Muh Muh Muh My Corona (virus)

Fun sweating that kind of thing. We lost our main physician about four months back. We've got a PCP, and she's ok enough for cough and cold and filling my Rx's, but that's about the extent of it. Throw in that because of my wife's disability coverage changing, we were in the process of changing medical insurance. Got the notice today that the new policy is in place and official. Rolling through the last couple of weeks with our insurance coverage suddenly turned flaky has not been good for my peace of mind.

 

WASHINGTON — Chemicals used to construct military missiles. Materials needed to build drones. Body armor for agents patrolling the southwest border. Equipment for natural disaster response.

A Korean War-era law called the Defense Production Act has been invoked hundreds of thousands of times by President Trump and his administration to ensure the procurement of vital equipment, according to reports submitted to Congress and interviews with former government officials.

Yet as governors and members of Congress plead with the president to use the law to force the production of ventilators and other medical equipment to combat the coronavirus pandemic, he has for weeks treated it like a “break the glass” last resort, to be invoked only when all else fails.


Wartime Production Law Has Been Used Routinely, but Not With Coronavirus

 

If this is a DB, apologize, but Mass. stay home order extended until May 4 by Gov. Baker.

 

I'm curious how schools in different states are handling things.

New York is ordering all public schools in the state to continue online instruction and other services during what would have been Spring Break. Most schools around me were out a week before starting online classes last week. I would be very surprised if they go back to school at all, which makes me think they will do online learning for a while and end the school year early.

One key part of this is the other services. Schools provide a lot of support for students beyond academics. Some provide counseling. In many places, schools provide most of the students' meals during the week. They are able to get free or very cheap breakfast and lunch if their family shows a need. Parents of students in those programs have been able to go to drop-off points and pick up meals for their children. I believe that is part of why services are not stopping for the break.

 

mazel

 

OOP, we got a call from a teacher this afternoon about remote instruction. I thought it was very nice for her to make a personal call.
But I imagine teachers are eager for a little work if for nothing else than a good distraction.

 

tell your friend my county is at nine-hundred-and-thirty-two

 

I remember my dad telling me that three weeks after Pearl Harbor, FDR promised Americans WWII would end in Germany in May, 1945, and in Japan the following August. Heard it on a Fireside Chat, I believe.

 

Anyone know how many people have died from the regular flu this year?

The CDC does:

 

Toronto bans all public events until June 30.

 

A friend posted this the other day on FB as a reason this was so overblown. Am I the only one who looks at stats like this and thinks, WTF? What is even the point of putting out a graphic like that with such a range of numbers? Can you imagine what the COVID numbers would look like with similar spacing? And how people would discount them?