Trump shifts, says distancing to go to April 30

[roamer_1]

Thank you for the info.  So far, only about 1% have recovered and we have a fatality rate nearing 2%.

Another ridiculously inflated statistic based on 'identified' cases.
Everyone knows the tested cases are not all the cases, by an order of magnitude. By far, more cases go unidentified... And thus the 2% fatality rate is utterly overinflated.

[EdinVA]

How long are we going to pretend the benefits of shutdown are worth the cost?  At this rate we're going to end up with 20% unemployment and half of the country infected.

There are costs on both sides of the equation and it comes down to which cost can you afford to pay?
As was stated earlier, no matter what Trump does, he is going to get slammed..

[musiclady]

Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx are only modeling the effects of this disease.  They are not modeling the effects of ruining the economy.  How much more homelessness, drug dependency, depression and suicide will there be if we go into a prolonged recession? How much would that affect not only the medical establishment, but the entire social fabric of the country?

Trump's original instincts were right on this.  Hunkering down has done very little to contain the virus.  The best defense against COVID-19 is for everyone to get it and become immune.  That is a process we are intentionally prolonging in order to prevent short-term hospital overcrowding, mostly because no politician at any level can survive the optics of people dying for want of a ventilator.

Practically everyone is going to get this virus one way or another. If that is the case (which it is), then better sooner than later for the vast majority of us.

Sooner means no known treatment, not enough ventilators and far more risk to the hospital personnel caring for me.

No thank you.

I’ll self isolate and pray that enough Americans are smart enough and caring enough to do the same.

[libertybele]

Sooner means no known treatment, not enough ventilators and far more risk to the hospital personnel caring for me.

No thank you.

I’ll self isolate and pray that enough Americans are smart enough and caring enough to do the same.

   Prayers up for all my fellow Briefers and their loved ones!

[musiclady]

  Prayers up for all my fellow Briefers and their loved ones!

Amen!

Because if getting the virus sooner rather than later endangers your family and friends, and possibly costs you your life, it's a really bad decision to make.  It may sound like you're a tough guy on the internet, but it's dangerous in real life, and I hope no one on this board makes that kind of foolish decision.

Stay safe, libertybele.

[jafo2010]

Many millions, perhaps tens of millions in the USA have had this virus.

What is unfortunate is that the CDC has not developed a test for antibodies to determine if any of us have had it.  The test would be expensive, which is part of the problem.  However, this test is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT in helping politicians make policy decisions.  For example, if ten million have had this virus that have not been identified, which I believe to be the case, then this virus is less deadly than the basic flu.  And if that is the case, this total shutdown is foolish, and Trump is being misled.

And don't think this lack of a test to determine those infected to date with antibodies is not intentional.  Again, I know for fact many of these docs at CDC, and I assume NIH and FDA are very anti Trump.  Making Trump look bad would be easy to do by not performing this test.  And when I hear TRILLIONS being kicked around and this test NOT being performed, then Trump is being played to lose in November.  That is exactly how underhanded these MFers are!!!!

Fact is there are hot spots.  But for those areas of the country not dealing with that level of infection, I do not believe they should be shut down.  If we continue this shut down until the end of April, which is what it appears to be the case, we will have 10-20 million jobs lost that will NOT return.  This destruction of our economy will have lasting impact similar to Japan in the 90s.  We will NOT recover from this economically.  80% of small restaurants will be gone, along with many of the retail establishments that were out there.  New construction will come to a screaming end for perhaps one or two years.  The damage would be severe, and reminiscent of the Great Depression.  And if this nonsense continues into May, China accomplishes perhaps what they planned in the first place, to displace the USA in the world market as the leading economy.

[dfwgator]

First thing Trump needs to do when this is over, is to disband the CDC.   They clearly failed in their mission.

They were more concerned with Climate Change than with stopping pandemics.

[dfwgator]

Many millions, perhaps tens of millions in the USA have had this virus.

What is unfortunate is that the CDC has not developed a test for antibodies to determine if any of us have had it.  The test would be expensive, which is part of the problem.  However, this test is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT in helping politicians make policy decisions.  For example, if ten million have had this virus that have not been identified, which I believe to be the case, then this virus is less deadly than the basic flu.  And if that is the case, this total shutdown is foolish, and Trump is being misled.
 

Too busy with crap like this.....

https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/default.htm

CDC’s Climate and Health Program is excited to celebrate 10 years of supporting state, tribal, local, and territorial public health agencies as they prepare for specific health impacts of a changing climate. CDC is proud of the collaborative work states, cities, territories, and tribes are doing to develop and implement adaptation plans to protect at-risk populations and locations.

[Stevensr123]

The fact is, the numbers are crap .  CRAP!!!

And the predictions by Dr. Fauci are also crap.  I trust nothing he says.

The fact is, we most likely have had many millions infected and are well now not being identified.  My wife and I believe we both had this virus in early January.  We went to an Emergency Clinic facility down the road from us, were tested for the flu with negative results.  It was early on and we were not tested for COVID-19.  We did have the symptoms of the disease.  And talk about being weak, we were both extremely weak.  I am 66, she is 47, and we were both knocked hard.  But she had a small drugstore at home, and we started on antibiotics, Tamiflu, and mega doses of Vitamin C, and we weathered through it.  If we had antibody tests, we would get tested to confirm we had it.  What happened to us has happened to many millions of Americans, and they are not being counted.

This novelty of this virus is slowly coming to an end, with protocols forming to fight it.  The FDA is slow and cannot be trusted any more than Dr. Fauci.  Plus I believe many of these medical folks are anti Trumpers, and don't think that does not play into what they are doing.  If they can keep this outbreak going long enough, they can destroy Trump, and don't think for a minute that is not present in everything they do. Count on it.

For three years I have heard my wife come home complaining about the anti Trump mindset of everyone at the CDC.  No mystery here what is going on.  None.

yea the whole world are anti trumpers and it's a conspiracy ....idiot.

Trump is doing a good job, but unless you think he is an idiot himself, their is a reason why he is doing this.

It's bloody serious.

I swear the mentality of some people on here is terrible. Would probably have the mentality of not fighting Hitler if it meant a stock market crash.

Just let the virus run its course? Ok millions dead.

Who will be buying goods and services when their are piles of dead people in the corner? No-one. The quicker people self isolate the quicker this all ends and the quicker the economy will pick up.

[txradioguy]

yea the whole world are anti trumpers and it's a conspiracy ....idiot.

Trump is doing a good job, but unless you think he is an idiot himself, their is a reason why he is doing this.

It's bloody serious.

I swear the mentality of some people on here is terrible. Would probably have the mentality of not fighting Hitler if it meant a stock market crash.

Just let the virus run its course? Ok millions dead.

Who will be buying goods and services when their are piles of dead people in the corner? No-one. The quicker people self isolate the quicker this all ends and the quicker the economy will pick up.

You seem like a pleasant person.

[Formerly Once-Ler]

Monday — we can’t have the cure be worse than the disease.

Wednesday — I’d like to open the country up by Easter.

Sunday — Let’s have a Great Depression!

What do you even say to that?  It’d be funny as hell if the joke weren’t on us.

I supported my President, and still your President too, Donald J Trump 100% when he set the course of the nation.  You know I'm gonna support him 200% when he turns tail and back tracks.  #KAG

[Formerly Once-Ler]

yea the whole world are anti trumpers and it's a conspiracy ....idiot.

Trump is doing a good job, but unless you think he is an idiot himself, their is a reason why he is doing this.

It's bloody serious.

I swear the mentality of some people on here is terrible. Would probably have the mentality of not fighting Hitler if it meant a stock market crash.

Just let the virus run its course? Ok millions dead.

Who will be buying goods and services when their are piles of dead people in the corner? No-one. The quicker people self isolate the quicker this all ends and the quicker the economy will pick up.

@Stevensr123
This would be a great post if you dropped the idiot remark.

[Stevensr123]

@Stevensr123
This would be a great post if you dropped the idiot remark.

apologies. My dad's friend from the British army died of it the other day. So makes me angry that people still aren't taking it seriously or think it's anything to do with trump. It's a GLOBAL health crisis.

One thing I will say though, China MUST pay when this is all over.

[Cyber Liberty]

apologies. My dad's friend from the British army died of it the other day. So makes me angry that people still aren't taking it seriously or think it's anything to do with trump. It's a GLOBAL health crisis.

One thing I will say though, China MUST pay when this is all over.

My condolences to you and your Dad for the loss of his friend.

And yes, China must be made to pay a price for this.  A lot of that will be the natural consequences of proving themselves an unreliable trading partner.

[musiclady]

apologies. My dad's friend from the British army died of it the other day. So makes me angry that people still aren't taking it seriously or think it's anything to do with trump. It's a GLOBAL health crisis.

One thing I will say though, China MUST pay when this is all over.

Your anger is understandable.

This is hitting very close to home for a lot of people.

In Ohio, an ER nurse just died trying to save the lives of others.

I'm sorry for your loss......

[Fishrrman]

This was a very good move by Mr. Trump.

Mid-April wasn't going to be "long enough" to "reach a peak", then see "a plateau", and then see the infection rate begin a downward slide.

I would reckon the "R0" would have to drop a little below 1.0, perhaps even lower, before people ought to be "mixing" (at work and socially) as they did prior to the pandemic. But then, I'm no expert -- that's just a guess.

Two extra weeks won't seem like that much longer.
Even then, by the third week of April, a "second re-assessment" may be necessary.
The virus still has a lot of territory over which it can spread, even after the hot spots (NYC) seem to start "burning out".

Hopefully within two weeks they'll be enough reports as to whether the various drugs being used against the disease are working, and what combinations seem to yield the most reliable results.

Mr. Trump's press briefings are helping, too.
He is most certainly the Man of the Hour, forcing federal agencies to bend to his will, and presenting himself (and others on the team) before the public.

If anything is going to seal his re-election, this is it.
Regardless of how the economy struggles for the time being.

Perhaps something more formal than a press briefing is needed, such as a national address...

[Formerly Once-Ler]

Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx are only modeling the effects of this disease.  They are not modeling the effects of ruining the economy.  How much more homelessness, drug dependency, depression and suicide will there be if we go into a prolonged recession? How much would that affect not only the medical establishment, but the entire social fabric of the country?

Trump's original instincts were right on this.  Hunkering down has done very little to contain the virus.  The best defense against COVID-19 is for everyone to get it and become immune.  That is a process we are intentionally prolonging in order to prevent short-term hospital overcrowding, mostly because no politician at any level can survive the optics of people dying for want of a ventilator.

Practically everyone is going to get this virus one way or another. If that is the case (which it is), then better sooner than later for the vast majority of us.

@massadvj
My President says the last 15 day lock down may have changed a 2.2 million death toll into 100-200k.  I don't think he pulled that out of his butt.  I think the best scientists, doctors, and statisticians in the world advised him...but I agree the economists probably got short shrift after the President decided his number one goal was to save as many lives as possible.

[mountaineer]

[Formerly Once-Ler]

@massadvj
My President says the last 15 day lock down may have changed a 2.2 million death toll into 100-200k.  I don't think he pulled that out of his butt. 

At least not like this one...

MikeBates @MikeBates

Trump today: "I know South Korea better than anybody. It's a  very tight - do you know how many people are in Seoul ? Do you know how big the city of Seoul is? 38 million people."

It's under 10 million. But Trump knows South Korea better than anybody.  Believe me!

[roamer_1]

Just let the virus run its course? Ok millions dead.

Who will be buying goods and services when their are piles of dead people in the corner? No-one. The quicker people self isolate the quicker this all ends and the quicker the economy will pick up.

A bullcrap number pulled out of somebody's butt that started the panic - 1.2 to 2m to die in the US alone - Never true. Later downgraded to several hundred thousand... And now they are hard pressed to get mortality over 100k... And that too will predictably go down further... to several 10s of thousands - Panic driven nonsense.

[txradioguy]

A bullcrap number pulled out of somebody's butt that started the panic - 1.2 to 2m to die in the US alone - Never true. Later downgraded to several hundred thousand... And now they are hard pressed to get mortality over 100k... And that too will predictably go down further... to several 10s of thousands - Panic driven nonsense.

 

[Axeslinger]

A bullcrap number pulled out of somebody's butt that started the panic - 1.2 to 2m to die in the US alone - Never true. Later downgraded to several hundred thousand... And now they are hard pressed to get mortality over 100k... And that too will predictably go down further... to several 10s of thousands - Panic driven nonsense.

For the 18,346th time.   This was never about the death rate... that’s just an also ran.  This is and has always been about overwhelming the healthcare system and preventing all the OTHER deaths that would result from that.

Fact: this IS at least 2.5-3 times more transmissible than the seasonal flu.
Fact: (and this is the most important one given the transmissibility referenced above) unlike the seasonal flu, there is no vaccine, there is no cure.

So now, please.... all the naysayers follow me here:
If there is no cure, and there is no vaccine...AND it is much more transmissible than the seasonal flu...how does our healthcare system accommodate that?  Answer: without (here’s that phrase) flattening the curve, they absolutely CANNOT do so. Folks will be dying of otherwise very treatable maladies.

Now roll in the fact that this has mutated at least once if not twice and who knows what the next one may bring. And roll in that it APPEARS to be at best 10x more fatal than the season flu...and you’ve got the very real potential for a real shitstorm.

Nothing I’ve said here is contested, I took the low figures across the board.  My sister is a nurse in Chicago...they are ALREADY on the brink of being overwhelmed.  They are virtually out of PPE, re-using some, and she has had one day off since this began.  And every sign they’re seeing is that it’s only in the beginning stages of spooling up.

[musiclady]

For the 18,346th time.   This was never about the death rate... that’s just an also ran.  This is and has always been about overwhelming the healthcare system and preventing all the OTHER deaths that would result from that.

Fact: this IS at least 2.5-3 times more transmissible than the seasonal flu.
Fact: (and this is the most important one given the transmissibility referenced above) unlike the seasonal flu, there is no vaccine, there is no cure.

So now, please.... all the naysayers follow me here:
If there is no cure, and there is no vaccine...AND it is much more transmissible than the seasonal flu...how does our healthcare system accommodate that?  Answer: without (here’s that phrase) flattening the curve, they absolutely CANNOT do so. Folks will be dying of otherwise very treatable maladies.

Now roll in the fact that this has mutated at least once if not twice and who knows what the next one may bring. And roll in that it APPEARS to be at best 10x more fatal than the season flu...and you’ve got the very real potential for a real shitstorm.

Nothing I’ve said here is contested, I took the low figures across the board.  My sister is a nurse in Chicago...they are ALREADY on the brink of being overwhelmed.  They are virtually out of PPE, re-using some, and she has had one day off since this began.  And every sign they’re seeing is that it’s only in the beginning stages of spooling up.

THANK you for this fact based, medically sound post.

Facts aren't nonsense.

The nonsense happens when ill-informed people pretend they know what they do not know.

In my family there are a number of nurses, NP's and a doctor.  In addition I know many, many doctors because my husband worked in hospital administration for over 40 years.

And every single one of the people who actually works in hospitals and in medicine is in total agreement with what you've said.

Again......... thank you for clearly enumerating FACTS.

Without them, there is nothing but emotion, and emotion leads to panic, and panic is dangerous.

[Formerly Once-Ler]

For the 18,346th time.   This was never about the death rate... that’s just an also ran.  This is and has always been about overwhelming the healthcare system and preventing all the OTHER deaths that would result from that.

Fact: this IS at least 2.5-3 times more transmissible than the seasonal flu.
Fact: (and this is the most important one given the transmissibility referenced above) unlike the seasonal flu, there is no vaccine, there is no cure.

So now, please.... all the naysayers follow me here:
If there is no cure, and there is no vaccine...AND it is much more transmissible than the seasonal flu...how does our healthcare system accommodate that?  Answer: without (here’s that phrase) flattening the curve, they absolutely CANNOT do so. Folks will be dying of otherwise very treatable maladies.

Now roll in the fact that this has mutated at least once if not twice and who knows what the next one may bring. And roll in that it APPEARS to be at best 10x more fatal than the season flu...and you’ve got the very real potential for a real shitstorm.

Nothing I’ve said here is contested, I took the low figures across the board.  My sister is a nurse in Chicago...they are ALREADY on the brink of being overwhelmed.  They are virtually out of PPE, re-using some, and she has had one day off since this began.  And every sign they’re seeing is that it’s only in the beginning stages of spooling up.

Great post @Axeslinger

[truth_seeker]

A bullcrap number pulled out of somebody's butt that started the panic - 1.2 to 2m to die in the US alone - Never true. Later downgraded to several hundred thousand... And now they are hard pressed to get mortality over 100k... And that too will predictably go down further... to several 10s of thousands - Panic driven nonsense.

People are not finished dying in China, or Italy, or Iran, or NYC but you can predict the future, with your own numbers pulled from your backside?

Whn my grandfather was young in the 1890s, he was one of seven children. Three died of diptheria in a matter of days.

He headed West to Wyoming and Montana, where he was a real cowboy. He went as far away as Texas, to bring back horses for his employer, the William F. Cody Wild West Show.

In 1917 he registerec for the WWI draft from Green Grass County Montana, and later settled down and married near Cody WY.

Outbreaks like Diptheria killing so many people, later 1918 Spanish flu, gave way to the field of Public Health.

There is quite a lot of science, beyond pulling numbers out of one's backside.

I was in elementary school when were were all innoculated for Polio. There was a kid on my grandparents' block already wearing braces.