Covid home test

[bruce t]

The vast majority of those testing positive have no symptoms and/or very mild symptoms. But they can be those who unknowingly spread it to others. So the logic is, here in Australia, to test test test. Identify those who test positive and isolate them. Australian's line up in their thousands every day to be tested. No big deal there are free test stations all over the place. If you think you have symptoms your are asked to be tested and stay at home until you get your result. Usually in less than 24 hours.

Removing the positive cases from society for a few days mean the rest of society can get on with a 'normal' life. Because you don't think you have covid doesn't mean you don't have it. Research here says that 99% of cases show no symptoms or very mild symptoms.

[packnrat]

first off NO test is "free" the cost is paid via your payments to a medical provider or tax moneys. (in what ever country you live in).

second yes if you are sick. or think you are. then lose work and stay home. burn off some sick days, or vac time.

i never said this "bug" was brought on by the democrats, just they are making $$ off it.  communist china let it lose (by a screw-up, or on purpose? i do not know). but they allowed people they knew had contracted it to return home to there adopted countries, that is how it exploded around the world, as if it had done a "normal" spread it would never had gotten so far so fast. i have always been in favor of better would wide travel controls. but never thought of something like this.

most of the problems are in major city's and places were the pop is in close living spaces, not out in the rural country sides.

i am just sick of all this, we do not need hourly up dates of this. heck not even daily, maybe only weekly or by weekly.

freeway traffic sure by the hr in some areas. at times of the day. but not about people getting sick. maybe if the 10's of millions had died (in the USA that is) as the "news" had said, but never came about.

why no out-cry about hart attacks? diabetes? high BP? and about 10 or so other medical problems, each of these kill more in one year than this covid thing has. check out the cdc web page for this info.

but for now i am off to work, delivering junk food for the masses to eat. and no i do not eat this stuff. too much fat and salt for me.

[sandsys]

1 hour ago, packnrat said:

i am just sick of all this, we do not need hourly up dates of this. heck not even daily, maybe only weekly or by weekly.

So why are you following those sources? 

Linda

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, sandsys said:

So why are you following those sources? 

Since they do not say what he believes that they say, I suspect that he doesn't read them. At the same time, I do have empathy for his comment that he is tired of hearing about it. But unfortunately, ignoring the world around us isn't a very safe choice nowadays. To my way of thinking, the best way to get this behind us is for everyone to make all efforts to do the things health departments and our doctors are advising and get it under control. To that end, we spend very limited time in close contact with others, we wear masks when we go out and we do a lot of washing our hands. I also do not allow my politically conservative background to void my knowledge of science and faith in my doctor. I do not get medical advice from my favorite politician and I don't get political advice from my doctor. 

[bruce t]

Yes I said free. Free as there is no fee to get tested. Yes I know there's no such thing as free in todays society. But how pedantic can you get?

I'm not a fan of much of Australia's over reach with covid. Lockdowns etc. But it has worked. Yes it has made life very annoying. Yes the politicians, authorities and especially the media are having a field day with their power hit. But it has worked. Australia has been very successful at controlling covid-19. But it has come at a great cost. Both personally and to the economy.

When the USA gets 100000+ a day cases and at the same time 2 million folks in Perth get a 5 day lockdown for just 1 case then you have to scratch your head and ask yourself is it worth it? But what do you want? 100000 a day or a 5 day lockdown?

Now let me be clear here. Most of Australia's deaths, 90%, have be as a result of government or authority stuff ups. Those stuff ups are the cause of Perths 1 case, 5 day lockdown. So the USA has to ask itself, do we let it continue as it is or do the hard yards and close down covid? Your choice. The vaccine isn't going to stop the spread. It will only prevent you from getting real sick. And covid will be like to flu so we all have to learn to live with. The key is how do you do that? But first you have to bring it under control. And that's the weak point because you have the politicians, authorities and the media all sticking their noses in.

 

Edit - I know someone is going to question the lockdowns. Lockdowns worked in Australia among other actions. Lockdowns didn't/haven't worked in the UK. So no lockdowns aren't a silver bullet.

 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by bruce t

[2gypsies]

13 hours ago, packnrat said:

 

why no out-cry about hart attacks? diabetes? high BP? and about 10 or so other medical problems, each of these kill more in one year than this covid thing has. check out the cdc web page for this info.

 

Covid deaths is now #1 

https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/slide/covid-19-now-leading-cause-of-death-in-the-united-states/

[Jinx & Wayne]

18 hours ago, packnrat said:

why no out-cry about hart attacks? diabetes? high BP? and about 10 or so other medical problems, each of these kill more in one year than this covid thing has.

1.  COVID has managed to get to No 1 in less than a year.  And it is growing still.

2.  There are medications, lifestyle changes and medical procedures for the things you listed.  COVID?  Not so much.

3.  There is an outcry about these things.

Yes, I'm sick of it, too.  I just need to be sure I don't get sick from it or spread it.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

[Kirk W]

15 hours ago, bruce t said:

And that's the weak point because you have the politicians, authorities and the media all sticking their noses in.

And that is one problem that both of our countries share. 

I am sure that Bruce realizes the huge cultural difference between our two countries, which I did not until we spent a month visiting him there. The USA is unique in the world in the way that we view individual rights and that sometimes gets in the way of efforts to make rules for the common good. With our much more extensive road system here, closing the state borders would be impractical, if not impossible, even before you consider how our citizenry would react to the action. Sometimes we seem to act like a bunch of spoiled children and ignore what might be good for our neighbors and possibly even ourselves.

1 hour ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

Yes, I'm sick of it, too.  I just need to be sure I don't get sick from it or spread it.

(emphasis added)

[hemsteadc]

22 hours ago, packnrat said:

why no out-cry about hart attacks? diabetes? high BP? and about 10 or so other medical problems, each of these kill more in one year than this covid thing has. check out the cdc web page for this info.

Here we go again.  "hart" attacks and those other things are not contagious and largely brought about by lifestyle.

[Barbaraok]

22 hours ago, packnrat said:

22 hours ago, packnrat said:

.....communist china let it lose (by a screw-up, or on purpose? i do not know .......

 

NOBODY let it loose.  It jumped from the wild population (probably through bats) into humans as increased population moved into their habitats.  The virus was identified several years ago as one that could jump - just like SARS did.  And there are others, so another jump is likely when humans move into and destroy animal habitat.    

And viruses can jump anytime people are living in close proximity/harvesting animals.   The "Spanish Flu" probably made the jump in the hog pens of middle USA and were carried by US troops to Europe in 1918 and spread like wildfire.   A successful virus as H1N1 (Spanish Flu, Swine Flu) remains successful by becoming easier to transmit and less likely to cause deaths, which sounds counterintuitive, but if the virus causes everyone to quickly die out, it dies out with the hosts.   If the virus just gets them sick, but is successfully and quickly passed on to someone else, it continues on to infect more people.   Cold viruses are superbly adapted, hosts lives,  easily transmissible, and the hosts don't develop lasting immunity.

Transmission is easier in  urban areas, but that doesn't mean it can not affect rural areas as we have seen, and the availability of treatments is limited in rural areas.  

Sticking ones head in the sand may be fine for birds, but remaining blissfully ignorant isn't how I want to go through life.    And maybe, just maybe, if you had done any carefully reading, you would have seen the discussion of how the virus is effecting treatments for heart attacks, cancer, etc., how people are not getting treatment that they should, and the looming prospect of increased heart disease in long-timers who will have cardio-vascular problems the rest of their lives. 

If everyone had started CORRECTLY wearing masks even 6 month ago, the infection and death rate could have been dramatically cut.  Had everyone started in March of last year, hundreds of thousands would not have died.  

 

[bruce t]

Barbaraok "NOBODY let it loose.  It jumped from the wild population (probably through bats) into humans as increased population moved into their habitats.  The virus was identified several years ago as one that could jump - just like SARS did.  And there are others, so another jump is likely when humans move into and destroy animal habitat. "

This is just supposition. Investigations are on going. I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying it hasn't yet been proven. The WHO is currently in China investigating. Will they find conclusive evidence? More than likely not. But your statement isn't yet fact.

 

 

[Barbaraok]

Until funding was cut, there were scientists looking all over the world at what types of viruses were in different species and studying which were likely to jump to humans.  There several that could make the jump such as the PangolinCoronavirus or the porcine delta coronavirus.  And corona viruses aren’t the only ones to worry about.    There is a huge number of viruses in both wild and domesticated animals that have been identified, some of which might jump at some point.  Add in bacteria and parasites carried by animals and it is truly remarkable that MORE haven’t made the species jump more often.   I read a lot of scientific publications.  After the SARS/MERS outbreaks there was a lot of information on what they were finding.  

[Jinx & Wayne]

It may be that a home test might have been useful early on, but at this stage of a widespread pandemic it is too little and too late.

https://www.statnews.com/2021/02/05/a-waste-of-money-the-home-covid-19-test-funded-by-the-biden-administration-is-too-costly-and-complex-critics-say/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=b714f5b73a-Daily_Recap&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-b714f5b73a-152363974

[Barbaraok]

The Biden Administration hasn't funded anything yet.  No funding bill has gone through Congress.   This was given the go ahead in December.  How does something promulgated in December become something the Biden Admin funded?   Yes, they want to go ahead with it, build it here.   Don't people understand that the virus ISN'T GOING AWAY.  1/3 of the population says they aren't going to take the vaccine!  That means the disease is going to become endemic in the US, circulating constantly, and if people aren't going to become vaccinated, they need to be able to tell if they have caught the virus so they can get treatments to mitigate their disease progress!

[Kirk W]

2 hours ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

It may be that a home test might have been useful early on, but at this stage of a widespread pandemic it is too little and too late.

Not the best source for unbiased or accurate reporting.

Quote

Founded in March 1909, The State News is the official student voice and independent non-profit student media group serving MSU. This student-run media organization operates StateNews.com and a daily weekday email newsletter year-round and distributes a weekly print newspaper on Tuesdays during fall and spring semesters.

 

[Ray,IN]

9 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

The Biden Administration hasn't funded anything yet.  No funding bill has gone through Congress.   This was given the go ahead in December.  How does something promulgated in December become something the Biden Admin funded?   Yes, they want to go ahead with it, build it here.   Don't people understand that the virus ISN'T GOING AWAY.  1/3 of the population says they aren't going to take the vaccine!  That means the disease is going to become endemic in the US, circulating constantly, and if people aren't going to become vaccinated, they need to be able to tell if they have caught the virus so they can get treatments to mitigate their disease progress!

I agree, early last year I got the feeling this SARS-CoV-2 is going to be around like influenza, we'll be getting vaccinated every  year. Remember reading about how many people died from influenza in the 19th century? Back then they didn't know how to avoid catching influenze, today we know how to avoid catching SARS-CoV-2, the problem is those that refuse to accept the protocols.

[bigjim]

2 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

we know how to avoid catching SARS-CoV-2, the problem is those that refuse to accept the protocols.

Can I get a big Amen brother.

[Jinx & Wayne]

13 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Not the best source for unbiased or accurate reporting.

STAT, the Boston Globe's medical news clearing house is a bad source regarding medical and scientific issues?  You have a line to absolute you would like to share?  It is STAT not Statenews.  STAT has been covering this pandemic well, from the start.

Start at the beginning.  Finish at the end.  Read everything in the middle.

Wayne & Jinx
2017 F-350 diesel, dually
2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

Edited February 7, 2021 by Jinx & Wayne
spelling. Omitted link

[Kirk W]

9 hours ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

the Boston Globe's medical news clearing house

I got the wrong place when I did my "who is" search.  🙄 That is probably one the better ones. There are several others that I watch but that one is new to me. Thanks of the correction.

[Jinx & Wayne]

22 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

I got the wrong place when I did my "who is" search.  🙄 That is probably one the better ones. There are several others that I watch but that one is new to me. Thanks of the correction.

Thank you.  A subscription costs several hundred dollars a year but they made covid news access free.  You can sign up for email newsletter on the site I posted.

[Kirk W]

2 minutes ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

A subscription costs several hundred dollars a year but they made covid news access free.

National Geographic did the same thing. There are several sources that I follow but I'll take another look at that one. While not all science based sites always completely agree, the more common things tend to be very close, if not the same.

[Barbaraok]

13 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

I agree, early last year I got the feeling this SARS-CoV-2 is going to be around like influenza, we'll be getting vaccinated every  year. Remember reading about how many people died from influenza in the 19th century? Back then they didn't know how to avoid catching influenze, today we know how to avoid catching SARS-CoV-2, the problem is those that refuse to accept the protocols.

Actually Ray, if you look at photos from the era what you see is that they figured out that wearing cloth masks were effective in reducing spread.  This is also when you being to see that medical practices shifted and the introduced of cloth masks started taking hold for surgeries, and they found that post-op infections fell.  All of the movies from the 30s show the doctors being 'gowned' up with the face masked being tied by the adoring nurse as the final step before he backs into and opens the door into the surgical room.  And all was cloth and each hospital had fairly large laundries that ran long hours to get everything washed for the next day.   

[sandsys]

5 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

Actually Ray, if you look at photos from the era what you see is that they figured out that wearing cloth masks were effective in reducing spread.  This is also when you being to see that medical practices shifted and the introduced of cloth masks started taking hold for surgeries, and they found that post-op infections fell.  All of the movies from the 30s show the doctors being 'gowned' up with the face masked being tied by the adoring nurse as the final step before he backs into and opens the door into the surgical room.  And all was cloth and each hospital had fairly large laundries that ran long hours to get everything washed for the next day.   

Have you also noticed that what surgeons wear are called scrubs? Have you noticed in those movies how they wash their hands AND forearms? And a nurse holds the gowns and gloves they put on? And they hold their hands up in front of them as they back through a door? None of this stuff is actually new. It's just being more widely used. And I, for one, am grateful for that.

Linda

[nash17k]

I agree!

[Chalkie]

2 hours ago, sandsys said:

None of this stuff is actually new. It's just being more widely used.

More widely used where? Did doctors quit doing this?