patrick.net

80,000 people died of the flu in 2018:

https://www.statnews.com/2018/09/26/cdc-us-flu-deaths-winter/

It was barely even news.

Meanwhile, the other 10 to 15 thousand people who died in the USA today: Who gives a fuck.

https://theweek.com/speedreads/904584/new-oxford-study-suggests-millions-people-may-have-already-built-coronavirus-immunity

The Oxford research suggests the pandemic is in a later stage than previously thought and estimates the virus has already infected at least millions of people worldwide. In the United Kingdom, which the study focuses on, half the population would have already been infected. If accurate, that would mean transmission began around mid-January and the vast majority of cases presented mild or no symptoms.

The head of the study, professor Sunetra Gupta, an Oxford theoretical epidemiologist, said she still supports the U.K.'s decision to shut down the country to suppress the virus even if her research winds up being proven correct. But she also doesn't appear to be a big fan of the work done by the Imperial College team. "I am surprised that there has been such unqualified acceptance of the Imperial model," she said.

If her work is accurate, that would likely mean a large swath of the population has built up resistance to the virus. Theoretically, then, social restrictions could ease sooner than anticipated. What needs to be done now, Gupta said, is a whole lot of antibody testing to figure out who may have contracted the virus.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/uk-coronavirus-mass-home-testing-to-be-made-available-within-days

Home testing? You pee on it and it says if you don't vote Democrat, you'll be dead in days.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-weekly-initial-unemployment-claims-march-21-153036254.html
Unemployment benefit claims skyrocket to 3.283 million

https://funnyandhilarious.com/pornhub-premium-is-now-free-to-encourage-everyone-to-stay-home/

Pornhub Premium Is Now Free To Encourage Everyone To Stay Home

@WookieMan you were right on this one - 1k deaths and 3MM unemployed - really? I hope Trump stays strong and continues to support opening up businesses again early.

mell says

@WookieMan you were right on this one - 1k deaths and 3MM unemployed - really? I hope Trump stays strong and continues to support opening up businesses again early.

That's 3.28 million that applied for unemployment pay for the week ending 3/20.

Figure another 3 million for those who don't qualify for unemployment compensation (part timers, illegals, and those without 6 months employment at their last employer).

Figure another 5 million that got their hours cut

Next weeks report will be even worse, but they passed the stimulus bill. Who cares if anyone has a job? We will print our way to prosperity. What could possibly go wrong?

Misc says

Next weeks report will be even worse, but they passed the stimulus bill. Who cares if anyone has a job? We will print our way to prosperity. What could possibly go wrong?

I agree the report will be similar if not worse. The key is if we open shit back up, can we hit the ground running? My worry is we can't. This is a gut feeling and I don't have a theory/idea why though outside of anecdotal experiences.

I don't really comprehend how you can make up roughly 20-30 days of 80% reduced spending across the board. Entire industries (not just one or two) basically closed. Good GDP growth is 3% with everything open 24/7. People can't and won't triple spend when things open back up. That money is gone. And now they don't have jobs and are waiting on gov. assistance in some cases to eat. A bit hyperbolic, but people are gonna be hurting.

After my first adventure into the public in 11 days, I fear we're fucked. Older people aren't heeding the advice whatsoever in my area at least. I don't really have a guess on deaths for CV-19, but my guess is it's going to surpass 50k and I think that's the floor, not the ceiling.

WookieMan says

I don't really have a guess on deaths for CV-19, but my guess is it's going to surpass 50k and I think that's the floor, not the ceiling.

Lol. I guess I have a guess. Ahhhh, sometimes the brain don't work right.

https://trendingpolitics.com/breaking-british-expert-who-predicted-millions-of-coronavirus-deaths-makes-stunning-reversal/?utm_source=economics

1/ This is a remarkable turn from Neil Ferguson, who led the Imperial College authors who warned of 500,000 UK deaths - and who has now himself tested positive for #COVID;

2/ He now says both that the U.K. should have enough ICU beds and that the coronavirus will probably kill under 20,000 people in the U.K. - more than 1/2 of whom would have died by the end of the year in any case bc they were so old and sick.

3/ Essentially, what has happened is that estimates of the viruses transmissibility have increased - which implies that many more people have already gotten it than we realize - which in turn implies it is less dangerous.

4/ Ferguson now predicts that the epidemic in the U.K. will peak and subside within “two to three weeks” - last week’s paper said 18+ months of quarantine would be necessary.

5/ One last point here: Ferguson gives the lockdown credit, which is interesting - the UK only began ita lockdown 2 days ago, and the theory is that lockdowns take 2 weeks or more to work.

6/ Not surprisingly, this testimony has received no attention in the US - I found it only in UK papers. Team Apocalypse is not interested.

WookieMan says

Older people aren't heeding the advice whatsoever in my area at least.

Judging by my elderly neighbors, they don't. Group walks, Starbucks runs, doggy playdates, Costco runs, TotalWine runs, you name it. My fucking cars haven't been started in more than a week (reminds me to put a trickle charger on the one with a weak battery), but these guys - in and out like a fucking clockwork.

TEOTWAWKI says

Judging by my elderly neighbors, they don't.

If they are still alive, then they are just part of the problem.

Ceffer says

TEOTWAWKI says

Judging by my elderly neighbors, they don't.

If they are still alive, then they are just part of the problem.

Valid point.

TEOTWAWKI says

Judging by my elderly neighbors, they don't. Group walks, Starbucks runs, doggy playdates, Costco runs, TotalWine runs, you name it. My fucking cars haven't been started in more than a week (reminds me to put a trickle charger on the one with a weak battery), but these guys - in and out like a fucking clockwork.

I didn't get it. Mind gets foggy when you've been home so much. I felt like I was in a movie or something. It was surreal. And no, this wasn't during senior hours that they're now doing. Everyone in the damn store could have been my parent or grand parent (I'm mid 30's as a reference point).

I was literally looking at 20% of people in there and thinking, boom, you're dead, you're dead, etc... I think I saw 3 obese bitches on electric carts. I'm like, "how you doing rolling dead fattie?"

Delivery services for oxycontin, cocaine, THC oils, marijuana and Napa Valley Wines. These OldFuck menaces, using the public dime for their heedless pleasures while social isolating, HAVE GOT TO GO!

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/imperial-college-scientist-who-predicted-500k-coronavirus-deaths-in-uk-revises-to-20k-or-less

Imperial College scientist who predicted 500K coronavirus deaths in UK revises to 20K or fewer

February 24, 2020

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi toured San Francisco's Chinatown Monday to send a message. She said there's no reason tourists or locals should be staying away from the area because of coronavirus concerns.
"That’s what we’re trying to do today is to say everything is fine here," Pelosi said. "Come because precautions have been taken. The city is on top of the situation."

It's official: USA are #1!
The good new is the testing issue is solved.

Sure, if you believe China's number of confirmed cases resembles reality, or ignore the fact that the US is about 5 times the population of Italy.

TEOTWAWKI says

February 24, 2020

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi toured San Francisco's Chinatown Monday to send a message. She said there's no reason tourists or locals should be staying away from the area because of coronavirus concerns.
"That’s what we’re trying to do today is to say everything is fine here," Pelosi said. "Come because precautions have been taken. The city is on top of the situation."

Yup, that's an actual quote:

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/nancy-pelosi-visits-san-franciscos-chinatown/2240247/

Pelosi is a whore.

And apparently a cheap whore. How much could Chinatown possibly have paid her for that?

Pelosi is out of her mind.

I was up there last week and it was deserted,

If the stores and restaurants are all closed why would anyone go there?

https://worldnewsdailyreport.com/papua-new-guinea-entire-cannibal-tribe-catches-coronavirus-after-eating-infected-chinese-prospector/

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: ENTIRE CANNIBAL TRIBE CATCHES CORONAVIRUS AFTER EATING INFECTED CHINESE PROSPECTOR



A total of 14 members of the Korowai tribe have died and 87 others have tested positive to the Covid-19 virus over the last two weeks, over a population of 118.

After several days of thorough investigation, the governmental authorities believe they may finally have found the reason for the mysterious contamination of this extremely isolated tribe.

Several members of the tribe said they became sick after eating the “yellow evil spirit”.

According to Lt. James Manning of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, the country’s national police, this could explain the disappearance of 57-year old Chinese engineer Wu Jing in the region at the end of February.

clambo says

Pelosi is out of her mind.

I was up there last week and it was deserted,

If the stores and restaurants are all closed why would anyone go there?

Pelosi has dimentia

https://www.unz.com/chopkins/the-war-on-death/

OK, I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some some bad news. The good news is mainly for authoritarians who missed all the fun during the War on Terror. The news is … welcome to the War on Death!

Yes, that’s right, global capitalism (a/k/a “the world”) is now at war with Death … which is great news for authoritarians! No more bothersome critical thinking. The time for questioning our leaders is over. It’s time to shut up and follow orders. We’re in a global state of emergency, folks! We’re talking lockdowns, soldiers in the streets, abrogation of our constitutional rights, arbitrary arrests, indefinite detentions, round-the-clock media fear-propaganda … the whole totalitarian megillah!

What, you’re probably asking, is the War on Death? Well … for those who remember the War on Terror, the War on Death is just like that, except this time the evil enemy is Death … or, all right, maybe not exactly like that, but there are a number of striking similarities.

Huh, Wuhan virus eliminates both air pollution and crime!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/coronavirus-new-york-city-crime/2020/03/26/6a408e94-6f9a-11ea-a3ec-70d7479d83f0_story.html

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-antibody/cheap-antibody-test-sent-for-validation-in-coronavirus-fight-idUKKBN21D1W9

LONDON (Reuters) - A British company behind a 10-minute coronavirus antibody test, which will cost about a $1, has begun sending prototypes to laboratories for validation, which could be a game-changer in the fight against the pandemic.

Looks like Australians beat them:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-26/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-finger-prick-expanded-criteria/12089608

And now the Dutch:

http://biozek.com/corona-virus-covid-rapid-test/

Booger says

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: ENTIRE CANNIBAL TRIBE CATCHES CORONAVIRUS AFTER EATING INFECTED CHINESE PROSPECTOR

LOL! From the same site that gives you such headlines as "MAN HOSPITALIZED AFTER DRINKING 16 GALLONS OF HAND SANITIZER TO PROTECT HIMSELF FROM CORONAVIRUS"

and "MAN ARRESTED AT THE FRANCE-GERMANY BORDER FOR SMUGGLING 2,500 SURGICAL MASKS IN HIS RECTAL CAVITY"

Probably more reliable than CNN.

It was CNN

Good point.