Who Cares about Sweden, a state in the US has handled COVID even better and We've ignored it

comedyrelief wrote:

It’s also worth noting their governor is smokin hot.

Sarah Palin 2.0. Smoking hot would be a drastic overstatement. You would need to be wearing Fox News goggles to see her as anything more than a fit, somewhat attractive 48 YO mom.

Look, I know all the people pushing for the lockdowns are going to try and come up with counter arguements to discredit the South Dakota approach. But I live in LA and everyone in Sout Dakota is having far more daily contacts then anything I've seen here since the start of the pandemic. This is both indoors and out. There are places like Badlands where you are out in the open with little risk of spread but at places like Mt Rushmore and Deadwood people are in mass both indoors and out. I'm not suggesting this won't spread the virus, but I think we really have to evaluate the seriousness of the virus and the cost of the shutdowns. There have been serious health issues arising throughout the country that have nothing to do with the virus. Kids are getting worthless education from home, our economic system gets worse daily. We now know what the virus is and it is time to hit the pause button and say is our response and the issues it creates worth it.

The media has almost stopped talking about IFR as the death rate number hysteria has scientifically been debunked. Now all the talk revolves around cases and new infections. It is everyone to make up their mind on the seriousness of this virus. But I hope people will start looking at actual data instead of these hysterical opinion articles and manipulated or falsified numbers given by media and politicians. Or the social media posts from anonymous people claiming terrible reactions to the virus. I believe to many people are swept up in the propaganda and news narratives and heaven't evaluated, just how bad this is in reality.

Primo Numero Uno wrote:

The ability to live one's life in the way we choose is a core American tenant that has been taken away through this pandemic. We are adults and can make the choice for ourselves, the information is out there for us to make the decision for ourselves. If someone feels that the actions of others in a specific public place or business put them at risk, don't go, that's your right.

How you go from South Dakota to this stupid POV I don't know.

Here is everything you need to know:

1. COVID-19 ravaged part of the country (Northeast) before people knew it was there and could take appropriate steps (or even knew what those were).

2. With the benefit of hindsight, we can treat patients with COVID-19 better and we know better ways to prevent the spread.

3. People in a host of states ignored all of this guidance in April -June and we've had a massive spread in those states. They adhered to your "core tenant (lol) of being American to only think of yourself" nonsense

4. The spread went up, now jeopardizing MLB, schools reopening (which *SHOULD* happen in the Northeast) and other steps of reopening. Do you think if the whole country was testing at 1-2% positive rates, there would be a huge uproar amongst teachers? Do we think it'd be likely that MLB teams and NFL teams will get exposed starting new outbreaks?

There are always going to be alarmists or people who think we shouldn't open until a vaccine. I'm not one of those people. Harder for people like those to win the day if we were down to the numbers we should be, and we're looking at a 100-200 fatalities a day and low case numbers and positivity rate.

Wrong. Almost everyone wears masks indoors here. Many do on the trails and outdoor events. Maybe the out of state jerks from NY, MA,NJ, RI, CT that have absolutely flooded my state like never before and made this summer miserable for the real NH people don’t think wearing a mask applies to them... because rules don’t matter when they are on “vacation”.

NH is doomed, we have been discovered by all the wacky states people are trying to get away from. They are moving here, they will vote just like where they came from.... then NH becomes just like all the annoying states where the tourists are fleeing.

Oh and to turn this into a rant.... the people who come from these states... supposedly enlightened and “woke/climate activist” types have a huge litter problem. Trash on so many trails. Never was like this before to this extent. So obnoxious, so not self aware. Breaks my heart knowing the inevitable will happen here.

I love NH... don’t MASS it up! Wish we could build a wall on the souther border.

I’m tired of hearing people compare the USA, the third most populated country in the world, to places like Iceland, New Zealand, Norway etc. same goes for the rural state of South Dakota when compared to the rest of the country. THERE ARE FEW CASES IN SD BECAUSE THERE IS NO ONE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Sorry... responded to another post accidentally my bad... first time posting...

So...

Wrong. Almost everyone wears masks here. More local people do than visitors. Maybe the out of state jerks from NY, MA,NJ, RI, CT that have absolutely flooded my state and made this summer miserable for the real NH people. I wouldn’t be surprised if we did have a surge soon.

NH is doomed, we have been discovered by all the wacky states people are trying to get away from. They are moving here, they will vote just like where they came from.... then NH becomes just like all the annoying states where the tourists are fleeing.

Oh and to turn this into a rant.... the people who come from these states... supposedly enlightened and “woke/climate activist” types have a huge litter problem. Trash on so many trails. Never was like this before to this extent. So obnoxious, so not self aware. Breaks my heart knowing the inevitable will happen here.

I love NH... don’t MASS it up! Wish we could build a wall on the souther border.

I love how this guy’s original post finds a way to tie in his disdain for anyone claiming unemployment “on his dime”. Meanwhile no one can take our “freedom” to remain mask free... there’s so little foresight here... Just a quick thought- who ends up paying when the number of cases and hospitalizations inevitably escalates due to lack of proper precautions (this does not mean shutdown)? Oh wait, that’s on “his dime” too. I guess that’s the price of “freedom” which has become akin to selfishness and the ability to make poor choices which negatively affect others.

Totally false. I live in NH. We have been super vigilant except for the very very rural areas with practically no people. Everyone here is wearing a mask and has been since March.

Colorado locked down hard and relatively early. The entire ski industry was shutdown just as many people were heading to the state for spring break ski trips in March. Colorado was one of only a few states to follow the general consensus on reopening by waiting until infection levels are declining for 14 straight days and reopening at a very , very slow pace. And Coloradans are generally health conscious and had very good buy in when it came to following social distancing and mask rules/guidelines.

That being said, the trend is starting to go in the wrong direction in CO as people let their guard down and a lot of tourist areas are very full with people opting for road trips instead of flying. New cases are about triple where they were three months ago. But that is much better than places like TX and FL where new cases have shot up 10x what they were in June and now almost 1,000 are dying a week. And that just goes to show that there really is only one way to do it. Shut down early, reopen very slowly and control outbreaks with testing and tracing.

OP's post has got to be one of the most simple-minded things I have ever read on LRC, which is saying something.

Apparently people outside South Dakota are getting sick and dying because they don't have the right attitude, or are being too careful, or something. That's the only takeaway I can glean from OP's irrational stream of consciousness.

Check back with us in two months. Better yet, I'll make a note and check it myself.

One main reason the "late arrival" states are doing better as far as deaths per 100,000, if not cases per 100,000: the learning of how to stay protected and how to treat successfully was done by the "early arrival" states (and foreign countries). Moreover, shutdowns in those states did much to keep their people from dispersing across the country as they ordinarily would, which *allowed* other states to have late-arrival scenarios.

Primo Numero Uno wrote:

South Dakota is fully open for business and has been for several months.

No one was on edge on the virus. There was no hysteria about getting to close to someone, those who chose to wear masks had no qualms getting near people without masks and there were no dirty looks.

i.e., just like Arizona two months ago.

Primo Numero Uno wrote:

One more thing. The national media has not picked up on it yet. But get ready because in two weeks they will go ape$hit when half a million bikers descend on Sturgis. I don't think its an event the media outlets located on the coasts are very aware of but it is happening and in Sturgis, they are in full prep mode and expect a normal rally. I can see a small decline as some people might be concerned, but honestly, with the biker crowd, I have a hard time seeing too many being turned off by COVID. I could even see it going the other way and attendance being higher than normal as that crowd is largely sick of the hysteria.

No matter what side you are on in this pandemic discussion it is going to be reality TV at its finest.

Most entertaining part will be when a bunch of 300 lb meth smokers pick up the Boomer Remover in Sturgiss and bring it back to their 400 lb opiod addled parents and 200 lb Cheeto addicted toddlers. Then the real fun begins.

observer of epidemiology wrote:

I love how this guy’s original post finds a way to tie in his disdain for anyone claiming unemployment “on his dime”. Meanwhile no one can take our “freedom” to remain mask free... there’s so little foresight here... Just a quick thought- who ends up paying when the number of cases and hospitalizations inevitably escalates due to lack of proper precautions (this does not mean shutdown)? Oh wait, that’s on “his dime” too. I guess that’s the price of “freedom” which has become akin to selfishness and the ability to make poor choices which negatively affect others.

The medical cost of the virus is absolutely nothing compared to the financial meltdown we are headed to. We have spent the last 10 years printing money to finance our trade deficits. Now we are printing money like crazy to finance the reduced productivity of our population. Our trading partners will catch on and there is going to massive inflation when they won't sell us things anymore for cheap.

You also don't account for increased medical costs due to increased stress, alcoholism, putting off "elective" medical care. Those are real costs.

The most impacted group other than the extreme elderly are obese people. 89% of people who died in New York had pre-existing conditions. A mass of these conditions linked back to obesity. You're asking me to negatively impact my life because someone is disproportionately affected by a virus because of poor lifestyle? No thanks. There has been zero discussion about how unhealthy our population is and the impact it has had on the health implications of a virus. These are extremely unhealthy people that anything could the catalyst for their issues. This has been going on for four months, very few unhealthy people have made any change in their health habits despite the fact that would help them far more than a mask and reduce other health risks. If people are going to bury their head in the sand and not take personal responsibility for their health explain to me why I as someone who is extremely health-conscious should have to drastically change my life to protect them. I'm in my 30's and always get a flu shot to protect others. I feel that is a reasonable measure to help others even though it has minor benefit to me and 60% of Americans don't see the need to get one. But completely turning up my life and sending the country into what is likely to a decade long recession, not a reasonable sacrifice to me.

South Dakota pork plant with one of biggest COVID-19 clusters

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8238815/South-Dakota-pork-plant-one-biggest-COVID-19-clusters-blames-immigrant-workers.html

Primo Numero Uno wrote:

The people of South Dakota we talked to were overwhelmingly in favor of their state's response. Their main points were appreciation that their governor chose to let individuals and businesses respond in the way they felt appropriate and also prioritize the state's economy.

. . .

It should not be up to our elected officials to decide how we respond as individuals.

. . .

The ability to live one's life in the way we choose is a core American tenant that has been taken away through this pandemic. We are adults and can make the choice for ourselves, the information is out there for us to make the decision for ourselves. If someone feels that the actions of others in a specific public place or business put them at risk, don't go, that's your right.

First, the minor point: The word is tenet. I'm not big on the grammarnazi stuff but I've seen this mistake *way* too often lately.

Second, substitute "driving after drinking" for "not wearing masks and maintaining social distance"--both behaviors present known and demonstrated dangers to others. ("The information is out there.") See how your argument sounds now?

"The people of South Dakota appreciated that the governor chose to let individuals decide whether they felt it was appropriate to drive after drinking.

"It should not be up to our elected officials to decide how we respond as individuals. We should be the ones to decide whether drinking and driving is okay.

"The ability to live one's life in the way we choose is a core American tenet that has been taken away through this pandemic. We are adults and can make the choice for ourselves whether to drink and drive, the information is out there for us to make the decision for ourselves. If someone feels that others' choosing to drink and drive puts them at risk, don't drive, that's your right. Just stop using the roads and leave them as the domain for those who drink and drive."

Does this give you a better understanding, OP, of why some people consider your post to be bullsh!t?

PS--Before anybody gets on me about putting an apostrophe after "others," please go to Google and look up "gerund." Thanks.

Primo Numero Uno wrote:

If people are going to bury their head in the sand and not take personal responsibility for their health explain to me why I as someone who is extremely health-conscious should have to drastically change my life to protect them.

Wearing a mask, washing your hands, and keeping your distance is "drastically chang[ing] your life"??

Boy, you don't have much tolerance for change, I guess.

Sweden is no COVID-19 success story. It was being reported that way early on but it turned pretty bad for them.

At the time of this article their death rate was higher than the UK's:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/architect-of-sweden-coronavirus-strategy-admits-too-many-died-anders-tegnell

This was great!