COVID cases spike in states that didn't shut down

[disneysteve]

Surprise, surprise. They are seeing a significant spike in COVID cases in the states where the Republican governors opted not to issue shut down orders. Cases the past week went up 53% in Oklahoma, 60% in Arkansas, 74% in Nebraska, 82% in Iowa, and 205% in South Dakota.

The absolute numbers aren't terribly high because of low overall population but the percentages are certainly alarming. And yes, some of that is likely due to increased testing but not all of it because there's been increased testing everywhere and other states aren't seeing those sorts of spikes.

One big concern is that many of those rural areas are home to a lot of agriculture. Tyson closed 2 processing plants in Iowa due to COVID outbreaks. Smithfield closed a plant in South Dakota due to COVID. So this is going to start impacting our food supply.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Smithfield also closed a plant in Wisconsin (1000 employees) and one in Missouri.

[disneysteve]

Smithfield also closed a plant in Wisconsin (1000 employees) and one in Missouri.

Missouri didn't shut down until April 6. Wisconsin is the only one of these that shut down back on March 24.

[TexasHusker]

I think your conclusion is erroneous and is playing with words. Saying some state has XX % more cases means nothing. NY was one of the first to shut down and they have the highest death rate per 100,000 by a long shot. That's a function of population density. Texas was one of the last big states to shut down. We have 2 China Virus deaths per 100,000. Compare that to NY which has 66 China Virus deaths per 100,000, which shut down much earlier. In Texas, cases are falling and deaths are falling. But in truth, BOTH states have incredibly low deaths per 100,000. Texas' percentage of deaths per 100,000 is .002%. NY's is .067%.

I live an an area of over 200,000 people and we've had 4 deaths in the last 45 days that are China virus related. If we have one more today, CNN can have a headline that says "Deaths in Amarillo Texas from China Virus rose 25 percent in one day!" Well, yes, technically.

This chart of cases/deaths per 100,000 completely debunks the notion that late shutdowns caused more China Virus. It just isn't so.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/...s-us-by-state/


NYC and a few other areas aside, the China Wuhan virus hysteria is a ruse. We've been duped.

[disneysteve]

II live an an area of over 200,000 people and we've had 4 deaths in the last 45 days that are China virus related. If we have one more today, CNN can have a headline that says "Deaths in Amarillo Texas from China Virus rose 25 percent in one day!" Well, yes, technically.

It's pretty sad that you felt the need to go back and edit your post to change COVID, the actual name of the disease that you used initially, to a far more offensive one.

So no, CNN would NEVER have the headline you stated because they would never stoop so low as to use that term to refer to COVID-19.

As for the data, yes, percentages can be deceiving so let's look at the actual numbers. Look at South Dakota. Minnehaha County, home to Sioux Falls, has more than 483 cases per 100,000 people. The Smithfield plant there had more than 500 employees test positive. So we're not talking about small numbers or a handful of cases like you've seen in Amarillo. It's not too big of a stretch to suggest that had their governor ordered a shut down, those numbers would have been a lot lower.

It's great that you live in an area that hasn't been affected but that doesn't make the whole thing a "ruse". A huge swath of the world has shut down because of this. Do you truly believe all of that has been a giant global hoax?

[greenskeeper]

It's pretty sad that you felt the need to go back and edit your post to change COVID, the actual name of the disease that you used initially, to a far more offensive one.

The Chinese virus was released upon the world from a CHINESE lab...accidental or not CHINA owns this and needs to pay a price

[TexasHusker]

It's pretty sad that you felt the need to go back and edit your post to change COVID, the actual name of the disease that you used initially, to a far more offensive one.

So no, CNN would NEVER have the headline you stated because they would never stoop so low as to use that term to refer to COVID-19.

As for the data, yes, percentages can be deceiving so let's look at the actual numbers. Look at South Dakota. Minnehaha County, home to Sioux Falls, has more than 483 cases per 100,000 people. The Smithfield plant there had more than 500 employees test positive. So we're not talking about small numbers or a handful of cases like you've seen in Amarillo. It's not too big of a stretch to suggest that had their governor ordered a shut down, those numbers would have been a lot lower.

It's great that you live in an area that hasn't been affected but that doesn't make the whole thing a "ruse". A huge swath of the world has shut down because of this. Do you truly believe all of that has been a giant global hoax?

Hoax, no. Over-reach, yes. This is not a national issue. It's a local issue. I am offended that China has cost us all of the jobs that we've gained since the Great Recession. This thing has cost me $150,000 personally, and my businesses are still closed. I have no issue at all calling the virus what it is.

[TexasHusker]

Hurry someone call the news! Hemphill County Texas' cases of Chinese Virus have increased 100 percent today - the highest percentage in the entire country! They went from zero cases to one!

[disneysteve]

Hoax, no. Over-reach, yes. This is not a national issue. It's a local issue.

Then what is the point you're trying to make. There has been very little national response. It's been handled primarily at the local and state level. Some towns and cities shut down first, then entire states shut down, and some states have never shut down. Where is the overreach?

[disneysteve]

This is not a national issue. It's a local issue.

How do you effectively manage a "local" issue in a country the size of the US, or even a state the size of Texas. Anybody can hop in their car and drive anywhere they'd like. If it's mainly the big cities that are affected, how do you stop people from Houston and Dallas and Austin and San Antonio from heading out to the rural areas to get away from the cities, unaware that they are already infected because they are asymptomatic, and having them infect a bunch of people they encounter there? What measures short of a statewide shutdown would prevent that?

[disneysteve]

This thing has cost me $150,000 personally, and my businesses are still closed.

I just saw that your governor said retail businesses can reopen on Friday. I guess that doesn't help you yet but it's a first step toward ramping things back up.

[Singuy]

The Chinese virus was released upon the world from a CHINESE lab...accidental or not CHINA owns this and needs to pay a price

I see zero proof of this conspiracy theory. Care to link a credible source with only facts and no speculation?

So what is the conspiracy here that China took down the US economy by unleashing this virus? So they tanked their own markets, shut down themselves, killed a few thousand people and doctors, hope that Trump is a moron by not taking it seriously unlike South Korea, and completely tank the US economy, being China's biggest trade partner so everyone loses.

Yes yes..I see what a brilliant plan. So I guess all these protestors who thinks this virus is no big deal or it's fake news will cause round two by fall..exactly as planned by the Chinese..hoping that half this country are morons. Got it.

[disneysteve]

I see zero proof of this conspiracy theory.

Yeah, it's a funny thing with conspiracy theories. No matter how many times you repeat them, they still aren't true.

[TexasHusker]

I just saw that your governor said retail businesses can reopen on Friday. I guess that doesn't help you yet but it's a first step toward ramping things back up.

Haha. yeah, retail can "open" provided that they can offer curbside service only. I can walk right into Walmart and buy some socks. From Dillard's or TJ Maxx? Nope.

This crap is so classic from the gubmit. Shut down everything except WalMart and Lowes, so that every has to then go to Walmart and Lowes. The parking lots today at Walmart and Lowes were jam packed.

[TexasHusker]

I see zero proof of this conspiracy theory. Care to link a credible source with only facts and no speculation?

So what is the conspiracy here that China took down the US economy by unleashing this virus? So they tanked their own markets, shut down themselves, killed a few thousand people and doctors, hope that Trump is a moron by not taking it seriously unlike South Korea, and completely tank the US economy, being China's biggest trade partner so everyone loses.

Yes yes..I see what a brilliant plan. So I guess all these protestors who thinks this virus is no big deal or it's fake news will cause round two by fall..exactly as planned by the Chinese..hoping that half this country are morons. Got it.

Nice straw man there. No one said anything about a conspiracy. I think the evidence is heavily leaning now that this came from a Wuhan lab. We don't know whether it was accidental. Some speculated this back in February and were summarily tarred and feathered by the drive-by media.