Really good news to report on a promising treatment for Covid-19: Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that’s been around since 1961, has shown significant benefit in terms of reducing mortality in severely ill patients.
Really strange news to report on Wall Street. The stock market responded to an `unexpected’ (?) 17.7% rise in retail spending in May with a surge in stock prices. I must say if you had told me retail spending in May went up by 30% compared to April I would have believed you. What is so `surprising’ about 17.7% after double digit drops in March and April? Of course, people spent more. Pent-up demand. This does NOT translate into a full-scale economic recovery. Not with every indicator of economic health in trouble, from trade imbalance (and tremendous decline in overall trade), to exponential rise in budget deficit, to structural unemployment, to lack of infrastructure spending, to lack of business investment (stock market gains should be correlated to an increase in investment; instead the opposite has been occurring), to an extreme over-reliance on the Fed to infuse the economy with cash, to major issues with country’s public health (not just coronavirus).
On top of that, investors shrug their shoulders at North Korea’s antics and a possible war between India and a flexing-their-muscles China.
My take is stock market traders are practically committed to the short term game and avoid long-term strategies. And, that’s not a good sign.
The stock market has lived in never-never land since 2009, in my view.
Originally, antiimflammatories were discouraged. But I don’t know enough about steroids to know if this fits that group. I do have a script for prednisone but don’t that that is as strong
You have to just laugh at this part:
“Some of these exuberant investors were people who normally bet on sports and were looking for an alternative source of excitement.”
Yikes. You sure do have to laugh.
In the WTF news…F may stand doe heck BTW but maybe not
Vicki, I think I know where you’re going with this. I did hear an interview with a day care teacher very recently (WBZ Ch. 4) and she was concerned that the children need interaction with each other and that wearing masks would only get in the way of that. IIRC she didn’t have a problem with teachers wearing masks themselves however.
I have also heard a few concerns of mask wearing from regular school teachers as well, particularly the younger grades. It may be for the same reason above, not totally certain though.
You are right. I absolutely know that some kids will have trouble with masks. I have a grandson who touches on the spectrum and there are touches, sounds and scents that bother him.
I know some children are hearing or sight impaired and masks just won’t work with them.
In Sutton we are blessed with a school system that stresses the importance of supporting each child’s differences. Many of its policies are similar to those in Scandinavian schools. My grands are 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13. They all see their parents wearing masks and not only think it is cool to be like their parents but understand and can explain why they are wearing masks.
My bet is a good number of parents insisting on this do not wear masks. Perhaps, I am wrong because it is a guess.
However, as much as I support the children who simply cannot wear a mask, I absolutely disagree and believe it irresponsible to insist all children not wear masks…..for no other reason than just because.
My opinion only
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is threatening to shut down NYC again due to revelers congregating in Greenwich Village, the Upper East Side and Hell’s Kitchen as well as establishments serving customers indoors and allowing drinking on the streets. Manhattan and the Hamptons are “leading the state with violations”. There have been 25,000 complaints statewide.
Massive spikes in Arizona and Florida, where testing positivity is up as well. I’m seeing growth in new cases in many other Southern states, too. Northern tier continues to improve, with lower test positivity.
Beijing just announced it is shutting down ALL schools. It looks like the entire city and metro area may go into lockdown.
While I’d be the last person to want to adopt Chinese authoritarian policies, I do think it’s worth noting how seriously they take the coronavirus threat, and how nonchalantly many of our leaders view coronavirus.
It’s unconscionable for Trump to hold an indoor rally on Saturday. Government’s first priority should be the safety of its citizens. For a party that used to value life – GOP can no longer say it does – I’m very surprised more people aren’t insisting the rallies be held outdoors with proper protocol in place. Note, many middle-aged and older folks will be in attendance. There will be plenty of vulnerable people there with an assortment of underlying health conditions, such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and asthma.
Joshua… Great posts today, opinions & information.
While I don’t often write in this section of the blog I do read it daily.
If you know me outside of WHW you know I don’t get political on social media, but I will say I’ve been very very disappointed in this administration’s handling of this situation. A few good things, many more not-so-good things. It’s become about politics for them, not well-being of those they were elected to serve.
On a similar but less important note I’m extremely disappointed in MLB as well. I have seen one side blamed by some, the other side blamed by others. In the end, it’s BOTH sides that are to blame. They need to be able to sit down and work it out quickly in the best interest of the sport and its fans. I know sports is not the most important thing in the world, like food, water, or oxygen, but it’s a big deal to society overall. It brings many of us together. Sometimes we share disappointment but it’s great when we can share the thrill of accomplishment watching a favorite team win. We all know what that’s like around here! Anyway, hoping the NHL can stay on track and finish off their season. Win or lose in the end, I want to see my Bruins finish off their season, along with the rest of the teams.
Back to C-19 for a moment. No surprise on the spikes in the states that opened too soon and/or too quickly. Science indicated this would happen. Politics didn’t indicate it. Science did. We’re seeing a “continuation” of wave 1 here in the US, but way east in Asia, where new lockdowns are underway – that is wave 2.
And I agree with everything you said. By the way, I’m also disappointed in baseball – owners and players.
Tonight on Frontline (PBS): “Why the U.S. was unprepared for COVID-19.”
9:30-11:00 p.m. WGBH-TV Boston
Thanks philip. Recording although some of their reports have been skewed left of late. I am not a fan of skewing in either direction.
Encouraging news: The state of Vermont is now off the “hotspot” list.
The remaining states are still there.
…unfortunately.
Texas is now reporting 3,716 new cases thus far today! It’s exploding in Texas. The state hasn’t even completed its reporting for the day. Hospitalizations and deaths are up as well. The state will catch up and pass Massachusetts within a few days, as will Florida within 3 weeks. These are estimates of mine.
Granted, Texas and Florida are much larger than Massachusetts. This tells you that they were not impacted much by the pandemic until recently. But, boy it is hitting them hard. Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, and South and North Carolina as well.
I’m guessing that the vast majority – over 95% – of infections took place indoors, in air-conditioned spaces like clubs, movie theaters, restaurants, bars, etc …
It’s important to point out that cases in Oklahoma are increasing as well, but not as fast. Nevertheless, some of the rally-goers and people currently camped out at the BOK Center in Tulsa are from Texas. I am seriously concerned about a super-spreader event this Saturday. It only takes a few people to infect dozens if not hundreds in an indoor space like that. There is ample evidence of this having happened in Korea, France, and Italy, in indoor spaces where people congregated, standing or sitting next to each other for long periods of time. It’s time for the mayor of Tulsa to step in. It’s okay to rally outdoors with proper protocol in place, but not indoors.
Been a while since I posted on the C-19 thread, but just an observation: The US has clearly butchered its handling of the pandemic. Part of that can be traced to an incompetent administration, yes. But not all of it. Once the virus escaped China, large global death tolls became virtually inevitable. Europe, Asia, and the Americas – practically every country, regardless of political system, has been hit, many of them hard.
But even in Italy, Spain, China, and many others, they not only flattened their curves, but crushed them. Catastrophic losses of life, to be sure, but they didn’t give up, and many lives were saved for it. Here in the US, we gave up. We did “flatten” the curve, but that’s it. We’ve decided we’re content to live on an endless plateau. A few hundred or a thousand excess deaths a day has been deemed acceptable collateral to continue operating society as normal. That is truly American exceptionalism on full display. And that extends well beyond what any politician can control. It’s an attitude that permeates this country at a neighborhood and household level. The real pandemic in this country is apathy.
A rendition I absolutely adore of Guthrie’s song (somehow the glorious American flags behind Springsteen and Seeger are so appropriate in this clip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE4H0k8TDgw
Talk about insane. The Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is closed due to the pandemic. It’s a museum that honors Woody Guthrie. Yet, the BOK Center is opening its doors to a massive indoor rally on Saturday. Notably, the website for the BOK Center includes a list of more than a dozen other events that have been postponed or canceled due to coronavirus, with some not scheduled to take place until 2021.
FWIW as you know, I tend to go to the source.
As you also know Macs cousins son lives in Santiago with his girlfriend. She is an ICU physician at a public hospital. They have 17 ICU beds. They are closing in on the need for 150…this includes private hospitals.
Media here is not reporting accurately which doesn’t surprise me. They did have riots but last fall. The president responded immediately. Their problem may have been rolling lock downs but lockdowns overall have been in place for over a month.
No matter what. They need our prayers.
To the true person she is she said as an ICU physician she knows how devastating it is to lose a patient. She is worried about other physicians who do not know the horror of losing one patient let alone tens of patients.
I mislead. They are closing in on the need for 150 In her hospital alone. Private hospitals are facing the same problem
Dr. S, your post from “The Onion” is amusing, not only for the fact it’s satire, but in a darker way in that this satirical article is not actually all that far from the truth at this time………..
My guess is the photo there was taken around mid March. 🙂
Vicki, thank you for the information from Chile. I have a similar story to tell about India, which is really being hit hard. A friend there has said it’s desperate in some cities.Death toll is staggering in recent days. Pakistan, too.
I spoke too soon about a lower global death toll. Today’s number is already over 6k and rising.
WxWatcher, I so much appreciate your comment. Apathy is indeed so pervasive. I don’t understand it. It’s going to bite us in the you know what. for a sustained economic recovery the coronavirus outbreak needs to be under control.
As other countries begin to resume international travel, the U.S. will be seen as too risky. It’s another way we are losing economic ground by not controlling the outbreak, summed up by three underestimated impacts: 1. U.S. business personnel will not be able to travel without a 14-day quarantine. 2. Other countries will not send business personnel or governmental representatives. 3. Hugely negative impact on tourism from overseas, and far fewer foreign students (who often pay full price). A massive number of foreign students will decide to study in safer countries for the rest of 2020 and 2021. Many colleges will cease to exist as a result.
I wish I’d had better news to share. And my heavens how does anyone think opening up will improve the economy. Your comments are absolute common sense feign.
C-19 for 6-17 is up…
Comments are closed.
Your no-hype southeastern New England weather blog!
Really good news to report on a promising treatment for Covid-19: Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that’s been around since 1961, has shown significant benefit in terms of reducing mortality in severely ill patients.
Really strange news to report on Wall Street. The stock market responded to an `unexpected’ (?) 17.7% rise in retail spending in May with a surge in stock prices. I must say if you had told me retail spending in May went up by 30% compared to April I would have believed you. What is so `surprising’ about 17.7% after double digit drops in March and April? Of course, people spent more. Pent-up demand. This does NOT translate into a full-scale economic recovery. Not with every indicator of economic health in trouble, from trade imbalance (and tremendous decline in overall trade), to exponential rise in budget deficit, to structural unemployment, to lack of infrastructure spending, to lack of business investment (stock market gains should be correlated to an increase in investment; instead the opposite has been occurring), to an extreme over-reliance on the Fed to infuse the economy with cash, to major issues with country’s public health (not just coronavirus).
On top of that, investors shrug their shoulders at North Korea’s antics and a possible war between India and a flexing-their-muscles China.
My take is stock market traders are practically committed to the short term game and avoid long-term strategies. And, that’s not a good sign.
The stock market has lived in never-never land since 2009, in my view.
Originally, antiimflammatories were discouraged. But I don’t know enough about steroids to know if this fits that group. I do have a script for prednisone but don’t that that is as strong
I just read Paul Krugman’s opinions on the market:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/opinion/coronavirus-stock-market.html
You have to just laugh at this part:
“Some of these exuberant investors were people who normally bet on sports and were looking for an alternative source of excitement.”
Yikes. You sure do have to laugh.
In the WTF news…F may stand doe heck BTW but maybe not
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/06/16/massachusetts-day-care-summer-camps-reopening-rules/
Vicki, I think I know where you’re going with this. I did hear an interview with a day care teacher very recently (WBZ Ch. 4) and she was concerned that the children need interaction with each other and that wearing masks would only get in the way of that. IIRC she didn’t have a problem with teachers wearing masks themselves however.
I have also heard a few concerns of mask wearing from regular school teachers as well, particularly the younger grades. It may be for the same reason above, not totally certain though.
You are right. I absolutely know that some kids will have trouble with masks. I have a grandson who touches on the spectrum and there are touches, sounds and scents that bother him.
I know some children are hearing or sight impaired and masks just won’t work with them.
In Sutton we are blessed with a school system that stresses the importance of supporting each child’s differences. Many of its policies are similar to those in Scandinavian schools. My grands are 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13. They all see their parents wearing masks and not only think it is cool to be like their parents but understand and can explain why they are wearing masks.
My bet is a good number of parents insisting on this do not wear masks. Perhaps, I am wrong because it is a guess.
However, as much as I support the children who simply cannot wear a mask, I absolutely disagree and believe it irresponsible to insist all children not wear masks…..for no other reason than just because.
My opinion only
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is threatening to shut down NYC again due to revelers congregating in Greenwich Village, the Upper East Side and Hell’s Kitchen as well as establishments serving customers indoors and allowing drinking on the streets. Manhattan and the Hamptons are “leading the state with violations”. There have been 25,000 complaints statewide.
Massive spikes in Arizona and Florida, where testing positivity is up as well. I’m seeing growth in new cases in many other Southern states, too. Northern tier continues to improve, with lower test positivity.
Beijing just announced it is shutting down ALL schools. It looks like the entire city and metro area may go into lockdown.
While I’d be the last person to want to adopt Chinese authoritarian policies, I do think it’s worth noting how seriously they take the coronavirus threat, and how nonchalantly many of our leaders view coronavirus.
It’s unconscionable for Trump to hold an indoor rally on Saturday. Government’s first priority should be the safety of its citizens. For a party that used to value life – GOP can no longer say it does – I’m very surprised more people aren’t insisting the rallies be held outdoors with proper protocol in place. Note, many middle-aged and older folks will be in attendance. There will be plenty of vulnerable people there with an assortment of underlying health conditions, such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and asthma.
Joshua… Great posts today, opinions & information.
While I don’t often write in this section of the blog I do read it daily.
If you know me outside of WHW you know I don’t get political on social media, but I will say I’ve been very very disappointed in this administration’s handling of this situation. A few good things, many more not-so-good things. It’s become about politics for them, not well-being of those they were elected to serve.
On a similar but less important note I’m extremely disappointed in MLB as well. I have seen one side blamed by some, the other side blamed by others. In the end, it’s BOTH sides that are to blame. They need to be able to sit down and work it out quickly in the best interest of the sport and its fans. I know sports is not the most important thing in the world, like food, water, or oxygen, but it’s a big deal to society overall. It brings many of us together. Sometimes we share disappointment but it’s great when we can share the thrill of accomplishment watching a favorite team win. We all know what that’s like around here! Anyway, hoping the NHL can stay on track and finish off their season. Win or lose in the end, I want to see my Bruins finish off their season, along with the rest of the teams.
Back to C-19 for a moment. No surprise on the spikes in the states that opened too soon and/or too quickly. Science indicated this would happen. Politics didn’t indicate it. Science did. We’re seeing a “continuation” of wave 1 here in the US, but way east in Asia, where new lockdowns are underway – that is wave 2.
https://local.theonion.com/city-enters-phase-4-of-pretending-coronavirus-over-1844037065/amp?__twitter_impression=true
Spot the only one wearing a mask in the photo.
How horrifically sad.
Liked your post, TK.
And I agree with everything you said. By the way, I’m also disappointed in baseball – owners and players.
Tonight on Frontline (PBS): “Why the U.S. was unprepared for COVID-19.”
9:30-11:00 p.m. WGBH-TV Boston
Thanks philip. Recording although some of their reports have been skewed left of late. I am not a fan of skewing in either direction.
Encouraging news: The state of Vermont is now off the “hotspot” list.
The remaining states are still there.
…unfortunately.
Texas is now reporting 3,716 new cases thus far today! It’s exploding in Texas. The state hasn’t even completed its reporting for the day. Hospitalizations and deaths are up as well. The state will catch up and pass Massachusetts within a few days, as will Florida within 3 weeks. These are estimates of mine.
Granted, Texas and Florida are much larger than Massachusetts. This tells you that they were not impacted much by the pandemic until recently. But, boy it is hitting them hard. Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, and South and North Carolina as well.
I’m guessing that the vast majority – over 95% – of infections took place indoors, in air-conditioned spaces like clubs, movie theaters, restaurants, bars, etc …
It’s important to point out that cases in Oklahoma are increasing as well, but not as fast. Nevertheless, some of the rally-goers and people currently camped out at the BOK Center in Tulsa are from Texas. I am seriously concerned about a super-spreader event this Saturday. It only takes a few people to infect dozens if not hundreds in an indoor space like that. There is ample evidence of this having happened in Korea, France, and Italy, in indoor spaces where people congregated, standing or sitting next to each other for long periods of time. It’s time for the mayor of Tulsa to step in. It’s okay to rally outdoors with proper protocol in place, but not indoors.
The great Woody Guthrie from Tulsa, Oklahoma would have stopped the indoor rally: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxiMrvDbq3s
Been a while since I posted on the C-19 thread, but just an observation: The US has clearly butchered its handling of the pandemic. Part of that can be traced to an incompetent administration, yes. But not all of it. Once the virus escaped China, large global death tolls became virtually inevitable. Europe, Asia, and the Americas – practically every country, regardless of political system, has been hit, many of them hard.
But even in Italy, Spain, China, and many others, they not only flattened their curves, but crushed them. Catastrophic losses of life, to be sure, but they didn’t give up, and many lives were saved for it. Here in the US, we gave up. We did “flatten” the curve, but that’s it. We’ve decided we’re content to live on an endless plateau. A few hundred or a thousand excess deaths a day has been deemed acceptable collateral to continue operating society as normal. That is truly American exceptionalism on full display. And that extends well beyond what any politician can control. It’s an attitude that permeates this country at a neighborhood and household level. The real pandemic in this country is apathy.
A rendition I absolutely adore of Guthrie’s song (somehow the glorious American flags behind Springsteen and Seeger are so appropriate in this clip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE4H0k8TDgw
Talk about insane. The Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is closed due to the pandemic. It’s a museum that honors Woody Guthrie. Yet, the BOK Center is opening its doors to a massive indoor rally on Saturday. Notably, the website for the BOK Center includes a list of more than a dozen other events that have been postponed or canceled due to coronavirus, with some not scheduled to take place until 2021.
FWIW as you know, I tend to go to the source.
As you also know Macs cousins son lives in Santiago with his girlfriend. She is an ICU physician at a public hospital. They have 17 ICU beds. They are closing in on the need for 150…this includes private hospitals.
Media here is not reporting accurately which doesn’t surprise me. They did have riots but last fall. The president responded immediately. Their problem may have been rolling lock downs but lockdowns overall have been in place for over a month.
No matter what. They need our prayers.
To the true person she is she said as an ICU physician she knows how devastating it is to lose a patient. She is worried about other physicians who do not know the horror of losing one patient let alone tens of patients.
I mislead. They are closing in on the need for 150 In her hospital alone. Private hospitals are facing the same problem
Dr. S, your post from “The Onion” is amusing, not only for the fact it’s satire, but in a darker way in that this satirical article is not actually all that far from the truth at this time………..
My guess is the photo there was taken around mid March. 🙂
Vicki, thank you for the information from Chile. I have a similar story to tell about India, which is really being hit hard. A friend there has said it’s desperate in some cities.Death toll is staggering in recent days. Pakistan, too.
I spoke too soon about a lower global death toll. Today’s number is already over 6k and rising.
WxWatcher, I so much appreciate your comment. Apathy is indeed so pervasive. I don’t understand it. It’s going to bite us in the you know what. for a sustained economic recovery the coronavirus outbreak needs to be under control.
As other countries begin to resume international travel, the U.S. will be seen as too risky. It’s another way we are losing economic ground by not controlling the outbreak, summed up by three underestimated impacts: 1. U.S. business personnel will not be able to travel without a 14-day quarantine. 2. Other countries will not send business personnel or governmental representatives. 3. Hugely negative impact on tourism from overseas, and far fewer foreign students (who often pay full price). A massive number of foreign students will decide to study in safer countries for the rest of 2020 and 2021. Many colleges will cease to exist as a result.
I wish I’d had better news to share. And my heavens how does anyone think opening up will improve the economy. Your comments are absolute common sense feign.
C-19 for 6-17 is up…