Thread: Corona Virus

Yes, it is spreading particularly into more rural areas - where most people think it is a hoax put up by the democrats, and it got there later than the big cities, mainly because there is less people movement.

But it is also very variable, both in the impact and the response. Local government is far more powerful in the US than it is here. My brother lives in Harris County, which includes most of Greater Houston (pop. about 4 million). Unlike Texas, it has a Democrat head of government. My brother regards her as one of the most effective administrators he has seen in the US. Despite being Hispanic, she was able to topple a well liked Republican, white, male at the last election.

But despite this effort Harris County has about three times the number of cases and deaths as the whole of Australia with nearly three thousand new cases yesterday. Part of this is because the county has not closed its borders, although this has been considered, but also because her efforts are hampered by both lack of cooperation and actual sabotage from both Washington and Austin. (e.g. FEMA supplied test tubes that are unusable (wrong size, not even clean, let alone sterile), supplied under contract by new contractor who has no expertise in the area and already has fraud convictions, but is presumably a good Republican donor.)

Originally Posted by Red90

Yes. Best not to get things like facts and logic into the discussion.

Tests do not provide proof that you are not infected. This is well known and proven. That is why they require quarantines. Because testing is imperfect. False negative rates are 20% with symptomatic people and over 50% when non symptomatic. They cannot be used to ensure someone is not infected. If you would like I can direct you to the studies.

Better to be tested than not be tested. If in doubt, test again. More tests the better, I reckon. Test everyone. What's the worst that can happen? Some false results is better than no results.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Better to be tested than not be tested. If in doubt, test again. More tests the better, I reckon. Test everyone. What's the worst that can happen? Some false results is better than no results.

Are the people being tested self isolating until they get their results back or are they wandering around the community during this time?

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Better to be tested than not be tested. If in doubt, test again. More tests the better, I reckon. Test everyone. What's the worst that can happen? Some false results is better than no results.

That is not the point of this discussion. Bob was suggesting that people carry a test result with them to prove they are not infected. A test result does not prove you are not infected. It is not adequate to ensure you are not passing on the virus.

Originally Posted by Red90

That is not the point of this discussion. Bob was suggesting that people carry a test result with them to prove they are not infected. A test result does not prove you are not infected. It is not adequate to ensure you are not passing on the virus.

Precisely! A positive test shows you are infected (although there is always the possibility of a false positive due to contamination), but a negative result does not show you are not infected. Not only are the tests not perfect, but it is known that an infected patient may not shed any virus particles for several days after becoming infected - although the average incubation period is five days (but up to fourteen or even more in a very few cases), virus shedding, and hence the ability to detect the infection, only starts two or three days before symptoms in most cases, although this can be longer.

Originally Posted by Red90

A test result does not prove you are not infected. It is not adequate to ensure you are not passing on the virus.

100%

Originally Posted by trout1105

Are the people being tested self isolating until they get their results back or are they wandering around the community during this time?

People being tested have to promise to go straight home and stay there until they get the result, usually in 24-48 hours. Negative results come via a text message to the phone, while positive results get a phone call.

The only way to suppress the virus is to isolate positive people. The only way to know if people are positive is to test them. Therefore, more testing is the way to identify positive people, isolate them and trace and test their contacts. That's true even if there are some false negatives. The key is to identify the positives.
I mean, who wouldn't want to know if they were positive? I would certainly want to know. Wouldn't you? When in doubt, test, I say.