NCAA Won't Mandate Uniform Return to College Sports

[willandi]

I post this because 1) This regards our beautiful Washington State in the midst of COVID-19; 2) Harborview is the county hospital in King (having been around since 1877!), and is the only level I trauma center in the entire state, and one of the best in the entire world. The area it serves is far and away the largest in the United States, because it is the only level I trauma center among Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska (the next nearest are Portland, SLC, and Minneapolis). 3) They were instrumental in developing the Medic One/911 system for the entire United States (thank you, mentor Dr. Michael Copass). 4) In all my training and career, I never met a kinder, more caring staff than the people at Harborview. These are the people that are not in it for the money or notoriety, but for the singular purpose of saving lives and making people better.

It's an absolute zoo there sometimes, especially in the ER. But boy, does it make an impression on you in terms of pure compassion and kindness.

Please watch. It gives a good perspective of what's happening on the ground in our state, and should be required viewing for anyone that thinks this pandemic is just another common virus, and that things should just go back to normal

Thank you for sharing this. I am amazed at the number of people still equating the 130,000 deaths in 4 months and the 18,000-20,000/year death from flu (I did the flu deaths from memory so they are suspect, but even if they are 60,000-80,000/year...there is a difference).

A story on ABC talks about the testing required to bring back athletes. The story says that the cost of each test is $100.00 Is that accurate? I really have no idea. They also bring up the idea of 'pooled' tests. Are those as good? The pooled tests, if they are as good, would certainly cut down on the overall costs for a schools athletic department.

One of the problems mentioned is that even if ALL the athletes test negative, once they leave the pool and engage with the general population, they run the risk of re-infection.

[caduceus]

Thank you for sharing this. I am amazed at the number of people still equating the 130,000 deaths in 4 months and the 18,000-20,000/year death from flu (I did the flu deaths from memory so they are suspect, but even if they are 60,000-80,000/year...there is a difference).

A story on ABC talks about the testing required to bring back athletes. The story says that the cost of each test is $100.00 Is that accurate? I really have no idea. They also bring up the idea of 'pooled' tests. Are those as good? The pooled tests, if they are as good, would certainly cut down on the overall costs for a schools athletic department.

One of the problems mentioned is that even if ALL the athletes test negative, once they leave the pool and engage with the general population, they run the risk of re-infection.

Your research is impressive will! The interesting thing about the flu is that, unlike COVID, the CDCs annual numbers of the flu are only an estimate. It's true! The flu is so much less dangerous than the coronavirus (because we have a vaccine), that we don't even keep that close track. Honestly (and I've talked to many other doctors about this who feel the same), I've NEVER, ever, once seen a hospitalized patient die from influenza. Yeah, it happens, but it's rare, and it seems to happen to people who don't go to hospitals or something. Not one patient. Influenza is not even in the same ballpark as COVID-19.

The cost of a coronavirus test is somewhere around $100, although I'm no expert on this. I'm aware that the government has been either subsidizing this, or forcing insurance companies to pay for some, if not all off the cost.

Pool testing. It has it's benefits and drawbacks. Pool testing is when you take a batch of PCR tests (viral swabs stuck up your nose), maybe 5 or 10, and they put them all together in a soup (yuck) and run a single test. If the result is negative, congratulations because you've just ruled out 5 or 10 people in one go. It can save money and time. But, if you get a positive (bad) result, then you have to go back and test every single one of them individually! That costs MORE money and time.

Pool testing is good in a population where there is little prevalence of the virus, so the chances you get all negatives is good. It's bad when the virus is rampant, because you end up having to do lots of redo's. The sad part is that we are getting overrun by the virus in many states, and testing kits are getting short. So, like the third world country that we are quickly becoming, we are now using pool testing in a desperate move to stay ahead. This is where we are.

[SkipZag]

Interesting... thanks Cad

Heard on the news this morning that the Federal Government has put 36 billion dollars towards finding a Covid-19 vaccine and that there are some positive results. I heard that they are on a fast track (and hopefully safe) as the need is there to get our family’s lifes and communities back to something close to normal. Again... this continued state of mind will harm.

Stay Safe and continue to look to the positive..

Go Zags!!

[ZagDad84]

Maybe there is hope after all - From Bestlife:

This Is How Many Americans Say They Won't Consider Wearing Masks
Allie Hogan
4 hrs ago

As coronavirus cases continue to spike in states across the country, many officials have begun to require face coverings in their states in an effort to curb cases. Although masks have been proven effective in slowing the spread of coronavirus, the cloth coverings still seem to be a divisive topic. While mask usage in America has increased since the beginning of the pandemic, there is still a significant portion of Americans who say they won't even consider wearing masks.

According to new data from a Gallup poll, 11 percent of Americans have not considered wearing a mask in the past week. And while that's down from 18 percent in April, it's still a notable number of people. The good news, however, is that mask usage has gone up overall. "The percentage of U.S. adults who say they have worn a mask in public in the past seven days rose from 51 percent in early April to the current 86 percent high point," according to Gallup.

The increase in mask usage is a promising sign that the country may be on the right path toward slowing community spread. But with more than 10 percent of Americans not even considering wearing a mask, many places throughout the U.S. could still be at risk for spiking cases. And the issue remains divided along partisan lines: According to the Gallup poll, 98 percent of Democrats report wearing a mask in the past week, as opposed to only 66 percent of Republicans.

Read entire article here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/th...oJ2?li=BBnb7Kz

ZagDad

[caduceus]

Here's a roundup of informative articles. I chose these because they come from the regular press, making them easy reads for non-medical people, but packed with information that align with the scientific literature and experience of the medical community.

This is a great post from the New York Times on masks. I commend the author as this coincides well with the current research: A User's Guide to Face Masks

This short one from the SF Chronicle will raise the hair on your neck. Very good reporting. It might change your mind about the risks of catching this virus, especially if you don't die from it: What they don’t tell you about surviving COVID-19

An article in The Atlantic shows why in the U.S., it's nearly impossible to just protect the elderly while the virus ravages on in the community: The U.S. Is Repeating Its Deadliest Pandemic Mistake

And lastly, a comprehensive, well researched article from National Geographic that clearly demonstrates why we should not be comparing COVID-19 in any way to influenza: How scientists know COVID-19 is way deadlier than the flu

Stay safe. Information is power. Wish this was over.

=cad=

[caduceus]

Bigfooot... I bit on the first line.

ZD... not sure on the vaccine but with this virus, we have a whole lot of groups working on a vaccine where with HIV I’m not sure. So I’m not sure if you can compare the two.

Go Zags!!

Somehow, I missed your post. If you want some perspective on HIV compared to COVID-19, I highly recommend you read this article from Scientific American:

Lessons for COVID-19 from the Early Days of AIDS: A pioneer in the fight against HIV reflects on the dangers of excess optimism about a coronavirus vaccine

(I will admittedly confess, that in the late 80s, having spent many hours in the top virology lab in our state, that we would have an HIV vaccine, "in five years, tops." Thirty six years later, we're still waiting. Father, forgive me....)

[ZAGS ATTACK BASKET]

The NCAA’s highest-ranking basketball executive has floated the idea to conference leaders about accelerating the start of the men’s basketball season, moving it up two weeks to increase scheduling flexibility and get more games played in event of a winter interruption.

NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt told Sports Illustrated on Monday that he has proposed moving season-opening games from Nov. 10 to Oct. 27, with perhaps a corresponding acceleration of practice from the currently scheduled start date of Sept. 29. The goal is for schools to play something closer to a full slate of regular-season games amid what could be an uncertain collegiate school year both academically and athletically, as campuses search for ways to deal with COVID-19 fallout.

“At this point it’s just a concept,” Gavitt said. “But we have presented it to the conference commissioners and the oversight committees. The ball is in their court. It has some utility, adds some flexibility and options with the (academic) calendar changing, which could affect the break period.”

With dozens of schools shutting down campus between Thanksgiving and the start of second-semester courses in January, Gavitt said it is “almost a certainty” that some basketball games scheduled for that window will be canceled. The optics of leaving winter sports teams on campus for six weeks or more while their fellow students are home is an issue, and there are concerns about traveling for several non-conference games during that time. That could result in schools sending their basketball teams home during the break as well, possibly eliminating anywhere from eight to 12 games and truncating the season.

[kitzbuel]

The NCAA’s highest-ranking basketball executive has floated the idea to conference leaders about accelerating the start of the men’s basketball season, moving it up two weeks to increase scheduling flexibility and get more games played in event of a winter interruption.

NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt told Sports Illustrated on Monday that he has proposed moving season-opening games from Nov. 10 to Oct. 27, with perhaps a corresponding acceleration of practice from the currently scheduled start date of Sept. 29. The goal is for schools to play something closer to a full slate of regular-season games amid what could be an uncertain collegiate school year both academically and athletically, as campuses search for ways to deal with COVID-19 fallout.

“At this point it’s just a concept,” Gavitt said. “But we have presented it to the conference commissioners and the oversight committees. The ball is in their court. It has some utility, adds some flexibility and options with the (academic) calendar changing, which could affect the break period.”

With dozens of schools shutting down campus between Thanksgiving and the start of second-semester courses in January, Gavitt said it is “almost a certainty” that some basketball games scheduled for that window will be canceled. The optics of leaving winter sports teams on campus for six weeks or more while their fellow students are home is an issue, and there are concerns about traveling for several non-conference games during that time. That could result in schools sending their basketball teams home during the break as well, possibly eliminating anywhere from eight to 12 games and truncating the season.

Interesting. I would do it completely opposite. I would try to pack the games into the break between Thanksgiving and second semester. That would maximize control of the environment and safety and make reducing/eliminating fans much more doable.

[ZAGS ATTACK BASKET]

Had a uptick in deaths reported today for Covid-19 in the US. We had 22 states report double digit deaths today thus far.

One state with a huge surge was Arizona who reported 117 deaths today.. Florida reported 63 deaths, Miss. 44, NJ 42, Ohio 39, ILL 37, Texas 36, Pennsylvania 35.

Spokane hospitals now have 23 Covid-19 patients, another uptick in patients.

[willandi]

[ZagDad84]

Thanks Willandi

I just don't get those people who chose not to wear a mask, demand to enter an establishment which requires a mask, then throw a temper tantrum fit for a 2-year old when the store tells them to wear a mask or leave. Most of us saw the video of the family trashing the Grocery Outlet when they were told to leave. The Safeway and Fred Meyer we visit both have had to call the police because of patrons trashing their stores when told to leave. We watched a 40-something couple try to bully a young women guarding the entry at DeLeon's to come in. She told them she could not let them in without a mask. As they continued their verbal assault, we started to walk over to assist the young women when a young man, who obviously was a bouncer in a former (or current) life, asked the couple if they had a problem. When told in the negative, he then escorted them to their car.

These people continue to insist on that it is their constitutional right to not wear a mask, while totally ignoring the rights of the proprietor to require the wearing of a mask or refuse service.

Absolutely Amazing.

ZagDad

[willandi]

"Is COVID-19 even subject to herd immunity?"

"On June 26, Dr. Anthony Fauci announced it's "unlikely" that a COVID-19 vaccine with 70-75% efficacy taken by two-thirds of Americans can provide herd immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus."

"Approximately 2.74 million Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus, over 130,000 of which have died (case fatality of 4.74%). By contrast, the case fatality of the flu in the U.S. is roughly 0.1%."

"Absent the existence of a COVID-19 vaccine, any reasonable extrapolation of the data -- even at half the current case fatality rate, means we will see a seven-figure body count that exceeds 5 million deaths before we can attain herd immunity."

From ABCnews.go.com:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/vaccine-reach-herd-immunity-scientists/story?id=71662733&cid=clicksource_4380645_2_heads_hero_live_hero_related

[ZAGS ATTACK BASKET]

Covid-19 sharp rise in US deaths the last 2 days. 993 deaths reported yesterday, and 821 deaths reported so far today.

California 119 deaths and Texas 103 deaths had major increases today.

[seacatfan]

Covid-19 sharp rise in US deaths the last 2 days. 993 deaths reported yesterday, and 821 deaths reported so far today.

California 119 deaths and Texas 103 deaths had major increases today.

I'm starting to think you have an unhealthy obsession with reporting the daily death totals. What are you accomplishing with that?

[willandi]

I'm starting to think you have an unhealthy obsession with reporting the daily death totals. What are you accomplishing with that?

Some people have an unhealthy obsession for ignoring how many people are dying.

I prefer to face life with the facts.