OT: COVID-19 thread #4

[Dresden]

"Only" 1,800 new deaths yesterday, and 130K new cases. Both 14 day averages are negative. Pretty steep decline given how not long ago we had over 4K deaths and 300K new cases per day. It would be great news if we could get back to pre-surge levels again soon, and keep it that way until the vaccine kicks in.

[AusBull]

8th day in a row here in Australia with no cases or deaths. Immunisations starting in mid Feb. Whole country immunised by October. We are starting to see something resembling a finish line.

[Dresden]

8th day in a row here in Australia with no cases or deaths. Immunisations starting in mid Feb. Whole country immunised by October. We are starting to see something resembling a finish line.

You guys are doing something right, that we aren't. Good for you.

[HomoSapien]

8th day in a row here in Australia with no cases or deaths. Immunisations starting in mid Feb. Whole country immunised by October. We are starting to see something resembling a finish line.

Amazing to hear. Just goes to show that it’s possible to get through this.

[PlayerUp]

Complaint I have with Biden administration is why are we tampering with immigration changes so early while COVID-19 is still going on? DACA extension is one thing, border wall being stopped no problem but we're promoting the spread by promoting caravans when the right thing to do is ensure these mass groups of people who could infect hundreds of people with covid-19 cease.

[Dresden]

Complaint I have with Biden administration is why are we tampering with immigration changes so early while COVID-19 is still going on? DACA extension is one thing, border wall being stopped no problem but we're promoting the spread by promoting caravans when the right thing to do is ensure these mass groups of people who could infect hundreds of people with covid-19 cease.

I didn't hear them say they were going to start letting more people into the country or decrease border security.

[PlayerUp]

I didn't hear them say they were going to start letting more people into the country or decrease border security.

Just heard Biden is expected to revoke Trumps Mexico Agreement on immigration caravans in addition is revoking the other Mexico agreements restoring immigration to the same policies pre Trump. One of those was that immigrants must stay in Mexico but that will be changed back and they'll be released back in the US again. In addition, Biden team apparently sent a notice to ICE to stop deportations for 100 days meaning caravans who get through can get into the country and not worry about deportation at least for 100 days if true.

[Dresden]

I didn't hear them say they were going to start letting more people into the country or decrease border security.

Just heard Biden is expected to revoke Trumps Mexico Agreement on immigration caravans in addition is revoking the other Mexico agreements restoring immigration to the same policies pre Trump. One of those was that immigrants must stay in Mexico but that will be changed back and they'll be released back in the US again. In addition, Biden team apparently sent a notice to ICE to stop deportations for 100 days meaning caravans who get through can get into the country and not worry about deportation at least for 100 days if true.

That doesn't seem like much to worry about, or reason to hold up the process of finding someway to provide a path to some form or legal residency for the 11 million people who are here now.

Anyway, I'm sure this is getting OT.

[Dresden]

White people least likely to wear masks consistently, study finds

The research, released on Thursday by USC’s Center for Economic and Social Research, comes from the group’s Understanding America Study, a nationally representative online sample of more than 6,000 respondents. While the vast majority of those polled agreed that masks are an effective way to combat COVID-19, just 51 percent said they consistently wear a mask when hanging out with people outside their household. The numbers become even more stark when divided by race.

White people, the researchers found, were the least likely of any race to wear a mask consistently, with just 46 percent reporting that they wear one while in close contact with people they do not live with. That was compared with 67 percent of Black people, 63 percent of Latinos and 65 percent of people from other races.

Dr. Uché Blackstock, founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity and a Yahoo Life medical contributor, says the statistics aren’t unexpected. “It’s not terribly surprising,” Blackstock says. “The videos that we've seen on social media and television of people refusing to wear a mask or demonstrating against it have been predominantly white.”
...

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/white-people-least-likely-to-wear-masks-consistently-study-finds-231848231.html

[2018C3]

White people least likely to wear masks consistently, study finds

The research, released on Thursday by USC’s Center for Economic and Social Research, comes from the group’s Understanding America Study, a nationally representative online sample of more than 6,000 respondents. While the vast majority of those polled agreed that masks are an effective way to combat COVID-19, just 51 percent said they consistently wear a mask when hanging out with people outside their household. The numbers become even more stark when divided by race.

White people, the researchers found, were the least likely of any race to wear a mask consistently, with just 46 percent reporting that they wear one while in close contact with people they do not live with. That was compared with 67 percent of Black people, 63 percent of Latinos and 65 percent of people from other races.

Dr. Uché Blackstock, founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity and a Yahoo Life medical contributor, says the statistics aren’t unexpected. “It’s not terribly surprising,” Blackstock says. “The videos that we've seen on social media and television of people refusing to wear a mask or demonstrating against it have been predominantly white.”
...

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/white-people-least-likely-to-wear-masks-consistently-study-finds-231848231.html

I believe it, I know several "white people" of all ages who strait up refuse to wear masks as they see actual numbers and do not see this as a large threat to there own personal health.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm

The majority of covid deaths in the USA have occurred in people over the age of 55. Out of all the US deaths only 13.16% have been from people under the age of 55. (This age group is the majority of the working class).

Whats alarming is only 19.65% of the the US population is over the age of 55, and they account for 86.84% of all covid deaths.

The risk to die from covid is actually quite low all across the board, unless you are older than 55.

https://www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/deaths-by-race

Since the start of the pandemic, here are the current numbers per race in the USA.

1 in 595 Indigenous Americans has died (or 168.4 deaths per 100,000)
1 in 735 Black Americans has died (or 136.5 deaths per 100,000)
1 in 895 Pacific Islander Americans has died (or 112.0 deaths per 100,000)
1 in 1,000 Latino Americans has died (or 99.7 deaths per 100,000)
1 in 1,030 White Americans has died (or 97.2 deaths per 100,000)
1 in 1,670 Asian Americans has died (or 59.9 deaths per 100,000)

Some people are just to self centered to care. The way I see it, is why not wear a mask? It's really not that inconvenient, and even if you are not worried about your own life you should just wear one anyways to help protect others.

The way our media plays this out, people around the world think were all dying here in the US. This is not true! I agree people are dying from this, but I'm sure many of us do not yet know a single person personally who has. I probably now know or are aware of about 15 -20 people who have had covid, and not one of them was hospitalized. 1/2 of them did not even know they ever had it, and just tested positive when asked to take a test, or have tested positive for antibodies.

I also know a family of four. The wife had it, the daughter tested positive for antibodies but never got sick. The son and father never got it. And they all spend time under the same roof, but did take precautions to try and separate once the wife got sick.

The closest death to me that I'm aware of was a elderly person who used to attend my parents church congregation, and I never even met them or was aware of who they even were.

I'm sure experiences are different if you live in a densely packed housing environment or city, but for most of the USA landmass and also in the Chicago suburbs it really has not been a large problem that has managed to affect me personally, Other than business type of restrictions.

I can see why people in even more rural areas are very skeptical of the restrictions. They have not yet experienced any loss. I'm sure this also plays a part in the article Dresden posted above.

Most of the media we see on the news comes from the view point of a highly populated urban environment, and personal experiences in other parts of the country that are further out from a city can vary greatly. If you wander just another 20 minutes west or south of my location, I'm sure covid has had a very small impact on lives lost.

[2018C3]

The good news is, my father got a call for the vaccination. I'm not sure why he was on the early list, but think it has something to do with his VA government employment / military experience.

He was able to go in and get the first of a two part shot on Sunday afternoon. So far the only side effect is a little soreness in the area it was applied.

He is the first in my family who has received it. Even before a sibling who is working as a teacher / activity coordinator for autistic students. In my opinion these are the ones who should get it first, as maintaining sanitary conditions is not always easy.

[PlayerUp]

I didn't hear them say they were going to start letting more people into the country or decrease border security.

Just heard Biden is expected to revoke Trumps Mexico Agreement on immigration caravans in addition is revoking the other Mexico agreements restoring immigration to the same policies pre Trump. One of those was that immigrants must stay in Mexico but that will be changed back and they'll be released back in the US again. In addition, Biden team apparently sent a notice to ICE to stop deportations for 100 days meaning caravans who get through can get into the country and not worry about deportation at least for 100 days if true.

That doesn't seem like much to worry about, or reason to hold up the process of finding someway to provide a path to some form or legal residency for the 11 million people who are here now.

Anyway, I'm sure this is getting OT.

The only solution for DACA is a pathway I agree as I am tired of talking about DACA lets just end it. However we don't need caravans coming here. Ironically Trump did a good job controlling that and Biden should pick up where he left off with that.

[Dresden]

Just heard Biden is expected to revoke Trumps Mexico Agreement on immigration caravans in addition is revoking the other Mexico agreements restoring immigration to the same policies pre Trump. One of those was that immigrants must stay in Mexico but that will be changed back and they'll be released back in the US again. In addition, Biden team apparently sent a notice to ICE to stop deportations for 100 days meaning caravans who get through can get into the country and not worry about deportation at least for 100 days if true.

That doesn't seem like much to worry about, or reason to hold up the process of finding someway to provide a path to some form or legal residency for the 11 million people who are here now.

Anyway, I'm sure this is getting OT.

The only solution for DACA is a pathway I agree as I am tired of talking about DACA lets just end it. However we don't need caravans coming here. Ironically Trump did a good job controlling that and Biden should pick up where he left off with that.

People who are already here need legal recognition though. The vast majority of them are hard working, productive members of our society now, and they should not be forced to live underground.

[PlayerUp]

People who are already here need legal recognition though. The vast majority of them are hard working, productive members of our society now, and they should not be forced to live underground.

That promotes more illegal immigrants though thinking why would I need to go the legal route when I can eventually find a pathway to citizenship illegally entering the country. It's also totally unfair for the people who are trying to legally come into the country now. Take for example someone who previously worked with me on projects spent years trying to move to the US legally, went to school in his country to get a degree that was needed to get a job in the US. A company then sponsored him and brought him to the US to work. This is just one of thousands of examples.

The solution is no citizenship for them, but find ways to make them be able to work/stay in the country. There is no win win solution to this matter that will please all sides. My general take is since nobody can decide, then this should be up to the states to decide. For example California is flexible on this so if they want illegal immigrants to be employed then they can allow it. However states like Texas may do the opposite. That will limit where illegal immigrants can live but give them the opportunity to still reside and work in the country.

[dice]

Just heard Biden is expected to revoke Trumps Mexico Agreement on immigration caravans in addition is revoking the other Mexico agreements restoring immigration to the same policies pre Trump. One of those was that immigrants must stay in Mexico but that will be changed back and they'll be released back in the US again. In addition, Biden team apparently sent a notice to ICE to stop deportations for 100 days meaning caravans who get through can get into the country and not worry about deportation at least for 100 days if true.

That doesn't seem like much to worry about, or reason to hold up the process of finding someway to provide a path to some form or legal residency for the 11 million people who are here now.

Anyway, I'm sure this is getting OT.

The only solution for DACA is a pathway I agree as I am tired of talking about DACA lets just end it. However we don't need caravans coming here. Ironically Trump did a good job controlling that and Biden should pick up where he left off with that.

it seems to me the word 'caravan' has been used to connote racial menace in the context of immigration. a group of 100 people coming together for protection is probably better all around than the alternative

[Dresden]

People who are already here need legal recognition though. The vast majority of them are hard working, productive members of our society now, and they should not be forced to live underground.

That promotes more illegal immigrants though thinking why would I need to go the legal route when I can eventually find a pathway to citizenship illegally entering the country. It's also totally unfair for the people who are trying to legally come into the country now. Take for example someone who previously worked with me on projects spent years trying to move to the US legally, went to school in his country to get a degree that was needed to get a job in the US. A company then sponsored him and brought him to the US to work. This is just one of thousands of examples.

The solution is no citizenship for them, but find ways to make them be able to work/stay in the country. There is no win win solution to this matter that will please all sides. My general take is since nobody can decide, then this should be up to the states to decide. For example California is flexible on this so if they want illegal immigrants to be employed then they can allow it. However states like Texas may do the opposite. That will limit where illegal immigrants can live but give them the opportunity to still reside and work in the country.

the fact of the matter is that we need their labor. It's unfair and unjust to accept their labor but not offer them some sort of legal status. I think a lot of them would be happy just with a green card- actually being a citizen I'm not sure is that high on their list of priorities. But not having to worry about deportation all the time, and being able to work without having to use some sort of subterfuge- that is important.

[PlayerUp]

the fact of the matter is that we need their labor. It's unfair and unjust to accept their labor but not offer them some sort of legal status. I think a lot of them would be happy just with a green card- actually being a citizen I'm not sure is that high on their list of priorities. But not having to worry about deportation all the time, and being able to work without having to use some sort of subterfuge- that is important.

I agree with all of this but citizenship is where you hit the roadblock with I think the slight majority of the country. Basically your punishment for coming in illegally is you can not apply for citizenship but your compromise is depending on the state you're eligible to have some form of legal status being a green card as you mentioned. If you come in legally however, you're eligible for citizenship at a later date. You'll get states like California to agree to this but other states like Texas they should have the right to follow their own set of rules if they don't want illegal immigrants in their state.

There is no chance you'll get compromise here from all 50 states. The only compromise is leave it up to the states to decide if they can employ illegal immigrants or not.

As for DACA/Dreamers, expect something like this to go down - https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-and-bipartisan-group-unveil-bipartisan-amendment-to-strengthen-border-security-protect-dreamers

[PlayerUp]

it seems to me the word 'caravan' has been used to connote racial menace in the context of immigration. a group of 100 people coming together for protection is probably better all around than the alternative

No matter how we can positively spin it, marching to the border is dangerous and without a doubt in this current state will boost covid-19 spread. If Biden is to improve this matter, he should take what Trump has done and improve upon it, not dissolve it.

The best way to fight this is strengthen immigration in these key central america countries so they can apply directly there versus walking thousands of miles to the border. States like CA could then ask the federal government that they're in need of X amount of new employees and allow them an opportunity of some sort. In addition setup education and programs for them to apply to better jobs that will become available in the states. In addition boost offshore businesses and give key benefits for relocating your offshore businesses to these areas. Focus more on central america and less in countries outside of South/Central/North America. We want Central America to prosper and less China as it boosts our economy when the surrounding countries are successful.

[Wingy]

https://www.nba.com/news/honoring-sekou-smith-our-own-mvp

Some sad news. He doesn’t stand out for me personally, but his name rings a bell.

I’m sure many of you recognize him better than me.

[2018C3]

My thoughts on how to effectively control the border, and a pathway to citizenship.

I would like for the government to issue work permits to non US citizens and to also simplify the process in acquiring a permit. Then the Government could control immigration by strictly enforcing laws and subjecting the employers and business owners with large fines who are caught hiring people who do not have permits.

This would be a easy way to both allow and control the flow of immigration. If you don't have a permit, you cant work. If a immigrant on a work permit gets convicted of a felony before they become a US citizen, sorry but you lost your chance at citizenship.

I'm not for kicking existing law abiding productive people out of the country who have been working here, and as a compromise would let any non US citizen who is already in the country with out a violent past stay and receive a work permit.

With a system like this, After a work permit is issued people from all over the world could then legally live here and have a pathway to establishing US citizenship for law abiding immigrants. The more good people we have working here, the stronger this country will be.

I think some of these laws are already in place, they are just not being enforced. If you want a system like this to work, you have go after the employers who are sneaking by and short changing non US citizens with lower wages. The amount of immigration could simply be controlled by the amount of work permits that get issued each year depending on the yearly workforce needs.