Cases rising or dropping by you?

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Incredibly misleading headline. Cases overall continue to drop.

Not only that but the article actually explains a large reason why cases are being occurring or in the cases of some places finding out by testing everyone like the colleges who are testing all their students and staff. If you consider that many are asymptomatic it means that they wouldn't have gotten tested, likely, otherwise. It's a good thing to be found out if you can catch and isolate them. Also most of these places, mostly the colleges, so far aren't sounding the alarm in terms of exceeding their ability for containment by specific measures. I wish people would actually care for the information but it's just too easy to see a headline and then go "see see". One of my friends posted about the city she lives in which is where my alma mater and the cases going up in the last few weeks..uh duh you have like 20K-30K students coming in and they are all being tested. I'd expected numbers to increase; it so far is not like a mass outbreak within the community. It's tied to the college starting back up and people moving in at a staggered pace over several weeks worth.

 

[Kitty 34]

I don't understand our numbers either. Our mask mandate went into effect 7/10. Numbers continue to rise, granted not exponentially, but still going up.

I agree with you........Most people here in our area of Michigan and up at Mackinaw City where we vacationed 10 days ago all had masks and have been doing well at Social Distancing.....so I still get confused about the 100s of people still testing positive for this virus.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Texas is doing real well. I don't understand it to be honest.

So glad to hear-thanks! It's gotten so bad in this part of Texas, that I stopped listening to the news when they told us that our county had surpassed New York City and become the new epicenter to the virus.
And I know that our County Judge is really concerned about Labor Day weekend, with all the family pachangas (big parties) predicted.

 

[Colleen27]

I agree with you........Most people here in our area of Michigan and up at Mackinaw City where we vacationed 10 days ago all had masks and have been doing well at Social Distancing.....so I still get confused about the 100s of people still testing positive for this virus.

College cases appear to be a big part of what is driving Michigan's increase... and that's not necessarily new spread as much as a huge group of people who most likely wouldn't have sought testing at all if not for back to school protocols. I have friends with kids at Northern, Mich. Tech, and Central this fall, and they were all required to be tested upon their return to campus. When you're testing literally thousands of apparently healthy people, you're bound to find more of the asymptomatic or mild cases that would ordinarily be missed.

 

[hsmamato2]

I agree with you........Most people here in our area of Michigan and up at Mackinaw City where we vacationed 10 days ago all had masks and have been doing well at Social Distancing.....so I still get confused about the 100s of people still testing positive for this virus.

I have a theory..... I'm no scientist but my theory is spotty safety measures over months has allowed all of this to move about the country with ease. IF there had been a national country mandate to maintain levels at the outset, we wouldn't still be dealing with what we've got,which is basically full blown numbers moving around the country. Add to that freedom to travel between states via,air,rail,bus and car for unnecessary things (vacations) and you've got the perfect way for this virus to hide,spread and mutliply. To me it's the equivalent of trying to stomp out a forest fire with your feet....it goes out in that one spot, but the rest of the area is still on fire until you take larger safety measures. And that fire spreads BC while you're there stomping,someone else has taken a flaming branch and run a mile away and dropped it in the brush.
If you read enough threads,you'll start to notice the variety of peoples individual choices...and how they all seem to play into this nightmare scenario we all seem to be stuck in. BC we're 1 country, trying to handle this like 50 little states with our own rules (stomping out that fire with our feet).
The countries that have managed to gain more control of this virus have acted as a whole,not a bunch of little foot stomping parts.
So while my little area of the this forest fire is currently mostly embers,smoke and a few flames, other parts of this forest are getting much hotter...

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

IF there had been a national country mandate to maintain levels at the outset, we wouldn't still be dealing with what we've got,which is basically full blown numbers moving around the country.

I don't think we can speak in absolutes like this. We don't really know what the end result would be. A national mandate without enforcement, a national mandate without $$$ to help everyone out (and I mean everyone), a national mandate without free testing for all (just walk up and you're good), a national mandate without free masks given out in millions and millions and millions, a national mandate without understanding that different areas were hit in different times (which is actually a good reason to NOT have a national mandate) and where you can see resurgences in cases has occurred in other countries (meaning it didn't go away like some people thought it would) and so on and so on.

If you look at other threads you'll also notice that countries with the ability to mandate things at the national level aren't the be it all nor does that actually mean results such that one would think. The economic health of a country, the care towards citizens, the makeup of a country and their social system set up, where the outbreaks are occurring and what safety measures have been taken, and all sorts of things play in. And even in countries that seemingly look great on the outside aren't always what they appear.

 

[hsmamato2]

I don't think we can speak in absolutes like this. We don't really know what the end result would be. A national mandate without enforcement, a national mandate without $$$ to help everyone out (and I mean everyone), a national mandate without free testing for all (just walk up and you're good), a national mandate without free masks given out in millions and millions and millions, a national mandate without understanding that different areas were hit in different times (which is actually a good reason to NOT have a national mandate) and where you can see resurgences in cases has occurred in other countries (meaning it didn't go away like some people thought it would) and so on and so on.

If you look at other threads you'll also notice that countries with the ability to mandate things at the national level aren't the be it all nor does that actually mean results such that one would think. The economic health of a country, the care towards citizens, the makeup of a country and their social system set up, where the outbreaks are occurring and what safety measures have been taken, and all sorts of things play in. And even in countries that seemingly look great on the outside aren't always what they appear.

I don't disagree with you here I know there are many nuances to something like this. My point was extremely simple though,and it still stands on it's own, regardless of the other mentioned factors, purely from a containment view alone. I wasn't going into any of the details of what it might take, just noting that this ONE thing is causing things to extend and expand unnecessarily. The word unnecessary is what I'm sticking with. On so many levels.

 

[Darcy03231]

Our town has had a total of 10 cases since the pandemic started. Currently we have 0 active cases.

 

[RamblingMad]

I agree with you........Most people here in our area of Michigan and up at Mackinaw City where we vacationed 10 days ago all had masks and have been doing well at Social Distancing.....so I still get confused about the 100s of people still testing positive for this virus.

You can still get COVID even if you wear a mask. The science suggests that you’re more likely to have a less severe case if you wear a mask and socially distance. It doesn’t say you won’t get it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't disagree with you here I know there are many nuances to something like this. My point was extremely simple though,and it still stands on it's own, regardless of the other mentioned factors, purely from a containment view alone. I wasn't going into any of the details of what it might take, just noting that this ONE thing is causing things to extend and expand unnecessarily. The word unnecessary is what I'm sticking with. On so many levels.

I guess I'm confused then (apologies on that). What national mandate do you think would have contained it for the entire country back in Feb/March such that it wouldn't have extended and expanded and likely unnecessary later on? I know you were thinking in simplistic terms I guess I just don't see anything simple about it so maybe where I'm coming from I'm speaking way too in depth for what you were thinking (and that's very likely knowing me lol).

 

[RamblingMad]

I guess I'm confused then (apologies on that). What national mandate do you think would have contained it for the entire country back in Feb/March such that it wouldn't have extended and expanded and likely unnecessary later on? I know you were thinking in simplistic terms I guess I just don't see anything simple about it so maybe where I'm coming from I'm speaking way too in depth for what you were thinking (and that's very likely knowing me lol).

Adequate planning at the national level would have been a good place to start. A national mask mandate would still help today with fines large enough to obtain compliance.

It’s been a complete mess from the start. Testing is still challenging to get. Contract tracing is almost nonexistent. We’re the laughing stock of the developed world. The only thing we have going for us is development of a vaccine.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Adequate planning at the national level would have been a good place to start.

This I agree with most def.

A national mask mandate would still help today with fines large enough to obtain compliance.

I don't actually agree on an actual national mandate here. I think the going advice should have been masks earlier on on a national level but because so many areas didn't have a known case for a long time an actual mandate really early on I'm not sure would have been seen as needed. It would have been more natural to us to wear a mask if we had been told along side distance that masks should be worn during stay at home orders so that during reopening that probably would have been more helpful at that point. But if you consider the legalities of mask ordinances (such as criminal vs civil offense) and fines and all I think promoting masks the thing versus and actual mandate.

Who would decide what the fine is? Who would be enforcing that fine? What would be the penalty for not paying the fine (we don't want people in jail right now)? Is there even a legal way to have a fine for a mask on a national level (it would have to be a federal law wouldn't it? what would that fall under--not sure there TBH)

Even promoting masks (which I think we should have done) that still would bring up giving away millions of free masks which you would want to do simply because you care about your citizens enough to realize they all don't have the means to make their own (and making your own many people still ran into inventory issues with materials). Most of the free masks, from what I've seen, have been concentrated on those who take public transit (which makes sense). Some places have been able to give masks for specific communities but largely not.

But in being honest in my county there's questioning from within the local leaders if the local leaders should be wearing the masks all the time to promote modeling behavior with some saying they should be wearing them to model good behavior while others saying it's not needed. I know they sure aren't the only ones and I think that would be problematic in various parts of the country where not every local official is modeling the behaviors their ordinances, public health orders, etc impose on their citizens.

 

[JimMIA]

Quest Diagnostics failed to report more than 75,000 tests to the Florida Dept of Health -- as required by Florida Law. The cases go back to APRIL, and include 7,600 positive tests.

The State of Florida has severed all ties with Quest as a result, and I personally think they should yank their license for such a flagrant violation of the law. I can understand a small local lab getting behind, but Quest is one of the biggest lab companies in the US. No excuse for them to do something like this.

https://www.local10.com/news/local/...rida-adds-7600-cases-after-another-data-dump/

 

[kymom99]

Adequate planning at the national level would have been a good place to start. A national mask mandate would still help today with fines large enough to obtain compliance.

It’s been a complete mess from the start. Testing is still challenging to get. Contract tracing is almost nonexistent. We’re the laughing stock of the developed world. The only thing we have going for us is development of a vaccine.

When all this started I never in a million years believed the US would be affected like it has been. I guess I was naive

 

[RamblingMad]

When all this started I never in a million years believed the US would be affected like it has been. I guess I was naive

I had binged watched Regenesis on Prime in Q4, so I assumed the worse

 

[bavaria]

If you look at other threads you'll also notice that countries with the ability to mandate things at the national level aren't the be it all nor does that actually mean results such that one would think. The economic health of a country, the care towards citizens, the makeup of a country and their social system set up, where the outbreaks are occurring and what safety measures have been taken, and all sorts of things play in. And even in countries that seemingly look great on the outside aren't always what they appear.

I often read here that the federal system of the US is one big reason why the US could not implement measures like other countries. Well, many of the main posters on this website now are from Canada, Australia, Germany, all of which have a federalist system and in each case the individual states/provinces set their own rules, just like in the United States. I know that you are not focussed on that but it always make me chuckle when someone uses that as a reason why the US is special.

 

[Simba's Mom]

When all this started I never in a million years believed the US would be affected like it has been. I guess I was naive

You're not alone. And I can remember in March when we first wore masks and "sheltered in place", and they cancelled a conference I'd planned to go to in June. my reaction was "They think we're going to be dealing with this until JUNE?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You're not alone. And I can remember in March when we first wore masks and "sheltered in place", and they cancelled a conference I'd planned to go to in June. my reaction was "They think we're going to be dealing with this until JUNE?

I remember in first few days of March discussing with my mom my mid-April trip for Vegas.."that's more than a month away a lot can change in that time"...joke I guess was on me. A lot did change in that time period but in ways I never would have guessed.

 

[bavaria]

I remember in first few days of March discussing with my mom my mid-April trip for Vegas.."that's more than a month away a lot can change in that time"...joke I guess was on me. A lot did change in that time period but in ways I never would have guessed.

I remember being in Berlin on 28th February and hearing that ITB, the largest travel trade show in the world, was cancelled for the following week. I was stunned, to be honest, that such a major event was cancelled (I was at that time in the midst of the Berlinale, the Berlin Film Festival, so it was puzzling that an event being held in a few days would be cancelled)

I followed that with several more weeks of travel around COVID 'hot spots', and the day that FRA airport basically shut down I talked with several people I know well there and they were all saying 'see you in two weeks!' and that it would be good for us all to have a two week break to 'reset'.... !

 

[hsmamato2]

Adequate planning at the national level would have been a good place to start. A national mask mandate would still help today with fines large enough to obtain compliance.

It’s been a complete mess from the start. Testing is still challenging to get. Contract tracing is almost nonexistent. We’re the laughing stock of the developed world. The only thing we have going for us is development of a vaccine.

Here's my (admittedly simplistic,but maybe effective) thoughts... IF we had a NATIONAL mandate on this whole lockdown thing at the BEGINNING (before our forest fire got out of control) then the cases would have been contained better within each state. Instead, we got one state enacting laws for safety on lockdown,with a state next door doing the complete opposite,and free travel between the two. It's pretty obvious what was going to happen. Multiply by 50. SO what started mainly as an outbreak on each coast, quickly started spreading from there.
Masks? No masks? depends on which side of the line you live.... Lockdown? no lockdwon? same. I can tell you ,it was highly frustrating for me,living in that tri state area last spring,and watching so many other states choose to live like it was all a silly story that didn't involve them.... meanwhile we were locked down, wearing masks if we went out,etc etc. Our numbers are much better now than then, and the places that didn't see a major problem back then are seeing it now.
But b/c of my first (and really,only) point, Covid has been traveling around the various states,curling and winding it's way to create outbreaks where there perhaps didn't need to be any.
Would a national no unnecessary travel/wear masks, one country,one policy for safety at the beginning of this have helped? I DON'T REALLY KNOW. But logic tells me that it would have significantly reduced our problems.
All I know is this thing is contagious. Spreading it around is 100% sure to cause more harm,not help reduce cases. Even now.