COVID-19/Coronavirus thread

[greg775]

Kansas City and Douglas County/Lawrence Kansas are surging with new cases and deaths. Seriously, folks, what is going on and can we curb this? Please just don't crack a one liner and say wear a mask. I mean is this the end of the world? We are being swamped with new cases and the students aren't even back yet.

I'm thinking we're doomed since it's not even virus season. I'm also started to get bored and restless again. Day after day month after month only drudgery. Folks, WTF is going on with Covid?

[pcq]

We are dealing with people in denial who expect schools and teachers to accommodate them to jumpstart the economy. My office landlord wondered if I had sent rent. I guess because the guys next door are moving out. Yes I did thanks but don't bother me. 

[caulfield12]

2 hours ago, Soxbadger said:

If youre doing more work sure you should be able to ask for better pay.

But the example I was using is where the teacher is providing 1 20 minute group reading session per week. Other than that they are providing links to websites and asking children to do assignments on ESpark and IXL. They are not grading any work as they explicitly asked that none of the work be turned. They are not responding to emails for days/weeks. 

Every situation is different, but the only one Im talking about is CPS. I posted the CPS plan and compared it to what CPS was providing last year. As I mentioned, my child goes to a magnate school which has much more funding than a regular CPS school. They have an ipad for every student and the students were able to take them home. 

This is why China is winning.

We have students studying six days a week through July 20th to make up for distance learning.

The teachers have no unions, and the school has total control over your life.  In the US, tenure protects bad teachers...that said, teachers that push and challenge those at-risk students are often targeted for expecting more, and believing they can actually make a difference.  It feels like a combination of babysitting, social work and test prep regurgitation for state standardized exams, which have nothing to do with helping students earn money to take care of their families.  It’s just a game.  Theory and application have to be taught together.   

Conversely, education always comes first in China, ahead of economics or really any aspect of society. 
 

Fwiw, I have taught four years in some of the worst public high schools in the country, where the average ACT score of those who were hoping to go to community college was just 13.  75% weren’t even testing.  I've also spent the last five years teaching kids going to Oxford, Cambridge and the best American universities.  Don’t paint with a broad brush.  Every teacher is different.

After a decade plus in Asia now, I can certainly understand why Singapore is the best place for education in the world right now, at least through the senior year of high school.

[turnin' two]

28 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

This is why China is winning.

We have students studying six days a week through July 20th to make up for distance learning.

The teachers have no unions, and the school has total control over your life.  In the US, tenure protects bad teachers...that said, teachers that push and challenge those at-risk students are often targeted for expecting more, and believing they can actually make a difference.  It feels like a combination of babysitting, social work and test prep regurgitation for state standardized exams, which have nothing to do with helping students earn money to take care of their families.  It’s just a game.  Theory and application have to be taught together.   

Conversely, education always comes first in China, ahead of economics or really any aspect of society. 
 

Fwiw, I have taught four years in some of the worst public high schools in the country, where the average ACT score of those who were hoping to go to community college was just 13.  75% weren’t even testing.  I've also spent the last five years teaching kids going to Oxford, Cambridge and the best American universities.  Don’t paint with a broad brush.  Every teacher is different.

After a decade plus in Asia now, I can certainly understand why Singapore is the best place for education in the world right now, at least through the senior year of high school.

Loyalty to the party and Pooh bear?

[caulfield12]

11 minutes ago, turnin' two said:

Loyalty to the party and Pooh bear?

I have taught children of Vietnamese immigrants in the US.

I have taught in three Chinese cities, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea and Indonesia, as well as Colombia.

Education is simply more important in the Asian culture.   They spend 50% more time in school than Americans, roughly....including night and weekend/supplemental tutoring and ESL classes.

It has nothing to do with loyalty.  It's almost persistence, and willingness to work hard.   These also used to be American values, at least through the 1960's.

I could just have easily pointed out why and how Finland is kicking our butts.  Because they only allow the top 10-15% of students in any given field to be selected for teacher training.  But they give them a lot of latitude/freedom/autonomy because they trust them, and they also pay them a significantly higher salary (compared to local cost of living) than teachers in the United States.

In America, teachers are not really respected, except professors at the university level.    Many of my best colleagues had false allegations made against them because they expected excellence, and tried to treat kids in the same way they would teaching at the most elite/prestigious school in the country.   They all gradually left, disheartened.

Even the poorest students in Thailand and Indonesia and the Philippines, they and their parents have great respect for teachers, it's shocking when someone shows any disrespect in a university setting.    The worst thing that happens in terms of discipline is kids are bored or looking at an iPad or iPhone they sneaked into the classroom and hid in their desk or lap.  Never any fighting.    In Kansas City, we had 2-3 fights in the school every day, the worst between groups of girls.   Knives.   Guns.   Everything under the sun, it happened.   I saw a Fulbright scholar break down in his first month teaching because he attempted to block the door at the end of the school day to keep the students from leaving early and they just knocked him over after running right through him.   Pregnant students right and left.   Neglect, where kids had to sleep in the cafeteria because the single mother at home had a boyfriend and was doing crack and the cafeteria workers wanted to make sure he was fed.   Kids with ADHD that were born to drug-addicted mothers who were like zombies from over-prescription of Ritalin.  Meds given out right and left because many of the kids were simply uncontrollable and couldn't focus in school at all because of terrible home environments.  Students forced by their families to work from 4-12 a.m. every day after school, unable to keep their eyes open in the morning, yet we were told it was abuse/neglect as teachers to let them sleep, and we would potentially be fired.   The one that still stands out was a history student who parents said they didn't care about his C, but that he was going to be severely beaten for anything less than A in math and science.

 

 

 

 

[JUSTgottaBELIEVE]

7 hours ago, Soxbadger said:

 

Last year they had months to figure out something better than putting up links on a website and using programs on a tablet and they couldnt do it. My kid is young, so its not a huge deal, but she had 2 teachers. 1 teacher did almost nothing. She did not even ask that homework be turned in or review anything. I would send emails that would go unanswered for days about links/passwords etc that werent correct for the work that was supposed to be done. This is supposed to be a full time job. If youre not in the classroom, youre not grading work and your just posting links once a week, what is exactly being done with the rest of the day? On the other hand, the other teacher was putting a lot more effort in. She had sign ups each week for 1 on 1 with students. She asked that all work be turned in and would respond daily. 

I was absolutely fine with the idea of virtual/outside of the class learning, until after that experience. They had every chance to shine and make it work, but instead didnt. I dont even know what the excuse could possibly be for not having a class wide meeting every single day for 1-2 hours. What else was being done with that time?

Its not even my child Im arguing for. Im lucky, my job is letting me do whatever I want right now. I was able to sit next to her and teach while I did my work. But some kids have parents who work at grocery stores etc who have to go to work so that the rest of us can eat. What are they supposed to do with their kids all day? I

 

 

Again not a scientist, but it seems a gym and restaurant arent comparative to a school.  A gym and restaurant have a client base that is varied. They have random people coming every day. A school is isolated. The teacher is going to be exposed to the same people every day. 

Yep. I had the same experience and is why I expressed my disappointment with grade schools that were going to any type of abbreviated class schedule. Thankfully, my district is not (for now) but their contingency plan in the event of another rise in statewide cases (likely) is the 2-1-2 thing. That’s just brutal.

[caulfield12]

https://news.yahoo.com/letters-editor-o-c-schools-100037380.html

The accompanying picture exemplifies the sad state of affairs on both schools and vaccine acceptance. 

Only 47% of Republicans will agree to get vaccinated... and the school reopenings are in complete shambles. 

 

How to get out of the COVID-19 testing mess

According to Harvard researchers, states like Mississippi, Arizona, Alabama and South Carolina are woefully short on testing, (while a few states like Hawaii, Alaska and Vermont are actually testing more than they need to.) Overall though, the Harvard model suggests the U.S. is under testing by a significant margin.

As far as global comparisons, Johns Hopkins data shows the U.S. is under testing too, along with Brazil, Mexico, India, Iran and yes, Sweden and France. Countries testing enough include: Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and yes, Russia.

I asked Dr. Thomas Tsai, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Harvard, a simple question: What the hell is wrong with our country and testing? 

“It's deeply frustrating,” Tsai said. “It comes down to a lack of coordinated federal strategy and inconsistent and harmful messages from the White House. The HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) state testing plans are like a cursory outline instead of a detailed report.”

One harmful message the good doctor might be referring to is when Trump essentially discourages testing by saying it increases the number of cases. 

“Testing is a first step in addressing any epidemic,” Shah says. “You have to test to know how much to fight what’s out there. Whether you have enough ammunition or troops or not. You’ve got to know who you’re fighting.”

No wonder the logjams are as bad as they’ve ever been.

The New York Times notes that “In New Orleans, testing supplies are so limited that one site started testing at 8 a.m. but had only enough to handle the people lined up by 7:33 a.m.”

“We're back to a lot of the stories from March and April in terms of delays in getting results back, and shortages of reagents, only now it's more complicated than it was earlier,” says Tsai.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/covid-19-testing-mess-how-to-solve-it-115228785.html

Edited July 18, 2020 by caulfield12

[The Beast]

14 hours ago, greg775 said:

Kansas City and Douglas County/Lawrence Kansas are surging with new cases and deaths. Seriously, folks, what is going on and can we curb this? Please just don't crack a one liner and say wear a mask. I mean is this the end of the world? We are being swamped with new cases and the students aren't even back yet.

I'm thinking we're doomed since it's not even virus season. I'm also started to get bored and restless again. Day after day month after month only drudgery. Folks, WTF is going on with Covid?

Greg, there doesn’t appear to be anything that can be done until a vaccine. Masks and social distancing seem to be what we can do. You have to find your own ways to deal with boredom and be productive. I’m not really wanting to discuss past and current policy in Kansas since that conversation historically hasn’t been very productive in this thread. If you have other solutions, let’s hear them.

On 7/17/2020 at 7:51 AM, Hawkfan said:

I didn't say democratic, I said democrat.  All you have to do is read definition of communism now and it will make sense. She's done more for teaching underpriveleged children than anyone in government. Just look at her businesseses, look at the philanthropy, and she's been a pioneer in successful private schools that would be open to the entire public under her school voucher plan. School choice would be an awesome solution to our current issue, I won't go so far as to call it a pandemic like you have.

Why isn’t COVID-19 a pandemic? it seems to fit this definition, doesn’t it?

”A pandemic is defined as “an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people”. The classical definition includes nothing about population immunity, virology or disease severity.”

How would you define communism and how does communism relate to the Democratic Party?

In regards to DeVos, what has she done for those you have mentioned in her current position? If she did those things in a private sector and philanthropic role, why does she not have a wide range of support? Can you cite specific examples of her work that stand out with links? I have done some reading up on what she has done but I would like to know what you have cited.

[caulfield12]

27 minutes ago, The Beast said:

Greg, there doesn’t appear to be anything that can be done until a vaccine. Masks and social distancing seem to be what we can do. You have to find your own ways to deal with boredom and be productive. I’m not really wanting to discuss past and current policy in Kansas since that conversation historically hasn’t been very productive in this thread. If you have other solutions, let’s hear them.

Why isn’t COVID-19 a pandemic? it seems to fit this definition, doesn’t it?

”A pandemic is defined as “an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people”. The classical definition includes nothing about population immunity, virology or disease severity.”

How would you define communism and how does communism relate to the Democratic Party?

In regards to DeVos, what has she done for those you have mentioned in her current position? If she did those things in a private sector and philanthropic role, why does she not have a wide range of support? Can you cite specific examples of her work that stand out with links? I have done some reading up on what she has done but I would like to know what you have cited.

The current campaign approach is to allege the Biden has been co-opted by a radical takeover by the Sanders/AOC wing of the party.

The average progressive thinks Biden is so far to the right, they have to bite their tongue just to vote for him.    

 

It's also ironic....Russia used to have the best medical system and public university system in the world until the mid 1980's under communism.   Cuba, arguably, has a better system than the United States with an extremely limited budget, they're still far more innovative and patient-friendly in terms of costs, whether for treatment or pharmaceuticals.

China has done well with the virus, and their entire health care system is state-funded.   Singapore, very much a government-controlled state.  Northern Europe, with the exception of Sweden...lean far more to the left than the majority of western democracies (see Germany, France, UK.)  Canada, too.  

That said, look at the US, Iran, Brazil, India...all have fascist, right wing strains running through those systems.

Edited July 18, 2020 by caulfield12

[NWINFan]

A local restaurant here in NW Indiana just announced a closing because a staff member tested positive. Which also meant the virus had to be transmitted from or to others.

To all those red-baiters out there who want the country to return to the Cold War of the Fifties, this is what happens. A business re-opens only to close again. It then has to pay to clean and sanitize their place and then lose money because the place is not open. Then probably, it will happen again after they re-open.  If they can re-open. Sounds cost-effective, doesn't it?

But no, let's not social distance or wear a little thing like a mask. And while you're crying about your rights, Trump sends storm troopers to Portland, Oregon.

[Dick Allen]

4 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

https://news.yahoo.com/letters-editor-o-c-schools-100037380.html

The accompanying picture exemplifies the sad state of affairs on both schools and vaccine acceptance. 

Only 47% of Republicans will agree to get vaccinated... and the school reopenings are in complete shambles. 

 

How to get out of the COVID-19 testing mess

According to Harvard researchers, states like Mississippi, Arizona, Alabama and South Carolina are woefully short on testing, (while a few states like Hawaii, Alaska and Vermont are actually testing more than they need to.) Overall though, the Harvard model suggests the U.S. is under testing by a significant margin.

As far as global comparisons, Johns Hopkins data shows the U.S. is under testing too, along with Brazil, Mexico, India, Iran and yes, Sweden and France. Countries testing enough include: Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and yes, Russia.

I asked Dr. Thomas Tsai, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Harvard, a simple question: What the hell is wrong with our country and testing? 

“It's deeply frustrating,” Tsai said. “It comes down to a lack of coordinated federal strategy and inconsistent and harmful messages from the White House. The HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) state testing plans are like a cursory outline instead of a detailed report.”

One harmful message the good doctor might be referring to is when Trump essentially discourages testing by saying it increases the number of cases. 

“Testing is a first step in addressing any epidemic,” Shah says. “You have to test to know how much to fight what’s out there. Whether you have enough ammunition or troops or not. You’ve got to know who you’re fighting.”

No wonder the logjams are as bad as they’ve ever been.

The New York Times notes that “In New Orleans, testing supplies are so limited that one site started testing at 8 a.m. but had only enough to handle the people lined up by 7:33 a.m.”

“We're back to a lot of the stories from March and April in terms of delays in getting results back, and shortages of reagents, only now it's more complicated than it was earlier,” says Tsai.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/covid-19-testing-mess-how-to-solve-it-115228785.html

Maybe Jared will share some of his supplies. Probably has to clear it with Fox News first.

[bmags]

 

[bmags]

5 minutes ago, bmags said:

 

I have a hard time speaking with total confidence on what’s happening in Illinois right now. I am disappointed in the growth in cases. Despite significant increases in testing, the positivity rate has increased, along with daily case counts. It is growing, it is.

But hospitalization since since its low point in July 4th is, with today’s numbers, up just 1% 2 weeks later. That’s 3 weeks after the rise began and a bit more that that with reopening to phase 4.

And despite not having tracers truly up and ready, I’ve found the DPHs at city, county, state level to be strangely confident.

My one hunch is IL may be much better at actually testing problem spots. That by mid June it was very good at knowing how at risk population was (front line, etc) but missing some big community hot spots.

Their mobile testing may very well be helping uncover better what was already there.

Thats a hunch at least. Perhaps testing is now better aligning positives to previous hospitalization trends.

[Dick Allen]

The guy who runs Lolapolooza  doesn’t expect concerts to return  until 2022.

[caulfield12]

https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-flooding-three-gorges-dam-weather-disaster-yangtze-river

 

I’m starting to think Greg was on to something with his apocalyptic predictions.

We’re getting battered again with 12 hours and counting of rain, and increasing rumors about the Three Gorges Dam collapsing.

We all know what happened with Fukushima (Japan), and there are something like 30 nuclear power plants in the potential flood path.

But hey, climate change isn’t real.  
Is Mother Nature finally attempting to send a message that can’t be ignored this year?

Edited July 18, 2020 by caulfield12

[The Mighty Mite]

22 hours ago, greg775 said:

Kansas City and Douglas County/Lawrence Kansas are surging with new cases and deaths. Seriously, folks, what is going on and can we curb this? Please just don't crack a one liner and say wear a mask. I mean is this the end of the world? We are being swamped with new cases and the students aren't even back yet.

I'm thinking we're doomed since it's not even virus season. I'm also started to get bored and restless again. Day after day month after month only drudgery. Folks, WTF is going on with Covid?

There are a lot of stupid people in this country, here in Florida the last few nights there were some more Covid parties. Last week some knuckleheads had a Covid Lottery Party with everyone throwing in 10 bucks in the pot and the first person that came down with the virus won the pot a few days later. Another one was the Covid Hoax party,  one guy who was 30 years old died a week later and right before he died he said to the bedside nurse "I guess it's not a hoax".

I too am starting to wonder when this thing will go away if we don't come down with a vaccine. Somehow the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920 went away by herd immunity but not before anywhere from 17 million to 50 million died.

 

Edited July 18, 2020 by The Mighty Mite

[greg775]

3 hours ago, The Mighty Mite said:

Another one was the Covid Hoax party,  one guy who was 30 years old died a week later and right before he died he said to the bedside nurse "I guess it's not a hoax".

Geez I can be a dope, a moron, a jerk, but those are not going to be among my last words. I will be pissed if the reason I die is corona, though. Obviously it could cause my death, God willing against it I desperately hope, but I hope I don't die of something as awful (in a physical, societal, blame game sense) as corona.

[NWINFan]

15 hours ago, The Mighty Mite said:

There are a lot of stupid people in this country, here in Florida the last few nights there were some more Covid parties. Last week some knuckleheads had a Covid Lottery Party with everyone throwing in 10 bucks in the pot and the first person that came down with the virus won the pot a few days later. Another one was the Covid Hoax party,  one guy who was 30 years old died a week later and right before he died he said to the bedside nurse "I guess it's not a hoax".

I too am starting to wonder when this thing will go away if we don't come down with a vaccine. Somehow the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920 went away by herd immunity but not before anywhere from 17 million to 50 million died.

 

This is amazing - and scary. "It's a hoax," and "Everything's fixed," can't be looked at as generic explanations to all our problems. How many scenes of crowded hospitals and refrigerated trucks used as morgues to people have to see to realize that is for real? 

The major food store in our area is now demanding that customers wear masks. I wonder how much violence this is going to cause. There are times when human nature can't be explained. It would help to have leadership, but that is not going to happen.

[bmags]

crucial piece of the puzzle

[Balta1701]

21 minutes ago, bmags said:

crucial piece of the puzzle

That’s what, 3rd grade or so?

[caulfield12]

22 minutes ago, Balta1701 said:

That’s what, 3rd grade or so?

3rd or 4th...so pretty much middle school/high school/university will lead to continuous spread, too.

[bmags]

1 minute ago, caulfield12 said:

3rd or 4th...so pretty much middle school/high school/university will lead to continuous spread, too.

It’s 4th and 5th. And considering elementary doesn’t change classrooms it makes case that elementary school is most able to go in person for some days at least. That is what oak park is doing, split b/w HS (all online) and elementary (2-1-2)

[caulfield12]

39 minutes ago, bmags said:

It’s 4th and 5th. And considering elementary doesn’t change classrooms it makes case that elementary school is most able to go in person for some days at least. That is what oak park is doing, split b/w HS (all online) and elementary (2-1-2)

Grade 1   6/7    Grade 2  7/8   Grade 3  8/9   Grade 4   9/10    Grade 5 10/11
Grade 6   11/ turn 12

Guess I was off by a year.  We have three years of full time KG starting at age 3, Primary is Grade 1-6, Middle School 7-9 and High School 10-12.  

So glad we spent 6-8 wasted weeks on hydroxychloroquinine!!!

In Florida, another state that is seeing surging case numbers, hospitals say they are in desperate need of remdesivir — a medication that has been shown to shorten average hospitalization times — to treat the coronavirus patients who are filling up beds.

In response, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced 30,000 vials of the drug were being shipped to the state — enough to treat about 5,000 patients.

On Saturday, Florida reported more than 10,200 new cases of the virus and 90 additional deaths, while Missouri recorded a pandemic-high 958 new cases in one day. Arizona, which conducts periodic reviews of death certificates, reclassified 106 deaths as having been from COVID-19, bringing the number of fatalities reported Saturday to 147.

Confirmed coronavirus cases around the world have surpassed 14 million, and deaths rose above 600,000, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. On Saturday, the World Health Organization, which also tracks the virus, reported a single-day record of new infections — over 259,000 worldwide — for the second day in a row. The true toll of the pandemic is thought to be even higher, in part because of shortages in testing and shortcomings in data collection.

The United States, Brazil and India top the list of cases, and South Africa — with more than 350,000 cases, roughly half of all confirmed infections in Africa — entered the top five this weekend.

Edited July 19, 2020 by caulfield12

[Dick Allen]

Supposedly Birx told Trump in April the virus was going away. So, start trashing Fauci.

[Texsox]

2 hours ago, bmags said:

It’s 4th and 5th. And considering elementary doesn’t change classrooms it makes case that elementary school is most able to go in person for some days at least. That is what oak park is doing, split b/w HS (all online) and elementary (2-1-2)

Are you certain they don't change classrooms? Here in Texas they do. Not as often as middle school, but a few times a day. Plus specials like music, art, and PE.