases
50,243 dead
85,922 recovered
Yesterday’s numbers for comparison:
I have to post without comment.
That is something that happened; it’s true.
:eek: It’s not a political comment to say that the level of ignorance on display here, and the complete lack of appreciation of this ignorance, is truly staggering.