Coronavirus prep
Replies
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@ReenieHJ
full disclosure, though I think of myself as close to centrist, I likely lean more right than left. That being said, I wear my mask in any public space, if not for myself then out of respect for others
Seatbelts, yes, I used to be terrible about them. The turning point was when my kids were getting their drivers licenses, and then I became religious about them just as I expected them to. Now I feel naked without them and am often searching for a seatbelt in places like a movie theater as well (not recently of course). The funny extreme about cars is I remember being loaded loose into the back end of a station wagon to fit more kids in a car. The current extreme, that I have a harder time with, is the weight required for booster seats. My kids were petite. My son would have been in a booster seat in Middle school. He got harassed enough without that.
Speaking generically, there's a difference between changing one's mind based on new evidence (even old evidence to which the individual in question is newly exposed), and changing one's mind because of whim, popularity (in the face of counter-evidence), pecuniary advantage, peer pressure, or that sort of thing.
Some people learn, and change their opinions. Personally, I respect that . . . even among politicians. Some people don't utilize learning in this way, but change opinions out of - essentially - lack of character. It's not always obvious which is in play in a given case, of course.
well stated1 -
@ReenieHJ
full disclosure, though I think of myself as close to centrist, I likely lean more right than left. That being said, I wear my mask in any public space, if not for myself then out of respect for others
Seatbelts, yes, I used to be terrible about them. The turning point was when my kids were getting their drivers licenses, and then I became religious about them just as I expected them to. Now I feel naked without them and am often searching for a seatbelt in places like a movie theater as well (not recently of course). The funny extreme about cars is I remember being loaded loose into the back end of a station wagon to fit more kids in a car. The current extreme, that I have a harder time with, is the weight required for booster seats. My kids were petite. My son would have been in a booster seat in Middle school. He got harassed enough without that.
Speaking generically, there's a difference between changing one's mind based on new evidence (even old evidence to which the individual in question is newly exposed), and changing one's mind because of whim, popularity (in the face of counter-evidence), pecuniary advantage, peer pressure, or that sort of thing.
Some people learn, and change their opinions. Personally, I respect that . . . even among politicians. Some people don't utilize learning in this way, but change opinions out of - essentially - lack of character. It's not always obvious which is in play in a given case, of course.
Yeah I feel like it's been very clear the whole time that the initial directive against masks was based on fear it woul divert PPE from HC workers, and the possibility covid was highly aerosolized and masking would give a false sense of security.
Once it was clearer that covid mostly traveled in larger droplets, and the cloth mask "industry" was flourishing, they reversed course and apologized for the confusion. Anyone whose still harping on early advice is just being stubborn. This is how science works when faced with something unknown. You start out with educated guesses and keep correcting yourself as more and more data becomes available. They couldn't be expected to get everything right on day 1, the fact that they are willing to correct themselves should instill more confidence, not less
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@ReenieHJ
full disclosure, though I think of myself as close to centrist, I likely lean more right than left. That being said, I wear my mask in any public space, if not for myself then out of respect for others
Seatbelts, yes, I used to be terrible about them. The turning point was when my kids were getting their drivers licenses, and then I became religious about them just as I expected them to. Now I feel naked without them and am often searching for a seatbelt in places like a movie theater as well (not recently of course). The funny extreme about cars is I remember being loaded loose into the back end of a station wagon to fit more kids in a car. The current extreme, that I have a harder time with, is the weight required for booster seats. My kids were petite. My son would have been in a booster seat in Middle school. He got harassed enough without that.
Speaking generically, there's a difference between changing one's mind based on new evidence (even old evidence to which the individual in question is newly exposed), and changing one's mind because of whim, popularity (in the face of counter-evidence), pecuniary advantage, peer pressure, or that sort of thing.
Some people learn, and change their opinions. Personally, I respect that . . . even among politicians. Some people don't utilize learning in this way, but change opinions out of - essentially - lack of character. It's not always obvious which is in play in a given case, of course.
Yeah I feel like it's been very clear the whole time that the initial directive against masks was based on fear it woul divert PPE from HC workers, and the possibility covid was highly aerosolized and masking would give a false sense of security.
Once it was clearer that covid mostly traveled in larger droplets, and the cloth mask "industry" was flourishing, they reversed course and apologized for the confusion. Anyone whose still harping on early advice is just being stubborn. This is how science works when faced with something unknown. You start out with educated guesses and keep correcting yourself as more and more data becomes available. They couldn't be expected to get everything right on day 1, the fact that they are willing to correct themselves should instill more confidence, not less
Here in Italy, in the beginning, our politicians and experts said the same--masks don't work, nada, nada..... However medical personnel were wearing them, film clips on the news showed the Chinese wearing them, Chinese doctors that came to Italy for advice on COVID said that people weren't wearing masks,....
This happened because there were not enough masks available for the public to buy. To reduce panic everyone was told that they didn't really work. Once we had a supply built up--they were mandatory. Magic.
News now--cases are going up again since everyone returned from their vacations this summer, and schools opened 3 weeks ago. We were down to almost nothing this summer. Sigh. Masks are now mandatory outside with a $400 fine if you're caught without.10 -
Listening to, and taking, advice from, people who are educated, experienced experts in their fields, is a sign of good leadership, IMHO only.13
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@ReenieHJ
full disclosure, though I think of myself as close to centrist, I likely lean more right than left. That being said, I wear my mask in any public space, if not for myself then out of respect for others
Seatbelts, yes, I used to be terrible about them. The turning point was when my kids were getting their drivers licenses, and then I became religious about them just as I expected them to. Now I feel naked without them and am often searching for a seatbelt in places like a movie theater as well (not recently of course). The funny extreme about cars is I remember being loaded loose into the back end of a station wagon to fit more kids in a car. The current extreme, that I have a harder time with, is the weight required for booster seats. My kids were petite. My son would have been in a booster seat in Middle school. He got harassed enough without that.
Speaking generically, there's a difference between changing one's mind based on new evidence (even old evidence to which the individual in question is newly exposed), and changing one's mind because of whim, popularity (in the face of counter-evidence), pecuniary advantage, peer pressure, or that sort of thing.
Some people learn, and change their opinions. Personally, I respect that . . . even among politicians. Some people don't utilize learning in this way, but change opinions out of - essentially - lack of character. It's not always obvious which is in play in a given case, of course.
Yeah I feel like it's been very clear the whole time that the initial directive against masks was based on fear it woul divert PPE from HC workers, and the possibility covid was highly aerosolized and masking would give a false sense of security.
Once it was clearer that covid mostly traveled in larger droplets, and the cloth mask "industry" was flourishing, they reversed course and apologized for the confusion. Anyone whose still harping on early advice is just being stubborn. This is how science works when faced with something unknown. You start out with educated guesses and keep correcting yourself as more and more data becomes available. They couldn't be expected to get everything right on day 1, the fact that they are willing to correct themselves should instill more confidence, not less
Indeed.
The desire to believe a thing is really powerful, even in the face of evidence. It can be dangerous, can interfere with learning.
A thing I like - and there aren't many - about stupid political memes on social media is that when I find myself reacting with high emotion, it's like a giant flashing arrow pointing at one of my biases. 🤣4 -
Ok, different topic and I am curious. Does anyone have the science behind the why africa has such low COVID numbers?
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Ok, different topic and I am curious. Does anyone have the science behind the why africa has such low COVID numbers?
According to this article, it leans towards populations already having SARS-CoV-2 and other related antibodies: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/pandemic-appears-have-spared-africa-so-far-scientists-are-struggling-explain-why2 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »Dear Posters,
I just wanted to post a quick reminder that political discussion is typically not allowed on the forums due to the tendency for things to get a bit (over)heated. It's hard to discuss COVID without touching on politics, and you all are doing a great job continuing the dialogue in a respectful manner. Please continue to keep your posts thoughtful and relevant if they boarder on political.
Thanks so much for the constructive discussion!
4legs
MFP volunteer moderator
Just another quick reminder, thanks for keeping it respectful all!7 -
Ok, different topic and I am curious. Does anyone have the science behind the why africa has such low COVID numbers?
According to this article, it leans towards populations already having SARS-CoV-2 and other related antibodies: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/pandemic-appears-have-spared-africa-so-far-scientists-are-struggling-explain-why
@oocdc2 Thank you for sharing the article but confused by your statement. If I replace "it" and SARS-CoV-2" with their replacement noun "COVID", you would have written "COVID leans towards populations already having COVID". I am guessing I am missing what you were saying.
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Ok, different topic and I am curious. Does anyone have the science behind the why africa has such low COVID numbers?
According to this article, it leans towards populations already having SARS-CoV-2 and other related antibodies: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/pandemic-appears-have-spared-africa-so-far-scientists-are-struggling-explain-why
@oocdc2 Thank you for sharing the article but confused by your statement. If I replace "it" and SARS-CoV-2" with their replacement noun "COVID", you would have written "COVID leans towards populations already having COVID". I am guessing I am missing what you were saying.
SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the virus that causes COVID-19 (The disease)
COVID-19 vs. SARS: How Do They Differ? - Healthline
https://www.healthline.com/health/coronavirus-vs-sars
Apr 29, 2020 · Both COVID-19 and SARS are caused by coronaviruses. The virus that causes SARS is known as SARS-CoV, while the virus that causes COVID-19 is known as SARS-CoV-2. There are also other types of human...6 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »A man that believes he knows better than Fauci on this disease, who has long been considered the most authoritative person on infectious diseases in the US, would certainly think he's smarter than the docs at Walter Reed.
Valid point on Trumps personality. The issue I have had with Fauci (and many others) at one point he stated that masks will do nothing (I listened to rebroadcast of those comments just in the past few days) and now masks are everything. Yes, I know we are all learning about this disease and therefore changing of position makes sense. But, at the same time that we grant that right to change position to someone like Fauci, due to political machines, that same right of changing one's position over time is treated very differently when it comes to the president. In general, I hate politics and I hate how it impacts the facts we are told. (Hopefully that was not deemed a political statement. I don't what to do that.)
I think in addition to public health officials "changing their mind" in the face of new information, there is also the problem that health is complicated and the public health issues are complicated and yet, as with most messaging to large populations, simple messaging is deemed more effective. Early on, when the percentage of the population infected was still extremely low throughout the U.S., they apparently deemed ensuring adequate PPE supplies for health workers to be far more important than trying to convince people to cover their faces with cloth masks or coverings improvised from scarves, t-shirts, etc. They apparently deemed it hard to send both messages, because a lot of people presumably would have decided that rather than make do with a cloth mask they would try to get masks that should have been reserved for health care workers. So they told us masks weren't really important for most people (which, when there were only tens of thousands of infected people in a population of 300+ million, was probably true, on average).
Then when the number of infected people in society at large grew to the point that getting everybody to mask up became relatively more important, people not unreasonably felt they had been lied to or that public health officials had changed their minds.
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Welcome back @snowflake954 . I have been wondering how things were in your area.3
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They are talking letting him out of the hospital tomorrow. That would be really dumb to do. He needs to be in there longer for his own good.2
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He took Dexamethasone, which I've read can have serious side effects. 26% of people that were given this died. It's not the kind of drug you just hand out. That means, to me, they have to be concerned enough to have done this.8
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MikePfirrman wrote: »He took Dexamethasone, which I've read can have serious side effects. 26% of people that were given this died. It's not the kind of drug you just hand out. That means, to me, they have to be concerned enough to have done this.
I haven't even stayed at a Holiday Inn Express
but what I'm seeing from doctors who use dexamethasone, it cannot be true both that he was treated with the steroid AND will be released tomorrow. So either he didn't get dexamethasone or he is not close to being released. It sounds like it is a dangerous treatment to give unless absolutely necessary, and that would be assumed to be a severe case involving serious lung inflammation, not something you just throw in to cover all your bases, right?
My understanding is there is a third option because there is a medical unit in the WH, so they could "release" him from Walter Reed and move him there. For whatever reason, medical or otherwise.5 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »A man that believes he knows better than Fauci on this disease, who has long been considered the most authoritative person on infectious diseases in the US, would certainly think he's smarter than the docs at Walter Reed.
Valid point on Trumps personality. The issue I have had with Fauci (and many others) at one point he stated that masks will do nothing (I listened to rebroadcast of those comments just in the past few days) and now masks are everything. Yes, I know we are all learning about this disease and therefore changing of position makes sense. But, at the same time that we grant that right to change position to someone like Fauci, due to political machines, that same right of changing one's position over time is treated very differently when it comes to the president. In general, I hate politics and I hate how it impacts the facts we are told. (Hopefully that was not deemed a political statement. I don't what to do that.)
Fauci's comments about masks not helping was at a time when there was no known community spread in the U.S. The logic was that everyone coming from a country with community spread would self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. If it isn't out in the general population (so to speak), then that seems rational. He never said masks would hurt, just that they wouldn't help. Once it started becoming community-spread, the guidance changed.9 -
Ok, different topic and I am curious. Does anyone have the science behind the why africa has such low COVID numbers?
According to this article, it leans towards populations already having SARS-CoV-2 and other related antibodies: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/pandemic-appears-have-spared-africa-so-far-scientists-are-struggling-explain-why
@oocdc2 Thank you for sharing the article but confused by your statement. If I replace "it" and SARS-CoV-2" with their replacement noun "COVID", you would have written "COVID leans towards populations already having COVID". I am guessing I am missing what you were saying.
@SModa61 Maybe I'm mistaken, but I think "it" is supposed to be "The reason why Africa has had such a low infection rate..."
The reason Africa has had such low numbers is likely because many people had SARS-COV-2 and were not tested or reported. The article explains that antibodies have been found in a big enough percentage to indicate testing and reporting has failed.
Having said that, I still wonder if the mortality rate was as bad, and how the large number of cases were not tested/reported if yes. If not, then why do populations in Africa have better outcomes? I doubt we will ever know.7 -
T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »Ok, different topic and I am curious. Does anyone have the science behind the why africa has such low COVID numbers?
According to this article, it leans towards populations already having SARS-CoV-2 and other related antibodies: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/pandemic-appears-have-spared-africa-so-far-scientists-are-struggling-explain-why
@oocdc2 Thank you for sharing the article but confused by your statement. If I replace "it" and SARS-CoV-2" with their replacement noun "COVID", you would have written "COVID leans towards populations already having COVID". I am guessing I am missing what you were saying.
@SModa61 Maybe I'm mistaken, but I think "it" is supposed to be "The reason why Africa has had such a low infection rate..."
The reason Africa has had such low numbers is likely because many people had SARS-COV-2 and were not tested or reported. The article explains that antibodies have been found in a big enough percentage to indicate testing and reporting has failed.
Having said that, I still wonder if the mortality rate was as bad, and how the large number of cases were not tested/reported if yes. If not, then why do populations in Africa have better outcomes? I doubt we will ever know.
I think you solved my question and I think you are right. I even made my husband look at the sentence as it made no sense to me, but I was certain there was something I was missing. Thanks a lot. Pronouns can be tricky!0 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »He took Dexamethasone, which I've read can have serious side effects. 26% of people that were given this died. It's not the kind of drug you just hand out. That means, to me, they have to be concerned enough to have done this.
I haven't even stayed at a Holiday Inn Express but what I'm seeing from doctors who use dexamethasone, it cannot be true both that he was treated with the steroid AND will be released tomorrow. So either he didn't get dexamethasone or he is not close to being released. It sounds like it is a dangerous treatment to give unless absolutely necessary, and that would be assumed to be a severe case involving serious lung inflammation, not something you just throw in to cover all your bases, right?
My understanding is there is a third option because there is a medical unit in the WH, so they could "release" him from Walter Reed and move him there. For whatever reason, medical or otherwise.
That was my thought, but it's incredibly risky. If he codes or goes South, they just aren't as equipped to help him. It's silliness.2 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »He took Dexamethasone, which I've read can have serious side effects. 26% of people that were given this died. It's not the kind of drug you just hand out. That means, to me, they have to be concerned enough to have done this.
Maybe the side effect profile is different in Covid (could be), but I don't think Dexamethasone in general is all that dangerous. (I say this having taken quite a quantity of it for a period of time in my life, and having read/heard the cautions, as well as having a number of friends who've taken it). It has some side effects that can be pretty unpleasant, but not typically life threatening in itself, in my understanding.
As an additional factor within the context of a severe Covid infection, it may have different potential for complications.
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T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »Ok, different topic and I am curious. Does anyone have the science behind the why africa has such low COVID numbers?
According to this article, it leans towards populations already having SARS-CoV-2 and other related antibodies: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/pandemic-appears-have-spared-africa-so-far-scientists-are-struggling-explain-why
@oocdc2 Thank you for sharing the article but confused by your statement. If I replace "it" and SARS-CoV-2" with their replacement noun "COVID", you would have written "COVID leans towards populations already having COVID". I am guessing I am missing what you were saying.
@SModa61 Maybe I'm mistaken, but I think "it" is supposed to be "The reason why Africa has had such a low infection rate..."
The reason Africa has had such low numbers is likely because many people had SARS-COV-2 and were not tested or reported. The article explains that antibodies have been found in a big enough percentage to indicate testing and reporting has failed.
Having said that, I still wonder if the mortality rate was as bad, and how the large number of cases were not tested/reported if yes. If not, then why do populations in Africa have better outcomes? I doubt we will ever know.
I recently read this interesting article on Africa and Covid 19. It stated that part of Africa's 'success' may be that many African countries have very strong surveillance, contact tracing, and quarantining protocols in place because of the high prevalence of infectious disease, including Ebola. It also discussed that more developed countries have largely ignored this fact. I'm sure this isn't true for every region, but it was very interesting. I will see if I can find it again.7 -
Hi from NSW Australia, we've just hit 10 days no community transmission and no deaths for months. So we aren't doing too badly, but its been a beautiful warm weekend and the beaches were getting crowded..🤞 fingers crossed things stay good.
I hope you have all been safe and well 🙂9 -
Ok, different topic and I am curious. Does anyone have the science behind the why africa has such low COVID numbers?
As most know, I live in Italy. We have boatloads of African immigrants arriving constantly that wind up all over the country (trying to go to France, Germany, or Scandanavian countries, who don't want them, so we wind up with them). Upon arriving they are isolated and tested for COVID. The majority have it. However, as we have been told, the African population has a high percentage of young people. 99% of the immigrants are young males. So, I think COVID is prevalent in Africa, but not as deadly for a younger population.3 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »He took Dexamethasone, which I've read can have serious side effects. 26% of people that were given this died. It's not the kind of drug you just hand out. That means, to me, they have to be concerned enough to have done this.
Maybe the side effect profile is different in Covid (could be), but I don't think Dexamethasone in general is all that dangerous. (I say this having taken quite a quantity of it for a period of time in my life, and having read/heard the cautions, as well as having a number of friends who've taken it). It has some side effects that can be pretty unpleasant, but not typically life threatening in itself, in my understanding.
As an additional factor within the context of a severe Covid infection, it may have different potential for complications.
Yes, it can be common treatment as outpatient for numerous lung issues especially for people who have lung issues. When my moms asthma gets bad, her doctor gives her a course of it to tone down the inflammation. Every time my aunt gets sick with a respiratory virus, she gets a 2 week course. I don't think being on the drug is dangerous enough by itself that it means he would have to stay in the hospital.3 -
slimgirljo15 wrote: »Hi from NSW Australia, we've just hit 10 days no community transmission and no deaths for months. So we aren't doing too badly, but its been a beautiful warm weekend and the beaches were getting crowded..🤞 fingers crossed things stay good.
I hope you have all been safe and well 🙂
Nice! Hopefully the crowded beaches weren't too much of an issue but at least it's outdoors.
Wish I could say the same. I'm in Ireland and it looks like we're going into lockdown again (just waiting formal announcement later today). At least the first time around we had good weather, but we've gone into proper horrendous autumn weather now, flood warnings and all and it gets dark very early.
At least they're trying to keep the schools open. For now.
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Goof Morning
@jenilla1 I agree that we are all hearing lots of speculation and I will be curious what the reality will be.
@Dnarules Thanks, that you be great if you can "trace" that article for me
@snowflake954 Your thought that the age differential is a large part of why africa is not appearing to be as impacted by COVID, matches the article that @gisel2015 was kind enough to provide. I was totally shocked to read that the median age in certain african countries is 19 - 20 year old. Regardless of COVID, I cannot fathom a country where the majority of citizens are basically high school to college age.
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Goof Morning
@jenilla1 I agree that we are all hearing lots of speculation and I will be curious what the reality will be.
@Dnarules Thanks, that you be great if you can "trace" that article for me
@snowflake954 Your thought that the age differential is a large part of why africa is not appearing to be as impacted by COVID, matches the article that @gisel2015 was kind enough to provide. I was totally shocked to read that the median age in certain african countries is 19 - 20 year old. Regardless of COVID, I cannot fathom a country where the majority of citizens are basically high school to college age.Goof Morning
@jenilla1 I agree that we are all hearing lots of speculation and I will be curious what the reality will be.
@Dnarules Thanks, that you be great if you can "trace" that article for me
@snowflake954 Your thought that the age differential is a large part of why africa is not appearing to be as impacted by COVID, matches the article that @gisel2015 was kind enough to provide. I was totally shocked to read that the median age in certain african countries is 19 - 20 year old. Regardless of COVID, I cannot fathom a country where the majority of citizens are basically high school to college age.
I laughed when you said "high school to college age". These guys arrive with no schooling at all. They expect that the Europeans will send them to school plus all the other necessities for life.2 -
snowflake954 wrote: »Goof Morning
@jenilla1 I agree that we are all hearing lots of speculation and I will be curious what the reality will be.
@Dnarules Thanks, that you be great if you can "trace" that article for me
@snowflake954 Your thought that the age differential is a large part of why africa is not appearing to be as impacted by COVID, matches the article that @gisel2015 was kind enough to provide. I was totally shocked to read that the median age in certain african countries is 19 - 20 year old. Regardless of COVID, I cannot fathom a country where the majority of citizens are basically high school to college age.Goof Morning
@jenilla1 I agree that we are all hearing lots of speculation and I will be curious what the reality will be.
@Dnarules Thanks, that you be great if you can "trace" that article for me
@snowflake954 Your thought that the age differential is a large part of why africa is not appearing to be as impacted by COVID, matches the article that @gisel2015 was kind enough to provide. I was totally shocked to read that the median age in certain african countries is 19 - 20 year old. Regardless of COVID, I cannot fathom a country where the majority of citizens are basically high school to college age.
I laughed when you said "high school to college age". These guys arrive with no schooling at all. They expect that the Europeans will send them to school plus all the other necessities for life.
Good point, bad phrasing on my part. I guess I am imaging the individuals as they would fit in my world.2 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »He took Dexamethasone, which I've read can have serious side effects. 26% of people that were given this died. It's not the kind of drug you just hand out. That means, to me, they have to be concerned enough to have done this.
Maybe the side effect profile is different in Covid (could be), but I don't think Dexamethasone in general is all that dangerous. (I say this having taken quite a quantity of it for a period of time in my life, and having read/heard the cautions, as well as having a number of friends who've taken it). It has some side effects that can be pretty unpleasant, but not typically life threatening in itself, in my understanding.
As an additional factor within the context of a severe Covid infection, it may have different potential for complications.
The thing about it is it works by tamping down the immune system, which can prevent the body from fighting off an infection. That’s why they say to be very careful not to get exposed to TB, etc, when taking steroids. In the case of Covid the greatest danger for most people is an overactive immune response, but you don’t want to swing too far the other way either.7 -
T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »Ok, different topic and I am curious. Does anyone have the science behind the why africa has such low COVID numbers?
According to this article, it leans towards populations already having SARS-CoV-2 and other related antibodies: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/pandemic-appears-have-spared-africa-so-far-scientists-are-struggling-explain-why
@oocdc2 Thank you for sharing the article but confused by your statement. If I replace "it" and SARS-CoV-2" with their replacement noun "COVID", you would have written "COVID leans towards populations already having COVID". I am guessing I am missing what you were saying.
@SModa61 Maybe I'm mistaken, but I think "it" is supposed to be "The reason why Africa has had such a low infection rate..."
The reason Africa has had such low numbers is likely because many people had SARS-COV-2 and were not tested or reported. The article explains that antibodies have been found in a big enough percentage to indicate testing and reporting has failed.
Having said that, I still wonder if the mortality rate was as bad, and how the large number of cases were not tested/reported if yes. If not, then why do populations in Africa have better outcomes? I doubt we will ever know.
I think you solved my question and I think you are right. I even made my husband look at the sentence as it made no sense to me, but I was certain there was something I was missing. Thanks a lot. Pronouns can be tricky!
Here are relevant bits from the linked article -- basically, lot of theories, no concrete answer, I'd bet it's a combination of the things mentioned:
"Scientists who surveyed about 10,000 people in the northeastern cities of Nampula and Pemba in Mozambique found antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in 3% to 10% of participants, depending on their occupation; market vendors had the highest rates, followed by health workers. Yet in Nampula, a city of approximately 750,000, a mere 300 infections had been confirmed at the time. Mozambique only has 16 confirmed COVID-19 deaths. Yap Boum, a microbiologist and epidemiologist with Epicentre Africa, the research and training arm of Doctors Without Borders, says he found a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in people from Cameroon as well, a result that remains unpublished.
So what explains the huge gap between antibody data on the one hand and the official case and death counts on the other? Part of the reason may be that Africa misses many more cases than other parts of the world because it has far less testing capacity. Kenya tests about one in every 10,000 inhabitants daily for active SARS-CoV-2 infections, one-tenth of the rate in Spain or Canada. Nigeria, the continent’s most populous nation, tests one out of every 50,000 people per day. Even many people who die from COVID-19 may not get a proper diagnosis.
But in that case, you would still expect an overall rise in mortality, which Kenya has not seen, says pathologist Anne Barasa of the University of Nairobi who did not participate in the country’s coronavirus antibody study. (In South Africa, by contrast, the number of excess natural deaths reported between 6 May and 28 July exceeded its official COVID-19 death toll by a factor of four to one.) Uyoga cautions that the pandemic has hamstrung Kenya’s mortality surveillance system, however, as fieldworkers have been unable to move around.
Marina Pollán of the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, who led Spain’s antibody survey, says Africa’s youthfulness may protect it. Spain’s median age is 45; in Kenya and Malawi, it’s 20 and 18, respectively. Young people around the world are far less likely to get severely ill or die from the virus. And the population in Kenya’s cities, where the pandemic first took hold, skews even younger than the country as a whole, says Thumbi Mwangi, an epidemiologist at the University of Nairobi. The number of severe and fatal cases “may go higher when the disease has moved to the rural areas where we have populations with advanced age,” he says.
Jambo is exploring the hypothesis that Africans have had more exposure to other coronaviruses that cause little more than colds in humans, which may provide some defense against COVID-19. Another possibility is that regular exposure to malaria or other infectious diseases could prime the immune system to fight new pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, Boum adds. Barasa, on the other hand, suspects genetic factors protect the Kenyan population from severe disease."3
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