COVID-19 and Safe Deposit Boxes

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I Shrugged
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Re: COVID-19 and Safe Deposit Boxes

Post by I Shrugged » Thu Feb 27, 2020 7:11 pm

My plan is to drive our RV to Vinny’s place.
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Kriegsspiel
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Re: COVID-19 and Safe Deposit Boxes

Post by Kriegsspiel » Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:08 pm

dualstow wrote:
Wed Feb 26, 2020 7:51 am
Kriegsspiel wrote:
Wed Feb 26, 2020 7:30 am
“Prepackaged military rations are for pussies. I make my own”
- Granola Shotgun

;D ;D
I remember that post. I think PointedStick linked to it.
Never really understood his use of “pussies.” Like, you have to be brave to cook & put food in jars? ??? O0
On one hand, it is undeniably cooler to make your own long-term meal rations, as opposed to just buying a ready made one. In the same vein as the guy who has a sick skills is a better shot with a Hi Point than an untrained rich guy with a Gucci 1911. But I believe he was being hyperbolic.
You there, Ephialtes. May you live forever.
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sophie
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Re: COVID-19 and Safe Deposit Boxes

Post by sophie » Fri Feb 28, 2020 8:03 am

I suspect that the media & government reaction to the coronavirus is going to be way worse than the actual disease. It's already so much fun watching the media blame Trump for things like the CDC screwing up test kits. As if the President is supposed to fly down to Atlanta and personally inspect all the test kits before they are sent out?

Also, this battle will be fought not by the government but by private hospitals dealing with effectively a second flu season. I'm not sure what the government should do exactly, beyond what the CDC is already doing? Supporting research funding, vaccine development and (eventually) distribution, yes. But what else? Helping to keep medical supplies flowing, maybe, but even there, what can they do? Encourage domestic manufacturers to step up production maybe? Bring in prisoners to help work the line? Except, oh right, the manufacturing has all been outsourced to China. Oops!
glennds
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Re: COVID-19 and Safe Deposit Boxes

Post by glennds » Fri Feb 28, 2020 2:05 pm

sophie wrote:
Fri Feb 28, 2020 8:03 am
I'm not sure what the government should do exactly, beyond what the CDC is already doing? Supporting research funding, vaccine development and (eventually) distribution, yes. But what else? Helping to keep medical supplies flowing, maybe, but even there, what can they do? Encourage domestic manufacturers to step up production maybe? Bring in prisoners to help work the line? Except, oh right, the manufacturing has all been outsourced to China. Oops!
This is a public health (potential) emergency. So what they could and should be doing is taking the lead in establishing some uniformity to the information publicly disseminated about the virus, updated as more is known. They should also take the lead in setting up policies, procedures and protocols so that the 50 state departments of health are managing their provider communities with some level of consistency. All health care is local, and every local provider whether it be it a hospital, urgent care center, outpatient clinic, they are all licensed through their state licensing authority. I think the risk escalates if the information and handling procedures are not consistent from state to state. This is where the CDC or some other area of HHS could be functioning as a central command in terms of both strategy and coordination of effort.

Right now it looks like much confusion based on what I can glean from the news media. I don't even see clarity on testing resources. If timely testing is not available, the attending physician is basically handicapped in his/her ability to manage the case.

There's also the issue of public precautions. In Japan right now, they are putting out daily public announcements on what to avoid and what not to avoid, whether you should wear a mask or other protective gear and if so, when, when to seek medical attention, and equally important, when not to seek medical attention.
How sensible would it be to put out public service announcements advising people of the heightened importance of doing the common sense things within their power to boost their natural immunity? I'm talking about things like getting adequate sleep, eating a balanced diet, stay hydrated, don't let yourself get run down. Not a magic bullet, but every incremental level of defense is useful in fighting an epidemic. The Feds could champion and fund that message.

So simply put, the first step in managing an epidemic is containment and containment requires coordination, and that's where the CDC or another federal agency could play a major role.
glennds
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Re: COVID-19 and Safe Deposit Boxes

Post by glennds » Fri Feb 28, 2020 2:09 pm

Quite a few years ago in Arizona, there was a wildfire that came to be called the Rodeo-Chediski fire. It escalated into an emergency situation. It got large enough that there was a lot of panic and hysteria, so I remember vividly that the firefighting effort organized a central command of some type, in the field, and from there this one hands-on veteran firefighter guy would give a press press briefing twice per day.
It wasn't a long briefing; he rattled off the current status, weather conditions, changes since the prior briefing, the day's goals, who should evacuate, who should be concerned, etc, followed by a short Q&A period.
These briefings cut off all opportunity for misinformation and speculation among news agencies. And I think it helped that the briefings were from the dusty veteran firefighter, not a polished spokesperson or a politician.

So why can't the CDC or another Federal agency do something similar? A daily or twice daily briefing from a credible scientist or team of experienced professionals? Every news outlet could broadcast or livestream it, and so you would be able to hear the information directly for yourself. Is this too much to ask?
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jhogue
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Re: COVID-19 and Safe Deposit Boxes

Post by jhogue » Fri Feb 28, 2020 2:51 pm

I think that the equivalent of your veteran firefighter is Dr. Anthony Fauci, of the CDC and the NIH. He appears regularly on the news networks and has testified before Congress on AIDS, Ebola, etc.
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A stock trader asked him, "Groucho, where do you put all your money?" Groucho was said to have replied, "In Treasury bonds", and the trader said, "You can't make much money on those." Groucho said, "You can if you have enough of them!"
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dualstow
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Re: COVID-19 and Safe Deposit Boxes

Post by dualstow » Sat Feb 29, 2020 10:19 am

jhogue wrote:
Fri Feb 28, 2020 2:51 pm
I think that the equivalent of your veteran firefighter is Dr. Anthony Fauci, of the CDC and the NIH. He appears regularly on the news networks and has testified before Congress on AIDS, Ebola, etc.
I don't know why, but I've always found Fauci comforting. Maybe it's his cadence and accent.
Once upon a time, though, I found Greenspan comforting. O0 I still trust Fauci, completely.
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