• Welcome to TalkWeather!
    We see you lurking around TalkWeather! Take the extra step and join us today to view attachments, see less ads and maybe even join the discussion.
    CLICK TO JOIN TALKWEATHER

COVID-19 detected in United States

KoD

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
PerryW Project Supporter
Messages
1,380
Reaction score
697
Location
Huntsville, AL
This is true. In fact according to research I've read, if somebody was infected with two separate viral infections concurrently then the overall illness is generally less intense than getting one by itself (and the degree of lesser severity lasts well after the acute illness has subsided). Me and a ER doc joked that we wanted to get influenza and a cold this winter because it would likely give us months of increased covid-19 protection if we contracted them.
I don't think people getting infected with coronavirus is necessarily the biggest factor in the reduced influenza spread in the northern and southern hemispheres, as there's still a huge huge majority of the population that haven't had SARS-CoV-2. I think social distancing, sanitization and masks are mostly to blame. This winter is still VERY early though, and even though Australia has had great signs, the northern hemisphere has by far worse influenza seasons for a variety of reasons.
 

Jacob

Member
Messages
1,287
Reaction score
824
Location
Roy, UT
Italy Did Everything Right to Stop a Second Wave of the Coronavirus. So What Went Wrong?

I think the short answer to this question is: It is impossible to contain it. We were never going to contain it once it became widespread. We have to learn to live with it. All the "red states" that did everything wrong (per the media) have had the same results as places that "did everything right". Many European countries are now perfect examples of that.
 

barcncpt44

Member
Messages
277
Reaction score
148
Location
Anniston, AL
Special Affiliations
  1. SKYWARN® Volunteer
The United States keeps setting COVID records. 83,000 new cases today.
 

Jacob

Member
Messages
1,287
Reaction score
824
Location
Roy, UT
The EU's population is about 35% higher than the US population, but this graphic shows how things have taken off recently in the EU (the places that "did everything right")

122866588_3812637895437271_5059540483581005437_o.png
 

ghost

Member
PerryW Project Supporter
Messages
1,004
Reaction score
352
Location
NW AL
Covid has taken off at the school where I help coach jr. high basketball and they have shut down the campus this week to try and mitigate the spread. Our varsity football team has a good shot at making it to the state championship game if the players and coaches can stay healthy. We have forfeited our last game of the season and will begin playoffs a week from Friday if we can stay healthy and the ones that are sick can test negative by next week. Fortunately the few that are sick have very mild symptoms.
 

StormStalker

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Messages
564
Reaction score
430
Location
Tuscumbia, AL
Special Affiliations
  1. SKYWARN® Volunteer
Covid has taken off at the school where I help coach jr. high basketball and they have shut down the campus this week to try and mitigate the spread. Our varsity football team has a good shot at making it to the state championship game if the players and coaches can stay healthy. We have forfeited our last game of the season and will begin playoffs a week from Friday if we can stay healthy and the ones that are sick can test negative by next week. Fortunately the few that are sick have very mild symptoms.

Pretty sure I know which school you are talking about. The head football coach was my drivers ed teacher when I was in high school. Hope everyone gets well and the symptoms remain mild!
 

bjdeming

Member
Sustaining Member
Messages
1,512
Reaction score
1,231
Location
Corvallis, Oregon
Some interesting data out there in regards to COVID and the flu. Supposedly one respiratory virus can basically inhibit a person from getting other respiratory viruses, and since COVID-19 spreads easier than the flu, the flu is having a difficult time finding any susceptible hosts. The flu has seemingly all but disappeared worldwide in 2020, the southern hemisphere basically didn't have a flu season.

Flu tests from 2019 weeks 15-40 worldwide totaled 1,258,346 tests with a positive rate of 9.32%
Flu tests from 2020 weeks 15-40 worldwide totaled 1,393,276 tests with a positive rate of 0.18%

I was seriously thinking about not getting a flu shot as I usually do because of this fact (not the post -- I'd read about it in the news) but did.

They gave me the powerful vaccine -- Fluad, a/k/a Fluzone -- as I'm over 65. That has stuff in it, I guess, to boost the "weakened" immune system of old geezerettes like me. First time I've had that one. Well, my immune system isn't all that weak, and so I took a little nap over the last 24 hours :) but am already feeling better and am glad I got it after reading these:



No guarantees, but every little bit of self-care helps. Let's all get flu shots and knock that bad boy, at least, right off the table this season. And maybe it will help with COVID, too.
 

ghost

Member
PerryW Project Supporter
Messages
1,004
Reaction score
352
Location
NW AL
I was seriously thinking about not getting a flu shot as I usually do because of this fact (not the post -- I'd read about it in the news) but did.

They gave me the powerful vaccine -- Fluad, a/k/a Fluzone -- as I'm over 65. That has stuff in it, I guess, to boost the "weakened" immune system of old geezerettes like me. First time I've had that one. Well, my immune system isn't all that weak, and so I took a little nap over the last 24 hours :) but am already feeling better and am glad I got it after reading these:



No guarantees, but every little bit of self-care helps. Let's all get flu shots and knock that bad boy, at least, right off the table this season. And maybe it will help with COVID, too.
I just got my flu vax today as well
 

KoD

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
PerryW Project Supporter
Messages
1,380
Reaction score
697
Location
Huntsville, AL
If there's a high rate of influenza vaccination and an effective vaccine (unlike last year's 35% effectiveness) combined with masks and social distancing then I wonder if we could potentially have an impact on influenza spread for a few years.
 

warneagle

Member
Messages
3,729
Reaction score
3,208
Location
Arlington, VA
Special Affiliations
  1. SKYWARN® Volunteer
Yeah honestly I might just keep doing the mask thing during flu season after this is all over, at least in crowded places like the bus/subway.
 

Jacob

Member
Messages
1,287
Reaction score
824
Location
Roy, UT
Florida (21m population) and Texas (28m population) peaked in July with around 13-15k positives per day. Belgium, with a population of about 11.5m, reported over 21k positive tests today.
 

maroonedinhsv

Member
Messages
622
Reaction score
470
Location
Harvest, AL
Florida (21m population) and Texas (28m population) peaked in July with around 13-15k positives per day. Belgium, with a population of about 11.5m, reported over 21k positive tests today.
I think it's worth pointing out that Belgium has a MUCH higher population density than either Florida or Texas. I haven't dug deeply into the statistics, but I would think population density matters since transmission is related to proximity.
 

warneagle

Member
Messages
3,729
Reaction score
3,208
Location
Arlington, VA
Special Affiliations
  1. SKYWARN® Volunteer
I think it's worth pointing out that Belgium has a MUCH higher population density than either Florida or Texas. I haven't dug deeply into the statistics, but I would think population density matters since transmission is related to proximity.
Belgium's population density is about 3x Florida's and 9x Texas'. We're also talking about a part of the world where people use public transit much more than they do in the southern US, so they're in enclosed spaces with large numbers of people more frequently, in addition to living in more densely populated areas.
 

Jacob

Member
Messages
1,287
Reaction score
824
Location
Roy, UT
I think it's worth pointing out that Belgium has a MUCH higher population density than either Florida or Texas. I haven't dug deeply into the statistics, but I would think population density matters since transmission is related to proximity.

I think that's certainly relevant, it also likely explains why parts of NYC were hit so hard initially.
 

gangstonc

Member
Messages
2,809
Reaction score
299
Location
Meridianville
Florida (21m population) and Texas (28m population) peaked in July with around 13-15k positives per day. Belgium, with a population of about 11.5m, reported over 21k positive tests today.
It’s also important to note that Florida has intentionally reduced their testing. Guidelines there only recommend testing those who are symptomatic.
 

Jacob

Member
Messages
1,287
Reaction score
824
Location
Roy, UT
It’s also important to note that Florida has intentionally reduced their testing. Guidelines there only recommend testing those who are symptomatic.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's a more recent development for them, not what they were doing back during June/July.
 

Evan

Member
Messages
2,254
Reaction score
1,377
Location
McCalla, AL
Almost 92k cases in the US today and well over 1000 deaths.

BUT MUH T-CELL IMMUNITY AND HERD IMMUNITY!!?

Yeah, testing has increased, but so what? We never much dropped below 40-50k cases. We had a lull and nothing more. I fully expect 125k+ cases per day by the end of election week.

Very little chance we get this epidemic control without a cohesive federal policy that the States are willing to accept and adopt. Just as telling, the lack of American leadership on the world stage is unquestionably part of the reason why the pandemic has been able to gain such a global hold over the entire planet.

Without major changes in policy and leadership, the United States is going to end up back in an economic meltdown, having completely wasted the previous months and prior lockdowns. At this point, the national strategy it seems, is simply "don't get sick, loser." Hard to think that lends itself to an eventual victory or positive outcome.
 
Back
Top