The Coronavirus Thread

[Scot Dutchy]

What is reasonable?

[Hermit]

What is reasonable?

Four weeks does not look unreasonable to me, especially since the opposition actually asked for it. YMMV.

[pErvinalia]

First 4 weeks, then 4 years! Am I right, Dutchy?

[Scot Dutchy]

You are of course a constitutional specialist?

[laklak]

Fuck elections, people are too stupid to make their own decisions. Just put me in charge, I'll sort this shit out pronto. All y'all just STFU and do what you're told.

[Animavore]

Ireland's spiking again. The government kept pushing forward the dates of the phases against advice. And the populace kept taking liberties with each relaxation of the lockdown.

Now face masks in shops are mandatory and three counties are quarantined.

[Animavore]

Looks like we're going back to full lockdown.

[JimC]

It's the same everywhere. Relax for a moment, and the fucker surges again...

[laklak]

We're doomed.

[Scot Dutchy]

Looks like we're going back to full lockdown.

Have tried phoning you GP recently and making an appointment? We are hearing horrendous stories from Ireland.

[rainbow]

You are of course a constitutional specialist?

Exactly.

Perv doesn't have multiple degrees in International Constitutional Law like you do.

You tell him off, Dangly.

[Brian Peacock]

You are of course a constitutional specialist?

Are you a specialist in constitutional law and ethics, particularly those pertaining to NZ?

Haven't we learned from our participations in that other forum, and the one that came before it, that there's a significant difference between doubtfulness and rational scepticism? Have we also not learned that, for example, chiding people for not being a trained theologian is no good reason at all to avoid the rational sceptical challenges of those criticising religion or for not applying the same level of rational, sceptical scrutiny to our own ideas as to the ideas of others?

[JimC]

Slightly lower case numbers in Victoria today, so hopefully the lockdown is having an effect...

[Hermit]

[Crumple]We ain't seen nothin' yet.[Crumple]

[L'Emmerdeur]

For reference.

'Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks'

We identified seasonal human coronaviruses, influenza viruses and rhinoviruses in exhaled breath and coughs of children and adults with acute respiratory illness. Surgical face masks significantly reduced detection of influenza virus RNA in respiratory droplets and coronavirus RNA in aerosols, with a trend toward reduced detection of coronavirus RNA in respiratory droplets. Our results indicate that surgical face masks could prevent transmission of human coronaviruses and influenza viruses from symptomatic individuals.

'Face Masks Considerably Reduce COVID-19 Cases in Germany: A Synthetic Control Method Approach'

We use the synthetic control method to analyze the effect of face masks on the spread of Covid-19 in Germany. Our identification approach exploits regional variation in the point in time when face masks became compulsory. Depending on the region we analyse, we find that face masks reduced the cumulative number of registered Covid-19 cases between 2.3% and 13% over a period of 10 days after they became compulsory. Assessing the credibility of the various estimates, we conclude that face masks reduce the daily growth rate of reported infections by around 40%.

'Universal use of face masks for success against COVID-19: evidence and implications for prevention policies'

Controlling a respiratory infection at source using a face mask is a well-established strategy. For example, symptomatic patients with cough or sneezing are generally advised to put on a face mask, and this applies equally to patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (airborne transmission) and influenza (predominantly droplet-transmitted). With the large number of asymptomatic patients unaware of their own infection, the comparable viral load in their upper respiratory tract, droplet and aerosol dispersion even during talking and breathing, and prolonged viral viability outside our body, we strongly advocate universal use of face masks as a means of source control in public places during the COVID-19 pandemic. Extreme forms of social distancing are not sustainable, and complete lockdown of cities or even whole countries is devastating to the economy. Universal masking in public complements social distancing and hand hygiene in containing or slowing down the otherwise exponential growth of the pandemic. Universal masking protects against cross-transmission through unavoidable person-to-person contact during the lockdown and reduces the risk for resurgence during relaxation of social distancing measures.

'Masks Do More Than Protect Others During COVID-19: Reducing the Inoculum of SARS-CoV-2 to Protect the Wearer'

This perspective outlines a unique angle on why universal public masking during the COVID-19 pandemic should be one of the most important pillars of disease control. Our theory is based on the likelihood of masking reducing the viral inoculum to which the mask-wearer is exposed, leading to higher rates of mild or asymptomatic infection with COVID-19. No prior perspective has specifically focused on this link between population-level facial masking, the viral inoculum, and increasing rates of asymptomatic infection with SARS-CoV-2.