Fear and Loathing, a Rat Flu Odyssey

[highangle]

I’m not about to take a liftie’s job.

By all means, pay them. And please remember to tip your meal delivery service. TIA


Historic Note: The PoBoy sandwich got its name during a transit strike in The Big Easy in 1929 when a local bar started feeding striking workers all-you-can-fit-in-a-loaf-of-French-bread buffets, for free.
IOW, a business reached out, and reacted to a temporary thing...and in so doing made business for life.

[skaredshtles]

If there really is a ‘no gatherings over 50’ edict, pretty much all fast food interior spaces would shut (like chik fil a).

Ironically, I believe CfA just announced they will be closing their dining rooms.

[rideit]

Yeah, that’s what I was referencing there, as in, “as CFA has done...

[Spats]

Well said, Spats.

Nice of you to drop by for the apocalypse.

SPLAT! I'm great, thanks for asking. Still here, quietly doing what I do.

FKNA man. Good to see ya on here.

Appreciate the shout, man. I'm always around...I just don't post much anymore. Shoot me a PM if you want a better contact.

[rideit]

Steep is REAL?
And you know him in meatspace?

[Spats]

Meanwhile, if anyone wants to know who to blame for the slow test rollout in the USA, it's a combination of Washington State and a career CDC bureaucrat who's been there since at least 2011.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/u...ng-delays.html
"Federal and state officials said the flu study could not be repurposed because it did not have explicit permission from research subjects; the labs were also not certified for clinical work. While acknowledging the ethical questions, Dr. Chu and others argued there should be more flexibility in an emergency during which so many lives could be lost. On Monday night, state regulators told them to stop testing altogether."
...
"The flu project primarily used research laboratories, not clinical ones, and its coronavirus test was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. And so the group was not certified to provide test results to anyone outside of their own investigators. They began discussions with state, C.D.C. and F.D.A. officials to figure out a solution, according to emails and interviews."
...
"“If you want to use your test as a screening tool, you would have to check with F.D.A.,” Gayle Langley, an officer at the C.D.C.’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, wrote back in an email on Feb. 16." (She's been with the CDC since at least 2011. I can't find an exact date of hire or transfer.)
...
The FDA rules were finally relaxed on February 29th. But even then, Washington State kept holding the lab back.
"But on Monday night, state regulators, enforcing Medicare rules, stepped in and again told them to stop until they could finish getting certified as a clinical laboratory, a process that could take many weeks."
...
"Looking back, Dr. Chu said she understood why the regulations that stymied the flu study’s efforts for weeks existed. “Those protections are in place for a reason,” she said. “You want to protect human subjects. You want to do things in an ethical way.”
The frustration, she said, was how long it took to cut through red tape to try to save lives in an outbreak that had the potential to explode in Washington State and spread in many other regions. “I don’t think people knew that back then,” she said. “We know it now.”

In conclusion, be careful using Covid-19 as a political football.

First, the finger of blame points to Washington State and career CDC bureaucrats, who indeed delayed testing in Washington state for a few weeks, not to your favorite or most hated political candidate.
More importantly, cheerleading a virus in order to own someone politically makes you an incredibly shitty person.
Finally, if it turns out that the virus is less deadly than the media and doomsayers are claiming, you'll have screwed a lot of working-class Americans out of jobs for nothing. It's easy to scream "SHUT IT DOWN!!11!" when you've got a salaried desk job and can "work" from home, you're rich, retired, or on assistance. It's a lot harder when "shutting it down" means your kid is sent home from school and you can't afford a babysitter, or you can't make rent or utilities because you're not getting any hours.

[Spats]

Also, we can bust yet another viral rumor:

Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown. @CDCgov has and will continue to post the latest guidance on #COVID19. #coronavirus
https://twitter.com/WHNSC/status/123...292748292?s=20

[altasnob]

First, the finger of blame points to Washington State and career CDC bureaucrats, who indeed delayed testing in Washington state for a few weeks.

Washington State did not enact the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and does not have the legal authority to disregard it. Playing arm chair quarterback, maybe Washington State, and the researcher who wanted to do the testing, could have jumped up and down waiving their arms a bit more and tried to convince Congress and the President to enact a law that allowed them to disregard HIPAA, and all other applicable federal laws for the good of humanity, but they didn't. I don't think you can blame Washington State for the US's inability to start testing sooner, and the US's limited testing capabilities. That falls on the feds (CDC) and the President.

[powdork]

Ironically, I believe CfA just announced they will be closing their dining rooms.

at this point that's not entirely accurate. they have closed, pubs, bars, and wineries. Restaurants have to limit their numbers (I would assume this means never more than 50?) and enable social distancing. hopefully this will also happen in NV, since that's where I work.
When they come in I don't call them guests any more, I call them vectors.
And I don't want to have to serve a tightly packed large table right now, or stand around in an empty house, which seems to be our two choices

[Single Track]

(Not edited / photochopped)

Attachment 320423

Are we sure this isn’t Grant Gunderson?

[Yonder_River]

The people on the real front lines are cashiers in any business.
And probably the most likely to spread this shit all day long.
If you shop, use plastic.

I've started wiping down my credit card with wipes or hand sanitizer after using it. People's cards are generally dirty and everyone is shoving them in the same magnetic reader slot.

[Meathelmet]

I've started wiping down my **** with wipes or hand sanitizer after using it. People's ****'* are generally dirty and everyone is shoving them in the same ***** slot.

Good call.

European stocks just opened: Red. -5% few minutes after opening.
Rollercoaster is the theme of today, I presume.

[Spats]

Washington State did not enact the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and does not have the legal authority to disregard it. Playing arm chair quarterback, maybe Washington State, and the researcher who wanted to do the testing, could have jumped up and down waiving their arms a bit more and tried to convince Congress and the President to enact a law that allowed them to disregard HIPAA, and all other applicable federal laws for the good of humanity, but they didn't. I don't think you can blame Washington State for the US's inability to start testing sooner, and the US's limited testing capabilities. That falls on the feds (CDC) and the President.

Pop Quiz: Which President signed HIPAA?

Also, you're going to claim that New York Times could have blamed it on #orangemanbad but didn't?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
This is the same paper that runs articles like "Let's Call It Trumpvirus" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/o...rus-trump.html
...and hasn't endorsed a single Republican for President since Eisenhower's second term, over 60 years ago. If they could blame the failures of Washington State bureaucrats on the President, they would have.

Yes, I agree that the CDC screwed up! As I pointed out, the official responsible was a career bureaucrat who was there since at least 2011.

Meanwhile, hindsight is 20/20. Feel free to tell us all which Western nation we should have emulated.
Canada? Doing nothing at all - no travel restrictions.
The UK? Nothing. Europe? Nothing, until the hospitals filled up. They're both so screwed we had to quarantine ourselves from them.

The nations that have dealt best with the problem were those that isolated themselves right away, like Russia and Japan...while the WHO and our news media was still calling that "racist."
January 30: "There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with intl. travel & trade."
https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1222969858574430217
We banned travel from Wuhan the day afterward. What was the reaction?

Past epidemics prove fighting coronavirus with travel bans is a mistake
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlo...ns-is-mistake/

Coronavirus: could the US government's quarantine and travel ban backfire?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...l-ban-response
Public health experts say restrictive policies could spread fear, weaken the global response and needlessly limit civil liberties

Why we should be wary of an aggressive government response to coronavirus
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlo...e-coronavirus/
Harsh measures tend to scapegoat already marginalized populations

How Trump’s Panicky Coronavirus Travel Ban Cost Me $4,000 in 2 Hours to Save My Job
https://observer.com/2020/02/china-c...1-visa-holder/

Health experts warn China travel ban will hinder coronavirus response
https://www.statnews.com/2020/01/31/...-would-suffer/

We should be wary of quarantines to stop the coronavirus
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlo...p-coronavirus/

It goes on, and on, and on
https://twitter.com/TheAgeofShoddy/s...97236332269569

[Ripzalot]

Everyone needs to chill and enjoy self quarantine. From my Madrid coworkers...

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk

[Goniff]

In light of recent events and health concerns concerning the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the East Greenbush Police Department would like to announce that the Town of East Greenbush is closed to crime for the next two weeks. Please do not commit any vehicle burglaries, scam others, don't do any drugs, slap your spouse, or even think about stealing from Walmart. Please refer to the New York State Penal Law for a complete list of what not to do during this time period. Our dispatchers and officers do appreciate your cooperation. We will let you know when this crime ban has been lifted.
Sincerely,
The men & women of the East Greenbush Police Department👮♂️🚔👮

[rod9301]

Italy has 25,000 and the us only 3,700? Does anyone believe our numbers?

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk

[Benny Profane]

Italy has 25,000 and the us only 3,700? Does anyone believe our numbers?

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk

No.

http://statisticalideas.blogspot.com...s-america.html

[Benny Profane]

https://coloradosun.com/2020/03/15/c...ado-mountains/

[Ripzalot]

Italy has 25,000 and the us only 3,700? Does anyone believe our numbers?

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk

https://www.altnewsmedia.net/news/co...ive-why-italy/

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk

[sb]

I recall a wonderful story about a grasshopper and the ants.

[My Pet Powder Goat]

Meanwhile, if anyone wants to know who to blame for the slow test rollout in the USA, it's a combination of Washington State and a career CDC bureaucrat who's been there since at least 2011.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/u...ng-delays.html
"Federal and state officials said the flu study could not be repurposed because it did not have explicit permission from research subjects; the labs were also not certified for clinical work. While acknowledging the ethical questions, Dr. Chu and others argued there should be more flexibility in an emergency during which so many lives could be lost. On Monday night, state regulators told them to stop testing altogether."
...
"The flu project primarily used research laboratories, not clinical ones, and its coronavirus test was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. And so the group was not certified to provide test results to anyone outside of their own investigators. They began discussions with state, C.D.C. and F.D.A. officials to figure out a solution, according to emails and interviews."
...
"“If you want to use your test as a screening tool, you would have to check with F.D.A.,” Gayle Langley, an officer at the C.D.C.’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, wrote back in an email on Feb. 16." (She's been with the CDC since at least 2011. I can't find an exact date of hire or transfer.)
...
The FDA rules were finally relaxed on February 29th. But even then, Washington State kept holding the lab back.
"But on Monday night, state regulators, enforcing Medicare rules, stepped in and again told them to stop until they could finish getting certified as a clinical laboratory, a process that could take many weeks."
...
"Looking back, Dr. Chu said she understood why the regulations that stymied the flu study’s efforts for weeks existed. “Those protections are in place for a reason,” she said. “You want to protect human subjects. You want to do things in an ethical way.”
The frustration, she said, was how long it took to cut through red tape to try to save lives in an outbreak that had the potential to explode in Washington State and spread in many other regions. “I don’t think people knew that back then,” she said. “We know it now.”

In conclusion, be careful using Covid-19 as a political football.

First, the finger of blame points to Washington State and career CDC bureaucrats, who indeed delayed testing in Washington state for a few weeks, not to your favorite or most hated political candidate.
More importantly, cheerleading a virus in order to own someone politically makes you an incredibly shitty person.
Finally, if it turns out that the virus is less deadly than the media and doomsayers are claiming, you'll have screwed a lot of working-class Americans out of jobs for nothing. It's easy to scream "SHUT IT DOWN!!11!" when you've got a salaried desk job and can "work" from home, you're rich, retired, or on assistance. It's a lot harder when "shutting it down" means your kid is sent home from school and you can't afford a babysitter, or you can't make rent or utilities because you're not getting any hours.

Why did the US refuse the WHO covid tests? That doesn't seem to be addressed in the article and contributed greatly to delays and availiblity. That's on the federal goverment.

Sent from my SM-N960U using TGR Forums mobile app

[mdblows]

https://coloradosun.com/2020/03/15/c...ado-mountains/

I can think of numerous friends/acquaintances that are aware of this, live in summit, Pitkin, etc. and have come down from the mountains to hang out in Denver because "it's fucking bullshit that we can't ski".

Maybe Marshall law wouldn't be so bad after all.

[subtle plague]

I can think of numerous friends/acquaintances that are aware of this, live in summit, Pitkin, etc. and have come down from the mountains to hang out in Denver because "it's fucking bullshit that we can't ski".

Maybe Marshall law wouldn't be so bad after all.

But Marshall law would condemn us to ski dps wailer 112s.

[Timberridge]

^

What's Marshal hawking on unsuspecting TGR dentists these days?

[Core Shot]

Current Marshall law is Kastle BMX 105hp