Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19



  • The people who think this is fake need to put themselves in my shoes. I have an 8 year old diabetic son, a 73 year old dad who has COPD and other health issues, a mother-in-law who has RA and a wife who has asthma.

    Why not waive on the side of caution? I’m not treating this as if I’m scared or too prideful to treat this serious. I treat this as I’d rather be uncomfortable (donning a mask) and have this be less serious than previously expected than be careless and danger my loved ones.

    Same goes for strangers who argue this point. They, in a way, are putting them in danger too. It’s not like we can stay home 100% of the time.

    Another one of view point in this is, and I’m not at all saying this is anyone here.
    This generation is a bunch of pu$$ies, pardon my French. Just think about it. People who think this is fake or are protesting the restrictions set in place would have never lasted in previous generations. From getting drafted in wars at the age of 18 or even going on a country wide ration during WWII. It would have impeded on their freedoms, right? I bet the kids storming the beaches in Normandy thought the same.

    All people have to do is wear a mask and wash their hands a little more often than they normally would. Not hard people.



  • Side note: I have a homemade KU mask so that’s pretty cool I guess.



  • @kjayhawks said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    I would agree about not being able to shut back down. CNN ran a story about how the riots and protests didn’t lead to a rise in cases but ran an article about how a few thousand at a Trump rally caused a huge spike. The media thinks everyone is a potato at this point. Also if we are shutdown this winter millions will die because of the shut down not virus. The morality rate is less than 1% in this country still considerably less than the flu, pneumonia and other illnesses. Be smart and wash your hands. I’ll see if I can find the article about the hundreds of millions of dollars big businesses like amazon, Walmart, Menards etc made during shut down. Will never understand how standing apart in Walmart is different than any other store or local business. I’m just being as safe as I can, I have left my county once since early February and limited unneeded trips anywhere.

    One big difference between the protests and the rally is that the protests were all outside, where sunlight and air/humidity/wind all drive the spread of the virus down. Inside the arena, you don’t have those factors, so there’s a greater chance for spread in a large crowd.

    Another factor is mask use, as many protesters wore masks even outside, which further cuts down on spread, while the rally had lots of attendees not wearing masks, which, again, increases the chance of transmission.

    Those two factors (outside vs. inside and masks vs. no masks) are things that could have easily been predicted based on the science we have, which told us months ago that sunlight/humidity and air temperature could help slow the spread, and that wearing masks can cut person to person transmission.

    So the result is really no surprise.



  • @justanotherfan right I’m not saying that the trump rally didn’t increase cases but if you’re telling me folks not following the social distance guidelines and standing side by side in groups, several of which were not wearing mask didn’t increase cases. I’m not dignifying it with a response.



  • @kjayhawks I haven’t seen any stats on CNN saying the Trump rally increased cases. There have been articles about campaign staffers testing positive. There were articles on CNN expecting increases from both the protests and the rally.

    What gets you so bent out of shape when people attempt to discuss things with you, especially someone as non-provocative as @justanotherfan? Very odd response.



  • Also contact tracers have been instructed not to ask about attending protests, so we may never be able to really get the causal effect there.



  • Mercy , Florida is just off the charts right now over 9,000 new cases in one day , and yet the governor is STILL not imposing restriction of wearing masks.





  • @FarmerJayhawk There will be correlation to rising rates in the cities where they occurred, even if they cannot definitively demonstrate causation. There were protests in so many cities, it is likely that if it happened in one place it could have happened in many.

    Epidemiologists will likely be studying this for years. I bet they would love to get the drone and helicopter surveillance footage to identify crowd density and spacing.



  • @mayjay people that lack logic and common sense which on a normal day isn’t @justanotherfan. Him and I usually agree. The idea that one group of people spreads it but another doesn’t even if they are outside isn’t logical in the slightest to me.





  • @kjayhawks It actually makes a lot of sense when you start looking at how it is spreading in FL and TX once they allowed bars and restaurants to fully open. If you have been in a crowded restaurant, you know people are sitting facing each other and breathing horizontally toward each other without moving, and the only air movement is whatever the ventilation system provides. Marchers are in open air. Even a 1 mph breeze will move at close to 1.5 ft/sec andthe marchers themselves are moving. As they do so, they also move the air around them, which can create air movement in 3 dimensions. There was a reason numbers stopped going down when indoor seating opened up.

    I think the spread among Trump campaign staffers and Sec Service agents was likely caused by proximity in indoor meetings as well as being around each other in hallways, cars, etc. It is entirely possible that the low turnout will result in far fewer infections than anticipated if 3 times the crowd had been there. Pictures show the ones in the arena not doing much to show awareness of the virus or their risk, but perhaps the huge open space will have acted more like an outdoor space.



  • Unfortunately, common sense doesn’t seem to be all that common.



  • @mayjay right I am a 100% in agreement it can spread easier indoors, that seems like common sense. You bring up Florida, a ton people have gotten it there on beaches since they reopened. It’s just asinine to think that hundreds maybe even thousands walking some hand and hand doesn’t spread it. I’m moving on from this conversation my friends.



  • These people in bars in Lawrence and high numbers in Riley and Sedgwick co are going to keep us from having fall sports. I know they closed two bars in aggieville.



  • @Crimsonorblue22 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    These people in bars in Lawrence and high numbers in Riley and Sedgwick co are going to keep us from having fall sports. I know they closed two bars in aggieville.

    your right , as they now have said THE HAWK in connection to several cases of the virus



  • @jayballer73 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @Crimsonorblue22 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    These people in bars in Lawrence and high numbers in Riley and Sedgwick co are going to keep us from having fall sports. I know they closed two bars in aggieville.

    your right , as they now have said THE HAWK in connection to several cases of the virus

    Huh, I figured if people had been exposed to all the pathogens at The Hawk, they’d be immune to mostly everything.



  • @FarmerJayhawk said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @jayballer73 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @Crimsonorblue22 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    These people in bars in Lawrence and high numbers in Riley and Sedgwick co are going to keep us from having fall sports. I know they closed two bars in aggieville.

    your right , as they now have said THE HAWK in connection to several cases of the virus

    Huh, I figured if people had been exposed to all the pathogens at The Hawk, they’d be immune to mostly everything.

    Lmao , guess not



  • My personal belief , or thinking on this virus is to me , we have people pointing fingers on People saying it is their fault - this person - - that person , for me NOW I don’t care anymore - - -it’s done , that is not going to help anything now. That part is over. NOW we have to concentrate on the virus not who’s fault it might be.

    A lot of the problems going on now is pretty simple , it comes down to where the States just re-opened to soon , to many people showing no regard to restrictions/ Hell what good did the face mask restriction do when 1/2 the population just blew it off and didn’t wear them when they had restrictions on them ? You have those with that , then you have the one’s that plain and simple don’t give a dam. If it’s an incovience to them- - they are not doing it , acting like they are above getting or /spreading the virus.

    Now as a Nation we have 40,000 new cases for ONE day and spiking. - we are seeing Hospitalizations on the increase again some close to reaching capacity. - -Hell we are seeing states starting to re-enforce restrictions on like number of people in public places , some business shutting back down. States such as Utah , North Carolina , South Carolina , Texas , West Virginia , Florida , California , Arizona , Nevada , Oklahoma all either doing on re-opening restrictions and NOW California has finally ordered once again - - Stay at Home orders

    Here in Kansa examples : Lyon County - - -where several have quite possibly been exposed with a girls 5th & 6th Basketball tourney from Parkville Missouri. – You have 4 outbreaks in Riley Co they say , 30 new cases since Wensday that’s tied to the Aggieville business district , 2 other Aggieville Business 's & the K-State football team. You have the Hawk here in Lawrence that has been connected to new positive cases , You have the Wild Horse that they have positive cases and quite possible exposures to the virus , you have 3 cases from a Basketball MAYB tourney in Wichita , with many exposures.

    Then you have THIS : you have this idiot who was the co-founder of Re-Open Maryland who organized rallies to pressure Governor Hogan to life the stay at home in Maryland - - he is a 53 year old diabetic and he says " Here I am months not wearing a mask at rallies , and church’s and it’s SO FUNNY ( Really ? - this Virus is Funny to you ? ) how capricious this thing is.

    Here is the kicker though for me with this moron : this guys name is Tim Waters and I Quote " He DOESN’T PLAN TO PROVIDE Health officials with the people he has had close contact with for the contact tracing program "

    Really ? so this shit isn’t going to provide who he was in close contact with ? - -So curious , couldn’t this idiot if one or more of these people that he was in close contact with - - what if they contract the virus get really sick , hospitalized and eventually die from this , seeing as how he refused to provide the names and then they die couldn’t he possible be charged with Murder or involuntary manslaughter for knowing know he has the Corona but refused to provide information so the tracing program so those individuals could be notified so they could isolate - -this guy right here is ONE of the MAIN reasons we are now why we are that we are - -they just don’t give a dam





  • “Lord, what fools these mortals be!”

    A nitwit on my cruising forum assured us all that the virus will go away by fall because of herd immunity, just as SARS and MERS did.

    Has anybody been tracking the clear outbreak of some type of brain-eating pathogen striking our country???



  • @mayjay I do NOT want to be on a cruise ship right now!!



  • Well Governor Kelly has ordered a mandatory wearing face masks in public effective July 3rd. She is still leaving it to the counties if they make less restrictive , as she waits approval. Yet with several other counties already implanting mandatory face masks they feel this will be approved.

    People WEAR THE DAM MASK - -sure it’s not comfortable , kind of a pain in the ass But it’s either wear the mask now for the little bit when your in public OR worse things coming later. We HAVE JUST GOT to do wha twe can to try to keep from spreading this stuff





  • @benshawks08 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    A funny thread:

    https://twitter.com/libbyjones715/status/1277245399795982337?s=21

    Of course difference being if you don’t like that place you can go to another one since they don’t have a monopoly on violence and coercion. Pet peeve of mine.



  • Interesting things I’ve been seeing on the Covid makes me wonder if they are figuring out how to treat it. Mcpherson which is the county over from where I live has seen huge jumps but not any hospitalization and people are recovering considerably faster. NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson rested positive but was cleared 3 days later with 2 negative tests. I’m not sure if they are prescribing something or what but people are getting over it faster so that’s a good sign.



  • Hospitals are nearly at capacity in Texas, Arizona, and Florida @kjayhawks. Still deadly.



  • @approxinfinity said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    Hospitals are nearly at capacity in Texas, Arizona, and Florida @kjayhawks. Still deadly.

    And Arizona - my Cousin lives in Phoenix , pretty bad spike there



  • @approxinfinity right I’m just wondering if they are treating it differently or something because so many people are recovering lightening fast right now.



  • @kjayhawks Proning and steroids have been effective low tech low cost treatments. They don’t get the press because no one makes money off having folks lie on their stomachs. Scientists are constantly learning more and more. We need to make sure we adopt what is being learned instead of complaining about why we didn’t know that from the start. It’s how science works. (Not saying you aren’t doing that just see it so much online)



  • Here’s an interesting thread about schools opening (yes it is very critical of trump so ignore it if that triggers you):

    https://twitter.com/aslavitt/status/1281360198091911169?s=21

    Parents, what are you thinking right now? I know for me as a teacher I don’t have a solution but all the plans I’ve seen seem destined to end badly with outbreaks inevitable.



  • @benshawks08 Trump triggers me. Is it January yet?



  • @benshawks08 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    Here’s an interesting thread about schools opening (yes it is very critical of trump so ignore it if that triggers you):

    https://twitter.com/aslavitt/status/1281360198091911169?s=21

    Parents, what are you thinking right now? I know for me as a teacher I don’t have a solution but all the plans I’ve seen seem destined to end badly with outbreaks inevitable.

    Parents HAVE to work , makes it really bad , catch 22. Yet Trump saying he possibly cut federal funding if schools DON’T re-open - -that has diaster writen all over it





  • @approxinfinity said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/coronavirus-surge-sun-belt-could-doom-trump/613495/

    The Trump aura is shattered.

    That Biden is within the MoE of Trump among seniors tells you all you need to know about the state of the race right now.



  • @benshawks08 I’m not sure what to think as a parent. My son needs the structure badly with his autism and we all continue to work. It would be impossible for his daycare to have dozens of computers and try to online stuff much. He hates doing it to boot. I keep hearing about having every other day between grades. I’m lucky because our district may have 500 kids in it from pre-K to 12th grade total. Not sure what the right answer is but it has negatively effected him and he is losing progress because of this. The first 6-8 years are huge for autism kids and what he is losing at this point, he may never recover from. Small children won’t wear mask or social distance, you’d have better luck training a monkey to mow your yard. That being said it needs to be safe. It is a lose lose for us at this point.



  • @kjayhawks said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @benshawks08 I’m not sure what to think as a parent. My son needs the structure badly with his autism and we all continue to work. It would be impossible for his daycare to have dozens of computers and try to online stuff much. He hates doing it to boot. I keep hearing about having every other day between grades. I’m lucky because our district may have 500 kids in it from pre-K to 12th grade total. Not sure what the right answer is but it has negatively effected him and he is losing progress because of this. The first 6-8 years are huge for autism kids and what he is losing at this point, he may never recover from. Small children won’t wear mask or social distance, you’d have better luck training a monkey to mow your yard. That being said it needs to be safe. It is a lose lose for us at this point.

    I’ve been following this for quite awhile now, in part as a education scholar and in part as an interested instructor. I think we’re down to the least bad option. I’ve come down to we basically have to run schools basically as I went to kindergarten; alternating MWF/TU weeks. Basically have to quarantine teachers during the year. I hate it with almost every fiber of my being but I can’t find a better option. Entirely open to suggestions.



  • @kjayhawks

    We are a home provider for an Autistic adult (he’s mid 20’s but really has the mentality of a 8 year old) and the change in structure was extremely challenging for both sides when the lockdowns took place. His entire routine was uprooted and we basically hit our breaking point with him and still even months later its day to day. It’s been a very difficult struggle so I can only imagine what your going through as well raising your own that relied on the structure of normal life.



  • @FarmerJayhawk said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @kjayhawks said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @benshawks08 I’m not sure what to think as a parent. My son needs the structure badly with his autism and we all continue to work. It would be impossible for his daycare to have dozens of computers and try to online stuff much. He hates doing it to boot. I keep hearing about having every other day between grades. I’m lucky because our district may have 500 kids in it from pre-K to 12th grade total. Not sure what the right answer is but it has negatively effected him and he is losing progress because of this. The first 6-8 years are huge for autism kids and what he is losing at this point, he may never recover from. Small children won’t wear mask or social distance, you’d have better luck training a monkey to mow your yard. That being said it needs to be safe. It is a lose lose for us at this point.

    I’ve been following this for quite awhile now, in part as a education scholar and in part as an interested instructor. I think we’re down to the least bad option. I’ve come down to we basically have to run schools basically as I went to kindergarten; alternating MWF/TU weeks. Basically have to quarantine teachers during the year. I hate it with almost every fiber of my being but I can’t find a better option. Entirely open to suggestions.

    What do we do about teachers considered “at risk”? Or teachers I know who are primary care givers for their elderly parents?

    I’ve already decided I will be in school for whatever schedule or plan they decide on. I’m not old. I’m healthy. I don’t have kids. I can limit my contact with others to pretty much just my partner and my dog. I would say most teachers aren’t in my same situation.

    Another big concern for me are all my students who live with grandparents or caregivers with underlying conditions? How do we ask them to expose themselves and their loved ones?

    I’m afraid we have to go back to online which has its own set of problems for learning, for parents, for students with special needs. I can’t even imagine what this has been like for those parents who are trying to work from home if they can or having to go into work as essential workers. Add in the necessary services many kids require from school… this whole thing is definitely lose lose.



  • @kjayhawks I feel for ya. I was a special ed teacher for my first 5 years so I know a little about how necessary that structure is for a lot of students. I spin out about 2-3 times a week racking my brain to figure out how this can work in August and am yet to come to an acceptable solution.



  • If we only didn’t open to early, and wore masks! Kansas was doing so good! Such a simple thing but no, can’t tell them what to do!😷🦠. Now here we are.



  • Wish there was a poll to help understand if the folks refusing to wear masks also refuse to wear seatbelts (which only endangers themselves), smoke wherever they want, drink and drive, smoke and drink while pregnant, ignore warning labels on products, think the earth is flat, etc.



  • @bskeet I would bet on a strong correlation between the results of your proposed survey with surveys revealing which candidate those people plan to vote for this Nov.



  • @FarmerJayhawk said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @kjayhawks said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @benshawks08 I’m not sure what to think as a parent. My son needs the structure badly with his autism and we all continue to work. It would be impossible for his daycare to have dozens of computers and try to online stuff much. He hates doing it to boot. I keep hearing about having every other day between grades. I’m lucky because our district may have 500 kids in it from pre-K to 12th grade total. Not sure what the right answer is but it has negatively effected him and he is losing progress because of this. The first 6-8 years are huge for autism kids and what he is losing at this point, he may never recover from. Small children won’t wear mask or social distance, you’d have better luck training a monkey to mow your yard. That being said it needs to be safe. It is a lose lose for us at this point.

    I’ve been following this for quite awhile now, in part as a education scholar and in part as an interested instructor. I think we’re down to the least bad option. I’ve come down to we basically have to run schools basically as I went to kindergarten; alternating MWF/TU weeks. Basically have to quarantine teachers during the year. I hate it with almost every fiber of my being but I can’t find a better option. Entirely open to suggestions.

    Alternating days doesn’t work either because those plans that have been proposed still call for teachers on campus every day so teachers can’t help kids on their days off campus. You also run into issues of childcare for younger kids in single parent households or where both parents have to work outside the home.

    One district here in Houston has already announced they’re going to be online only this year, but I’m fully preparing to have about 9 months of no social life or be able to see my mom who’s in her early 70’s because exposure is going to happen and districts here have pretty much said unless you’re showing symptoms, show up and if catch Covid, tough luck because you aren’t getting any extra sick days if you need them.

    This school year is going to be an absolute 💩show this year because there is no good option. They are all 💩 plans with significant issues that can’t realistically be solved.



  • Here’s my K-12 plan: Go back to the old rural school model on a neighborhood scale. All grades taught in each location by one or two teachers with a bunch of online components. No more than 20 or 30 kids per “school.” Keep siblings together. No buses. That way if you get an outbreak, it’s limited to maybe a dozen households instead the entire town.



  • Another thread with good questions to be thinking about right now with school reopening plans.

    https://twitter.com/alrobertsontx03/status/1282822525119008768?s=21



  • @benshawks08 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    Another thread with good questions to be thinking about right now with school reopening plans.

    https://twitter.com/alrobertsontx03/status/1282822525119008768?s=21

    Announced this morning that in San Diego & Los Angles kids will not be returning to School when it starts up. 40 States are now showing rapid increases the COVID-19. Think this is just the beginning of where in the end there will be a lot of States that once again put the halt of kids returning to School. People wanted to hurry up and re-open , now we are seeing the results from this. – -People wanting to act like nothing ever happened , ignoring the restrictions that were in place when re=opening, it’s great that you re-open , but was supposed to be opened in Stages.

    You had Governors leave it up to the individual Counties how to approach how to handle this - - you see the results. Just like Sedgwick County here in Kansas they removed everything and BOY you talk about spike.

    I had a Dr visit yesterday and was passing conversation and thought I’d ask - - - is it spiking as bad as they say it is? - -her response was for sure. I ask about my County Shawneee , she said it’s BAD, hospitals getting full again. thing is they said they are even more worried about having the staff to treat. Heard on the news like between the two hospitals here that between the self quarinteend and then positive staff cases they has 150employess who couldn’t come in.

    I said ya , and I just love how the Govt is trying to down play saying - - - OH we good , look at the mortality rate - - the deaths are down. - - Dam that doesn’t mean we are in good shape , just because Deaths are down. - -Do people have to die to make this be a serious problem ? - - Thousands upon Thousands of people still sick - hospitalizations. My Dr said that just because Deaths are down is one reason is the targeted individual is now younger, she said doesn’t make it anybetter. She was talking not all getting reported talking about the time span it takes from reporting to testing positive and the the incubation period and then ventalization to Death or viciously sick - -time to wake up people this crap is going no where- -like they just said now on the radio - -you got to TAKE THIS VIRUS SERIOUSLY not just try and blow it off -MR PRESIDENT - - UMM - -HELLO



  • @jayballer73 Meanwhile, the White House focuses on trying to smear and pin all blame on Dr Fauci for their crappy response to Covid at it’s outset instead of actually doing their job right now.



  • @approxinfinity said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @jayballer73 Meanwhile, the White House focuses on trying to smear and pin all blame on Dr Fauci for their crappy response to Covid at it’s outset instead of actually doing their job right now.

    Actually got my count wrong on Hospital employees it’s right at 200 at Store Mt Vail & 30 at St Francis, out of these totals they are saying only about 30 have contacted this at the Hospitals - - others have contacted in the Community spread. - California now in a shut down - - Again



  • @Texas-Hawk-10 said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @FarmerJayhawk said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @kjayhawks said in Differentiating fact from opinion on COVID-19:

    @benshawks08 I’m not sure what to think as a parent. My son needs the structure badly with his autism and we all continue to work. It would be impossible for his daycare to have dozens of computers and try to online stuff much. He hates doing it to boot. I keep hearing about having every other day between grades. I’m lucky because our district may have 500 kids in it from pre-K to 12th grade total. Not sure what the right answer is but it has negatively effected him and he is losing progress because of this. The first 6-8 years are huge for autism kids and what he is losing at this point, he may never recover from. Small children won’t wear mask or social distance, you’d have better luck training a monkey to mow your yard. That being said it needs to be safe. It is a lose lose for us at this point.

    I’ve been following this for quite awhile now, in part as a education scholar and in part as an interested instructor. I think we’re down to the least bad option. I’ve come down to we basically have to run schools basically as I went to kindergarten; alternating MWF/TU weeks. Basically have to quarantine teachers during the year. I hate it with almost every fiber of my being but I can’t find a better option. Entirely open to suggestions.

    Alternating days doesn’t work either because those plans that have been proposed still call for teachers on campus every day so teachers can’t help kids on their days off campus. You also run into issues of childcare for younger kids in single parent households or where both parents have to work outside the home.

    One district here in Houston has already announced they’re going to be online only this year, but I’m fully preparing to have about 9 months of no social life or be able to see my mom who’s in her early 70’s because exposure is going to happen and districts here have pretty much said unless you’re showing symptoms, show up and if catch Covid, tough luck because you aren’t getting any extra sick days if you need them.

    This school year is going to be an absolute 💩show this year because there is no good option. They are all 💩 plans with significant issues that can’t realistically be solved.

    I think it could work. I didn’t even have full time kindergarten in Kansas. Half the grade went MWF one week, TU the next. If you incorporated the online element, you could conceivably pull it off so long as you give folks some runway to plan. I don’t like it, but I think both the full bore everyone in person or nobody in person are unacceptable. It keeps buses less full, and classrooms more spaced out so you mitigate risk to the most people while still getting some in person instruction.


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