Jackson Jambalaya

I know everyone is hoping this all goes away, but I think the public has a right to know what the plan is if hospitalizations, ICU, or ventilator use starts to climb. There must be triggers somewhere. Is it a percentage increase or is it an absolute number? Maybe it is a number of dead citizens per day. Ignoring the possibility for such an occurrence is not good governance.

Better to let the public know up front what the plan is so we don't face pandemonium if restrictions need to be implemented again due to increased serious illnesses. Maybe that way if we start getting close to those triggers the citizens can start taking individual actions to mitigate the growth before government control needs to be put into place.

What makes you think we have a plan

@3:14, you must be joking. Get a grip! No we only need to lock down the nursing homes and ICUs, that is all.

Covid-19 is a nothing burger for the majority of people. Only the vulnerable need to take precautions. We don't need to lock the entire planet down for these minuscule numbers ever again.

It literally was an overblown hoax response. It's mortality is a joke. Hell, 100 year olds are recovering!

How close did we come to the Armageddon-type forecasts that started all of this out? Has anything doom and gloom forced on us back in April has come to frution? Or have 37 million people lost their jobs and incomes to miss out on a less than 1% fatality rate. The numbers I have seen show that while new cases have been determined the fatality rate has dropped. If we had all this capacity ready for doomsday then there should be plenty of working options to deal with any uptick.

BTW, when was the last time that a virus came back worse than the first time? Just like the swine flu, the pig flu, and SARS it has never been worse in successive years. It's time to let the world continue while taking reasonable precautions.

The only trigger would be data suggesting we are about to exceed hospital capacity. If Tate wants to say that explicitly, fine I guess.

Otherwise, the only rational course is to let the virus run its course and build toward herd immunity.

If you're in the elderly/already-sick group that comprises 90%+ of deaths, you should not rely on the possibility that people might be a little more careful as the R rate rises, or that the state might be shut down if some arbitrary number is reached.

Instead, you should take aggressive steps to self-isolate while this virus progresses, until a vaccine or treatment is developed. Because we cannot spend another year with no economy to protect you from the risk.

If groups are limited to 100 persons for a public, outdoor venue, does this mean our minor league baseball teams will not be allowed to sell tickets?

Like it. People already hide indoors in summer in Mississippi.

The challenge is what to do about reopening schools in the fall. It's going to be tough to do. Kids will spread it to teachers and high risk family members. Anyone who thinks people will not send sick kids to school have never had kids in school.

The fact summer camps are all getting cancelled is a bad sign for school. Hard to envision in-person school until vaccine, better treatment or herd immunity.

I have yet to see someone explain how we effectively lock down the nursing homes from their staff. They've been closed to visitors for months at this point and clearly that hasn't helped at all.

We've been doing fairly large scale nursing home testing in Georgia, which has shown about 5800 infected residents and 2800 infected staff. As long as caregivers are getting infected out in the community, it's impossible to keep it out. You'd need to screen all staff with tests at the door at the start of every shift, and be able to trust that there isn't a high rate of false negatives.

If the White House can't manage to do that, I doubt your small-town nursing home is going to manage it either.

This whole thing has shown us just how many selfish assholes live among us. So many are unwilling to make even the slightest change to their routine to protect their family, friends, coworkers, and general population. Everyone wants this thing to be over, but calling it a fake news nothing burger and not taking any precautions is the mark of a true psychopath.

3:37 The Spanish Flu second wave would like to have a word with you. The initial outbreak in early 1918 was nothing compared to the second wave that started in the Fall.

And don't forget, the doomsday predictions were based on no mitigation and a 60% infection rate during the first year. Did you hear Dr. Dobbs the other day? He said antibody testing showed about a 2% infection rate in Mississippi. It is likely higher on average across the U.S., but even at a 5% infection rate we would see 12 times more deaths than we have already experienced. That would be 1.2 million which would easily be within the initial predictions. The mitigation has worked.

4:18 -- In-person school is happening. Most districts have already said so.

Kids will come to school with Covid-19 and it will spread. It will barely affect the kids. Elderly and sick relatives will need to stay away from students until a vaccine or treatment is available. It's harsh, but giving up another year of education (and rest assured, that's what "online learning" really means) simply is not an option.

As for teachers, districts are already putting in place accommodation strategies for at-risk people, but most will be in front of classrooms.

You don't have to imagine it. It's happening. Even in places like NYC, so certainly in MS.

4:38 - It's not the "slightest change to their routine." It's wholesale decimation of the economy, permanent destruction of jobs, permanent harm to students' education, etc.

Rest assured, if we could all skip Starbucks in the morning and end this virus, Starbucks would be out of business.

Caricaturing the very strong arguments against long-term lockdown does nobody any good.

4:21 The only thing I've seen that was effective was on the news last night was a story where all the nursing home workers lived in the facility for 65 days without any people going in or out. Of course that isn't reasonable for most people.

The only solution is to ensure the workers practice mitigating behavior, keep the residents to small groups, and have sufficient testing to root out any infections before they have a chance to spread throughout the facility. Naturally the weak link will be the employees. I saw a nurse on TV the other night at her sister's bar grand reopening with no mask in sight and no social distancing. It is thoughtless people like that who will keep wind up killing thousands of people who depend on their care.

5:27 I got the impression the poster was talking more about simple things like wearing a mask and practicing social distancing during their normal routine. I certainly didn't think they were advocating for a wholesale lockdown.

Anderson Hospital in Meridian is running an advertisement that says if a sick person without a mask is around a healthy person there is a 70% chance of transmission, but if both parties wear a mask the risk is only 1.5%. I don't know where they got their numbers from, but if it is even remotely accurate doesn't that sound like a reasonable expectation that wouldn't cause even minor inconvenience?

https://www.wlbt.com/2020/05/27/ummc-laying-off-positions-due-financial-deficit-coronavirus-pandemic/

COVID-19 has not met the projections by a long shot. Physicians say that all the shut downs were overboard. So where do we meet in the middle, just use good hygiene and if you feel the need to wear a mask wear one. the most vulnerable need to protect themselves, and that is obvious.....but all of this gloom and doom, and you are killing someone if you don't wear a mask. Come on people. Should there be a second wave, it will be devastating b/c the shutdowns overreached, and the hospitals closed, and we did not have the facilities to provide care.

At best the chicom version of the Three Stooges in labcoats and our gross overdo reaction on the side of caution, at worst a broad conspiracy meant to gut our economy and weaken the current administration.

"but calling it a fake news nothing burger and not taking any precautions is the mark of a true psychopath."

Nope 4:38 PM.

Not at all.
That was a very pragmatic post.
Not psychopathic at all.

Obviously, that poster doesn't rely on one news source for their information.

I'm 3:28 and I was wearing a mask before anyone I know of. Why? Because I was in Asian Pacific during SARS. I was telling people to watch the movie Cantagion Covid-19 didn't live up to the hype from the WHO, CDC, or come close to the horror of that failm. They told us that this would be like Contagion or Spanish flu and it was a nothingburger in comparison. It didn't warrant a global shutdown.

Over 100,000 dead isn't exactly a nothing burger to sane people. And that's in 2 months. Good grief. God help you, son.

Why don't we just shut down the U.S. completely.
The U.S. can borrow money to send us a check every month.
We are never going to pay it back anyway. Why not borrow everything that they will loan to us.
After this virus has run it's course we can find another one.
Maybe some other country will make on for us.
Come on everybody. Why work? Government money for all.

I love this social distancing shit. Had my kids graduation today. Went to Chiles. Every other table, less than 6 feet away, closed down. We sat at a 8 person table next to each other. Waiter was at our table throughout our stay leaning over, etc. Saw Football practice going on while traveling home. By the way, how can you block or tackle someone from 6 feet away. Saw kids practicing baseball and again I ask, how do you play baseball more than 6 feet away the opposite player. Watch Wrestling and MMA also the same question. This has been a joke. Sure a bunch of folks got sick and some died, but no where near the apocalypses that was promised. Now magically on 1 June, everything is even better. This country is in the shitter and we let it happen Comrades. Sorry, just venting at our Kings and Queens. They can all eat shit.

"Only the vulnerable need to take precautions."

Oh, man, this end won't end well...

At this point, if you need to breathe, you are "vulnerable"...those of you who don't need to breathe, you have a natural exemption from being vulnerable. The rest of us, being vulnerable, need to take precautions. True enough, in the next year or two, we will learn exponentially more about SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19, but until we do, _everyone_ is "vulnerable."

I wonder why the same people who want to ignore this or pretend it's fake don't suggest any of the other vast numbers of human illness, from jock itch to colds and flu to cancer, even human aging, aren't all some vast conspiracy by thousands of people to rip them off, deprive them of their "rights," and other nasty things. I also wonder why they aren't raising hell about the fact that all illnesses aren't cured within a few months of their discovery/first appearance. I'd point out that history clearly shows that human illness has actually been lessened by modern science and, yes, for-profit drug companies.

@7:42(1) Covid-19 was likely here during Thanksgiving and Christmas. The death toll was not alarming anyone. The urgent care clinics were packed with people who had nasty colds and flu symptoms that rendered normal remedies worthless. I myself got something in early January and I had my flu shot the prior November in 2019.

The panic of yourself and others was totally manipulated by media sensationalism. It was a global psy-op and it worked.

@ 4:49 I thought this was "not the flu"...wait...

Also, so are you telling me that these folks who I presumed were immunocompromised I have seen in the airport over the years wearing their masks were doing so to protect me since wearing a mask is to protect others and not yourself??

That’s the problem with the shutdown measures. If they work, people complain they weren’t necessary. Now, more people will die because the first wave was limited somewhat successfully. We will be victim to this “success” and ignorance in the coming waves. Such is the American way.

"Only the vulnerable need to take precautions."

Oh, man, this end won't end well...

At this point, if you need to breathe, you are "vulnerable"...those of you who don't need to breathe, you have a natural exemption from being vulnerable. The rest of us, being vulnerable, need to take precautions. True enough, in the next year or two, we will learn exponentially more about SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19, but until we do, _everyone_ is "vulnerable."

I wonder why the same people who want to ignore this or pretend it's fake don't suggest any of the other vast numbers of human illness, from jock itch to colds and flu to cancer, even human aging, aren't all some vast conspiracy by thousands of people to rip them off, deprive them of their "rights," and other nasty things. I also wonder why they aren't raising hell about the fact that all illnesses aren't cured within a few months of their discovery/first appearance. I'd point out that history clearly shows that human illness has actually been lessened by modern science and, yes, for-profit drug companies.

10:16, it wasn't any better the second time around. Do you want to try for three, you know for old times sake?

6:34pm et.al.

How quickly you forget and how easily you take things out of context.

The number of deaths we are seeing now, were expected in August. It's not June yet. And, our President said this would be gone already. It'd be "beautiful".

The first wave of the Spanish flu of 1918 had fewer deaths. But in the month of October alone in the second wave,198000 Americans died.

The Spanish flu was seasonal and we do not know if CV 19 is or isn't as yet.

Towards the end of 1918, Americans were having to dig graves for their own family members.

We are handling this epidemic the same way...piecemeal...State by State, city by city, town by town. DUMB then , DUMBER now.

This time, we ought to know better. We have all the "do's and don'ts" lessons and we now have " tools" that weren't available in 1918.

Sadly, you and others won't use the tools and you ignore the lessons.

Instead, like the dummies of 1918 ( Philadelphia is always sited as the poster child for your stupid point of view), you want to "fiddle while Rome is burning".

There were social and economic repercussions for the 1918 version of "covididiots". And, like them, should you survive, don't be surprised to find one day that you're " hoisted on your own petard"...no one to blame but yourself. But, maybe the old saying, " What goes around comes around" would be more understandable to you.

You won't get the promotion or the job or get invited to things you wish you could attend. Your children will sadly be marked as well for coming from a family of poor judgment and poorer ethics.

8:38 & 10:16 "...I wonder why the same people who want to ignore this or pretend it's fake don't suggest any of the other vast numbers of human illness, from jock itch to colds and flu to cancer, even human aging, aren't all some vast conspiracy..."

That's a really odd thought you have going there.

We're not worried about going to the gym because we might get jock itch. We know it's possible but we go anyway. (Do we need to get a mask to wear down there too?) We don't stop ice skating or deer hunting during the winter because we might catch a cold or flu... we go anyway knowing that's possible. Certainly may, heaven forbid, get cancer. DEFINITELY WILL experience aging if we live long enough.

If we have extremely brittle bones or muscular disease we probably shouldn't go to the gym... but should we say that all others shouldn't go too? If we're older and weaker, making us more prone to colds and flu, we probably shouldn't go sit in the cold winter air for prolonged periods... but should we expect ALL others to do the same?

Look, virtually everyone acknowledges that Covid19 is real and deaths have occurred from it. But some folks have their mask pulled up over their eyes and are unwilling to see that this has to be individualized. It's not up to you or your chosen 'expert' to gag us as a society.

100,000 is a bad number, but divide it by 41,000,000 unemployed (thus far) and get back to us. (I come up with .002%... that's 2/tenths of 1%)

10:11 I'm assuming since you phrased things the way you did that you understand the concepts but are being deliberately misleading.

First, the response was to the poster at 3:37 that said a VIRUS had never been worse in successive years and I was pointing out that one of the worst pandemics in history was caused by a second wave of a virus. That doesn't take away from the fact that COVID-19 is still more deadly than even a bad strain of influenza.

Second, wearing a mask provides varying benefits depending on which party is wearing them. A mask is going to provide some protection from infection to the wearer. A mass is going to provide much more protection from passing the virus from a sick person wearing one to a healthy person. Both parties wearing masks provide the most benefit.

The simple fact is while everyone wearing a mask is the best way to prevent the spread of diseases, the relatively small number of severely immunocompromised people in the general public is not going to get everyone wearing a mask. They are wearing a mask because it provides more benefit than nothing, not because it provides absolute protection.

On the other hand, literally every human being in the world was susceptible to infection from COVID-19. There is about a 10% chance a person will have to be hospitalized and about a 0.5% chance they will die if they contract COVID-19. That is a huge number which is why mask wearing by the general public is highly recommended. That could save hundreds of millions of hospitalizations and tens of millions of deaths worldwide if it can prevent infections until a treatment or vaccine can be developed.

I know this won't affect your campaign of misinformation, but hopefully someone else reading it will see through the lies and realize COVID-19 is very dangerous and that masks are most effective when worn by people who are spreading the virus. A little common courtesy can do a lot to keep the destruction of peoples' lives, both in terms of health and economics, to a minimum.

KF, please explain how the "lowering in each county" is offset by the fact that we continue to climb in number of cases.

Since we now know that 80% of those without symptoms test positive among the asymptomatic tested, how many of the last 300 are reflected in State tests and were walking among us unmasked and not social distancing.

How many were tested for anti-bodies only and we've no idea if they are still shedding?

Seems to me, the only smart thing to do is wear a mask ( and N95 will protect YOU, not just others),social distance and sanitize as directed. Sad, if we had covered our faces and followed CDC guidelines until were available from the outset of the first case in Mississippi, the virus would be in check here.

As for the politics that are killing us, among my friends who were Trump supporters,they aren't now so you aren't helping your guy if this is all about politics. And, while Tate has walked a tightrope, when October is finished, tightrope walking won't be seen as " leadership".

Try not to have convenient memory loss in October.

@9:15am - I hope you’re wrong, but history always repeats itself. We have too many idiots to think otherwise.

@ 9:35 Are you an epidemiologist? Have you considered the prevalence rate and how you computed the denominator in order to assess whether or not there is a true increase in the number of cases per 100k population or is it strickly anecdotal based upon raw/crude numbers posted on the MSHD website? Also, do you have a controlled evidence based study that supports your assertion that N95 masks would support "the virus would be in check here" statement. I'm sure all of us have opinions but its just that opinions absent evidence based results. Bringing politics into your discussion is really your concern for the population and not health status. Oh and btw, I do have an MPH.