Capitol Hill Blue Forums Science and Technology Health, Medicine & the healing Sciences Coronavirus: The Plague of The 21st Century?

Been watching the TV this morning over the virus. Seems that there have been a LOT of tests. Only problem seems to be that there are NO results!

Just wondering.................

These are not really tests. These are test submission kits. Labs still run the tests. There is no simple "the test strip turns blue" test for a virus. In fact, to determine if a specific virus is present in a sample, antibodies have to lock onto some exposed viral antigen with some kind of observable microscopic indicator. Or a segment of RNA has to lock onto some viral RNA with a similar indicator.

A couple, from my town, went over to the Seattle area to check on an elderly family member. Seems that member was in the place that 19 victims have already died in. When they got back home they were sick. They did the right thing and self quarantined and then called the hospital about a test. They are sick and coughing and have temperatures. they were told they weren't sick enough to be tested.

They are in their 60's and have children. If something bad happens I suspect the children will end up owning the hospital.

I seem to be doing a LOT of wondering these days..............

You're joking!
They were told that they weren't sick enough to be tested?
Were they told that over the PHONE??

Live hot mic moment immediately following Trump's COVID-19 speech to the nation says it all.

TWITTER

He is not ready to admit that he's stymied by it. He has only had one or two public "Paper Towel Photo Ops" and that is not nearly enough.
One more rally and the Real Trump will return full force, blaming it on Obama or the Democrats again.

He never will be ready to admit he is beaten by this, and if our ("Trump's federal") response to this pandemic continues to be as monotone and petulant as Trump's teleprompter speech tonight, this nation will witness and be forced to accept the unthinkable.
What "final solution" will we hear about that will be defended by his cronies in the GOP Congress?
We already heard the voice of the free markets, Rick Santelli, suggesting that everyone be purposely infected with it.

Trump is highly suggestible. All Santelli has to do is contribute to his campaign and Trump will try to revisit that suggestion seriously.
Maybe it will be ultimately shot down, but how sure are we? How sure are we that Trump won't suggest it, and how sure are we that Mitch McConnell won't be ready and willing to be the tip of the spear? How sure are we that we have any patriots left in the GOP Senate who will push back hard enough?

If this gets really bad, don't expect Morgan Freeman to sing America a lullaby.
In the real COVID-19 "movie", we don't get Morgan Freeman farewells on a great national tragedy, nor do we get the bookend where we come out resilient on the other side, with Morgan ready to lead us to our salvation, like in Deep Impact.

We get a raging madman, acting out The Poseidon Adventure only he invited the Tidy Bowl Man to come and watch instead of the Pandemic Response Team, which he FIRED.

Right now I think Trump is by far Biden's biggest booster.

Yep............

Last night the TV revealed that the CDC processed a total of 8 (eight!) tests yesterday! 8! We are, obviously, well on our way to understanding, and fixing the entire problem! Especially after having been assured, by our dear leader the jackass Trump, that things are just dandy.

I am 85 years old, and I have COPD. I also, fortunately, have a bipap machine which will help me breath when covid-19 comes calling. Bit concerned about getting an available ventilator. Maybe I should buy myself one.

One can only wonder why them backward countries, like South Korea, are actually testing hundreds of thousands!

North Korea is the backwards one. South Korea is a manufacturing juggernaut. They can manufacture test kits and machines to process them. We have to buy ours from China. When South Korea has more than they need they might sell us some. Or since they don't like Trump they can sell their excess to other countries...we're pretty much just fecked.

Respirators are hard to buy. Pretty much medical buyers only. Oxygen concentrators are not. You can still get them on Amazon for about $400.