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WhitinsvilleWX

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    Fall Banter and General Discussion

    in New England

    Posted

    We have spectrum here. I hate them. They gave an antiquated system of using a tuning adaptor that calls for channels that aren’t being used on a particular node. Their bandwidth is too small to push every frequency so they hold back some channels until they’re called for. If you have a box, it’s not an issue. But we have TiVos, 3 of them, and they all require the stupid tuning adapter. We have to reboot it at lest 3 times a week and it craps the bed invariably at a time we are recording something 

    Fall Banter and General Discussion

    in New England

    Posted

    15 minutes ago, Whineminster said:

     Or you're saying if you test positive, you are almost guaranteed to have it?  Seems like a lot of places aren't relying on the rapid test for "ok to go back to work" thing.  

    The early rapid tests could pop a false positive due to cross reactivity with other similar coronavirus’. The newer one is pretty specific. My opinion is that if you are positive on the rapid test, there’s enough virus to have symptoms and be contagious. 
    The estimate to test every person 3 times a week with the rapid test would cost 7 billion a week. That 200 billion for 6 months. That’s peanuts compared to what we spent and will spend on Covid relief money. 
     

    Like I posted before, companies are just following state guidelines. The state says you have to have a PCR test in order to not quarantine for 2 weeks. 

    • Like 1

    Fall Banter and General Discussion

    in New England

    Posted

    41 minutes ago, Whineminster said:

    yeah but like what %?

    Tough to give you a concise answer. The false negative rate, which is the most important, has been touted as anywhere from 2% to 14%. 
    But you have to understand how they come up with those numbers. 
    The rapid test is compared to the PCR test which is considered “the gold standard” (cough cough, BS). So for example, if someone test negative by the rapid test, but test “positive” by  PCR, the rapid test in that case is considered a false negative. But is it really? If the PCR test showed a positive at a Ct of 39, I would say the PCR test is a false positive and the rapid test is spot on.

    Id have to dig a little and see if anyone has compared the rapid test to the real gold standard which is viral replication assays. 
    Without a ton of research, I’d guess the false negative rate for the rapid test isn’t much worse than what Abbott says, which is around 3-4%

    Fall Banter and General Discussion

    in New England

    Posted

    23 minutes ago, Whineminster said:

    anyone have a rough idea of accurate the rapid covid test is?  @WhitinsvilleWX? Many places don't seem to be accepting it for "return to work". 

    The newer Abbott one is pretty good. In my opinion, if you’re negative by that one, you’re either truly negative or haven’t got enough virus to be sick or contagious. 
    The PCR test was the first one out and powers that be are stuck to it. Again in my opinion, the PCR test as interpreted now is junk. 
    If we dont go to widespread rapid antigen testing on a weekly basis,  testing asymptomatic people by a PCR test that takes 1-4 days to get the results back is useless.

    Companies require it since the state of Massachusetts mandates the PCR test. Otherwise, I don’t think Corporation X would care much which test you take.

    Fall Banter and General Discussion

    in New England

    Posted

    1 minute ago, HoarfrostHubb said:

    "Moot"

    Yeah... case numbers are not a great way to compare due to the huge increase in testing availability.  But the hospitalizations, ICUs, and deaths are up a bunch.  New "records" (I hate that term) for the first two, and high daily/weekly death #s             It is also working its way through the previously untouched rural areas... the Dakotaks/Wyoming, etc are pretty hot right now

    The demographics for the deaths are about the same as before. 
    As much as the hospitalizations are up,  from what I hear from some of my buddies at the Brigham they’re not as sick as they were in the spring. Some of it is because they are admitting cases that aren’t as bad off. In a lot of instances, it’s a couple a three days or so then release. Of course there are others that require a longer stay, but the whole nature of this wave is a little different. 3000 cases per day in Massachusetts aren’t the same as in April.

    I really really wish they would publish the Ct numbers somehow. That would give us an idea of what the viral loads are. If half the daily cases are like 33-40, then those people aren’t really contagious and I’d say probably aren’t even having symptoms in some instances. The other thing that would be helpful is to know how many people test because they have symptoms, or is the test done because they traveled or want to travel. Next Sunday I know of 4 tests that will be done on asymptomatic people to get back in school and work.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    Fall Banter and General Discussion

    in New England

    Posted

    17 minutes ago, Baroclinic Zone said:

    Yeah, this another promising vaccine.  Let's hope we can get these all approved and work on immunizing the globe to mitigate this mess.

    Hopefully.

    This one doesn’t require low temp storage. This one might be the ticket for 3rd world and remote distribution.  

    • Like 1

    Fall Banter and General Discussion

    in New England

    Posted

    26 minutes ago, STILL N OF PIKE said:

    Third Consecutive Monday that positive vaccine news is announced around 7am.

    This time it’s Oxford -AstraZeneca Vaccine initial  efficacy  And it has less obstacles bc it can be stored at non obscene temps

    https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55041371

    It’s an oddball vaccine, but it looks like it might work. What they did is to take a chimp cold virus, inactivate it so it won’t infect humans, then they drop in the spike protein antigen from Covid. The immune system then makes antibody to the virus, spike protein and all. 
    They already had the virus engineered before Covid was even heard of in 2019. They were using it to make vaccine for Ebola and Mers. When Covid came along, they just dropped in the spike protein and off they went. 

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 2

    Fall Banter and General Discussion

    in New England

    Posted

    9 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

    For anyone in medicine. I was talking to my brother in laws fiancé, who’s a nurse today. She said people definitely aren’t getting as sick this go around, at least from what she can see. She also said her friend, you is a doctor in NYC believes the virus may have mutated to a less potent strain?

    Im not claiming any of this stuff as true or fact, but it’s interesting to here those takes from people in the medical field. I’d also leave open for the fact that treatment and handling of hospitalized cases is probably better now, which may be playing a role in that opinion.

    Could be some selective pressure going on, hard to say without some extensive sequencing efforts. 
    A lot of the decreased severity is likely due to the age groups being affected now. 

    November 2020 Discussion

    in New England

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, Whineminster said:

    yeah some of the heaviest rain all year to be honest. Wasn't expecting this. 

    Holy smokes. I just looked at the radar. I haven’t kept up with much since I’ve been down here in Fl, but man, what a deluge in spots.

    Fall Banter and General Discussion

    in New England

    Posted

    1 hour ago, powderfreak said:

    New England all quarantined up now with today’s Mass update removing NH and ME from the safe list.

    From Boston.com:

    Massachusetts residents planning to visit family in New Hampshire and Maine this Thanksgiving will be required to quarantine for two weeks or have proof of a negative COVID-19 test upon their return, according to the latest change of the state’s out-of-state travel rules — and the same goes for visitors from two those states coming here for the holiday.

    As local officials urge residents against traveling at all for Thanksgiving amid the surge in coronavirus cases this fall, a spokesperson for the state’s COVID-19 Command Center told Boston.com that Massachusetts will remove New Hampshire and Maine from its list of lower-risk states effective Saturday.

    That means individuals visiting or returning from those states are now required to self-quarantine for 14 days or have proof of a negative COVID-19 test from within the prior 72 hours upon arriving in Massachusetts. Failure to comply may result in a $500 fine per day.
     

     

    This quarantine business is a little silly at this point.

    Fall Banter and General Discussion

    in New England

    Posted

    8 minutes ago, HoarfrostHubb said:
    • Persons Commuting for Work or School: People who regularly commute, at least weekly, outside of Massachusetts to a fixed place to attend school or work or any person who regularly commutes, at least weekly into Massachusetts to a fixed place to attend school or work; provided that in either case, this exception applies only to and from the person’s residence and place of work or school.  Workers or students who travel to any place that is not their home state for personal or leisure reasons cannot rely on this exemption

    I thought that was the case, but you never know anymore.

    These state by state quarantines are getting a little silly at this point. 

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