Not everywhere (not clear to me, in cause and effect re locations)

Merkel contemplates imposing wider "automatic brake" she set in place recently - three affected areas already have.

I thought they were doing so well. A good warning for US and elsewhere.

case rate nearly tripled where lockdown lifted

This is perfectly logical from the research I've done.

And Germany has THE best track record of handling the pandemic so as to contain it.

That's why the death rate there has only been only slightly over 1% while in the teens in Italy and 10% in Great Britain, France and Spain.

In Trump's America we're certainly not poised to take crucial steps to contain a worsening of the infection rate.

Germany's containment methods

Certainly an optimal strategy to wage war on the Virus! No emoticon suffices to describe the risks America's running.

What did they think was going to happen?

On the balancing side, I read a post from a friend in Berlin, with a view from there. Here’s an excerpt:

“One news source I rely on said that there would be a new system in place about how to see if the reductions of restrictions needed to slow down by a green, yellow, right light type of thing throughout Germany. They stated that we were still in the green light. Things were still slow. There are still plenty of healthcare resources, etc. Berlin's numbers were even lower than the overall German numbers.

Then this morning I quickly looked up a relied upon news source that puts out an English news briefing about Berlin each morning and listened on my morning walk with the pups (in the rain today...doesn't that add for effect). She outlined this new traffic signal system and then broke down how the numbers are still low on infections, increases, etc and talked about if we needed to go back into stricter lockdown what that would look like.”

Here’s the rest of her daily musing: Pastor Courtney’s newsletter

So yes, Germany is having an uptick overall, but it’s not as dire as the articles are making it out to be...yet? They’re keeping careful watch, and will do what’s needed.

The data prove the relationship between reopening and worsening of the pandemic. I'm talking about European countries.

Also, please see the thread I posted earlier today.

The problem with the US is that we want to find some kind of "this or that" middle ground for everything. I'm sorry to have to say this but science doesn't care.

http://well-temperedforum.grou...0004433/m/9863973497

I think it's important to remember that the lock down wasn't intended to stop the coronavirus, but rather to slow it down. I'm pretty sure that remains the goal--the virus is still out there, still highly contagious. But it's being passed around more slowly and hence is not as likely to overwhelm the health care system.

The only way the virus will be eradicated is through testing, tracing, and (ultimately) a vaccine, OR letting "nature run its course." That is the Sweden approach, from what I can gather: hope that enough people get it and recover to develop herd immunity so there are no longer many hospitable "hosts" for the virus. It's the same logic as full-scale vaccination, but done "naturally."

So I'm not sure that no increase in COVID cases is the right measure--rather it's the rate of increase, and will it threaten to overwhelm the health care system again.

But I could be wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:
I think it's important to remember that the lock down wasn't intended to stop the coronavirus, but rather to slow it down. I'm pretty sure that remains the goal--the virus is still out there, still highly contagious. But it's being passed around more slowly and hence is not as likely to overwhelm the health care system.

The only way the virus will be eradicated is through testing, tracing, and (ultimately) a vaccine, OR letting "nature run its course." That is the Sweden approach, from what I can gather: hope that enough people get it and recover to develop herd immunity so there are no longer many hospitable "hosts" for the virus. It's the same logic as full-scale vaccination, but done "naturally."

So I'm not sure that no increase in COVID cases is the right measure--rather it's the rate of increase, and will it threaten to overwhelm the health care system again.

But I could be wrong.

Yes, that is of course, the purpose and only realistic hope of lockdowns. I was struck by the alleged THREE-fold increase in new cases (which apparently caught the very knowledgable Merkel by surprise too).

Also (perhaps most alarmingly) because it occurred in the European country which had dealt pretty much perfectly with the virus' onslaught. And which is set up to deal with resulting threats as well as current Science thinks desirable (as described in my second link).

Germany's experience, the contrast with us, scares me a good deal because the US is so utterly unequipped to handle such an outcome (or worse) remotely as well as Germany. That's especially because of how willing Trump and corps' are to sacrifice as many of the populace as the god of the Economy demands. (Not to mention the god of Trump's reelection campaign.)

And not coincidentally since such deaths are conveniently poised to occur predominately in the demographics which benefit said Economy (prisoners, the elderly, the disabled, the homeless and all lower income brackets. What savings in safety net spending!)

I couldn't agree with you more, Amanda. I am appalled that there is NO PLAN that has emerged from the WH that hasn't been undermined by Trump himself within 48 hours.

Where are we today? No federally coordinated plan for providing tests, vaccines, PPE, guidance on opening up, support to governors and mayors who are trying to protect their citizentry, nothing. Just tweet storms and sycophants. That could be the slogan for this entire administration. I like it.

"Tweet storms and sycophants" (tm)

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Miller:
What did they think was going to happen?

+1

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:
I couldn't agree with you more, Amanda.

+2

quote:

Originally posted by Nina:
I couldn't agree with you more, Amanda. I am appalled that there is NO PLAN that has emerged from the WH that hasn't been undermined by Trump himself within 48 hours.

Where are we today? No federally coordinated plan for providing tests, vaccines, PPE, guidance on opening up, support to governors and mayors who are trying to protect their citizentry, nothing. Just tweet storms and sycophants. That could be the slogan for this entire administration. I like it.

"Tweet storms and sycophants" (tm)

+1

I think it's safe to say that Trump has consistent intentions but that his various methodologies to achieve them are constantly blowing in the wind. Goals: (1) to preserve what he calls the Economy (which he translates to mean the stock market, though as has been repeatedly pointed out, they are NOT equivalent); (2) To benefit - enhance - as much as possible, even now, the fiscal (physical too insofaras they coincide) position of the uppermost 1 % and to a lesser degree the upper 10% (3) Overlapping in his mental Venn Diagram, his goal of reelection.

As for the rest of the hoi polloi, except to the extent they grease the skids of "The Economy" and related goals, they can jolly well die - and as inexpensively as possible. They serve as consumers and facilitators of the marketplace, but otherwise have no intrinsic value in his Universe.

All means to those ends are desirable, and when he believes an announced plan to implement them was a mistake, he changes direction - the twisting and turning you all refer to. Yes, it appears to be "changing his mind" but the central goals are always the same as described and accordingly, consistent.

That's what he considers being a "winner" - and on behalf of his ilk (pretty much defined by net worth). Everyone else is a loser and deserves what they get. He's making the ultimate Deal of his lifetime.