SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19

[Jason]

What’s he auditioning for?

[arch stanton]

2 minutes ago, Jason said:

What’s he auditioning for?

He’s trying to get laid at poetry class 

[Jason]

Too bad you have to be a citizen to be POTUS

[Redondo]

• Coronavirus pressures US manufacturers to bring plants home from China

The COVID-19 pandemic has America rethinking its reliance on China for not only key medical supplies but production capacity in general after Beijing clamped down on exports of critical items used to combat the disease.

China is the world’s largest producer of masks, test kits and other medical equipment needed to control the spread of COVID-19, and the shipping restrictions sparked outrage in the U.S., which leads the world in infections with more than 706,000 cases.

“One of the things that has happened with this pandemic is it's revealed to everybody the limits to our digital superiority and our software and all the things that we've innovated in technology,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo. “You still have to be able to make things. You still have to have industry and industrial capacity as a country. And we've given a lot of it away.”

Indeed, only about 11 percent of U.S. gross domestic product comes from manufacturing today, down from almost 40 percent in 1945.

As the U.S. has lost its place as the world’s leading producer over the past 25 or 30 years, China has emerged as the go-to place for manufacturing due to its ability to “create economies of scale in relatively small geographies,” Charles Freeman, senior vice president for Asia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told FOX Business.

Although cheaper Chinese labor remains a factor in companies’ decisions to make their products in that country, it’s not the advantage it once was, Freeman said. Instead, China lures companies with tax breaks and other incentives, as well as the appeal of its domestic market.

Domestic spending in China accounts for about 60 percent of the country’s GDP, which totaled $14.3 trillion in 2019, making it a difficult decision for U.S. companies to uproot their supply chains from the country.

While disruptions and shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have brought the issue of America’s reliance on Chinese production to the forefront, “every company” was already “making calculations about how smart it is to rely on one market for supplies,” Freeman said.

President Trump has repeatedly called on U.S. companies to bring their operations back home, moves that would likely provide a spark to a labor force that has over the past four weeks seen 22 million workers lose their jobs, at least temporarily.

Freeman said that while a number of companies have already moved, or made efforts to move, there are others that have “huge sunk costs in the market” and are unable to relocate in “any reasonable time.”

He believes the COVID-19 experience will cause many companies to "rethink the safety and security of reliance on global markets," and that there will inevitably be some movement of capital-intensive -- not labor intensive -- production back to the U.S. 

To get companies to return, Freeman says, Trump should incentivize domestic production instead of penalizing output in markets like China.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce "supports a robust commercial relationship with China," he added, but also understands the "need for some rethinking of that relationship.

Rubio agrees. He told Bartiromo that the current level of U.S. dependence on China's industrial capacity has put our country "in a very dangerous situation.”

“I hope that one of the things that will come about now is a broad consensus in this country that we have to be able to make things in the United States," he said.

[Redondo]

Doctor says social distancing OK, but it’s keeping us from immunity fix

Dr. David Katz, the founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in Connecticut, has warned that while social distancing is helping to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, it is also preventing the development of the "herd immunity" needed by the public to resume their normal lives before a vaccine is developed.

Katz cited the case of some Asian nations who appeared to stop the spread with lockdown-style mitigation strategies, only to see an increase in cases once restrictions were relaxed.

"That's what will happen if you lock everybody away from everybody else and kind of wait until things get better and then let everybody out into the world," Katz told "Life, Liberty & Levin" in an interview airing Sunday.

"The virus is still out there," Katz added. "We don't have antibodies. We'll just get it later."

Katz and host Mark Levin discussed the concept of "herd immunity," essentially collective resistance to a virus built up by people moving about, becoming infected, and recovering -- thereby naturally developing antibodies to inhibit further spreading the virus among the population.

As an example of herd immunity, Katz told Levin that if the doctor developed antibodies but Levin did not because he was not part of the "herd," he could not contract the virus from Katz because the doctor doesn't have it.

"f all you do is flatten the curve, you don't prevent deaths or severe cases. You just change the dates. We don't want to do that," said Katz.

Katz said the only two options for staving off coronavirus for the foreseeable future are herd immunity or a vaccine. Scientists say a vaccine could be a year or more away, while President Trump, businessmen, economists and many out-of-work Americans fear the U.S. economy may never recover from an entire year of stagnation and unemployment.

If enough of the population were to develop antibodies and the process repeated itself exponentially, Katz explained, it would create innumerable "dead ends" that stop the virus from spreading.

"It finds it harder to get to a host where it can survive and it dies out," the doctor said of the virus. "That's herd immunity."

"The numbers of us that need to have antibodies vary with the properties of a given contagion," he added. "And we're learning what the properties of this particular contagion are. That also needs to come from data."

Giving another example, Katz told Levin that if he were immune to coronavirus, he would be able to visit his elderly mother without worrying about contracting COVID-19.

"My mother doesn't want to get coronavirus and die [but] she also doesn't want to die of something else before ever again being able to hug her grandchildren because she's still waiting for a vaccine," Katz said. "Herd immunity gives us [a] much more proximal way to get back to life in the world as we knew it."

 

[tdawg87]

I don't agree with that at all. That's all based on an assumption (yes, an assumption) that this virus isn't as deadly as it appears to be.

Imagine if we just completely go back to "business as usual". The hospitals will get absolutely fucked. 

Also this is literally the "chickenpox" idea all over again. You know, you purposely expose your child to the virus so they'll develop an immunity. The difference is, chickenpox killed 0.003% of people who contracted it. Less than the regular flu.

[RallyMo]

1 hour ago, Redondo said:

Doctor says social distancing OK, but it’s keeping us from immunity fix

Dr. David Katz, the founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in Connecticut, has warned that while social distancing is helping to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, it is also preventing the development of the "herd immunity" needed by the public to resume their normal lives before a vaccine is developed.

Katz cited the case of some Asian nations who appeared to stop the spread with lockdown-style mitigation strategies, only to see an increase in cases once restrictions were relaxed.

"That's what will happen if you lock everybody away from everybody else and kind of wait until things get better and then let everybody out into the world," Katz told "Life, Liberty & Levin" in an interview airing Sunday.

"The virus is still out there," Katz added. "We don't have antibodies. We'll just get it later."

Katz and host Mark Levin discussed the concept of "herd immunity," essentially collective resistance to a virus built up by people moving about, becoming infected, and recovering -- thereby naturally developing antibodies to inhibit further spreading the virus among the population.

As an example of herd immunity, Katz told Levin that if the doctor developed antibodies but Levin did not because he was not part of the "herd," he could not contract the virus from Katz because the doctor doesn't have it.

"f all you do is flatten the curve, you don't prevent deaths or severe cases. You just change the dates. We don't want to do that," said Katz.

Katz said the only two options for staving off coronavirus for the foreseeable future are herd immunity or a vaccine. Scientists say a vaccine could be a year or more away, while President Trump, businessmen, economists and many out-of-work Americans fear the U.S. economy may never recover from an entire year of stagnation and unemployment.

If enough of the population were to develop antibodies and the process repeated itself exponentially, Katz explained, it would create innumerable "dead ends" that stop the virus from spreading.

"It finds it harder to get to a host where it can survive and it dies out," the doctor said of the virus. "That's herd immunity."

"The numbers of us that need to have antibodies vary with the properties of a given contagion," he added. "And we're learning what the properties of this particular contagion are. That also needs to come from data."

Giving another example, Katz told Levin that if he were immune to coronavirus, he would be able to visit his elderly mother without worrying about contracting COVID-19.

"My mother doesn't want to get coronavirus and die [but] she also doesn't want to die of something else before ever again being able to hug her grandchildren because she's still waiting for a vaccine," Katz said. "Herd immunity gives us [a] much more proximal way to get back to life in the world as we knew it."

 

For every one of this guy that says flattening the curve doesn't reduce deaths, there's all the other people.

[tdawg87]

He's acting like the virus is in the air we breathe. Yes, it's still "out there", but it's inside of people (gross). Keeping people quarantined prevents more people having it inside them (gross). Doesn't take a doctorate to figure that shit out.

[fan_since79]

2 hours ago, Jason said:

Too bad you have to be a citizen to be POTUS

I prefer this.

 

[Taylor]

[angelinkc]

If the grim reaper is looking for work , I suggest a pussy hat or rainbow rally. One rally exist solely for murder. half the rainbow rally will live 8-20 years less than normal people. In contrast. 99.5% of the virus protesters are going to live

[Tank]

4 hours ago, Jason said:

 

coughcoughvictor'smomcough

[Tank]

13 minutes ago, calscuf said:

Someone should do a mashup of the lockdown protesters and the African dancing pallbearers with the techno music.

those dancing African pallbearers are fantastic.

[Stradling]

54 minutes ago, angelinkc said:

If the grim reaper is looking for work , I suggest a pussy hat or rainbow rally. One rally exist solely for murder. half the rainbow rally will live 8-20 years less than normal people. In contrast. 99.5% of the virus protesters are going to live

Yep, you are a fucking idiot.  

[notherhalo]

Trying to give away thousands masks, and its a challenge.  

We have a facility on a 5 lane wide quiet boulevard.  We have safety tape to space the people out 6-10 feet (or facilitate drive through), we have EZ-ups, plenty of sanitizer, acrylic panels to separate people, sponsors from local mask and sanitizer companies to give more stuff away.  We are in an economically disadvantaged area too, if that matters at all.

Vernon PD doesnt care, told me to call LAPD (Im literally across the street from them).  LAPD gone to voicemail calling 3 stations front desk so far, been on LA county dept of public health hold for 2 hours now.  Can any of you cops out there make an intro for me?  Going to need some police presence otherwise its going to be Colors Part 2.

[angelinkc]

22 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Yep, you are a fucking idiot.  

And I thought in and out was a Christian establishment. Must be Lutheran 

[Jason]

2 hours ago, fan_since79 said:

I prefer this.

 

Well the governor of Kenya is black

[Stradling]

19 minutes ago, angelinkc said:

And I thought in and out was a Christian establishment. Must be Lutheran 

Ok, at least I am not ignorant.  

[Redondo]

• Americans stockpile frozen pizza, causing potential shortage, amid coronavirus

It’s not delivery, it’s out of stock.

The coronavirus pandemic has reportedly caused shortages on various items as people stock up on supplies as they shelter in their homes. This has created an increased demand for food items that can be stored for long periods of time without going bad.

People apparently really like pizza.

During the month of March, Americans bought $275 million worth of frozen pizza, Adweek reports. This is reportedly an increase of 92 percent from the same time period the previous year (some brands have reported increased sales of as much as 190 percent).

According to Adweek, the increase in sales of frozen pizza is comparable to the recent rush of toilet paper. As news of the coronavirus and the impending shutdowns broke, Americans apparently stocked up on toilet paper, causing an increase in sales of about 104 percent.

Ashley Lind, director of demand sciences at Conagra Brands which makes popular frozen pizza Celeste Pizza, told the outlet, “It’s not hard to imagine that many people are looking for easy, convenient solutions that are also crowd-pleasing family favorites. Also, when living in uncertain times—as many of us are right now—we’re seeing a rise in consumers turning to much-loved comfort foods. Frozen pizza checks a lot of these boxes for consumers.”

The increased demand has caused some stores to struggle to keep the freezer section stocked.

A spokesperson for Newman’s Own maker told Adweek that it doesn’t expect any major interruptions in supply in the near term, they did point that the company’s supply chain is stretched and that the supply chain’s supply chain is also stretched.

The prospect of a frozen pizza shortage caused a reaction on social media, with some users seemingly jokingly comparing it to the same issues with toilet paper or hand sanitizer.

 

[Redondo]

Can booze help kill the coronavirus? Questions answered

It turns out, booze might not be a miracle cure.

While the current coronavirus pandemic and the resulting lockdowns may leave some people looking for an excuse to drink, curing the virus or preventing infection probably should not be one of them. Unfortunately, according to the World Health Organization, it seems some people may be attempting that.

The WHO recently released a fact sheet dispelling certain myths regarding alcohol consumption and COVID-19. This release came at the same time that the WHO asked European government officials to restrict citizen’s access to alcohol during the pandemic.

The fact sheet released by the organization dispels three myths in relation to the coronavirus. First, that “consuming alcohol destroys the virus that causes COVID-19.” Second, that “drinking strong alcohol kills the virus in the inhaled air.”

Lastly, the factsheet addresses the myth that drinking alcohol can “stimulate immunity and resistance to the virus.”

In regards to drinking alcohol to destroy the virus, the WHO says, “Alcohol (at a concentration of at least 60% by volume) works as a disinfectant on your skin, but it has no such effect within your system when ingested.” The organization also says that consumption of alcohol can increase health risks if the person becomes infected with COVID-19.

Similarly, drinking alcohol will not disinfect your mouth and will not kill the virus if it is inhaled, according to the WHO.

In regards to the final myth, as Fox News has previously reported, drinking alcohol does not boost the immune system.

Dr. Shannon Sovndal, an ER doctor and author of "Fragile," spoke with Fox News and explained the effect alcohol has on the body.

"People drink because it mellows them," he said. "Well, alcohol has a similar effect on the immune system, making it slow and lethargic." He also explained how light drinking (having one drink a day) will likely only have a minimal effect, but heavier drinking can "dampen" all of your body's systems, including the immune system.

 

[angelinkc]

8 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Ok, at least I am not ignorant.  

There are a lot of things you are not. Some you are but those terms are frowned upon in here. 

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, angelinkc said:

There are a lot of things you are not. Some you are but those terms are frowned upon in here. 

Ok, I will gladly take my scolding if it means I can let you know when you are being less than smart.  

[UndertheHalo]

 

[UndertheHalo]

Time is a flat circle 

 

[angelinkc]

13 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Ok, I will gladly take my scolding if it means I can let you know when you are being less than smart.  

I don't advise mass protest right now but I understand the people's frustration. I don't understand the hysteria from the crowds I mentioned. The numbers I used are not wrong. I can respect your sympathy towards leftist groups. Just very odd to see a prominent figure in a Christian company be such a strong supporter of the left.