cwericb

"I don't think you can trust the "active" number. The tracking of recoveries is sketchy at best. If someone tests positive but they have a very mild case at home they're unlikely to go back into the system as recovered. " The number of active cases, the number of recovered and the number of deaths each correspond to the same ratio between Canada and the US - 30:1. When the difference in population is factored in the US has approximately 3 times that of Canada. This could change. I now see Manitoba has closed its borders like several other provinces. I think this is probably going to mean that the US/Canadian border can't be opened no matter what Trump or Trudeau want until the provinces agree. Sure like to see it reopened, but it is a little early yet.

"There are other factors: population density and volume of international travel being two that come to mind. Realistically my guess is a combination of all these factors. " Well Toronto is the same size as Chicago or larger and I would suggest that per capita Canadians travel as much as Americans or more. Plus 90% of Canadians are clustered within 100 miles of the US border.

Here are some interesting statistics: The US has had 654,000 cases less 56,000 recovered. So about 600,000 active cases Canada has 29,000 cases less 9000 recovered. So about 20,000 active cases Deaths show the same ratio. So the US has 30 times the active cases and deaths that Canada has but (roughly) only 10 times the population. It would seem Canada has - so far - handled the situation considerably better. Three weeks ago Trump wanted troops on the Canada US border. Only Mr. Trump knew why. Now Trump wants to open the border. But Canada is not ready for this yet which puts Trudeau in an awkward position as he doesn't want to piss off Trump any more than necessary and he has already done this when Trump unsuccessfully tried to hijack Canada's masks. I am guessing that individual provinces will declare or extend States of Emergency which I believe gives them power to control provincial borders. This takes the authority away from Trudeau so he does not have to make a decision that would irritate Trump. It is somewhat similar to the Trump vs states individual authority.

The present administration is an elaborate satire.

“Profiteering? You mean running their business the same as they had the past 30+ years?” But that is the point - this is not the same as situation as anything experienced in the last 30+ years. “This is profiteering?” Yes when your competitors have been responsible citizens and you have taken advantage of that to pick up their business. “The amount of lives and businesses ruined because of this will greatly exceed that of the virus, which wouldn't you know, seem on pace to resemble a bad year of the flu!” Yes! Because the world has taken a responsible path to do whatever necessary to reduce the deaths. Because of this we have been able to reduce the numbers, so you say - see it wasn’t that bad after all. “And I guarantee the reason he is standing for this nonsense is because he doesnt have the spine to call out state governors and deal with the media heat he'd get.” We agree 100% on this. He will do anything he can to have some other entity take responsibility for any part of this that he can. PS. If he had any balls he would have had a nation wide shutdown and he could have made a step by step program to return to normal. But he left it up to the goverrnors so he wouldn't have to take any responsibility.

“I used to frequent a small Bergen County deli in Paramus. This place was the last to shut down in Bergen County. They stayed open and fought and at one point the owner said they were doing 300% more business because they were one of the few ones open during the crazy stretch. The governor literally forced them to send their employees home and shut the doors. That is astoundingly anti American...” Wow, I don’t know where to start ... but that is some definition of the American people. Because they were willing to stay open and thereby contribute to the spread of a deadly virus their sales were up 300% due to the fact that more responsible outlets closed to protect their staff and patrons. This deli was simply profiteering at the expense of their competitors - and customers. By the way, I just have to ask, have you taken any steps to avoid catching or spreading the virus? Did you risk going to the deli when it remained open?

Here is what you get when sociopaths play games with humanitarian issues. First Trump attempted to hijack Canadian masks. Now “Beijing tightens grip over coronavirus research, amid US-China row on virus origin". Nice bunch of people, hard to tell them apart at times. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/12/asia/china-coronavirus-research-restrictions-intl-hnk/index.html

I have a problem with the statistics that are presented to us on a daily basic. “There were 500 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed today today.” Well obviously that number is out of the total number tested. If there were 1,000,000 tested, it wouldn’t be that big a deal. If there 5,000, 1,000 or 500 in total tested, that is a different matter.

"While many in South East Asian countries went at least till now without shutdown and low deaths?" Perhaps, but what will it look like in a month's time?

"And what is the real tragedy - the number of unemployed (destroying lives) or the tragic early death of someone due to having CV?" Perhaps its just me but personally I would rather be unemployed than dead.

In his own words.... Jan. 22: Trump makes his first comments about the coronavirus, saying he is not concerned about a pandemic. “No. Not at all. And we have it totally under control. … It’s going to be just fine.” Jan. 30: Trump says of the threat: “We think it’s going to have a very good ending for it. So that I can assure you.” Feb. 7 (tweet): ”… as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker, and then gone.” Feb. 10: “I think the virus is going to be — it’s going to be fine.” Feb. 14: “We have a very small number of people in the country, right now, with it. It’s like around 12. Many of them are getting better. Some are fully recovered already. So we’re in very good shape.” Feb. 19: “I think it’s going to work out fine. I think when we get into April, in the warmer weather, that has a very negative effect on that and that type of a virus. So let’s see what happens, but I think it’s going to work out fine.” Feb. 24 (tweet): “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. … Stock Market starting to look very good to me!” Feb. 25: “You may ask about the coronavirus, which is very well under control in our country. We have very few people with it, and the people that have it are … getting better. They’re all getting better. … As far as what we’re doing with the new virus, I think that we’re doing a great job.” Feb. 26: “Because of all we’ve done, the risk to the American people remains very low. … When you have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero. That’s a pretty good job we’ve done.” Feb. 28: “I think it’s really going well. … We’re prepared for the worst, but we think we’re going to be very fortunate.” Feb. 28: “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” Feb. 28: “This is their new hoax.” Feb 29: “Tremendous amounts of supplies are already on hand. We have 43 million masks, which is far more than anyone would have assumed we could have had so quickly, and a lot more are coming.” March 4: “Some people will have this at a very light level and won’t even go to a doctor or hospital, and they’ll get better. There are many people like that.” March 6: “Anybody that wants a test can get a test.” March 9 (tweet): “So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!” March 10: “And it hit the world. And we’re prepared, and we’re doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.” March 11: “I think we’re going to get through it very well.” “The vast majority of Americans: The risk is very, very low. Young and healthy people can expect to recover fully and quickly if they should get the virus.” March 12: “It’s going to go away. ... The United States, because of what I did and what the administration did with China, we have 32 deaths at this point … when you look at the kind of numbers that you’re seeing coming out of other countries, it’s pretty amazing when you think of it.” March 13: “We’ll have the ability to do in the millions (tests) over a very, very quick period of time.” March 15: “This is a very contagious virus. It’s incredible. But it’s something that we have tremendous control over.” March 16: “If you’re talking about the virus, no, that’s not under control for any place in the world.” March 17: “I’ve always known this is a, this is a real, this is a pandemic … I’ve felt that it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.” March 24:"I give it two weeks..." "So, I think Easter Sunday, and you'll have packed churches all over our country. I think it would be a beautiful time. And it's just about the timeline that I think is right,"

Some new information illustrating how Trump conducts business on behalf of the United States. 1. Canada signed a contract with 3M for an order of masks 2. Canada PAID 3M for the masks in advance. 3. Canada supplies 3M with materials to make masks 4. 3M produced the masks that now belong to Canada 5. Trump orders 3M not to ship masks to Canada and hold them for US use 6. Seems Canada threatened to prevent several thousand Canadian nurses from crossing the border to Detroit. 7. Facing closure of several Detroit hospitals, Trump backs down and allows masks to be shipped. Walk softly and carry a big stick.

Just announced. Reason prevails and Trump releases out masks. Damn poor judgement of his to try to take the masks in the first place. Unfortunately he never seems to understand the consequences of his actions. Guess he gets the point now.

Just watched a clip of the mayor of Windsor, Ont pleading not to have the Windsor/Detroit border closed as some Detroit hospitals would be forced to close with out Canadian staff. Hijacking our medical materials could have serious consequences, We can and will get our masks elsewhere, but try to come up with a couple of thousand nurses in a hurry.

"Not a nice move by the US. But also, Canada should have been stockpiling in Jan/Feb. Yea, its an interesting narrative and application of responsibility from some here. The US/Trump should have foreseen everything months ago and had massive stockpiles of everything one would be able to think of after the fact. Everyone else who is unprepared is the victim of Trump being an asshole." Perhaps, but these masks could have been ordered some time ago. The real slap in the face is that Canada supplies materials to 3M to make the masks that Trump is hijacking. 3M Canada may feel the effects of this. Also Canada plays a significant part in supporting health care in the US. it is a two way street.

Not abiding by social distancing is a $1,000 fine the first time, $2,000 the second time & $10,000 the third time. Several have been fined once.

"Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday said the United States had blocked the delivery of nearly three million face masks at the American border over the weekend. Ford said restrictions on shipments at the U.S. border have left the province with just one more week’s worth of personal protective equipment for health-care workers fighting the coronavirus outbreak in Ontario." When you can't depend on your best friend, closest ally and largest trading partner in a time of need it is a sad situation which I fear will have consequences in the future. I know that perhaps 50% of our cottage neighbours are American and it will have an effect.

I agree 100% with Gregmal's last 3 posts. Wearing a mask may not that all that effective in protecting you from from catching the virus, but it may help some. However it would obviously help stop those who have the virus, weather they know it or not, from spreading it. So if it is even only 10-20% effective, doesn't it make sense that everyone wear a mask when in contact with others? What's the downside as long as it doesn't deplete masks available to health care workers.

I suspect that much of the virus is spread by people who don't yet know they have it. Therefore if everyone wore a mask the spread would be reduced.

I think the question of masks is pretty simple. Surely it is a fact that if everyone wore a mask when outside of their home and in proximity to others the rate of spread would be reduced. And agin is it not better to err on the side of caution?

CUBS: I tried to explain that the embargo you support is against the PEOPLE of Cuba not the government they are doing just fine. The embargo is starving the PEOPLE of Cuba - not the government they are doing just fine. The embargo is limiting medicine and equipment to the PEOPLE of Cuba, not the government they are doing just fine. You fully support Trump’s embargo and in doing so you support punishing the PEOPLE of Cuba, not the government they are doing just fine. Got it now Cubs? Probably not, but others do. Now you also say: “I can see debate is not your strong suit” Well Cubs your eloquence and command of language is impressive. Here are just a couple of examples of how you have debated others: “Listen bold faced liar,” To me (regarding the above) “More of your bullshit once again.” to Ericopoly “Are you crazy or what?” and “What the fuck is your problem?” To StubbleJumper “Very funny Mr. Know-it-all...” To RichardGibbons And numerous other brilliant remarks to some of the respected members of this board who it seem to longer respond to your childish posts. I hope you are intelligent enough to be embarrassed.

I already explained that in a previous post. Did you not see it or just didn't understand what I said. If you want to call people names how about you back it up and show me where I lied. or are you just all mouth?

Cubs if you read a little about abnormal psychology you would understand what we are talking about. Or are you like your hero who says he doesn't read. I even tried to explain a few basic facts about Cuba and rather than learn something it just went over your head because it didn't jive with what you thought you knew.

And then there is this... Newsweek 3/24/20 : Cuba Uses 'Wonder Drug' to Fight Coronavirus Around World Despite U.S. Sanctions Cuba has mobilized its medical corps around the world to distribute a new "wonder drug" that officials there say is capable of treating the new coronavirus despite the United States' strict sanctions that continue to pressure the communist-run island. The drug, called Interferon Alpha-2B Recombinant (IFNrec), is jointly developed by scientists from Cuba and China, where the coronavirus COVID-19 disease outbreak first emerged late last year. Already active in China since January, the Cuban Medical Brigades began deploying to dozens of nations, providing personnel and products such as its new anti-viral drug to battle the disease that has exceeded 400,000 confirmed cases across the globe. As of Tuesday, over 100,000 people have recovered from the infection and more than 18,000 have died.

"Bronx Zoo tiger tests positive for coronavirus " A 4-year-old Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the COVID-19 bug after developing a dry cough, the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement Sunday.