Trump says Farm Belt, Midwest, and Texas can be opened back up

I can attest to the fact that farmers are not quarantined. They’re busy getting the machines ready to cultivate and get the crops in this spring. You’re probably referring to the people that matter to Trump, not the farmers. Idk

Nice, I liked you better when you were posting boob pics, even if you covered the good stuff. 😉

But IMO he's not wrong in wanting to balance production and mitigation in less affected areas. That could ultimately be the difference between a bad recession and something far worse. The numbers that are being floated by economists at major investment banks for GDP contraction and unemployment if we continue on this path are Depression Era stuff.

I had a relative until recently who grew up in the Great Depression and she spoke about it every so often. It is nothing that any of us should want to experience.

So two questions
1. If a county has only a handful of cases and there is constant testing to identify and isolate those infected, why can’t people In that county go back to work and school ?
2. Why does who the President is have anything to do with question #1 ?

>2. Why does who the President is have anything to do with question #1 ?<

Well if we had a president that actually believes in science , but hey that’s wishful thinking

25,

My friend, the more you post here, the more I worry about you!

Whatever you say Clubber, I like you, because your a good guy not a deep thinker. ;)

We should lock all the old people in their basements for a while. When this is over, we can let them out

25, here's some "science" for you.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/22/healt…

Here's hoping that we can start lifting these restrictions in the warm weather states within a few weeks, especially as we put a stop to New Yorkers who keep flocking here to escape their own lockdowns.

===> "We should lock all the old people in their basements for a while. When this is over, we can let them out"

Sorry Mack, most houses in FL don't have basements because of the water tables and we can't stuff them in attics due to the high risk of heat stroke. Keep working on it though. ;)

Actually Rick the reason they don't build many houses with basements is because it isn't necessary, as there is no frost line although as you say the water table is quite high, that isn't the real reason there are no basements in the south has to do with the frost line. For a building to maintain strength, its foundation should be below the frost line in the soil. ... There is no reason for builders in the south to build a basement because the foundation doesn't need to be very deep anyway and it is a way to keep down the cost, you can look at some of the more expensive areas in the region and many of the larger homes in Miami, Naples, and Palm Beach actually have basements but those are quite expensive and the main reason for basements in homes up north is to strengthen the foundations.

Fair enough 25. I suspect that you know a lot more about this than I do.

LOL

It's worth trying opening up *some* areas and see how it goes - but widespread testing w/ fast-results and thus at-least close to real-time data IMO would be needed to avoid flareups

^^ there’s a new test with fast results in 5 minutes and they are beginning to produce 50,000 daily starting April 1st. I hope this is no joke. The FDA just approved the test kit.

...April 1st? 😅

In my area (Miami) testing is still limited to those showing clear Covid symptoms

Below is a local Miami article about their attempts to start more widespread testing in the near-future:


Random Coronavirus Testing Coming For Miami-Dade Residents

Up until now the only way for most people to get tested for COVID-19 is if you show clear symptoms and have a referral from a medical professional. Either that, or by being a politician, an NBA player or a celebrity.

But a new study done in coordination with the University of Miami and Miami-Dade County plans to change that in a way researchers hope will better help tackle the outbreak.

Researchers will soon start giving random tests for the novel coronavirus to residents of Miami-Dade County, whether they currently fit the narrow criteria for testing or not.

“The reason we want it to be random is we don’t want to only screen individuals who have symptoms,” said Erin Kobetz, a professor of medicine and public health sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “We want to understand the prevalence of infection for people who don’t have symptoms, because one of the things we’ve heard as we look to national and international news is that for every one person we’re testing, that there are also ten to eleven other individuals who are also infected.”

Miami-Dade County has purchased 10,000 tests, and a yet-to-be-determined number of them will be dedicated to the study. The idea is to set out to all corners of the county, accounting for the distribution of age, ethnicity, gender, and economic status. The random tests will be continuously taken over a four to five week period with the goal of using that information to locate specific areas where the county government should focus its response to the crisis.

“Once those areas are identified, they can be targeted with more testing once more tests become available,” said Kobetz.

She said she has not seen any other cities or counties attempt to gather this kind of “public health surveillance data” as part of an effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. “Not yet,” she said. “I kind of think we’re on the forefront of discovery.”

The need for locally-derived data on infections is important for the “long term perspective,” she said. The information can help prepare local hospital systems for an influx of cases down the road, or possibly help municipal governments tailor curfews or other restrictions, to reflect the amount of infections that are actually within a community, not just people who have access to restricted testing.

The test kits that have been purchased by the County are different from the nose swab tests that have been broadly used across the nation. Those tests can take days to retrieve results. The new tests have newly been approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and only require a drop of blood.

“They will be able to generate a result in less than half an hour,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez in a video statement this week.

The timeline for when random tests will start is still being figured out, said Kobetz. Specific details about the testing are still being hammered out between the University of Miami and the county government, but it could start as early as next week.

“I’ve never seen research move on this accelerated a timeline,” said Kobetz. “I think I was reached out to by the Mayor’s office last Thursday, and we already have a sampling frame. We’re moving in a much quicker way than I’ve ever been a part of in fifteen years of federally funded research”

https://www.wlrn.org/post/random-coronav…

Roche is delivering 400,000 tests per week. Abbot Labs is delivering 350,000. Others are delivering tests as well. New, improved tests have been approved and production will begin quickly.

Oh, a new Serum test has also been approved. Unlike other tests which measure whether you are currently infected, this one will measure whether you have ever had CoVid ( meaning you are likely immune ). That will be useful in deciding who can go back to work.

"... Random testing is a good idea with good intentions but will probably face legal challenges ..."

I assume they will not force anyone to get a test (unless things get significantly worse) - I assume most people want to get tested

FLF: An unanswered question is how long immunity lasts after recovery; may get a glimmer from China.

NPR reported that some recently recovered Wuhan residents were showing signs of *re-infection* but I've yet to see a follow-up on this. So chalk it up to unconfirmed.

The test kits that China sent Europe had an 80% failure rate. Don’t trust any data coming out of China.