Corona Virus

[The Feral Slasher]

Some states are doing a better job than others. But, what state and local actions were taken to combat the virus in Texas and Florida? And Trump isn't going to force them to do anything.

ok, sounds like this is a semantics argument. I don't see how Texas and Florida have their hands tied, they actually took action and brought cases down after the second wave. Trump isn't forcing them to do anything, but he also is not preventing them. That is a choice they, and other states, make. I don't agree that their hands are tied since they have many options, but agree to disagree I guess.

Edit - and a national policy would undoubtedly be helpful, we agree on that, I think

[madducks]

ok, sounds like this is a semantics argument. I don't see how Texas and Florida have their hands tied, they actually took action and brought cases down after the second wave. Trump isn't forcing them to do anything, but he also is not preventing them. That is a choice they, and other states, make. I don't agree that their hands are tied since they have many options, but agree to disagree I guess.

Edit - and a national policy would undoubtedly be helpful, we agree on that, I think

My "government has it's hands tied" comment was directed at Trump. We need a leader in the White House. The states have been acting independently because Trump has refused to provide any leadership with the pandemic. And i, along with 78 million others, expect that leadership void to be filled on January 20. Some governors are not doing enough. Federal mandates will change that.

[The Feral Slasher]

Some states are doing a better job than others. But, what state and local actions were taken to combat the virus in Texas and Florida? And Trump isn't going to force them to do anything.

If u think Florida and Texas did not have state and local restrictions you have not been paying attention. Glad to provide links if you disagree

[madducks]

If u think Florida and Texas did not have state and local restrictions you have not been paying attention. Glad to provide links if you disagree

They need to do more because the U.S. seems to be doing worse than other countries?

[madducks]

Not going to end by itself...going to take some government action.

You originally implied that there was not enough action by the government. And considering that we are almost one year into this pandemic with worsening results, that is obviously true and i agreed with you. I simply took it a step further and focused the blame on our highest level of government which will not change until January 20.

[nullnor]

I did a little reading last night about the different vaccines in development. what I could tell is there are two methods mRNA and AAV. neither have ever been used before sort of. mRNA is this one, and why it has to be stored at very low refrigeration. my understanding before was mRNA (messenger RNA) is used to block signals. if a disease can't communicate with the body it can't perform whatever undesirable effect it's trying to. in the case of the vaccine, I think it's introducing viral fragments of the spike protein and when the real virus infects it gets the virus to create a protein the body will recognize and gets antibodies to attack the virus. again, no vaccine has ever been developed this way before. also, so far they say antibodies for Covid seem to only last 3-4 months at the most. so if all this is true, and i'm not really sure about anything, you might need up to 6 shots a year maybe. it's also possible the virus can mutate and increase it's resistance to antibodies which seems to be happening. there's also other possibilities where, like the flu, it doesn't prevent infection it just lessens the severity of symptoms. Covid does a lot of different tricks that appear to hide it from our immune system. that could just be scare mongering by saying it's possible it's never completely cleared from a system. I kind of doubt that though since it's a coronavirus and that's usually not their M.O.

the other method is AAV. this is gene therapy. and it's been around for 30 years. only one vaccine has been sort of accepted by this method, one for ebola recently. this would be a method that I wouldn't want to try because I don't think it would work. I remember during the Clinton years it was tried on a teenager with a rare genetic liver disease and he died due to the levels of virus that had to be used to introduce it to the system. his immune system went into overdrive, I think Clinton banned the method for 5 years. it was also tried on like 8 people with hemophilia b and the patients immune system rejected the treatment. also, years later it was said they still had antibodies from the treatment that would reject any further AAV treatments, as their bodies recognized the method as the disease preventing it from working.

I guess we'll see. medical science is an amazing thing these days. I am sure they'll figure it out. but having to store the vaccine at such low temperatures is a major logistical obstacle. even storing regular vaccines at higher temperatures in places with an unreliable electric grid is challenging.

a dystopian future between the haves and havenots. between the rich and the poor. there will be no middle class. we'll be ultra-well off or poor and isolated. we are sort of already heading there. if you think about how much immigration is controversial now, wait until one society always needing to undergo treatments for a biological disease while being weary of 'outsiders' bringing it in. I guess that is one way to solve the so-called 'globalization' problem.

on a lighter note, capitalism and privatization did work in accelerating a vaccine; based on the clusterfuck of our government reaction to the pandemic.

[nullnor]

I can't think of anything more challenging than what is happening now, but it sort of feels like a trial run for something even bigger in the future. or maybe we just got randomly hit, and the chances of something like Covid was one in a million.

[The Feral Slasher]

You originally implied that there was not enough action by the government. And considering that we are almost one year into this pandemic with worsening results, that is obviously true and i agreed with you. I simply took it a step further and focused the blame on our highest level of government which will not change until January 20.

Yeah, I just don't understand your earlier statements that state and local governments have their hands tied and can't, won't and haven't done anything. Focusing blame on Trump is fine, he deserves it. But local officials have options and a responsibility to act in absence of federal action.

[nullnor]

FEDERATION PRESIDENT (on viewscreen): This is the President of the United Federation of Planets. Do not approach Earth! The transmissions of an orbiting Probe are causing critical damage to this planet. It has almost totally ionised our atmosphere. All power sources have failed. All orbiting starships are powerless. The Probe is vaporising our oceans. We cannot survive unless a way can be found to respond to the Probe. Further communications may not be possible. Save your energy, Save yourselves. Avoid the Planet Earth at all costs.

SPOCK: Most unusual. An unknown form of energy of great power and intelligence. Evidently unaware that its transmissions are disruptive. I find it illogical that its intentions could be hostile.
McCOY: Well, dammit? You think this is its way of saying 'Hi there' to the people of the Earth?
SPOCK: There are other forms on intelligence on Earth, Doctor. Only human arrogance would assume the message must be meant for man.
KIRK: You're suggesting the transmission is meant for lifeform other than man?
SPOCK: It is a possibility, Admiral. The President did say that it was directed at Earth's oceans
KIRK: Uhura, ...can you modify the Probe's signals accounting for density and temperature and salinity factors?
UHURA: I'll try, sir. ...I think I have it.
KIRK: And this is what it would sound like underwater?
UHURA: Yes sir.
SPOCK: Fascinating. If my suspicion is correct, there can be no response to this message.

KIRK: Spock?
SPOCK: As suspected, the Probe's transmissions are the songs sung by whales.
KIRK: Whales?
SPOCK: Specifically, humpback whales.
McCOY: That's crazy! Who would send a Probe hundreds of light years to talk to a whale?
KIRK: It's possible. Whales have been on Earth far earlier than man.
SPOCK: Ten million years earlier. And humpbacks were heavily hunted by man. They've been extinct since the twenty-first century. It is possible that an alien intelligence sent the Probe to determine why they lost contact.
McCOY: My God!
KIRK: Spock, could the humpback's answer to this call be simulated?
SPOCK: The sounds, but not the language. We would be responding in gibberish.

the ironic thing is that only man thinks to find disease to be alien-like. animals can sniff a protein and their DNA can say to them, I recognize this virus from a million years ago.

[nullnor]

DNA the greatest storage medium of information in the history of the universe.

[Ken]

Just got the quick test administered. 3 extended family members have tested positive and I was with them last week at a funeral (with mask).

Awaiting results in the dr office now

[The Feral Slasher]

Just got the quick test administered. 3 extended family members have tested positive and I was with them last week at a funeral (with mask).

Awaiting results in the dr office now

Hope u get good news !

[GwynnInTheHall]

Just got the quick test administered. 3 extended family members have tested positive and I was with them last week at a funeral (with mask).

Awaiting results in the dr office now

GL, I tested Neg Weds, I'm having family over next week wanted to be sure. Took the antibodies test Friday--see if I had it and never knew (not likely, but ya know being safe) I hope you get the same good news we did.

[Ken]

GL, I tested Neg Weds, I'm having family over next week wanted to be sure. Took the antibodies test Friday--see if I had it and never knew (not likely, but ya know being safe) I hope you get the same good news we did.

Good news, negative COVID.

Also negative antigen.

[GwynnInTheHall]

Good news, negative COVID.

Also negative antigen.

Excellent!