I was told by a friend passing through from California that even before the lockdown was lifted, there were way more people out and about here than on the coast, which is amazing given the massive difference in population.

And that makes sense given the politics here and mixed signals provided by local leaders and the national leaders most people listen to in Oklahoma.

Given the crowds at Kong's last night and elsewhere, you can see the physical demonstration of the "you're been lied to" mentality.
Pete, this is true. In March, there were was way more people out doing things in OKC than Los Angeles. I know because I’m the @sshole that ignored orders and drove everywhere around SoCal to take advantage of no traffic. It was a total ghost town. There was not a single, and I mean one single person on Hollywood Blvd walking between sycamore and Highland. No security, police, no one. It was surreal.

Oddly enough, and I’m not exaggerating this, I noticed more activity in Kingman and Gallup than I did Los Angeles.

On the way to work I heard an interview on NPR with the Gov of California. If I understood him correctly he said he’s not going to open Cali until new cases are near zero. That could be a very long time.Newsom said CA is going to slowly start opening next week.

Oddly enough, and I’m not exaggerating this, I noticed more activity in Kingman and Gallup than I did Los Angeles.

Places with polar-opposite political views when compared to West L.A.

Places with polar-opposite political views when compared to West L.A.
I will say what I did see is a lot of activity especially in Brentwood and Santa Monica with people walking and running. Lots of people at parks and hiking but I left just as they were plotting on shutting parks and rec down. Lots of people at the beach but social distancing was still happening.

But the thing about OKC is it seemed business as usual for the most part. The streets were pretty empty in LA and the 405 had not a single car on it in the pass that I saw from Church LN to Mulholland. It was very eerie.

My central point is that the political leanings of a city and state have a lot to do with how people are behaving regarding the virus.

And therefore to argue that Oklahoma is "just like everywhere else" is to not understand how swayed people have been by their preferred political leaders and news source. And in those terms, how extreme Oklahoma is.

I completely agree. Flagstaff, a city that leans left, was shut down and hardly any activity was happening. Albuquerque too seemed to follow orders more. But then when I went through Amarillo it was chugging along like nothing was happening. I think at that point they were still even allowing sit in dining there.

My central point is that the political leanings of a city and state have a lot to do with how people are behaving regarding the virus.

And therefore to argue that Oklahoma is "just like everywhere else" is to not understand how swayed people have been by their preferred political leaders and news source. And in those terms, how extreme Oklahoma is.

Pete is right on this point.

My central point is that the political leanings of a city and state have a lot to do with how people are behaving regarding the virus.

And therefore to argue that Oklahoma is "just like everywhere else" is to not understand how swayed people have been by their preferred political leaders and news source. And in those terms, how extreme Oklahoma is.

I’m not sure if I agree. If not mistaken isn’t more of our population registered as opposite party from elected officials? To my point, it would stand to reason under your comment that some are going against their registered party? If 52% are registered in one party and its not the same as elected officials - then doesn’t that defeat your point?

I honestly think it has little to do with party rather a need to interact with people after so long. I could be wrong too but wanted to point that out.

Edit:

Wow, things have changed fast in 10 years! I was wrong and without listing parties here is registered party in 2009, 2015 and 2019:

2009: 1,077,616 / 860,378
2015: 882,686 / 886,153
2019: 777,770 / 1,008,775

I was not realizing it changed so fast, my bad. Should probably delete post but am ok with admitting I’m wrong. I do however still think its people just wanting to interact with others as thats what they’ve done their whole life. Its a very complex situation.

https://www.ok.gov/elections/Voter_Info/Voter_Registration_Statistics/

And even beyond that, many of Oklahoma's Democrats are quite conservative, which I think is more relevant to Pete's point than their party affiliation.

And even beyond that, many of Oklahoma's Democrats are quite conservative, which I think is more relevant to Pete's point than their party affiliation.

True

Oklahomans voted for Trump in a higher percentage than all but 3 states, all with considerably smaller populations. In fact, more Oklahomans voted for him than those 3 states combined.

And since he has been telling people to get out and get on with it, many if not most people here are going to listen. And our governor is basically doing the same thing: begrudgingly admitting the situation is serious in a way that seems to convey he is merely being careful and generally following the advice of those around him while doing and saying lots of things that belie that official stance.

I say all this without judgment, just pointing out the somewhat outlying nature of the situation here and how in most ways it does not compare with the large majority of the country.

And BTW, there are very few things were Oklahoma is NOT an outlier when considered in the perspective of the overall U.S. population.

My central point is that the political leanings of a city and state have a lot to do with how people are behaving regarding the virus.

And therefore to argue that Oklahoma is "just like everywhere else" is to not understand how swayed people have been by their preferred political leaders and news source. And in those terms, how extreme Oklahoma is.

Absolutely, I agree with this. Colorado Springs is arguably the most conservative part of Colorado, at least for a large city. It seems to be night and day difference of how people behave compared to Denver, the state's most liberal area. For the most part, everyone here in Co Spgs is complying to the best extent possible (probably due to the high military population here where your job is to comply and not ask questions), but you can tell there is some eye-rolling going on. In Denver, it seems to be taken way more seriously at least attitude wise.

My central point is that the political leanings of a city and state have a lot to do with how people are behaving regarding the virus.

And therefore to argue that Oklahoma is "just like everywhere else" is to not understand how swayed people have been by their preferred political leaders and news source. And in those terms, how extreme Oklahoma is.

I saw a poll today asking people if they would feel safe going to restaurants, sporting events, etc. right now. The disparity between Republicans and Democrats was alarming.

I saw a poll today asking people if they would feel safe going to restaurants, sporting events, etc. right now. The disparity between Republicans and Democrats was alarming.

https://twitter.com/brianklaas/status/1258100376278007809

The partisan gap in the latest CNBC battleground state poll shows a divide between delusion and reality:

Is it safe to go to a:
Nail salon: 77% R; 9% D
Dine-in restaurant: 70% R; 5% D
Bar: 52% R; 4% D
Large sporting event: 37% R; 2% D

Is the economy in a recession?
50% R; 89% D

Holy cow.

Regarding California:


Los Angeles will begin to reopen Friday
From CNN's Cheri Mossburg

Los Angeles, the most populated county in California, will begin to reopen Friday, along with the rest of the state.

Trails, golf courses, car dealerships, and florists are among those being allowed to reopen, as are retail shops for curbside pickup, according to county supervisor Kathryn Barger.

Los Angeles has seen 1,367 deaths due to Covid-19, making up for more than half of all fatalities in the state.

Health Director Barbara Ferrer emphasized that the lifting of restrictions will be slow, with other low risk, nonessential businesses reopening soon, but in a drastically modified way.

Employees should continue to telework whenever possible, Ferrer said.

Holy cow.

Yep. It’s now just another battle in the political divide. Sad.

Yep. It’s now just another battle in the political divide. Sad.

I don't know why people don't see this and how it affects Oklahoma given our extreme political leanings.

Of course it does and you can see examples all around.

Holy cow.

I wish they'd polled where the people got their news. I think that would've been really telling.

Places with polar-opposite political views when compared to West L.A.

The governor of New Mexico had to invoke the state's riot act on Friday at the request of the Mayor of Gallup.

Holy cow.

How could you not say that the economy is in a recession? If you want to get all conspiracy theory and say that this was a ploy by the liberal media to undermine Trump, the principal vehicle typically argued for undermining is damaging the economy. You can't then turn around and say "Yeah, not sure if the economy is in a recession."

The ignorance is incredible.

The evidence for mask wearing is overwhelming. I posted this article from Zeynep Tufekci in mid-March here and she was correct on everything: Why Telling People They Don’t Need Masks Backfired
(https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/opinion/coronavirus-face-masks.html)
She has since completed this study (under review) that there is strong scientific evidence for how universal masking can reduce transmission (source control) and greatly dampen the spread of COVID-19: Face Masks Against COVID-19: An Evidence Review (https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202004.0203/v1)

The evidence thus far is clear and overwhelming: EVERYONE SHOULD WEAR MASKS when they cannot practice social distancing or are in indoors with other people. It is a civic act that can prevent harm to others. Not wearing masks in public places risks harm to others.

Once again, experts are divided on the subject of wearing masks being effective as article cited below proves. As a layman, I say wear a mask if it gives you a sense of security over it possibly being better than nothing. Maybe a mask will manage to block a large concentration of virus from entering, and so you won't be sick for longer than a week. But I'm not going to be overly shocked and disappointed if I read somewhere something like, "I always wore a mask when going out, but I'm now still sick from COVID-19 after a week." No doubt about it, when I see accounts where people were sick with the virus for as long as 51 days, such as that Enid man, or someone else under a ventilator for 28 days, I better either have faith in masks being better than nothing or else stay home all the time. If masks don't work, then maybe strong devotion to social distancing will. Anyway, let's hope the cautious reopening phases in Oklahoma will work out well and so will keep advancing forward, or else we're going to be finding ourselves in the Second Great Depression this fall for sure as well as still stuck in the Twilight Zone.

COMMENTARY: Masks-for-all for COVID-19 not based on sound data: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/commentary-masks-all-covid-19-not-based-sound-data

"Sweeping mask recommendations—as many have proposed—will not reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission, as evidenced by the widespread practice of wearing such masks in Hubei province, China, before and during its mass COVID-19 transmission experience earlier this year. Our review of relevant studies indicates that cloth masks will be ineffective at preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission, whether worn as source control or as PPE."

But the entire point of shutdowns and social distancing is to not transmit to others.

I can't believe this still has to be restated.

Thank you Jesus. So tired of the gaslighting.

From the comments above, my understanding of slow the spread and flatten the curve was to not overwhelm the hospitals. It was a temporary measure so hospitals could handle a potential spike in cases. It was not to completely eliminate the spread or deaths. At this time knowing the majority hospitals are not overwhelmed (yes I know a few have a lot of COVID-19, so it is not necessary to come back with one example of a hospital that is overwhelmed) it makes sense to stop the lockdown measures as hospitals are laying off employees due to lack of business as elective surgeries were banned.

Please note, I don’t want everyone to die with my comments above. There has to be a balance to the approach and taking risks is part of eveyday life.

The White House Task Force issued clear guidelines to open back up. The most prevalent of them, among four, was to see a pattern of 14 days of declining new cases. Oklahoma has not seen that. The mayor said OKC has seen that, although I'm dubious about that, because the numbers I'm looking at, which Pete posts, don't indicate that. At best, we have plateaued.

Regardless, quit caricaturing a la Fox News the position that is not radical at all to responsibly reopen the economy. Oklahoma did not meet the milestones. OKC did not meet the milestones.

People just got fed up and ready to reopen because of economic insecurity, which was magnified by the catastrophic failure of our federal and state governments to get aid to people who were supposed to be temporarily unemployed so we could starve the virus.

I doubt Phi Alpha and Boulder Sooner will actually read what I wrote and think about it without fomenting a counter argument. I would ask both of you: do you know people in the service industry? Do you know people in small business? I'm sure you do but I ask, how many of them have to this day received a penny in unemployment?

I will wait. This is unprecedented. Trump got it when he said, "We are needing to pay people not to go to work." However, the relief package failed to get to people and small businesses so you have all of these people desperate, afraid, hungry, etc. and having to decide between economic survival and physical survival. That is like Sophie's Choice.

This sucks.

Holy cow.

LOL wow! Holy sh*t.

oh man (https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/06/us/mcdonalds-employees-shot-coronavirus/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=li nk)... not the kind of national attention we need.

“ The incident is one of a multitude of protests from residents across the country responding to restrictions in place to combat the virus”

I’ve been seeing stories all over about confrontations happening.

“ The incident is one of a multitude of protests from residents across the country responding to restrictions in place to combat the virus”

I’ve been seeing stories all over about confrontations happening.

yep. Yesterday in OKC. Made national news. 2 shot at McDonalds because they could sit in dining room

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/06/us/mcdonalds-employees-shot-coronavirus/index.html

The White House Task Force issued clear guidelines to open back up. The most prevalent of them, among four, was to see a pattern of 14 days of declining new cases. Oklahoma has not seen that. The mayor said OKC has seen that, although I'm dubious about that, because the numbers I'm looking at, which Pete posts, don't indicate that. At best, we have plateaued.

Regardless, quit caricaturing a la Fox News the position that is not radical at all to responsibly reopen the economy. Oklahoma did not meet the milestones. OKC did not meet the milestones.

People just got fed up and ready to reopen because of economic insecurity, which was magnified by the catastrophic failure of our federal and state governments to get aid to people who were supposed to be temporarily unemployed so we could starve the virus.

I doubt Phi Alpha and Boulder Sooner will actually read what I wrote and think about it without fomenting a counter argument. I would ask both of you: do you know people in the service industry? Do you know people in small business? I'm sure you do but I ask, how many of them have to this day received a penny in unemployment?

I will wait. This is unprecedented. Trump got it when he said, "We are needing to pay people not to go to work." However, the relief package failed to get to people and small businesses so you have all of these people desperate, afraid, hungry, etc. and having to decide between economic survival and physical survival. That is like Sophie's Choice.

This sucks.

I do know several small business owners that have received loans and a few service workers who have received unemployment. They are all in the “open things now” camp.

Frankly I really don’t care what you think anymore. I was laid off a few weeks ago and my wife, who works for a hospital, also had to take a pay cut. You can continue blubbering on about how everyone in the state, federal, and city governments, etc are doing everything wrong, that’s your right but I need things to start transitioning back to normal for my family regardless of your thoughts and feelings about it.

The White House Task Force issued clear guidelines to open back up. The most prevalent of them, among four, was to see a pattern of 14 days of declining new cases. Oklahoma has not seen that. The mayor said OKC has seen that, although I'm dubious about that, because the numbers I'm looking at, which Pete posts, don't indicate that. At best, we have plateaued.

Regardless, quit caricaturing a la Fox News the position that is not radical at all to responsibly reopen the economy. Oklahoma did not meet the milestones. OKC did not meet the milestones.

People just got fed up and ready to reopen because of economic insecurity, which was magnified by the catastrophic failure of our federal and state governments to get aid to people who were supposed to be temporarily unemployed so we could starve the virus.

I doubt Phi Alpha and Boulder Sooner will actually read what I wrote and think about it without fomenting a counter argument. I would ask both of you: do you know people in the service industry? Do you know people in small business? I'm sure you do but I ask, how many of them have to this day received a penny in unemployment?

I will wait. This is unprecedented. Trump got it when he said, "We are needing to pay people not to go to work." However, the relief package failed to get to people and small businesses so you have all of these people desperate, afraid, hungry, etc. and having to decide between economic survival and physical survival. That is like Sophie's Choice.

This sucks.

Pete posts the state's numbers, not OKC. You see what is happening in the panhandle? That is where a lot of the new cases are. OKC I think in the actually meeting those guidelines. Holt has been very proactive throughout this, and wouldn't judge numbers just to reopen.

I I would ask both of you: do you know people in the service industry? Do you know people in small business? I'm sure you do but I ask, how many of them have to this day received a penny in unemployment? .

yes, yes, and most




This sucks
.

this is one thing we all can agree on

I do know several small business owners that have received loans and a few service workers who have received unemployment. They are all in the “open things now” camp.

Frankly I really don’t care what you think anymore. I was laid off a few weeks ago and my wife, who works for a hospital, also had to take a pay cut. You can continue blubbering on about how everyone in the state, federal, and city governments, etc are doing everything wrong, that’s your right but I need things to start transitioning back to normal for my family regardless of your thoughts and feelings about it.
Phi, very sorry to hear about you getting laid off.

Why did the last few days reports of Oklahoma stats get deleted from OKCTalk social media?

Why did the last few days reports of Oklahoma stats get deleted from OKCTalk social media?

I deleted the post from yesterday because it had an error.

Phi, very sorry to hear about you getting laid off.

Thanks man, it’s all good (i guess lol). Given the situation, our regional office knew the ax was coming...on the bright side it’s at least been nice to no longer be constantly be waiting for the other shoe to drop while watching everyone around me get cut.

Once again, experts are divided on the subject of wearing masks being effective as article cited below proves.

First, your post shows a clear misunderstanding why you wear masks: to protect others. And the point is that if everyone wears them then it is more effective... for everyone.

Yes, I've seen the arguments you've cited and the arguments are weak and tend to be more relevant for medical workers than for the public:
- Claim: There is no scientific evidence they are effective in reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission; Reality: Evidence is mounting. The scientific standard is high, but it greatly leans toward mask wearing as the study I shared lays out.
- Claim: Their use may result in those wearing the masks to relax other distancing efforts because they have a sense of protection; Reality: This is a theoretical claim of a moving target that should be addressed as a public policy issue. Just like there has been an education about social distancing there should be an education about mask wearing. That does not mean mask wearing is ineffective. In fact, it's been proven the otherwise. See the study I posted.
- Claim: We need to preserve the supply of surgical masks for at-risk healthcare workers; Reality: This is actually an argument for wearing masks that cites a shortage problem, not a mask problem. Again, it is NOT an argument against mask wearing.

The study I posted is "evidence based" about mask wearing in public based on places that have implemented such policies. The site you posted does not even delve into that topic and makes several theoretical and unproven claims. EVERYONE SHOULD WEAR MASKS WHEN THEY CANNOT MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.

Agree with above. Some psychologists would also argue that wearing a mask is a tangible reminder of a behavior modification i.e. it reminds you to physically distance. Similar to a Fitbit on your wrist reminding you to move more.

Agree with above. Some psychologists would also argue that wearing a mask is a tangible reminder of a behavior modification i.e. it reminds you to physically distance. Similar to a Fitbit on your wrist reminding you to move more.

Wearing one reminds me to be more vigilant about avoiding activities that might have been involuntarily otherwise...like touching my face, scratching my eyes, scratching my nose, etc...and helps remind me to lather on the hand sanitizer. May also have had the added benefit of helping a bit with allergies. They definitely look goofy but who cares, if it might have a net benefit to me and makes others feel more confident in returning to some kind of normalcy, I don’t mind doing it for awhile. I think our state government has rightly stopped short of requiring them but I think businesses have every right to do so for anyone who wishes to patronize their businesses. Those acting like businesses requiring masks is some restriction on freedom and are angered over it are more than a bit misguided. If a business wants to only serve people wearing their underwear on their head, they can do so for all I care...that’s their right and it’s the right of customers to choose whether to patronize that business or not.

Numbers just updated for Thursday:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/corona050720a.jpg

yep. Yesterday in OKC. Made national news. 2 shot at McDonalds because they could sit in dining room

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/06/us/mcdonalds-employees-shot-coronavirus/index.html

Also making national news this week: random thugs in Stillwater threatening physical violence against small business owners who were simply requesting that they wear a mask.

Pete posts the state's numbers, not OKC. You see what is happening in the panhandle? That is where a lot of the new cases are. OKC I think in the actually meeting those guidelines. Holt has been very proactive throughout this, and wouldn't judge numbers just to reopen.

You might want to monitor https://looker-dashboards.ok.gov/embed/dashboards/70?District%20Selection=OCCHD instead. It gives you numbers for the whole state or specifically for an area like the panhandle or OKC, and updates them to the "date of onset" instead of the date a case was reported to the health department.

Agree with above. Some psychologists would also argue that wearing a mask is a tangible reminder of a behavior modification i.e. it reminds you to physically distance. Similar to a Fitbit on your wrist reminding you to move more.

Gov. Cuomo said that New York health care workers have a lower infection rate than the general population, which suggests that masks do some good.

You're not out of line, just not seeing anyone advocating for the complete elimination of the virus before moving forward again.

Anyway, we aren't in disagreement just don't like to see extreme statements on either side of this and it's a direct function of the polarization of this country. Was bad enough before, now it's downright dangerous.

Wanted to post this from our biggest state:

Gov. Newsom: California not going 'back to normal' until there is a vaccine
By Andrew Mark Miller
May 7, 2020 - 1:27 PM

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told residents in his state not to expect life to go back to normal from the coronavirus pandemic until after a vaccine is rolled out.

“We’re not going back to normal," Newsom said during a Tuesday press conference. "It’s a new normal, with adaptations and modifications, until we get to immunity and a vaccine.”

Newsom added in a statement that while the state is moving forward to “Stage 2” of the reopening process, people will still have to cope with other restrictions imposed by the state going forward.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/gov-newsom-california-not-going-back-to-normal-until-theres-a-vaccine?_amp=true&__twitter_impression=true
—-

So it sounds like he is going to keep some restrictions until vaccine. My guess is the big money Hollywood and Disney and sports will fight him on this.

I am thinking no state will have a full "normal" until we have a vaccine. I don't see large 20k sporting events occurring until late next year barring some sort of super effective treatment that is widely available.

I am thinking no state will have a full "normal" until we have a vaccine. I don't see large 20k sporting events occurring until late next year barring some sort of super effective treatment that is widely available.

I agree to an extent and think it will be state by state. But I also think we’ll have fans in stands by this fall. High School football, Thunder, OU/OSU football and many others. Even local soccer team.

I am thinking no state will have a full "normal" until we have a vaccine. I don't see large 20k sporting events occurring until late next year barring some sort of super effective treatment that is widely available.

This. There's a big difference between wanting to maintain the lockdowns until there's a vaccine, which no one serious has argued for that I've seen, and knowing that there may need to be common sense changes to behavior and maybe some limitations on large gatherings. I'm as upset as anyone that I can't use my 4th row floor Elton John tickets in July... but I understand it, and I have no desire to pack into a crowded arena until the the situation is significantly different than it is right now.

One thing that will be a part of everyday life, I think going forward, is people in masks. It won't be everyone, but even once a vaccine is out, and we're mostly back to normal, folks who are feeling a little sick or have a cough or whatever will be more likely to wear a mask out of courtesy to others. Hopefully this, the increased handwashing, avoiding unnecessary physical contact (handshakes) and such will continue and become part of our lives and habits. This will help curtail future potential pandemics.

This. There's a big difference between wanting to maintain the lockdowns until there's a vaccine, which no one serious has argued for that I've seen, and knowing that there may need to be common sense changes to behavior and maybe some limitations on large gatherings. I'm as upset as anyone that I can't use my 4th row floor Elton John tickets in July... but I understand it, and I have no desire to pack into a crowded arena until the the situation is significantly different than it is right now.

One thing that will be a part of everyday life, I think going forward, is people in masks. It won't be everyone, but even once a vaccine is out, and we're mostly back to normal, folks who are feeling a little sick or have a cough or whatever will be more likely to wear a mask out of courtesy to others. Hopefully this, the increased handwashing, avoiding unnecessary physical contact (handshakes) and such will continue and become part of our lives and habits. This will help curtail future potential pandemics.

I really hope what I read on comments about not wearing a facemask since it "infringes on my rights" is just a minority. I would think as a courtesy to my fellow Americans even if it only gave us 10% less chance of spreading this virus that we could all wear masks.

I feel like wearing a mask is the least I can do and I was hoping that we could all band together and do a simple thing like wear a mask in public indoor spaces.

One thing I'd respectfully like to offer in terms of interpreting the test data is the following:

The daily release of new positives only reflects a delta relative to the previous day's positives. That's not the number used to determine a "flattening." If you dig more deeply into the epidemiological extract of the data, you'll find that ODH is actually mapping these cases back to their *date of symptom onset*, not *date test returned*. The number of positives reported on a given daily result is a bit of a false flag in that it could vary greatly depending on the total number of tests returned, whether one lab (for example) might have a delay in returning a cluster of results, etc. The mapping back to date-of-symptom-onset, combined with *current* hospitalizations, are two key metrics, and they're the ones showing the decreases. I am frustrated that, at least as far as I've seen so far, no one in local media is pointing out this fact. If I've missed it, my apologies.

Honestly, I was very impressed with the depth of data in the ODH extract. After they released that mortifyingly wrong projection back in early April of 9,000+ confirmed cases by May 1, I was very skeptical of their data. As with any situation, we're getting smarter as we're going along.

I'm also concerned about the apparent expectation by some (not here, just a broad observation) that we shouldn't reopen society *period* until the virus is *completely gone*. I just don't see how that's even a rational option. Herd immunity is still likely months away, if it will ever actually happen. A vaccine and/or curative are similarly distant. Somehow, we're going to have to figure out how to manage life with this ugly beast for a while. I won't pretend to have the wisdom of Solomon on the "right" way to do it, but we've got to try something.

One thing I'd respectfully like to offer in terms of interpreting the test data is the following:
The daily release of new positives only reflects a delta relative to the previous day's positives. That's not the number used to determine a "flattening." If you dig more deeply into the epidemiological extract of the data, you'll find that ODH is actually mapping these cases back to their *date of symptom onset*, not *date test returned*. The number of positives reported on a given daily result is a bit of a false flag in that it could vary greatly depending on the total number of tests returned, whether one lab (for example) might have a delay in returning a cluster of results, etc. The mapping back to date-of-symptom-onset, combined with *current* hospitalizations, are two key metrics, and they're the ones showing the decreases. I am frustrated that, at least as far as I've seen so far, no one in local media is pointing out this fact. If I've missed it, my apologies.

Be careful interpreting the "date of onset" charts. Fewer cases in the past few days probably just means they haven't been reported yet. The numbers for this week will fill in as they're backdated next week. The 7-day trend line is what's more important and that actually shows cases increasing.

https://looker-dashboards.ok.gov/embed/dashboards/70

I agree to an extent and think it will be state by state. But I also think we’ll have fans in stands by this fall. High School football, Thunder, OU/OSU football and many others. Even local soccer team.

It's hard to imagine there will be sports with fans this year. First, I cannot imagine high schools taking even the legal risk of holding events where people could get sick and some die. There's a lot of older people and unhealthy people involved in high school sports. Schools tend to be very careful. The NBA won't likely even start next season until Christmas or January and they are also being very careful... I don't expect them to have regular games until there's a vaccine. We'll see how things go, but I don't expect spectator sports with spectators until 2021 at the earliest.

Yes, but that trendline also shows a clear periodicity to it; if that periodicity disappears, that's a problem.

It's hard to imagine there will be sports with fans this year. First, I cannot imagine high schools taking even the legal risk of holding events where people could get sick and some die. There's a lot of older people and unhealthy people involved in high school sports. Schools tend to be very careful. The NBA won't likely even start next season until Christmas or January and they are also being very careful... I don't expect them to have regular games until there's a vaccine. We'll see how things go, but I don't expect spectator sports with spectators until 2021 at the earliest.

Respectfully disagree, at least at levels beyond HS. Major sports are already operating under the assumption seasons will go on or resume in some form even without fans. At the college level, some if not most student-athletes can get better access to medical care on campus than at home. Further, particularly as it relates to college athletics (and football in particular), there is so much rights revenue at stake they can't afford not to consider the prospect of games with no or very limited fans.

I have read reports that indicate NFL teams are already laying out plans to have games at venues with about 1/4 fan capacity, establishing protocols for fan entry/exit, one-way walking paths, concessions limits. One report in particular suggested that the Miami Dolphins were looking at games with no more than 15K fans. They are willing to put these plans in place so they can have a product to offer to the networks who have paid so handsomely for those broadcast fees, and those won't go away without a struggle.

At the college level, I think the restoration to normal is going to be decidedly uneven. Some colleges will play, some won't. I don't think every team's schedule will be 100% played; I have serious questions whether OU will play at Army, nor do I necessarily even think OU-Texas will happen at the Cotton Bowl in a full-normal condition. I think it will be *played*, but perhaps at a different venue with very limited seating. And I think we'd all be fooling ourselves if those discussions haven't already started.

Now, that said, you could end up being 100% right, but I just can't see the presence of a confirmed vaccine being the one and only litmus test for sports returning in some form.

I agree to an extent and think it will be state by state. But I also think we’ll have fans in stands by this fall. High School football, Thunder, OU/OSU football and many others. Even local soccer team.

I cannot imagine any of that until 2021 at the earliest.

I cannot imagine any of that until 2021 at the earliest.

I just don't see all sports completely shut down until next year. Different form, controlled environments, absolutely. None at all? No way.

Data from OHD shows 94 new cases, and the first day-to-day uptick in current hospitalizations in several days. That's not good.

I cannot imagine any of that until 2021 at the earliest.

Its hard to see things while in the middle of crisis. Keep in mind its only been just shy of 2 months it wasn’t really on radar until middle and even late Mar. Yet football is 4 months away. We adapt pretty fast and I think will adapt to sports and fans as well. So much can and will change in that 4 months and people want their life back. Sports is a huge part of it.

I just don't see all sports completely shut down until next year. Different form, controlled environments, absolutely. None at all? No way.

Both Dan and Sooner were making the point of spectators at spectator sports. Neither took the position of no sports at all until a vaccine was in place.

it would shock me if there are not fans in the stands at OU football games this fall ..

This topic was briefly discussed here 3 or so weeks ago and now MSM is starting to discuss more and more: Back then very few wanted to admit this cost and brushed it off as hyperbole.

Coronavirus pandemic may lead to 75,000 "deaths of despair" from suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, study says

May 8, 2020 / 11:12 AM
By Serena Gordon

COVID-19 has directly claimed tens of thousands of U.S. lives, but conditions stemming from the novel coronavirus — rampant unemployment, isolation and an uncertain future — could lead to 75,000 deaths from drug or alcohol abuse and suicide, new research suggests.

Deaths from these causes are known as "deaths of despair." And the COVID-19 pandemic may be accelerating conditions that lead to such deaths.

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/coronavirus-pandemic-deaths-suicides-drugs-alcohol-75000/?__twitter_impression=true#app

This is so different comparing states. Wow:

Population:

Florida: 21,500,000
New York: 19,500,000

Coronavirus cases:

FL: 38,828
NY: 337,421

Coronavirus deaths:

FL: 1,600
NY: 26,365