Texas progressives coronavirus week 8

We continue to learn more about how the coronavirus works, both from its symptoms and from a history of past research on other coronaviruses.

Ed Yong has a lot more about what we know and don't. That includes showing that the current medical hero of The Resistance, Dr. Robert Redfield, was a quasi-denialist early on, along with refusing to use the testing kits that WHO already had.

Yong's biggest takeaway, though, is the problem with false positives in antibody-based testing. Based on how false positives and false negatives actually work, he shows that such tests could be wrong almost 50 percent of the time.

And, it's likely that, not only will it be a new problem in the fall, but also next spring and beyond.

Oh, and per how the CDC calculates flu deaths? COVID is FAR far beyond being "just the flu."

And, no, remdesvir is NOT the answer. It may not actually make things worse, unlike chloroquine, but it's not the answer. Orac calls out the hypesters, starting with Toady Fauci. And yes, N(ice) P(olite) R(epublican) Democrats, that's what he's going to get called here more and more.

With that, let's dig in.

Will grocery store heroes of today go back to being zeros tomorrow in the eye of much of the public, especially with their unionization efforts and how much how many Texans hate the word? Gus Bova ponders that and related issues. He adds comments which indicate many aren't thought of as heroes right now:

Jackie Ryan, a Kroger cashier in the Dallas suburb of Cedar Hill, says many customers are a long way from treating grocery workers as heroes. She’s been called a “bitch,” she says, because her store had placed limits on bread and milk purchases. “There’s the physical part and the mental part of your job,” she says. “You’re literally the human doormat. Someone can curse at you and you say, ‘Thank you. Have a nice day.’”

Wow. Cedar Hill, home of ethics-challenged former mayor Rob Franke. Maybe it's something in the water. AND? Even HEB sucks, Gus notes, cutting hours of current part-timers while hiring more temps. It doesn't suck as bad as anti-union Trader Joe's and anti-union Whole Paycheck, which was anti-union before Bezos bought it from Mackey.


Rural Texas counties don't have their own health departments. In many cases, they don't even have a hospital in the county. So, as Gov. Strangeabbott said these counties, with a list of standards that's pretty loose and won't be reinforced, could reopen at 50 percent instead of 25 percent, they don't even know if that's safe or not.


SocraticGadfly looked at some common coronavirus conspiracy thinking and how it shows the "horseshoe theory" is sometimes true.


Kenny Boy Paxton extends his grifting and grinding for campaign donor friends to out of state when rich Texans are told not to visit their Colorado summer home. Sadly, I'm almost sure the Gunnison County manager is lying about the why, and this WAS a cave to Paxton, whether as AG, or a personal "my friends will sue" lawsuit. Also sadly, why didn't Gunnison County contact Colorado Gov. Polis before caving?


The Cheating Astros can't even do right by coronavirus aid, instead being chintzers over a World Series ring.


All Texas state university system campuses, and major private universities, will be back in the fall.


In what is surely a disaster waiting to happen, some National Park Service sites are reopening this week — albeit, with visitor centers and restrooms closed in at least one case, Bryce.


It's temporary, and narrowly targeted, but Mittens Romney, of all people, supports a version of basic income.


Trump blocks Toady Fauci from testifying to the House, and what happens? The House caves in, rather than issue a subpoena. And Dems want me to support them, and not just Biden for prez. What a laugh.


The U.S. Department of Education is investigating the UT System over its ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and faulty disclosures thereof.


Ken Paxton is apparently willing to tell outright lies about voting by mail in the COVID era and judicial rulings.


Rural hospitals, you're screwed, if your future depends on a State Office of Rural Health, which is NOT inside the Department of State Health Services, but is instead inside Jesus Shotter Sid Miller's Texas Department of Ag.


Jim Schutze is willing to accept wingnut lies that sheltering-and-shutdown caused unemployment is entirely the fault of people ordering it, rather than Diaper Don's poor response, plus GOP Congresscritters, Strangeabbott et al, for not finding more ways to help people. He eventually gets better advice in the piece, but to call the first person a "smart Facebook commenter"? Jim, you travel in interesting company. Semi-contra another piece, I think it is morally right, and also tactically right with restrictions, to hope that Colleyville numnutz "get it." The tactically semi-right is that they painfully herd immunize themselves without spreading it elsewhere.


Better Texas Blog urges us to protect immigrants as they power our economy.


Eater Dallas explains the dangers of reopening for small restaurants.


Ken Hoffman finds that Hobby Airport is as empty as you'd expect right now.


Remember how Russia was allegedly fighting COVID well? Uhhh ...


Past weeks: Week 1 is here and week 2 is here. And for April 7 week, here. Week 5 is here. Ditto for Week 6. Here's Week 7. And, looking past this? Weeks 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.