Forums >Health and Nutrition>The COVID-19 Wild West Thread
One day at a time
Ugh, people are stubborn.
"Wow, the rate of infection is going up sharply in Texas.""Oh, that's just due to the increased testing."
"Uh, well, testing has ramped up for awhile now, and of more concern, hospitalizations are going up a lot.""Yeah, but what's the average age of people who are hospitalized?"
OK, fine, whatever, you go out and do your thing. Just don't come anywhere near me or my dad who is being discharged from hospice this week - I want him to stay OUT of hospice. And I don't really care that he's old - I want him around for awhile. Argh.
I know there are some medical folks on here.....can any explain why the positivity rate has become an important metric? Here in MD, there was a lot made of it being close to 20% in mid-May. The only way you could get tested at that time was with symptoms & a doctor's note, so to me, it seems like the percent of positive tests would be high given the criteria to get one. Testing got opened up in late May, no longer requires a doctor's orders or symptoms, so it makes sense that the rate of positives goes down. Is the impportance just that is shows a rise in total testing?
RIP Milkman
Teresa: do you have N-95 masks for your dad? If not, find a way to procure some, even if it's from some friends who have old ones. They make a world of difference. I hope your dad stays well.
Regarding positivity rate, it's a sign that there's enough testing be done. When that number gets low, it means you're really testing a wide swath of the population, including people who don't have symptoms. Here in NYC, you can just walk into any urgent care and get tested for COVID, no questions asked. I know a lot of the country is not like that and it's unfortunate.
The best metric to track wherever you live is hospitalization rates. There's no discussion there about the amount of testing available and whether they're truly accurate. If your hospitalization rates are going up, you're in trouble, especially because they are a lagging indicator (generally people who are being hospitalized were infected 14-21 days prior).
There are definitely parts of the country that need to worry right now, but don't just look at increasing case count as it can be misleading. Texas certainly is one of them: they are not trending in the right direction on any metric.
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
Problem Child
Ugh, people are stubborn. OK, fine, whatever, you go out and do your thing. Just don't come anywhere near me or my dad who is being discharged from hospice this week - I want him to stay OUT of hospice. And I don't really care that he's old - I want him around for awhile. Argh.
you people....ah I love it.
Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.
VDOT 53.37
5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22
The best metric to track wherever you live is hospitalization rates. There's no discussion there about the amount of testing available and whether they're truly accurate. If your hospitalization rates are going up, you're in trouble, especially because they are a lagging indicator (generally people who are being hospitalized were infected 14-21 days prior). There are definitely parts of the country that need to worry right now, but don't just look at increasing case count as it can be misleading. Texas certainly is one of them: they are not trending in the right direction on any metric.
This...ALL. OF. THIS. If you're testing positive, but NOT being hospitalized it is literally no different than having the flu virus. Nothing a doctor can do and there isn't a vaccine against DNA contrary to what people think the flu vaccine is.
EDIT: Also, most of the time the data on hospitalization rates isn't 100% accurate either and I know this second hand. It's all data manipulation and in at least one instance COVID 19 was blamed for a hospital decision it didn't cause. hashtag scape goat.
Interval Junkie --Nobby
This..
For a guy who has no time to post because of his focus on running, you sure do post a lot.
But regarding asserting wide-spread data manipulation based on "at least one case", all I can say that being asked to report subjectively good information in a situation on which available objective data misrepresents reality, it is always going to look wrong in hindsight. To conclude there was nefarious intent to mislead, you've got a lot more work to do.
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
Regarding positivity rate, it's a sign that there's enough testing be done. When that number gets low, it means you're really testing a wide swath of the population, including people who don't have symptoms. Here in NYC, you can just walk into any urgent care and get tested for COVID, no questions asked. I know a lot of the country is not like that and it's unfortunate. The best metric to track wherever you live is hospitalization rates. There's no discussion there about the amount of testing available and whether they're truly accurate. If your hospitalization rates are going up, you're in trouble, especially because they are a lagging indicator (generally people who are being hospitalized were infected 14-21 days prior). There are definitely parts of the country that need to worry right now, but don't just look at increasing case count as it can be misleading. Texas certainly is one of them: they are not trending in the right direction on any metric.
OK, that goes along with what I was thinking. When the positivity rate tracking was announced, the MD/DC/VA area was deemed problematic at one of the press conferences, but there was no discussion of why it was a problem. At the time, tests in MD were tightly controlled. As soon as the testing opened up, the rate dropped.
That's why I specifically mentioned hospitalization rates going up. People don't want to look at number of cases, fine, but they should pay attention to hospitalizations, especially when numbers start spiking. It's really not rocket science.
JMac11, I'll have to see if my dad has an N95 mask. He's pretty much staying in his house. He has 24/7 care, but it's just a handful of people who have been with him with months. One of them did have a suspected case of COVID, but it was "just" strep. We're still baffled as to how she got it, because she was being very careful. About the same time, my BIL got strep - he didn't get it from her because he was never around her, but that was concerning, also.
Yep, "you people." I'm tired of arguing. Take all the risks you want.
I get in a car almost daily and have no control over those around me. I'm positive it is more dangerous to be around a moving vehicle with no control over it than it is to be around COVID 19.
Also, there is a respiratory illness in babies and toddlers society ignores and doesn't shut down for so I have zero sympathy for shutting down society due to COVID 19 fears after the mandatory quarantine period. My son, and three in his class, AND my nephew had this. Nephew was hospitalized because of it. I never saw a single news article about it, and the daycares aren't required to close.
I'm looking forward to the second wave of COVID 19. Maybe everyone, except teenagers and undocumented citizens, will obtain another $1,200 from the federal government. This record high depression era like unemployment is doing wonders on my savings.
Good Bad & The Monkey
Just to be crystal clear, you are a heartless asshole. You don’t need to take that personally because it’s a simple fact. And you base your logic on a lack of understanding of medical knowledge, epidemiology, and all the false equivalences you make. While I’m on the topic, given how much time you think you are running, you are a fairly mediocre runner.
I'm looking forward to the second wave of COVID 19.
I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.
Poor baby
Savage.
My blog is JT Running DC. It's awesome. Guide to Washington DC Area Running Routes. Guide to the New York City Marathon. Guide to the Boston Marathon. Guide to Running Gear. Guide to Running Clothes.
Mmmm Bop
The gloves are off and I would like to see a virtual race challenge.
St Trent Vs Bruiser Brewing Runner
Name the date and distance and let’s get it on!!!!
5k - 17:53 (4/19) 10k - 37:53 (11/18) Half - 1:23:18 (4/19) Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)
The gloves are off and I would like to see a virtual race challenge. St Trent Vs Bruiser Brewing Runner Name the date and distance and let’s get it on!!!!
To be fair, it needs to be age-graded.
Not that I know that ages of anyone involved.
I gotta agree that hospital admissions are the better guess at infection rates, because the rate of testing has been and still is variable. I would assume that the percentage of people requiring hospitalization after infection is fairly consistent.
And we're seeing an increase in hospitalizations here, so...
60-64 age group - University of Oregon alumni - Irreverent and Annoying
To be fair, it needs to be age-graded. Not that I know that ages of anyone involved. I gotta agree that hospital admissions are the better guess at infection rates, because the rate of testing has been and still is variable. I would assume that the percentage of people requiring hospitalization after infection is fairly consistent. And we're seeing an increase in hospitalizations here, so...
Better be shoe size graded. I don't act my age and it's unfair to those in my age group to associate me with them.