COVID19

[phuqueue]

We have a very strong tradition of ascribing divergent outcomes between white and minority populations to differences of biology because it washes our hands of any culpability for creating and maintaining the socioeconomic environment in which those divergent outcomes occurred. Could the vitamin D difference help to explain an elevated mortality rate in black people? Sure, maybe, although earthling's link above expressly says that "current evidence does not provide definitive answers" and only that it "would not be surprising" if vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency played a role (notably, as earthling himself quoted, it also points out that up to 70% of people are vitamin D insufficient/deficient; that your white skin makes it easier in principle for your body to generate vitamin D means nothing if you aren't in fact generating it because you aren't getting enough sun). And how do you account for the disproportionate impact on the lighter-skinned Hispanic community? The CDC also has information on this and strangely didn't see fit to mention vitamin D even once.

Here's an important bit from that Newsweek piece that wasn't quoted:

However, other researchers urge caution in interpreting the results of these studies, especially as they have not yet been peer-reviewed.

"These are both provocative but not even close to definitive," Daniel Culver, Director of the Interstitial Lung Disease Program in the Department of Pulmonary, Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic told Newsweek. "Both of these studies are 'causal inference' studies—in other words association studies that attempt to look at whether a certain exposure (in this case Vitamin D) is correlated with a certain outcome."

"Causal inference studies are difficult to perform because there are a large number of potential missteps that can lead to erroneous conclusions. For example, if vitamin D levels are really a marker for better diet, or more access to healthcare, or any of a variety of other variables that are not statistically assessed, then it is not the vitamin D that is the cause of the better or worse outcomes but rather the other factors."

So maybe let's just be a little more wary of casually blaming biological causes for different outcomes between racial/ethnic groups.

[mgsports]

Pier One Imports might close all locations.
In Nall Hills Place Mainstay Boutique and Johnson Home and Floor permanently closed.
Kneaders Bakery closed but might come back.

[earthling]

Anti-body test results are sometimes being included with infected results, misrepresenting data...
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/arch ... as/611935/

[empires228]

Pier One Imports might close all locations.
In Nall Hills Place Mainstay Boutique and Johnson Home and Floor permanently closed.
Kneaders Bakery closed but might come back.

Pier 1 IS closing all locations. J.Crew/Madewell might be joining them. Gordmans is closing their last metro stores and St. Joseph was closing before Covid-19/Bankruptcy. Dillard's just downgraded the St. Joseph store to a clearance center too.

[FangKC]

J.C. Penney also filed for bankruptcy. I expect Sears will die off soon.

[DaveKCMO]

If this doesn't cause another outbreak in KC or STL, I'll drink lake water.

https://shawneemissionpost.com/2020/05/ ... rks-93580/

[im2kull]

If this doesn't cause another outbreak in KC or STL, I'll drink lake water.

https://shawneemissionpost.com/2020/05/ ... rks-93580/

I'm guessing that you haven't been out much?

[brewcrew1000]

I'm still waiting for that peak that was supposed to happen in early April

[mgsports]

Tuesday Morning going to close stores ones that are close to each other. don't know if any in area are.

[FangKC]

According to ABC News:

Worldwide, 5.6 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19, 353,000 people have been documented as dying of COVID.

100,000 Americans have died from COVID in three months. Trump did not acknowledge the milestone. Biden did.

The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding the scope of their nations' outbreaks.

More than 62,000 doctors, nurses and other health care professionals in the United States have contracted the novel coronavirus and at least 291 have died, according to data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The true numbers may be much higher, as less than a quarter of the more than 1.3 million people whose data the CDC analyzed disclosed whether they worked in the health care industry. Moreover, out of the estimated 62,344 cases of COVID-19 among health care personnel in the country, death status was only available for about 57%.

The U.S. has by far the most deaths from the virus. The United Kingdom has the second-most deaths with over 37,500, while Italy has 33,000.

Cases still going up in 14 states while states begin to reopen.

[FangKC]

According to ABC News:

Half of all new cases of COVID in the state of Washington are under age 40.

2.1 million additional American workers filed for unemployment last week; 40 million workers are now unemployed.

Despite tourist ban, thousands of people are crossing back and forth over the Mexican border.

The Boston Marathon has been cancelled for the first time in its' history.

[FangKC]

According to ABC News:

The number of deaths from COVID could reach 143,000 by the end of the month.

The number of COVID cases in New York City has spiked again (75 percent jump in one day); and cases are increasing in 18 states--and Puerto Rico--in the US. Thursday had been the lowest number of deaths in New York City in 8 weeks.

CDC has issued a warning that Americans not drink bleach, or apply it to skin.

https://www.kmbc.com/article/cdc-survey ... c/32783726

Brazil is the now the third worse hit nation from COVID cases -- 1,500 dead in the last 24 hours.

[grovester]

Rising cases are also because of rising testing. We are getting close to the 500k threshold that will start to make a difference, assuming we can trace effectively.

The key stat to watch is % of positive results. Anything over 5% means you're either not testing enough or you have a problem.

Metro is currently running about 7%, but have been consistently around 10%.

[DaveKCMO]

My husband and I both got tests separately this week -- his by Samuel Rogers and mine by KU/Heart to Heart. Some asked why we got tested when we're asymptomatic and healthy, but they opened it up to that and we both work with essential workers and he has some underlying health risks. My biggest concern is being an asymptomatic spreader since I never get colds or the flu.

Of note from the KU test was a 60-question survey about essential workers and emotional issues caused by the pandemic.

We'll get antibody tests when reliable ones are available locally.

[earthling]

My biggest concern is being an asymptomatic spreader since I never get colds or the flu.

Possibly because using public transit regularly appears to strengthen immune system for those who live a healthy lifestyle. Have mentioned before I used to get sick every winter after having pneumonia but after taking city buses regularly I essentially never get sick outside occasional allergies. You are exposed to just about everything in small doses when using transit often, which is essentially how vaccines work. People who make an effort to avoid cooties, living in sterility, are probably weakening their immune system. Though there is a reasonable line. IE, I wouldn't swim in the Ganges.

[FangKC]

According to ABC News:

400,000 New Yorkers returned to work today in many fields that are still not under restriction in the city.

Cases still on the rise in 20 states.

1,500 new cases in Arizona two weeks after reopening there. Cases spiking in Texas as well.

Evidence there were cases in Wuhan as early as October, 2019 indicting an outbreak.

[Anthony_Hugo98]

Evidence there were cases in Wuhan as early as October, 2019 indicting an outbreak.

I don’t doubt it at all. The Chinese Communist Party has strong evidence against them that they intentionally covered up the initial outbreak and didn’t do anything to mitigate the spread, both within their borders, and global spread.

[brewcrew1000]

1,500 new cases in Arizona two weeks after reopening there. Cases spiking in Texas as well.

Tons of people from So Cal are flocking into Arizona because resorts, golf, pools, restaurants are all open

[FangKC]

According to ABC News:

Health officials in Arizona have urged hospitals to activate their emergency plans.

Seven states have seen their highest infection growth since the pandemic began.

[KCPowercat]

Good news locally

https://www.kansascity.com/news/coronav ... stage_lead