The ultimate COVID thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Don't have to pay higher unemployment insurance premiums?

Members don't see this ad.
 
Futures reversing again, I’ve dripped in a bit but I don’t think we’re anywhere near capitulation, especially if the new case curve is still exponential



In other news:

—-
WASHINGTON — For weeks, President Trump has minimized the coronavirus, mocked concern about it and treated the risk from it cavalierly. On Tuesday he took to the White House lectern and made a remarkable assertion: He knew it was a pandemic all along.

“This is a pandemic,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.”


This is what Mr. Trump has actually said over the past two months:

On Jan. 22, asked by a CNBC reporter whether there were “worries about a pandemic,” the president replied: “No, not at all. We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

On Feb. 26, at a White House news conference, commenting on the country’s first reported cases: “We’re going to be pretty soon at only five people. And we could be at just one or two people over the next short period of time. So we’ve had very good luck.”

On Feb. 27, at a White House meeting: “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.”

On March 7, standing next to President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil at Mar-a-Lago, his club in Palm Beach, Fla., when asked if he was concerned that the virus was spreading closer to Washington: “No, I’m not concerned at all. No, I’m not. No, we’ve done a great job.” (At least three members of the Brazilian delegation and one Trump donor at Mar-a-Lago that weekend later tested positive for the virus.)

On March 16, in the White House briefing room, warning that the outbreak would “wash” away this summer: “So it could be right in that period of time where it, I say, wash — it washes through. Other people don’t like that term. But where it washes through.”
—-

 
If fox news is your main source you probably believe him.

Futures reversing again, I’ve dripped in a bit but I don’t think we’re anywhere near capitulation, especially if the new case curve is still exponential



In other news:

—-
WASHINGTON — For weeks, President Trump has minimized the coronavirus, mocked concern about it and treated the risk from it cavalierly. On Tuesday he took to the White House lectern and made a remarkable assertion: He knew it was a pandemic all along.

“This is a pandemic,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.”


This is what Mr. Trump has actually said over the past two months:

On Jan. 22, asked by a CNBC reporter whether there were “worries about a pandemic,” the president replied: “No, not at all. We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

On Feb. 26, at a White House news conference, commenting on the country’s first reported cases: “We’re going to be pretty soon at only five people. And we could be at just one or two people over the next short period of time. So we’ve had very good luck.”

On Feb. 27, at a White House meeting: “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.”

On March 7, standing next to President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil at Mar-a-Lago, his club in Palm Beach, Fla., when asked if he was concerned that the virus was spreading closer to Washington: “No, I’m not concerned at all. No, I’m not. No, we’ve done a great job.” (At least three members of the Brazilian delegation and one Trump donor at Mar-a-Lago that weekend later tested positive for the virus.)

On March 16, in the White House briefing room, warning that the outbreak would “wash” away this summer: “So it could be right in that period of time where it, I say, wash — it washes through. Other people don’t like that term. But where it washes through.”
—-

 
  • Wow
Reactions: 1 user
Members don't see this ad :)
But why? I must be missing something.

Well maybe it’s just semantics, but in my mind if your employer is not offering you any hours, you are essentially unemployed in all but name. Marriott is screwing this guy over.
 
especially if the new case curve is still exponential

Where are you finding the best numbers? Everywhere I look has different numbers. The CDC website shows a decreasing number of new cases but acknowledges their sources may lag.
 
Where are you finding the best numbers? Everywhere I look has different numbers. The CDC website shows a decreasing number of new cases but acknowledges their sources may lag.

Forget the CDC. They are busy with other stuff.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Futures reversing again, I’ve dripped in a bit but I don’t think we’re anywhere near capitulation, especially if the new case curve is still exponential



In other news:

—-
WASHINGTON — For weeks, President Trump has minimized the coronavirus, mocked concern about it and treated the risk from it cavalierly. On Tuesday he took to the White House lectern and made a remarkable assertion: He knew it was a pandemic all along.

“This is a pandemic,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.”


This is what Mr. Trump has actually said over the past two months:

On Jan. 22, asked by a CNBC reporter whether there were “worries about a pandemic,” the president replied: “No, not at all. We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

On Feb. 26, at a White House news conference, commenting on the country’s first reported cases: “We’re going to be pretty soon at only five people. And we could be at just one or two people over the next short period of time. So we’ve had very good luck.”

On Feb. 27, at a White House meeting: “It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.”

On March 7, standing next to President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil at Mar-a-Lago, his club in Palm Beach, Fla., when asked if he was concerned that the virus was spreading closer to Washington: “No, I’m not concerned at all. No, I’m not. No, we’ve done a great job.” (At least three members of the Brazilian delegation and one Trump donor at Mar-a-Lago that weekend later tested positive for the virus.)

On March 16, in the White House briefing room, warning that the outbreak would “wash” away this summer: “So it could be right in that period of time where it, I say, wash — it washes through. Other people don’t like that term. But where it washes through.”
—-

Autocrats always try to rewrite history, so that it makes them look like the nation's saviors.
 
Where are you finding the best numbers? Everywhere I look has different numbers. The CDC website shows a decreasing number of new cases but acknowledges their sources may lag.



And also
5D449F49-398F-4DB9-8FD5-8FBF728A8A00.jpeg
 
The number of cases will pick up as testing increases. I would wanna see the number of hospitalizations, ICU admits, intubations, deaths from corona
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
The number of cases will pick up as testing increases. I would wanna see the number of hospitalizations, ICU admits, intubations, deaths from corona

I can tell you that the variability between ICUs is going to make a tremendous difference in mortality. The people who have died in my area died at more community based ICUs, whereas those at my mothership who get the full court press (with early intubation, lung protective ventilation, POCUS to keep examining the heart, proning when needed, frequent pressor titration, diuretics, crrt, residents and fellows to babysit the patients 24/7) are still kicking and some even slowly recovering.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: 4 users
The number of cases will pick up as testing increases. I would wanna see the number of hospitalizations, ICU admits, intubations, deaths from corona
People also are forgetting that test turn around time is still to the tune of 4-5 days. Just as an example, my shop has close to 50 inpatients waiting for results suspected to be COVID-19. These are all going to come to roost by the end of the week. The numbers are going to balloon even without us doing any testing.

I can tell you that the variability between ICUs is going to make a tremendous difference in mortality. The people who have died in my area died at more community based ICUs, whereas those at my mothership who get the full court press (with early intubation, lung protective ventilation, POCUS to keep examining the heart, proning when needed, frequent pressor titration, diuretics, crrt, residents and fellows to babysit the patients 24/7) are still kicking and some even slowly recovering.
The neglected aspect as well is going to be state by state variation. What's going to happen when NYC runs out of ICU beds but Ohio has a bunch open because they shut things down earlier? Our ICU beds aren't spread evenly across the US. It's a nightmare that people really still haven't woken up to.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Test turn-around time is getting down towards 24 hours in some states.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Can anybody educate me on why they wouldn’t just lay off the poor guy? What’s the advantage of keeping him on their “payroll”?
Because then he cannot apply for unemployment, therefore their unemployment insurance premiums do not go up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Where are you finding the best numbers? Everywhere I look has different numbers. The CDC website shows a decreasing number of new cases but acknowledges their sources may lag.
I have liked this one. It's ahead of the JHU map and is pretty actively being updated.

 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Careful with the unaffiliated COVID sites. Some have been discovered to have malware.
The one I posted is not malware but I deleted the post because JHU is updating frequently/trustable. Thanks.
 
Where are you finding the best numbers? Everywhere I look has different numbers. The CDC website shows a decreasing number of new cases but acknowledges their sources may lag.

Snapchat, search Wuhan by map, click on shared stories
 
Japanese flu drug could be effective in treating coronavirus, report says



Patients treated with the drug, which was developed by a subsidiary of Fujifilm, in Shenzen were found to turn negative for COVID-19 after a median of four days, rather than 11 days for those who were not treated with favipiravir, NHK reported.


 
Last edited:
Wall Street has been on an unprecedented roller-coaster ride amid the coronavirus turmoil, with the S&P 500 swinging 4% or more in either direction for seven consecutive sessions through Tuesday’s close. This tops the previous record of six days from November 1929, according to LPL Financial. Stocks continued their volatile streak on Wednesday, with another drop of more than 4%. The S&P 500 is 29.5% off its record high through Wednesday.
 
I can tell you that the variability between ICUs is going to make a tremendous difference in mortality. The people who have died in my area died at more community based ICUs, whereas those at my mothership who get the full court press (with early intubation, lung protective ventilation, POCUS to keep examining the heart, proning when needed, frequent pressor titration, diuretics, crrt, residents and fellows to babysit the patients 24/7) are still kicking and some even slowly recovering.
Anyone have a ballpark number of how many CRRT machines there are in the country?

Lot of attention given to number of ventilators in the stockpile but I wonder if there's going to be a different rate-limiting piece of equipment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Anyone have a ballpark number of how many CRRT machines there are in the country?

Lot of attention given to number of ventilators in the stockpile but I wonder if there's going to be a different rate-limiting piece of equipment.
Vents won’t be rate limiting. The number of intensivists and critical care nurses will be. And it’s not close.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
This is why I oppose Vector2's support of socialism and a single payer system. The UK is a prime example of what many of us (patients and physicians) do not want our healthcare system to become circa 2024.



"What’s certain is that with 100,000 job vacancies already, the N.H.S. will not survive this crisis without protecting and respecting its staff. In 2018, two-thirds of doctors in their second year of training chose not to pursue specialty jobs. We are being asked to do more with little compensation while colleagues are hung out to dry because the system failed them. "
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
This is why I oppose Vector2's support of socialism and a single payer system. The UK is a prime example of what many of us (patients and physicians) do not want our healthcare system to become circa 2024.



"What’s certain is that with 100,000 job vacancies already, the N.H.S. will not survive this crisis without protecting and respecting its staff. In 2018, two-thirds of doctors in their second year of training chose not to pursue specialty jobs. We are being asked to do more with little compensation while colleagues are hung out to dry because the system failed them. "

Do you support the kind of socialism where we have selective industry bailouts?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Do you support the kind of socialism where we have selective industry bailouts?

Healthcare will need a bailout too after this is done. COVID 19 is a disaster for insurance companies and that pain will be passed on throughout the entire sector. Better get in line because we are all socialists now.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 3 users
Anyone have a ballpark number of how many CRRT machines there are in the country?

Lot of attention given to number of ventilators in the stockpile but I wonder if there's going to be a different rate-limiting piece of equipment.
Probably not. Most Covid patients don't need pressors, hence they can get HD.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Healthcare will need a bailout too after this is done. COVID 19 is a disaster for insurance companies and that pain will be passed on throughout the entire sector. Better get in line because we are all socialists now.

Without a doubt. However, no interest loans should be available to every business...big and small...not just the ones the government chooses.

Right now the government needs to focus on getting cash in the hands of people who are going to have rent due soon...not the cruise ships. Forget tinkering with cumbersome bureaucratic things like payroll tax cuts and just send cash to people.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
This is why I oppose Vector2's support of socialism and a single payer system. The UK is a prime example of what many of us (patients and physicians) do not want our healthcare system to become circa 2024.



"What’s certain is that with 100,000 job vacancies already, the N.H.S. will not survive this crisis without protecting and respecting its staff. In 2018, two-thirds of doctors in their second year of training chose not to pursue specialty jobs. We are being asked to do more with little compensation while colleagues are hung out to dry because the system failed them. "

--

Projected future job openings may be the most important data to gauge demand for healthcare services and healthcare workers. Job openings include new jobs, along with retirements, quits and any other kind of job separation. These are the jobs that healthcare providers will need to fill in the future. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes its survey every two years, and for 2016-2026, the BLS included projected annual job openings for the coming decade. The data is startling: 1.26 million total healthcare jobs openings per year For all practitioners and technical occupations, 624,000 job openings per year, which includes 204,000 RN job openings per year. Such sizeable numbers of projected job openings clearly show that demand for services are expected to remain very strong for the decade.

Average Annual Job Openings 2016-2026.png


Demand for healthcare workers will be heightened by the wave of retirements among Baby-Boomer healthcare practitioners. Evidence from the recent AMN Healthcare 2017 Survey of Registered Nurses suggests that this wave already has begun among nurses. Retirement decisions will have the greatest impact on future supply of physicians, since more than one-third of today’s active physicians turn 65 within the next ten years, according to a 2017 report by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). AAMC estimates that there could be a shortage of more than 100,000 physicians through 2030. Shortages in the physical therapy workforce also have been projected. The retirement wave not only exacerbates the shortage of practitioners but also threatens the loss of experienced and specialty healthcare practitioners. For example, a new graduate nurse cannot replace a veteran nurse with decades of institutional and professional knowledge along with years of specialty training and practice. The retirement wave creates a growing number of hard-to-fill vacancies in the healthcare workforce.
 
Unless there is deaths on the y axis, i’m worried the data is confounded.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: 1 user
Unless Trump confirms, I believe this is Fake News.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: 3 users


Picture12.png


The Chinese must be doing something right.
Doesn’t make sense though. From what we know those disease has a long incubation period, is highly contagious, and has alot of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic carriers. In other words it is perfectly designed for widespread infection. How can it be that there are only 150,000 infections in Wuhan, a city of 11 million people? How has it not spread to Beijing? Someone must have traveled in the early days of the outbreak. I know the Chinese can clamp down on their population really well but there must have been widespread travel before they even realized they had a problem in Wuhan. And it should have broken out in the other Chinese cities at this point. It made it everywhere else on the globe....
 
Investor Bill Ackman urged President Donald Trump and corporate America in an impassioned plea on CNBC to shut down the country for 30 days to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus, calling it the only option to rescue the economy.

“What’s scaring the American people and corporate America now is the gradual rollout,” Ackman told Scott Wapner on “Halftime Report” on Wednesday. “We need to shut it down now. ... This is the only answer.”




“America will end as we know it. I’m sorry to say so, unless we take this option,” he said. Ackman added that if Trump saves the country from the coronavirus, he will get reelected in November.

Ackman urged U.S. companies to stop their buyback programs because “hell is coming.” The biggest U.S. banks have already halted repurchasing stocks to put their capital to use helping consumers and businesses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Market breaking 2018 low. I'm guessing we'll be approaching Nov '16 levels soon

The next level is 2150 on the S and P 500 followed by the 2000 level (as predicted by Goldman Sachs) then a true level of big support at 1850. I expect to see a 50% decline from the top before this is all over making it the third worst market crash in our history. That said, I missed the low in 2009 ( I bought a lot at 900 but market dropped to 667) and I will miss it again in 2020 as I load up on stocks at 2150.
 

President Trump on Wednesday announced that he is invoking the Defense Production Act as part of the administration’s efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic -- and also described himself as being a "wartime president."

"It can do a lot of good things if we need it," he said at a White House press conference. "We'll have it all completed, signing it in just a little while."

TRUMP INVOKES DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT: WHAT IS IT?

The act ensures the private sector can ramp-up manufacturing and distribution of emergency medical supplies and equipment. The move gives the White House the authority to increase production of masks, ventilators and respirators, as well as expand hospital capacity to combat the coronavirus.
 
Do you support the kind of socialism where we have selective industry bailouts?

I do not support bailouts of any kind period. But, I do support govt. loans to businesses at zero percent interest during times of NATIONAL CRISIS. These businesses can be given 5-8 years to pay back such loans. But, they can't buy back stock or pay their CEO/CFO/etc more than 20 X the average salary of their employees. If you want a handout there are rules attached to it. Once they pay back the LOAN in full the company may resume business as usual but without stock buy backs for an additional 5 years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Have you guys seen this Imperial College London study: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/im...-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf

The authors posit that:
  1. If we do nothing in the US, 2M people will die + ICU beds will be overwhelmed by 30x
  2. If we close everything/lockdown for 3 months, 1M people will die + ICU beds will be overwhelmed by 8x
  3. If we lockdown for 2 months "on"/1 month "off" repeatedly for the next 18 months, 50,000 people will die + ICU beds will not be overwhelmed
It's crazy the even the middle "reasonable" option will still result in mass death, a completely overwhelmed healthcare system, and probably the police/military arrest of disobedient civilians to achieve.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Bought 30% into VTSAX today.

It's now finally good times to buy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
I just think we went about this thing the wrong way.

Easy to say it now, but I think months ago we should have been talking about protective sequestration isolating our at risk populations (restricting visitors to health care facilities, telling old folks to stay home), closing boarders, and bolstering our health care reserve.

I think personal distancing and self quarantine is a crock of sh** and too little too late seeing how this thing moves across a population.

I don’t trust the experts. After watching the health care systems in my area completely bungle this thing I don’t have any faith that anybody knows what they are doing.

No, I don’t want to kill off the old and weak but I’m really nervous of what the world is going to look like when this thing is over. If the system fails (anywhere) and healthy people start dying as a result of the breakdown that is a tragedy.

I think i would rather stress the health care system. We are a pretty smart bunch of people. Maybe necessity would push us to think outside the box. Maybe we would adapt and created ways to avoid a system overload. I think our paltry measures are going to take us to that point anyway. Now with a trashed economy.

Just had to vent. Feelin it now man. I’ll go stick my head back in the sand and gear up for my elective cases tomorrow.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Have you guys seen this Imperial College London study: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/im...-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf

The authors posit that:
  1. If we do nothing in the US, 2M people will die + ICU beds will be overwhelmed by 30x
  2. If we close everything/lockdown for 3 months, 1M people will die + ICU beds will be overwhelmed by 8x
  3. If we lockdown for 2 months "on"/1 month "off" repeatedly for the next 18 months, 50,000 people will die + ICU beds will not be overwhelmed
It's crazy the even the middle "reasonable" option will still result in mass death, a completely overwhelmed healthcare system, and probably the police/military arrest of disobedient civilians to achieve.
Looking at figure 1A, for 6 weeks straight May-July, at least 16K Americans will die DAILY. Peak will be first weak of June, when number of daily deaths exceeds 50K.

I feel I'm in a nightmare and hoping to wake up.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: 2 users
I just think we went about this thing the wrong way.

Easy to say it now, but I think months ago we should have been talking about protective sequestration isolating our at risk populations (restricting visitors to health care facilities, telling old folks to stay home), closing boarders, and bolstering our health care reserve.

I think personal distancing and self quarantine is a crock of sh** and too little too late seeing how this thing moves across a population.

I don’t trust the experts. After watching the health care systems in my area completely bungle this thing I don’t have any faith that anybody knows what they are doing.

No, I don’t want to kill off the old and weak but I’m really nervous of what the world is going to look like when this thing is over. If the system fails (anywhere) and healthy people start dying as a result of the breakdown that is a tragedy.

I think i would rather stress the health care system. We are a pretty smart bunch of people. Maybe necessity would push us to think outside the box. Maybe we would adapt and created ways to avoid a system overload. I think our paltry measures are going to take us to that point anyway. Now with a trashed economy.

Just had to vent. Feelin it now man. I’ll go stick my head back in the sand and gear up for my elective cases tomorrow.
The "Lunatics" are sounding more and more sane, and the "Sane" are sounding more like lunatics. It's simply not rational to say I will shut down close to the entire society and economy, already held together by smoke and mirrors, for whatever length of time necessary to save the maximum number of lives.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Top