OT: Corona virus

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn

Mortgage bailouts grow as more owners delay payments
51 mins ago


https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realest ... li=BBnb7Kz



"The numbers have been swelling at the rate of about half a million a week.

As of April 30, more than 3.8 million homeowners were in forbearance plans, representing 7.3% of all active mortgages, according to Black Knight, a mortgage data and analytics firm. Together, they account for $841 billion in unpaid principal and make up 6.1% of all GSE-backed loans (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) and 10.5% of all FHA/VA loans."

Oh, crap. 7% of all mortgages late? That sounds bad.

I don't think this is 'all that and a bag of peanuts'. Yet. Almost *all* major mortgage service and lender organizations have provided for mortgage payment delays due to COVID-19. I reckon that the vast majority of those that accept this temporary provision are doing so out of household cashflow convenience rather than a pathway suggesting imminent default. We've seen the same sorts of programs periodically in regions hit by hurricanes, tornadoes or other natural disasters-they almost always reverse when the dust clears.

[durnedwolf]

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn

White House reportedly plans to punish China for coronavirus pandemic
May 1, 2020


https://nypost.com/2020/05/01/white-hou ... ronavirus/



"The Trump administration is planning to punish the Chinese Communist Party for its perceived role in the coronavirus pandemic — including possible sanctions and cancellation of US debt, according to a new report.

Other potential measures to be taken against Beijing by the Trump administration include the creation of new trade policies, several sources close to the matter told CNN."

Ahhh - canceling US debt... lol.

[MakeeLearn]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Local hospital ICU beds filling up slowly with COVID or suspected COVID.

The problem is the recuperation is quite slow so you see an accumulation effect.

Saw a 9 year old yesterday. Not very sick but BOTH parents are positive for COVID after their 23 year old daughter came home to visit and infected everyone. We have enough testing now so I ordered it on the 9 year old. The mom is pretty sick. You do NOT want to get this shit.

If you knew naught about COVID, what would be your first guess at what she had, sans tests?

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

@ Cap Mandrake-

Anyone in your area doing 'compassionate use' applications / studies for remdesivir?

Yes, UCI Medical Center in Orange is participating in a multi-center remdesivir study. I am not aware of any outpatient studies yet.

[Lowpe]

CDC information, lots of provisional information and demographic breakdowns here.

Provisional Death Counts for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/COVID19/index.htm

below is one of many charts. read the small print if interested.

[mind_messing]

ORIGINAL: 22sec

ORIGINAL: mind_messing

We are going to get limited insights into the reality of racism in America from a demographic that is predominantly made up of older white, male and middle class.

Amusingly enough, that tends to be the exact same demographic that has the least exposure to racism and discrimination.

What a surprise, looking at some of the contributions [8|]

As a middle age white man in Jackson, Mississippi I fill compelled to share some observations about the reality on the ground in the south between African-Americans and white people. Are there strains, yes, sure old wounds take time to heal. For the most part, we live together in harmony with our neighbors our co-workers. We shop and eat, well use to eat, at the same places. We go to the same fishing holes. Our kids go to school together, play on the same teams together. These are friends, we share church pews together. So, while I as a middle aged white male, may not have the exact same perspective as my AA neighbor, we are all in this living and working together in peace and harmony as we are commanded. So, I’d rather not have someone with zero perspective, say from Scotland, chime in on the matter. Most of us Southerners, black and white, are working towards loving thy neighbor.

Did you ask, or is all this just assumption on your part?

Also, did they ever get round to removing the statue to the Confederate slave state from the University of Mississippi?

What about the other fifty odd memorials across the state? https://www.splcenter.org/20190201/whos ... onfederacy

As for me being from Glasgow and having zero insight, you might be surprised. We've had the problem since before America was even a country, and we've still the same problem today.

Then you've Northern Ireland, which, frankly, is in a league of its own.

But yes, what could I possibly comprehend about racism from far off Glasgow [8|]

[Cap Mandrake]

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Local hospital ICU beds filling up slowly with COVID or suspected COVID.

The problem is the recuperation is quite slow so you see an accumulation effect.

Saw a 9 year old yesterday. Not very sick but BOTH parents are positive for COVID after their 23 year old daughter came home to visit and infected everyone. We have enough testing now so I ordered it on the 9 year old. The mom is pretty sick. You do NOT want to get this shit.

If you knew naught about COVID, what would be your first guess at what she had, sans tests?

Many COVID patients look like severe influenza...body aches, high fever

[Cap Mandrake]

OK, the US has one ally against China...anyone else want to enter the fray?


The Australians make noises about an international investigation....and...

"Australia is always there, making trouble. It is a bit like chewing gum stuck on the sole of China's shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off."

— Hu Xijin, Global Times editor

[:D]

[obvert]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

OK, the US has one ally against China...anyone else want to enter the fray?


The Australians make noises about an international investigation....and...

"Australia is always there, making trouble. It is a bit like chewing gum stuck on the sole of China's shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off."

— Hu Xijin, Global Times editor

[:D]

I feel like all of this is posturing to prepare for the trade wars/negotiation upcoming. China gets a whole lot of it's raw minerals, coal and ore from OZ. The main reason the Aussie economy has been in a boom for about 15 years.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... gs-at-risk

It is a mutually beneficial trade but maybe Aussies have more to lose.

Australia’s biggest export earner remained iron ore and it is the largest exporter of of the steel-making commodity in the world with 836m tonnes sent offshore last year, enough to build 10,050 Sydney Harbour bridges. Iron ore export earnings are expected to increase by 21% to $74bn in 2018-19 ... China accounts for 68% of world imports.

“The living standards of Australians rely in large part on maintaining a strong resources sector,” he said. “Even if you don’t work in resources, the revenue that the industry brings in helps pay for schools, hospitals and other services.”

-----------------

Australia is the second largest exporter of thermal coal in the world, with 208m tonnes worth $26bn exported last year. About 20% of that went to China.

The report warned that although Australian producers could find other markets, such as India, the pressure on prices would be downwards.

“If there is a prolonged decline in Chinese imports of Australian coal, some of the impacts on Australian producers could be lessened by a redirection of trade flows, but prices for Australian coal could also come under pressure,” it said.

[Sammy5IsAlive]

On race and COVID - this study was released today concerning the numbers in the UK

https://www.ifs.org.uk/inequality/chapt ... an-others/

After controlling for age and geography they found that the Bangladeshi and Caribbean populations were seeing death rates twice that of the White population, the Pakistani population 2.9 times higher and the Black African population 3.7 times.

They didn't explicitly control for SES. To a certain extent this would correlate with geography. But in London in particular (which has a very high comparative proportion or ethnic minorities and also has had a high proportion of the total deaths) I think this correlation will break down when you do it by borough as they have done. I think that you would only start getting a good picture of the impact of SES if you looked at an individual borough and controlled for geography by postcode/electoral ward.

[Nomad]

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Thanks, Nomad. I see that Montana ranks 46th in terms of mortality/million (15). IE, it's doing very well.

What is the sense there of the present danger? And of the suitability of easing countermeasures?

To be honest it is hard for me to say. I do not watch much local news, and if you look at google maps you
will see that West Yellowstone is at the Southern most point of Montana. Idaho is 10 miles West and Wyoming
is 3 miles to the East. The economy West Yellowstone is based on tourism and there isn't any right now. The
Governor has a 14 day quarantine for anyone entering the state, so no one is coming. Plus Yellowstone NP is
closed completely right now. I have not heard of any riots yet. We are on phase 1 of our reopening. Churches
opened last Sunday, retail stores last Monday and bars, restaurants, distilleries, and casinos may open next
Monday. I assume that phase one will last 14 days or longer if deaths take a big hit.

As you can see, we do not have much of a problem with CoVid-19.

[MakeeLearn]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

ORIGINAL: MakeeLearn

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

Local hospital ICU beds filling up slowly with COVID or suspected COVID.

The problem is the recuperation is quite slow so you see an accumulation effect.

Saw a 9 year old yesterday. Not very sick but BOTH parents are positive for COVID after their 23 year old daughter came home to visit and infected everyone. We have enough testing now so I ordered it on the 9 year old. The mom is pretty sick. You do NOT want to get this shit.

If you knew naught about COVID, what would be your first guess at what she had, sans tests?

Many COVID patients look like severe influenza...body aches, high fever

A good chance Coronaviruses have raged before and phenotypically identified as influenza.

[MakeeLearn]

Kroger is limiting ground beef and pork purchases in some stores
3 hrs ago

https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/ ... li=BBnb7Kz

"The slowdown at meat processing plants from the coronavirus pandemic has led to a new wave of panic-shopping at supermarkets. Some grocery stores are now imposing limits on meat purchases to prevent barren refrigerator displays.

Kroger, this country's largest supermarket chain, said it is adding purchase limits on ground beef and fresh pork in some stores. Other large grocers say they expect to be out of stock on different types of cuts very soon."

[MakeeLearn]

Trump says he's seen evidence virus started in Chinese lab, but U.S. intel disagrees
May 1, 2020


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-chin ... elligence/


"President Trump claimed Thursday he's seen evidence the new coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab and he threatened tariffs on Beijing over its role in the global pandemic. The president's assertion was undermined by his intelligence office and his top diplomat, who said, "We don't know precisely where it began.""

[MakeeLearn]

Expect two more years of coronavirus misery
15 hrs ago


https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health ... r-BB13rqy0



"The new coronavirus is likely to keep spreading for at least another 18 months to two years—until 60% to 70% of the population has been infected, a team of longstanding pandemic experts predicted in a report released Thursday.

They recommended that the US prepare for a worst-case scenario that includes a second big wave of coronavirus infections in the fall and winter. Even in a best-case scenario, people will continue to die from the virus, they predicted."

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Cap Mandrake

OK, the US has one ally against China...anyone else want to enter the fray?


The Australians make noises about an international investigation....and...

"Australia is always there, making trouble. It is a bit like chewing gum stuck on the sole of China's shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off."

— Hu Xijin, Global Times editor

[:D]

I read where Sweden is considering things as well. My computer literally crashed. Two kittens chasing each other. I need a new computer. Looking at Dell online. I can get a discount. If I only had the money . . .

I had to buy a new phone yesterday . . .

[Canoerebel]

Thanks, Nomad. Montana is an awesome state. Here's hoping it's in a position to re-open soon.

ORIGINAL: Nomad

ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

Thanks, Nomad. I see that Montana ranks 46th in terms of mortality/million (15). IE, it's doing very well.

What is the sense there of the present danger? And of the suitability of easing countermeasures?

To be honest it is hard for me to say. I do not watch much local news, and if you look at google maps you
will see that West Yellowstone is at the Southern most point of Montana. Idaho is 10 miles West and Wyoming
is 3 miles to the East. The economy West Yellowstone is based on tourism and there isn't any right now. The
Governor has a 14 day quarantine for anyone entering the state, so no one is coming. Plus Yellowstone NP is
closed completely right now. I have not heard of any riots yet. We are on phase 1 of our reopening. Churches
opened last Sunday, retail stores last Monday and bars, restaurants, distilleries, and casinos may open next
Monday. I assume that phase one will last 14 days or longer if deaths take a big hit.

As you can see, we do not have much of a problem with CoVid-19.

...

[Canoerebel]

I spent the afternoon hiking part of the Pinhoti Trail in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Terrific weather and lots of migrating birds. I passed two young backpackers and one day hiker. Lots of families out walking. Lots of traffic on the highway I bicycled (to get back to my truck). Traffic was considerably heavier than it was last month, when I did the same trip.

I have zero worries when on a trail and encountering the occasional hiker. But bicycling a busy highway induces a large pucker factor.

I heard news accounts today that most movie theaters in our area have elected not to re-open. Restaurants likewise have elected not to reopen, with a few exceptions, though most continue to offer pick-up service.

I live in a semi-rural area not far from a medium-sized town. For most people that I know, life hasn't changed drastically. Their kids are out of school, they social distance, and there's no church/movies/sports, but most are working. I've heard many people say that they appreciate the time spent at home with their kids, with a more sane schedule than the usual hustle and bustle.

John Dillworth has said several times that those living outside cities are fortunate.

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

@ Cap Mandrake-

Anyone in your area doing 'compassionate use' applications / studies for remdesivir?

I just saw on the news that the company making it is donating 1,000,000 bottles of the medicine to hospitals.

[Cap Mandrake]

Q: Why is Remdesivir useful against COVID when it was designed to be used against Marburg Virus and Ebola?

A: Because it targets an enzyme required by all RNA viruses, "Reverse transcriptase" which is required to reproduce the RNA genome because eukaryote cells don't have this enzyme.

Q: Who funded it's development?

A: Who do you think? You have 3 guesses:

1) -----PRC
2) -----US taxpayers
3) -----the UN <snicker>

It was actually the US Army because there were fears Marburg Virus would be weaponized as a bioweapon.