Hoosier

Excellent idea, especially if it can be done without affecting supply too much in other states. We are getting close to the point where everybody 16+ will be eligible in every state (I think it is April 19?) and it would be a bit of a PR problem to then say oops, sorry, you're not going to be eligible yet.

I'd be fine with a cooldown to or even a little below average. Kinda not ready yet for 80 all the time. That is so far out anyway.

Found it. Not the same website that I originally saw it on, but it's the same story. Not all of the 4924 would be covid deaths, but may be reasonable to assume most are. Florida is a huge state though so when accounting for population size, this undercount may not stand out from other states. Results. Our results suggest that Florida experienced 19 241 (15.5%) excess deaths above historical trends from March to September 2020, including 14 317 COVID-19 deaths and an additional 4924 all-cause, excluding COVID-19, deaths in that period. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306130

So today was the first day without the state mask mandate in IN. Went to the grocery store to get a few things. The store still requires masks but I was wondering if I was going to see anybody without one. Everybody in the store was wearing one. Granted I was in there for a short amount of time and it is just one location, but it looked and felt exactly the same as before.

Yes. I looked fast and didn't notice that chart was for deaths.

We'll certainly be a lot better off by then, but I feel this could be a bit overly optimistic. Without vaccines/mitigation measures, the R0 of covid is substantially higher than the estimates for the Spanish Flu (particularly with some of the covid variants). Of course we have vaccines this time which helps a lot. But there will be a portion of adults who do not take the vaccine, and it will likely be months until kids under 16 can receive the vaccine, with some evidence suggesting that the variants infect kids easier than before.

It's a problem, even more during a time of covid, but most aspects of that issue and things like Cuomo's personal life are really straying into territory that is not fitting for this thread.

I know what I read. I will find it come hell or high water. Also important to point out that an undercount of deaths doesn't necessarily mean it's because of an orchestrated conspiracy. Could be an innocent reason.

Regarding Florida, I can't find it now but I read something maybe a couple weeks ago that suggested that the death toll there was underreported by several thousand. Anyone else remember reading something like that? Again I can't find that story right now for some reason but may look for it again later when I have more time.

The screenshot that was posted yesterday had more, but still well under 50% I wouldn't be sitting with every seat packed in a stadium yet. That's not like being at the beach. Not all outdoor settings are created equal.

It's 69/5 in NYC right now. Talk about dry air/mixing.

So many facepalms for this...

If ORD hits 80, which looks likely, it would be the earliest one since March 24, 2017.

Given the increasing supply of other vaccines, we may not even need the AstraZeneca vaccine in the US. Going from 30% to 50% of the US vaccinated is going to be a lot easier than going from 50% to 70%. Adding that one into the mix would not help the vaccine hesitancy in the US. It's definitely a problem for the world though. If it does not get approval for use in the US, it would send a message to the rest of the world.

Was just reading a story about the expiring Indiana mask mandate and it sounds like the major grocery and big box stores around here are still going to require masks.

I see dead people some masks. Not many though and people will need to use a relatively confined bathroom at some point...

I mean, isn't that basic common sense? Of course it matters how intensely you are exercising and how fit you are.

You realize that there have been studies that have compared counties with mask mandates to counties without mask mandates that found lower rates of transmission in the counties with mask mandates, right? Important disclaimer though: if you're a dummy who wears the same mask over and over without washing it, you may not lower the chance of catching covid.

Speaking of talking to your doc, I recently saw my ENT and we talked a little bit about covid and the vaccine. She told me that she has a few patients who got sick last spring and STILL don't have normal taste and smell. Probably not very common to linger that long, but I can't even imagine living like that and not knowing when it may come back.

Have managed to get into the mid 70s even with a ton of clouds. Definitely would've had a shot at 80 with more sun.

Was going to post Indiana's numbers later as we are on the eve of the expiration of the statewide mask mandate. You covered the hospital numbers. As far as cases, we bottomed out around 750 per day in mid-March and are now slightly under 1000 per day, with the test positivity rate also creeping up. Certainly nothing like Michigan, but not ideal. I can't remember the last time I saw a customer in a store or other business without a mask on. I have seen some employees in those places not wearing one or not wearing it properly. It will take a bit of a mental adjustment to see people walking into a place without a mask, but I'm not sure how much of that I will be seeing in the immediate future. My guess is that most businesses around here will still have a mask policy but I'm not really sure what to expect.

It's debatable whether your mask is 62% effective, 71% effective, etc. Not all types of masks are created equal and I'm sure we've all seen people who are wearing loose-fitting ones or have them pulled down around their mouth/chin, thus making them less effective. Regarding an earlier post... if somebody is actually wearing the same mask for weeks without properly washing it, then arguably they deserve to get covid imo.

Alabama fan who attended NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis dies after returning home INDIANAPOLIS — Health officials in Indiana are investigating whether anyone was exposed to COVID-19 by Alabama residents following the death of a Crimson Tide fan who was in Indianapolis for the NCAA Tournament last weekend. Luke Ratliff, a 23-year-old Alabama student, died after a brief illness, his father, Bryan Ratliff, told The Tuscaloosa News. The newspaper, citing multiple sources it did not identify, reported Ratliff died of complications related to COVID-19. The elder Ratliff could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday by The Associated Press. https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/ncaa-fan-death-contact-tracing-indiana/531-66d038ef-4ac8-4cdd-8a66-1a3956354968

Might have a shot at 80 here tomorrow if enough sun. I saw smoke in the northern sky earlier and figured it was a brush fire. Did some investigating and turns out somebody drove into a gas pump and started a fire.

We should absolutely do whatever we can to distribute more vaccine across the world. That being said, until the rest of the world catches up, I'm not against restricting travel into the US. This applies to Europe, poor countries, anybody. I understand there are arguments against that. I'm not sure how it makes sense to not have international travel restrictions into the US and also be in favor of having vaccine passports for US citizens to be able to do things in their own country, but these are complex issues and I enjoy reading different perspectives.