Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Sheilbh]

Who at the Oregon Health Authority thought it would be a good idea to do an update on covid and celebrating Halloween safely in costume


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPn6fT6BrcQ&feature=emb_title

[The Larch]

heh, I just read this earlier today. Sounds related.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/11/squash-lacrosse-niche-sports-ivy-league-admissions/616474/

I'm obsessed with that article. It'd make an incredible novel. We need some Gilded Age style writers to investigate this.

I'm halfway through the article and still scratching my head. I don't think I'll ever understand the bizarre relationship between American universities and sports.

[Grey Fox]

Really? They're just like your Clubs that have teams in multiple sports.

[Valmy]

I'm halfway through the article and still scratching my head. I don't think I'll ever understand the bizarre relationship between American universities and sports.

Way back in the olden times when Universities were for men of the gentlemanly classes, the schools sponsored athletic competitions between themselves in an attempt to foster the Liberal Education ideal of strong mind and body. Plus they would show good sportsmanship and proper manly virtues.

Then these became a big deal as the other students and then the local townies began following the competitions, especially in sports that did not have a professional league associated with it. And by 1900 or so it became a big deal recruiting students and attracting monetary donations and it has been this crazy thing ever since.

In 1927 the University of Notre Dame beat the University of Southern California 7-6 in front of over 100,000 fans in Chicago in American Football. I mean it's has been crazy and has been for a very long time,.

[DGuller]

I'm not all that familiar with college sports, but the more I hear about NCAA, the more nauseating it gets.  We have this multi-billion dollar industry that's built on the backs of "student athletes", and yet it would be unethical to actually pay them anything or have them make any money from endorsements. 

[Barrister]

I saw the craziest thing. It was an ad stating that since there's no competitive hockey going on right now in Canada, that you could send your 14-15 year old to Sweden for 6 weeks to train and play, since they are having games there.

I mean it kind of makes sense from one perspective.  AT that age group you're looking at the CHL drafts coming up for next year.  It's really hard if you think you're going to be a pro hockey player to take a year off like this.

But from a Covid perspective it's madness.

I saw the ad again.  Total cost for your six weeks?  $10,000. 

[Valmy]

Yeah but its only Canadian dollars.

[Barrister]

Yeah but its only Canadian dollars.

[The Brain]

I saw the craziest thing. It was an ad stating that since there's no competitive hockey going on right now in Canada, that you could send your 14-15 year old to Sweden for 6 weeks to train and play, since they are having games there.

I mean it kind of makes sense from one perspective.  AT that age group you're looking at the CHL drafts coming up for next year.  It's really hard if you think you're going to be a pro hockey player to take a year off like this.

But from a Covid perspective it's madness.

I saw the ad again.  Total cost for your six weeks?  $10,000. 

Gee, thanks.

[alfred russel]

Gee, thanks.

If only Sweden ignores lockdown, they are going to get all the rich helicopter parent money. 

[alfred russel]

I'm halfway through the article and still scratching my head. I don't think I'll ever understand the bizarre relationship between American universities and sports.

That article isn't really about the relationship that you are probably thinking about.

Some college programs have football and basketball programs that exceed professional teams in prominence and attendance. Those aren't your Ivy League schools that are in the article.

What is in the article is more along the lines of: there are very few Ivy League admission spots, and they make an effort to be diverse in their selections. They aren't going to accept every person with near perfect grades and test scores, because across the country there are zillions of them. They certainly aren't going to accept everyone with those credentials from one of the wealthiest and best educated zip codes in America--because that would mean half their class is from Connecticut.

Of course those super wealthy and best educated zip codes are filled with parents that went to elite schools and want that for their kids. They see their kids as one of 1,000 in the area with perfect scores and grades, and want them to get one of the 100 spots in elite schools. They need a differentiator. Lacrosse, fencing or squash is the path discussed in the article, but it could  be any number of things that would contribute to student life or just enhance the application beyond being a good student.

[Zanza]

Here we go again...


https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-germany-to-impose-one-month-partial-lockdown/a-55421241

Coronavirus: Germany to impose one-month partial lockdown
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced tough new measures from Monday, November 2, in an attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. But will the German people be compliant?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany's state premiers announced on Wednesday a new partial lockdown to begin on Monday, November 2.

The so-called nation-wide "lockdown light" is a less intense version of the measures that brought German society and economic activity to a standstill in the spring.

New restrictions for the next month
Restaurants and bars will close, except for take-away
Large events will be canceled again
Unnecessary travel is discouraged
Overnight stays in hotels, except for in emergency situations, is banned
All those who can work from home should do so and employers should ease a transition into working from home
Meetings in public will be restricted to just two households of up to 10 people total.
Entertainment facilities such as theatres, cinemas will be closed
Public recreation centers such as swimming pools, gyms and saunas will be closed

What is allowed
Schools and kindergartens will remain open
Church services and protests will be allowed to continue due constitutional concerns
Nursing home residents will be allowed to receive visitors.
Shops will remain open, with one customer allowed per 10 square meters (108 square feet).
'Serious situation'
Merkel said in a press conference: "We are in a very serious situation."

"We must act, and now, to avoid an acute national health emergency."

She said the number of people in intensive care units has doubled in the past 10 days, and that in many areas it was no longer possible to track and trace infection chains. In 75% of cases, the source of infection is unknown.

"If infections continue at this rate, we will be at the limits of the capacities of our health system," she said.

"That is why this is a difficult day today, also for political decision-makers, I want to say this explicitly because we know what we are putting people through," she said.

State and federal leaders will meet again in two weeks to assess if the new measures are having enough of an effect, and recalibrate if needed.

Business support
Merkel promised that firms hit by the new measures would receive economic support, with companies with up to 50 employees and the self employed will receive 75% of their income in support.

"We will compensate affected companies, institutions and clubs," she said.

According to media reports, a total of €10 billion ($11.8 billion) has been earmarked for spport.

Larger companies will be reliant on EU rules for assistance and this will vary from company to company.

Public mood
Until now, Merkel's government has enjoyed high levels of support for the measures put in place to tackle the pandemic and Germany has fared relatively well compared to many of its European neighbors.

But public mood has been shifting and criticism among the population of government-ordained measures is on the rise.

Wednesday saw Germany's highest rate of new daily infections yet — over 14,000 — and the latest figures show that only around 25% of Germany's intensive care beds are still available.

Mounting dissatisfaction
Compared to the beginning of October, 5% more people now say that the measures currently in place do not go far enough (32% in total), according to the statistics agency Infratest. At the same time, the number of people for whom the measures go too far increased by 4% to 15% of people in total. A slim majority (51%) feel that the current measures are sufficient, but this number is 8% less than at the start of October.

Some of those who vehemently oppose further restrictions are fearful of the economic impact. Many Berlin restaurant owners, for example, have said they would probably have to close down their business if faced with a second lockdown. They have already seen losses after the closure in the spring, followed by rules that forced them to adhere to social distancing regulations and then the curfew imposed last month.

Several news outlets also reported that financing the new measures would push the amount of debt Germany was in for 2021 well over €100 billion ($117 billion). Finance Minister Olaf Scholz had planned a sum of €96 billion to help businesses ride out the pandemic next year, but the new aid package could cost €10 billion more.

The opposition pro-business liberal Free Democrats have spoken out against another shutdown of the hospitality sector. "I believe it is unnecessary and unconstitutional," party leader Christian Lindner wrote on Twitter before Wednesday's meeting.

'Lockdown fantasies'
For many in Germany, the question of individual freedom is at least as important as a thriving economy. Leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is the largest opposition party in the German federal parliament, have been among those the most widely critical of further restrictions.

"No measures — including lockdowns — have had a demonstrable influence on the infection rate, but the lockdown fantasies of government politicians are becoming increasingly absurd," the AfD parliamentary leader Alexander Gauland said in a statement on Tuesday.

Read more: False alarm? Confusion about EU COVID-19 threat levels

Germany has seen anti-lockdown protests in recent months, with some groups protesting under the banner of "Querdenker" — people who "think outside the box." A demonstration in Berlin at the weekend coincided with an arson attack on the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's public health agency — although no suspects have yet been identified.

Protesters espousing conspiracy theories and far-right groups have joined the demonstrations, drawing criticism and ridicule from the left and more liberal quarters. But surveys show that there is a growing number of people critical of restrictions, who believe that fighting the virus should be a question of personal responsibility. The most recent survey shows that a narrow majority of Germans agree with this view: 54% compared to 43% who say authorities should put restrictions in place.

Berlin vs. the states
As Germany is governed by a federal system, one of the key questions during the pandemic response has been how much of a say the central government in Berlin should have, as health policy is the mandate of the 16 states. This has led to a "patchwork" of regulations across the country, with travel bans or curfews in some places and no restrictions in others.

The most recent survey shows over two thirds (68%) of people want regulations to be unified across the 16 states. Additionally, 78% said they wanted the states to "work more closely together" in pandemic response.

There have been calls for the parliaments at federal and state levels to be involved in decision making, with MPs from all political parties speaking out against decision-making behind closed doors.

A European role model?
Despite the increasing infection rates, Germany still stands on good ground compared to other European countries. Even with the high daily infection figures seen in late October, in terms of cases per 100,000 inhabitants Germany remains well below rates in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Belgium.

France and the UK are among the countries that have introduced partial or localized lockdowns in recent weeks in an effort to curb the number of cases. Germany is hoping to take action before cases reach the rates seen there, in two of the worst-affected nations in the world.

Germany's relatively strong acceptance of measures up until now may have been key in the low infection and death rates. But surveys show that 50% of Germans believe that efforts by police and authorities to enforce the restrictions have not gone far enough.

The challenge is to make sure the German people accept the new measures — and to enforce them. Relying on goodwill and compliance, as the chancellor called for in her most recent video podcast, may not go far enough.

[Tamas]

From today all visitors to Hungary must self isolate for two weeks and on their residence they must put on a government issued red sticker declaring the residence is in quarantine and nobody allowed to enter.

Basically if I was to visit home that would need to go on my parents house

[mongers]

The Bournemouth/Poole/Xchurch conurbation near here has one of the highest rates in all of Southern England, London or the home counties; at 204 cases per100th, it's only higher in two london boroughs and Bristol.

That's no surprise to me given the amount of traffic going in and out of the area, volumes of which are back to normal.

[Syt]

Apparently Switzerland are changing their travel rules. If you come from an area that has a lower 14 day incidence number not higher than 60 above Switzerland's quarantine isn't required. Which means e.g. Austria is coming off the quarantine list even though we might head for a new lockdown either next week or the week after.

Feels a bit like a "doesn't really matter any more" move.