An Over-reaction?

[BaltACD]

blue streak 1

Has anyone else noted that the US unemployment figures for the last two weeks have not been released ?  Government censorship ?  

Somebody can't handle the truth!

[Convicted One]

BaltACD

Somebody can't handle the truth!

Haven't you heard? Our masters hope to have us back at work by Easter!!

[BaltACD]

Convicted One

 

BaltACD

Somebody can't handle the truth! 

Haven't you heard? Our masters hope to have us back at work by Easter!!

Our leader is the Easter Bunny?

[matthewsaggie]

blue streak 1

Has anyone else noted that the US unemployment figures for the last two weeks have not been released ?  Government censorship ?  

 

0

More likely the state labor dept. staffs are trying to work from home are not getting the data from businesses to provide to the DC staff, most of which are trying to work from home with only partial access to all the need to prepare reports. Civil service staff do their jobs no matter who is in the WH. They would rebel at the suggestion of censorship. On the other hand, dont stand in front of the door at 5:00 PM

[Convicted One]

I believe that I read a clip that stated that jobless claims here in Indiana were 16,000 either last week or last month, compared to 3,000 for the same period one year ago.

[matthewsaggie]

NC reported 113,000 new claims over the past 7 days vs. only 33,000 claims for all of January, February and the 1st week of March last year. 

Source- Charlotte Observer 3/24/20

[daveklepper]

A mailing from a recent MIT graduate that should interest you.  And he is thanking another "David," not me.

If this posting is not appropriate, let me know and I will delete it.  Thank you.

n Wednesday, March 25, 2020, 05:50:25 AM GMT+2, Steve Pittman <[e-mail]> wrote:

 

 

Thanks David.

 

I am going to copy the Senior House mailing list on this but I would advocate that participants not do so on subsequent replies.  Anyone not already copied who wants to continue to participate in this thread must send an email to those already on copy letting them know.  Everyone else will be dropped.

 

I have been trying to figure out how the craziness is going to end.  The Hammer & The Dance email thread was the first thing I have seen to outline a reasonable path forward.  However, I believe we need to quit talking about flattening the curve and start talking about quenching the curve.  That is, we need to drive new infections down near zero so that as testing ramps up we can begin to test all contacts of those with new infections (as was done in South Korea).  I believe that is the best way to stabilize the economy as quickly as possible.

 

Full disclosure: I am sheltering in place with my family near Boulder, Co.  When we leave the house, I believe that we are taking adequate precautions to avoid bringing infection home.  If one of us gets sick, that person is going to stay in their room and isolate themselves from the rest of us.  I am fortunate that I live in a large house with a bathroom (with at least a shower) for every member of my family.  I am well aware that not everyone is that fortunate.  Jared Polis (the new gay Democratic governor of Colorado) recently ordered residents of Denver and Boulder to shelter in place.  There are indications that his order might soon be expanded to other areas, including Longmont where I live.

 

I suspect that like me, you have been very frustrated by what you view as inadequate advice about how to avoid infection.

 

The CDC web page at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html inexplicably fails to mention that the virus can survive on surfaces for up to three days, which seems to be true (see https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200317-covid-19-how-long-does-the-coronavirus-last-on-surfaces), although the cited BBC web page downplays the risk to some extent.  Still, I believe that some guidance in that regard is appropriate, especially since the cited CDC web page elsewhere advises, "Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily."  With regard to Covid-19, that advice seems silly if no one in the house is infected.  But the advice does seem very important when it comes to public places such as grocery stores.  However, such cleaning would need to occur much more frequently than daily to prevent virus transmission.  If sufficiently diligent cleaning of a grocery store is too difficult (as it seems to be), then it is up to patrons to protect themselves, but the cited CDC web page offers no advice about how to do that.

 

I am very concerned that many competent people at the CDC have been fired or demoted and that the President and his cronies have influenced the advice offered on the CDC web page.

 

I don't know about you, but when I visit a store, I assume that every surface in the store is contaminated.  That includes the key pads and touch screens at checkout.  I bring my own bags to the store and use them instead of a shopping cart.  I don't allow anything to touch a surface (other than the shelf an item is on before I select it) except for some produce which must be weighed.  If I must use a checkout clerk, I hold each item out and allow the clerk to scan it without touching it, except for items which must be weighed.  I have quit using cash, which is itself a source of contamination.

 

I am fortunate to have a supply of latex gloves which I purchased several years ago.  I don latex gloves before entering the store and clean the gloves with hand sanitizer before leaving the store.  The greeters at the local Walmart are now squirting hand sanitizer into the palms of everyone leaving the store.  Brilliant!  And most stores now provide hand sanitizer at the exit.  I hope all will do so soon.  Once that happens, the only utility of latex gloves (or the gloves you use) will be to protect hands from the harsh hand sanitizer, especially when visiting multiple stores in a single outing.  And I believe hand sanitizer to be an excellent way of decontaminating your leather or fabric gloves.  Having said that, acquiring hand sanitizer is certainly a challenge lately.

 

I have not yet gone so far as to wipe all merchandise down with hand sanitizer after bringing it home.  I am relying on grocery stores to screen their stocking clerks for infection and, if uninfected, to supply them with masks and gloves for their shift.  I hope my faith is not misplaced.

 

I am sure that some would characterize what I am doing as extreme, but I believe that such measures will quench the curve and stabilize the economy as quickly as possible.  That will, of course, only happen if most people follow my example.  And to be clear, I know that if I slip up once or twice, that does not mean that I will be infected.  It means only that my risk of infection has increased by some small amount.

 

All that is preface to ask that if you know of credible information which confirms that the Covid-19 virus is not transmitted by touching a contaminated object or surface (sometimes referred to as fomite transmission), please let me know.

 

I am also concerned about advice from Sanjay Gupta who was interviewed by Stephen Colbert on Friday, March 13th (see https://www.thedailybeast.com/dr-sanjay-gupta-tells-colbert-trump-failed-americans-with-coronavirus-response).  Please ignore the headline, which I do not consider relevant.  Note that starting at 4:45 into the video, Sanjay Gupta claims that Covid-19 is not spread through the air since droplets from infected sneezes and coughs fall rapidly to the ground.  He claims that six feet of separation is sufficient to protect others from droplets expelled by infected individuals.  An acquaintance of mine repeated that advice to me a few days ago, although the acquaintance did not say where it came from.  I see advice at https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/infectious/infection-airborne.htm which suggests that the extent of airborne transmission depends upon a variety of factors (eg, relative humidity).  That advice seems more accurate to me.  Perhaps I should add that Sanjay Gupta's claim that droplets produced by Covid-19 victims somehow behave differently than the droplets produced by victims of (for example) smallpox seems very suspect to me.

 

If you know of credible information which confirms that Sanjay Gupta is correct, please let me know.

 

By the way, all of this is informed by reading I did perhaps a decade ago when an acquaintance asserted that flying increases the risk of getting a respiratory infection.  Research I reviewed back then said that flying does increase the risk of getting the flu (which is spread largely by droplets in the air) but not so much the risk of getting a cold (which is spread largely by touch - eg, cash passed from person to person).  Of course, there are many different families of viruses which cause colds (one of which is the coronavirus family) and the situation might vary from family to family.  In any case, politics was not influencing research back then so I believe that available information back then was at least trustworthy although certainly tentative/provisional, as is most research.

 

The bottom line is that I am feeling more comfortable after reading  The Hammer & The Dance email thread, since it does indicate a viable path forward which I am now fairly certain the United States is going to take with or without the participation of the Federal government.  It looks to me as if there are hot spots which are going to resemble Italy to some extent (Washington State and New York City come to mind).  I only hope that authorities and people in those communities are able to minimize the loss of life.

 

Here in Colorado, the ski areas are hot spots (because there were so many visitors).  Many of the infected seem to have come from Australia.  About a week ago, Jared Polis ordered the ski areas to close and told everyone to go home.  I am afraid that will mean that many infected foreigners will get on airliners.  Yikes!  Denver and Boulder are becoming hot spots, too, mostly because young adults there did not take the crisis seriously enough to begin with.  Since retiring, I have gotten involved with the Longmont Observer (an online newspaper) and Longmont Public Media (a group which took over operation of the local public access TV channel as of January 1st).  I published an editorial (at https://longmontobserver.org/opinion/opinion-steve-pittman-coronavirus-is-dangerous-for-young-people-too/) which notes that statistics from China indicate that the risk of death from Covid-19 for people in the 20-39 year old age group is 1 in 500 of those who become infected.  Not very high but certainly much higher than the flu.

 

I went out a week ago and bought the food we need to cook at home this past week.  We had to go to several stores because shelves here are already pretty bare.  Very bizarre that the first thing which sold out (after hand sanitizer) was toilet paper.  How the heck is extra toilet paper going to help anything?!??  Although people have pointed out that with everyone staying home, more of everything (toilet paper, food, snacks, etc) is needed at home.  Supply chains must pivot from supplying businesses, restaurants, and convenience stores to supplying grocery stores.  I believe that is happening reasonably quickly.  I was worried that our household might run out of toilet paper until I stopped at Walmart this past Friday and spotted people with toilet paper in their cart!!!  No need to hijack at gunpoint.     I walked to the back of the store where two gracious Walmart employees were handing out two per customer off a large pallet.

 

We have occasionally been patronizing local restaurants which Jared Polis has now restricted to take out and delivery only.  I believe take out to be safe enough, although some restaurants are better than others when it comes to avoiding contamination from other customers when picking up and paying for a meal.  My primary motivation there is to support people such as wait staff, many of whom were living paycheck to paycheck before the crisis erupted.  I know some of my girls' classmates are in families which are no doubt suffering financial hardship now.  The only good news is that local schools (which provided free or reduced cost breakfasts and lunches to students) are attempting to keep those nutrition programs in place even though schools are no longer in session.

 

I hope that by collaborating we can more quickly find credible information which helps us to quench the curve.

 

Steve Pittman

EE '71

[daveklepper]

Ahead of Passover and deep into the coronavirus pandemic, Orthodox Jewish leaders and medical professionals in Florida have warned against an exodus of visitors from their homes to the Sunshine State to celebrate the Jewish holiday to visit family or stay at the all-inclusive Passover hotel and resorts.

In a letter to their communities late last week, 35 Orthodox Jewish leaders and nine medical professionals in Florida wrote, “To all those from out of state considering spending Pesach here in Florida: It’s halachically prohibited and medically irresponsible to come for Pesach.”

Passover begins at sundown on April 8 and ends at nightfall on April 16.

The letter, first reported on Thursday by COLlive, mentions that Florida’s health-care system “is currently overburdened, and an influx of new patients can lead to deaths. In addition to being a chilul Hashem, we have a halachic requirement to keep our communities safe.”

“If you choose to come anyways, jeopardizing the lives of many in Florida, you must quarantine for 14 days. This means no leaving the house, no excursions, no beach, no pool, no restaurants, etc.,” it said.

Finally, the letter notes that the Jewish institutions, including synagogues and kosher restaurants, will not be accommodating visitors this year.

[Convicted One]

From today's Journal Gazette:

According to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, for the week ending March 21

Allen County (FT Wayne) had 3,561 initial claims for unemployment, up 3,688% compared to the same period one year ago

Marion County (Indianapolis) had 10,173 initial claims, up  3,291% compared to the same period one year ago.

There is further trend analysis including some comparison to the year prior to last year....here:    https://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/20200325/thousands-rush-to-make-jobless-claims   

 

[GERALD L MCFARLANE JR]

Convicted One

FWIW, I have always seen "social distancing" as somewhat of an ideal. Always to strive for, yet fleeting enough that it's worth celebrating whenever attained. 

So what you're saying is you prefer to be Anti-social rather than social?

Still waiting for them to pull anti-bodies from some that have recovered, that was one of the options for treating it as well.

It's been estimated that unemployment is up to at least 11% if not higher, that number seems a little low to me.

[Convicted One]

GERALD L MCFARLANE JR

So what you're saying is you prefer to be Anti-social rather than social?

It sure is a lot less complicated...

I prefer to think of it in another way. For decades I was under the delusion that interpersonal development was somehow beneficial.

I'm (mostly) cured now!!

[Convicted One]

BaltACD

the Easter Bunny?

Well, the stimulus deal appears to be done. 1/8 will go to Joe Lunchpail, and 7/8 will  go to businesses, hospitals, and state and local governments. No wonder they are trying to get everyone back to work so soon. 

 

 

[daveklepper]

 

New stricter regulations to contain the coronavirus outbreak are going to come into effect at 5 p.m. Wednesday, the Health Ministry announced, as the number of sick Israelis continues to climb, hitting 2,170 by 1 p.m. The number, released by the Health Ministry, comes on the backdrop of the news that two more Israelis died overnight, bringing the total number of victims in the country to five.

The government approved a new set of restrictions on public life overnight.  

According to the regulations, most Israelis will no longer have freedom of movement, in that they will only be allowed to go on short walks within 100 meters of their homes.

Additional restrictions: Public transport will be drastically reduced; attending weddings or other religious ceremonies is allowed, if 10-participant and two-meter rules are followed; going to the mikvah is allowed, as long as arrangements have been made in advance; only two people may travel in a car at one time and they may only be traveling to or from an approved place of work or to the grocery store, pharmacy or a medical appointment; private taxis will be available, but only one passenger and the driver can be in the car at a time.

No deliveries can be made except for approved items including newspapers, and essential products and appliances, such as for medical needs.

All businesses must be closed, including from within one's residence, except for various food stores and pharmacies, and those selling optical, hygiene or telecommunications products, electrical appliances or medical accessories. Online sale with shipping is allowed for all types of products: when delivered to private homes, the shipment will be placed outside the residence.

Essential services will remain open, including supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations and banks, which will operate as normal. However, stores must mark a two 2-meter distance between people at checkout lines and ensure that no more than four people are waiting to check out at a time.
People can go to work as long as the guidelines are followed, but employers must check the temperature of all those arriving and anyone with a temperature of more than 38 degrees Celsius or above must be refused.

In addition, the government has approved Israeli's right to protest, so long as they do it in accordance with the Health Ministry's rules: no more than 10 people and a space of two meters between people. Children of separate parents can continue to move between the two houses.

Breaking the regulation constitutes a criminal offense. According to Ynet those who transgress them will face a NIS 500 fine or a suspended jail sentence.

Earlier in the day, a 76-year-old man, Hillel Moshe from Yehud, was named as Israel's fourth victim. He had been hospitalized at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, since last Monday and had significant pre-existing medical conditions. Moshe's wife is also hospitalized in Sheba with the virus.

The fifth victim is Even Ben-Moshe, 87, from Petah Tikva. He had been hospitalized in Bnei Brak. He also had pre-existing conditions.
The name of the third person who died was released Wednesday: Moshe Ornstein, 87, who had been a resident in the Nofim Geriatric Center in Jerusalem. He had been hospitalized at Hadassah University Medical Center, in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem.

Of the 2,030 infected reported by the Health Ministry in the morning, 37 were in serious condition, 54 in moderate condition and 1,876 had mild symptoms.

More than 900 Israelis with the virus are being treated at home. Another 203 are recovering in one of the "coronavirus hotels" that were developed by the Defense Ministry.

So far, the ministry has conducted 32,346 coronavirus tests - 5,500 in the last 24 hours - which means 6.3% of those tested for the virus have been diagnosed as positive.

Late Tuesday night, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman and other senior comptroller officials announced that they would go into 10 days of quarantine after a senior official in the office tested positive for the coronavirus. Englman has no symptoms, but took the measure as a matter of standard precautions directed by the Health Ministry, and will continue to carry out his duties.

The quarantine announcement came only days after Englman issued the first report of his term, which included a key chapter about Israel knowing already in the fall of 2019 that it is not properly prepared for the breakout of a pandemic.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.

 

 

[charlie hebdo]

Stay safe,  David. 

[blue streak 1]

For those who want a comprehensive analysis of the global pandemic the following link has much information.  I do not understand how often itis updated but the days are based on GMT or UTC times .

The important is cases per million inhabitants and deaths by same number.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries  

Here is death rate by age on the above link.  our oldsters please take care.

person in a given age group, the risk of dying if infected with COVID-19.

AGE	DEATH RATE confirmed cases	DEATH RATE all cases
80+ years old	21.9%	14.8%
70-79 years old		8.0%
60-69 years old		3.6%
50-59 years old		1.3%
40-49 years old		0.4%
30-39 years old		0.2%
20-29 years old		0.2%
10-19 years old		0.2%
0-9 years old		no fatalities

 

[GERALD L MCFARLANE JR]

Convicted One

 

GERALD L MCFARLANE JR

So what you're saying is you prefer to be Anti-social rather than social?

 

 

It sure is a lot less complicated...

I prefer to think of it in another way. For decades I was under the delusion that interpersonal development was somehow beneficial.

I'm (mostly) cured now!!

 

 

All depends on what line of work your in and what you want out of life.

[daveklepper]

 

 

 

 

 

By Dr. Frank MusmarMarch 25, 2020

Most political comment remved except that directly relevant to the Cononavirus treatment

 

 

BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,503, March 25, 2020

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: When President Donald Trump and other medical professionals touted the decades-old antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a possible means of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the Israeli generic drug giant Teva (the most popular big pharma stock on Wall Street) immediately announced that it will provide 10 million doses of its hydroxychloroquine drug to US hospitals free of charge.

The Israeli drug giant Teva has announced that 6 million doses of hydroxychloroquine will be delivered to US hospitals by March 31 and more than 4 million more will be delivered within a month. “We are committed to helping to supply as many tablets as possible as demand for this treatment accelerates, at no cost,” Teva executive vice president Brendan O’Grady said.

Teva is the world’s leading generic drug manufacturer, employing 43,000 employees around the globe. In 2018, Teva produced 120 billion tablets, with one in nine generic prescriptions in the US containing the company’s products. Despite its global position, Teva says it has a unique understanding of local markets.

The reality is that the US’s alliance with Israel is based on two key factors: intelligence sharing and ideological unity, according to Michael Koplow, a Middle East analyst at the Israel Policy Forum. The Teva announcement is clear evidence of this ideological unity.

Hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets were in short supply throughout March, according to a report by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Hospitals have been rushing to stockpile the decades-old antimalarial drug, which has been touted by President Trump and others as a possible treatment for the new coronavirus. From March 1 through March 17, US hospitals bought an average of 16,110 units of hydroxychloroquine, compared with an average of 8,800 units a month from January 2019 through February 2020, according to Premier Inc., which helps 4,000 member hospitals buy and manage their supplies.

Teva indicated that it will do everything possible to accelerate production of hydroxychloroquine and also conduct research to see if, in its vast catalog of 3,500 drugs, others can be used to fight coronavirus. Another Israeli drug cited as possibly helpful is remdesivir, an experimental antiviral from Gilead Sciences.

Israel and the US coordinate scientific and cultural exchanges and have bilateral economic relations. The top five US exports to Israel are unmounted diamonds, semiconductors, civilian aircraft, telecommunications equipment, and agricultural products. The top five US imports from Israel are diamonds, pharmaceutical products, semiconductors, medicinal equipment, and telecommunications equipment. US direct investment in Israel is primarily in the manufacturing sector, as is Israeli investment in the US. The US and Israel have had a free trade agreement since 1985 that serves as the foundation for expanding trade and investment between the two countries by reducing barriers and promoting regulatory transparency.

Dr. Frank Musmar is a financial and performanc

[Convicted One]

GERALD L MCFARLANE JR

All depends on what line of work your in and what you want out of life.

We are all a product of our own prior experiences. I wasn't born this way, I had expert training....lol!

[Miningman]

Where is your next travel destination?

--Las Kitchenas

--Los Lounges

--Santa Bedroomes

--Porto Gardenas

--Los Bed

--Costa Del Balconia 

--St. Bathroom

--La Rotonda De Sofa

[daveklepper]

precisely   all of the above but nothing more

[Carl Fowler]

The VERMONTER and the ETHAN ALLEN are suspended during Vermont’s Shelter in Place period.

This was the right decision by VTRANS and Governor Scott. In the present tragedy Vermont ran the trains long enough for students and other visitors to get home. Now it’s time to be safe and as one of the “Fathers of the Vermonter” I support this temporary measure—alas.

I will be thrilled to hear “all aboard” in a few weeks, but for now Vermont has set an example of Shelter in Place. God’s speed to us all.

[BaltACD]

It is over reaction right up to the instant someone you know or love succumbs - then it has all been a woefull lack of action that could have prevented that person from succumbing.

[daveklepper]

Two more Israelis died of the novel coronavirus overnight: a 93-year-old male who was hospitalized at Soroka Medical Center and suffered from several pre-existing conditions, and a 76-year-old woman who passed away at Beilinson medical center in Tel Aviv.

 

 

On Friday morning, Israel had 3,035 people who had been diagnosed with the virus - 49 in serious condition - and the number continues to rise. However, Prof. Itamar Grotto told the Hebrew website Ynet that the situation is not as bad as it could be: "The steps we have taken are starting to pay off. The number of people dead or in critical condition is less than we expected."

 

 

Nonetheless, the prime minister is scheduled to hold a series of separate discussions on increasing restrictions and will review the comprehensive economic aid program for the country. In the talks will be several top officials, as well as field experts and medical professionals.

"We are in a situation where the number of sick is doubling every three days," said Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov on Thursday. He estimated that within a week, the country will have about 200 severely ill patients.

The majority of Israelis have mild conditions: 2,838. However, 60 are moderate condition. Another 79 Israelis have recovered.

 

 

On Thursday, three people died from coronavirus in the country: a 91-year-old woman who was hospitalized at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon; an 89-year-old woman had been treated at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem; and an 83-year-old man who was passed away under the care of Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak.

 

Part of the reason for the uptick in sick people is that Israel has increased the number of people it is testing for the virus. In the last week Israel has gone from testing an average of 1,000 people per day to more than 5,000. Overall, around 6% of those screened for the novel virus have tested positive in Israel.

 

 

 

 

[charlie hebdo]

BaltACD

It is over reaction right up to the instant someone you know or love succumbs - then it has all been a woefull lack of action that could have prevented that person from succumbing.

 

When I first glanced at your post,  I  thought the last part read "protect the person from that scumbag!"

[243129]

charlie hebdo

When I first glanced at your post, I thought the last part read "protect the person from that scumbag!"

That would have made for an appropriate conclusion.

[Convicted One]

daveklepper

 The majority of Israelis have mild conditions: 2,838. However, 60 are moderate condition. Another 79 Israelis have recovered. Part of the reason for the uptick in sick people is that Israel has increased the number of people it is testing for the virus. In the last week Israel has gone from testing an average of 1,000 people per day to more than 5,000.

Right there, IMO,  is part of the reason that the naysayers got so far off track misleading people as to the actual risk.

Testing was being restricted to those only showing severe symptoms for quite a while here, with even out top officials stating on TV that "we don't want everyone running out and getting tested" ....so with that being the reality, it's no wonder that reported incidence was "reassuringly"  low. to those who wanted to minimize this thing.

I'm seeing stories where states in the mid west are still finding it difficult to find supplies because available resources are being prioritized to the so called "hot spots".

So reality is, many states simply don't know how bad things really are in terms of the number of cases.

I've been short of breath for a week, had a very mild sore throat, and just a weeze out of my chest ocassionally....and have no idea if I'm just one of the lucky ones who is going to have a mild case, or if something entirely different is going on.

When the authorities themselves  frown on the desire to be tested, reported cases  are going to be suppressed.

[BaltACD]

charlie hebdo

 

BaltACD

It is over reaction right up to the instant someone you know or love succumbs - then it has all been a woefull lack of action that could have prevented that person from succumbing. 

When I first glanced at your post,  I  thought the last part read "protect the person from that scumbag!"

I didn't want to be political on what has become such a political subject area.

[BaltACD]

Convicted One

....

I'm seeing stories where states in the mid west are still finding it difficult to find supplies because available resources are being prioritized to the so called "hot spots".

So reality is, many states simply don't know how bad things really are in terms of the number of cases.

I've been short of breath for a week, had a very mild sore throat, and just a weeze out of my chest ocassionally....and have no idea if I'm just one of the lucky ones who is going to have a mild case, or if something entirely different is going on.

When the authorities themselves  frown on the desire to be tested, reported cases  are going to be suppressed.

When a organization 'plays to the numbers' it is guaranteed that individuals within that organization will take actions to manipulate the numbers to generate the desired conclusion.  That is the very definition of corruption.

[charlie hebdo]

Balt : It's hard to ignore the demented elephant in the room. 

[Convicted One]

BaltACD

When a organization 'plays to the numbers' it is guaranteed that individuals within that organization will take actions to manipulate the numbers to generate the desired conclusion.  That is the very definition of corruption.

Sorta like stacking the ol deck so as to make sure their confirmation bias gets it's needed exercise?