CDC has there shortcomings, no doubt but let’s not forget who’s truly to blame for the mess we’re in now. The trump administration’s disbandment of federal institutions created to combat this and the ongoing denial of a serious problem have led to a collapsing economy and isolation of millions. Good article here for sure but let’s not pass the blame to the CDC. We know who to blame...
How the CDC’s restrictive testing guidelines hid the coronavirus epidemic
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Re: How the CDC’s restrictive testing guidelines hid the coronavirus epidemic
#32I hope one thing that comes of this outbreak is that all nations develop the processes and capabilities to quickly stop the spread of outbreaks in general.
COVID19 is worse than flu, but not as bad as it could have been. We could get hit with something worse in the future. Imagine a strain of Ebola that gestates asymptomatically longer, or another coronavirus with higher mortality rate. This outbreak is good preparation for that one.
Anytime you’re dealing with a harmful exponential growth process like an outbreak, the best way to handle it is to overreact early, quickly and briefly. Kill it hard while it’s still small and easy to kill, or it will get out of control fast.
Put everything on lockdown/shelter-in-place for a few weeks - [max(gestation period|time to develop and deploy test kits) + safety factor] - test extensively, isolate and treat the infected, stop the outbreak, and then return to normal. Outbreak stopped dead in its tracks, economic damage is minimized and mostly short-term.
This is basically what South Korea did and they got their first COVID19 diagnosis the same day as the US:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-testin...
That needs to be become a social and political norm everywhere, not just the Asian countries that have faced a widespread outbreak before.
Re: How the CDC’s restrictive testing guidelines hid the coronavirus epidemic
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
The whole blaming people for hoarding masks and then the "masks don't work" things have been incredibly frustrating. It is almost like authorities didn't want anyone to start asking why the public couldn't get masks, as they can in say Taiwan. Most (if not all) distributors and manufacturers of masks has been prioritizing health care systems and governments over retailers since January. Just as they should do. Were t…
Washington state just seized a restock from a Target in Seattle. https://twitter.com/GovInslee/status/1241505423259099136
I hope by seized e means try bought them at market price.
While supportive of strict social distancing measures I do not think any governor or president can suddenly start tossing basic civil rights. The rise of authoritarian language from state leaders is very concerning
Re: How the CDC’s restrictive testing guidelines hid the coronavirus epidemic
#34The mask guidance is confusing as well. I get they are trying to preserve masks for medical staff. But, they also say it's mainly spread by coughing, sneezing, and resulting spray of bodily fluids. Surely even a scarf around your face would have some benefit? Yes, I get that the virus is small enough to pass through, but some deflection is better than none.
The whole blaming people for hoarding masks and then the "masks don't work" things have been incredibly frustrating. It is almost like authorities didn't want anyone to start asking why the public couldn't get masks, as they can in say Taiwan. Most (if not all) distributors and manufacturers of masks has been prioritizing health care systems and governments over retailers since January. Just as they should do. Were t…
Yea this is really frustrating. I bought a box of 10 N-95s in January when I saw what was going on in China and figured they’d be good to have, since I have older people in my family who are in poor health (leukemia, diabetes, heart disease). Now since I’m shopping and cooking for them, I am trying really hard not to get sick so I wear a mask to the stores and I’m getting looks from people like I stole them from a hospital. How about we blame the government for not ramping up production of masks back in January when even I knew this was going to be a problem?
Re: How the CDC’s restrictive testing guidelines hid the coronavirus epidemic
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
The whole blaming people for hoarding masks and then the "masks don't work" things have been incredibly frustrating. It is almost like authorities didn't want anyone to start asking why the public couldn't get masks, as they can in say Taiwan. Most (if not all) distributors and manufacturers of masks has been prioritizing health care systems and governments over retailers since January. Just as they should do. Were t…
Washington state just seized a restock from a Target in Seattle. https://twitter.com/GovInslee/status/1241505423259099136
It is not clear from the post whether they were seized or purchased by the state. There are (comparatively) plenty of financial resources around, just not a lot of masks.
Re: How the CDC’s restrictive testing guidelines hid the coronavirus epidemic
#36https://archive.is/OHRXU
This gives me a Cloudflare DNS resolution error.
The reason is explained by Cloudflare CEOin the top voted comment at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19828317
Re: How the CDC’s restrictive testing guidelines hid the coronavirus epidemic
#37My colleagues are out of PPE and now using scarves because we are so under supplied. CDC guidelines were just changed to allow staff to be exposed to COVID patients without properly protecting themselves.
I was talking with some physicians and providers when I said that I think this will be the Chernobyl like moment of our era: where the truth is hidden from people to prevent a panic paradoxically exacerbating the current crisis. Shockingly, almost all agreed with me.
Re: How the CDC’s restrictive testing guidelines hid the coronavirus epidemic
#38The mask guidance is confusing as well. I get they are trying to preserve masks for medical staff. But, they also say it's mainly spread by coughing, sneezing, and resulting spray of bodily fluids. Surely even a scarf around your face would have some benefit? Yes, I get that the virus is small enough to pass through, but some deflection is better than none.
I heard, anecdotally, that non-approved masks have the possibility of aerosolizing a cough/sneeze more
Re: How the CDC’s restrictive testing guidelines hid the coronavirus epidemic
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
Washington state just seized a restock from a Target in Seattle. https://twitter.com/GovInslee/status/1241505423259099136
I hope by seized e means try bought them at market price. While supportive of strict social distancing measures I do not think any governor or president can suddenly start tossing basic civil rights. The rise of authoritarian language from state leaders is very concerning
I suspect this was voluntary, but governors and the President have a lot of extra powers once an emergency is formally declared. (Which it has.)
For example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Production_Act_of_1950
Re: How the CDC’s restrictive testing guidelines hid the coronavirus epidemic
#40The mask guidance is confusing as well. I get they are trying to preserve masks for medical staff. But, they also say it's mainly spread by coughing, sneezing, and resulting spray of bodily fluids. Surely even a scarf around your face would have some benefit? Yes, I get that the virus is small enough to pass through, but some deflection is better than none.
It's very irritating because people don't understand the concept of defense in depth. Are surgical masks going to give you total protection? Of course not, but as you say they provide SOME benefit. Saying "masks don't work because they don't fully stop the virus and users misuse them" is basically equivalent to saying "code review is a waste of time because it won't catch every bug and because devs don't do it correc…
What's more frustrating is the exact same logic applies to "social distancing." Social distancing will not completely stop people from getting sick. It'll just slow the spread. So, according to the CDC, an imperfect solution for quarantine is totally fine, but when it comes to masks, only n95 or better are worth pursuing.