[BoiledCabbage]

> That said, if you're going to claim that all of these things we have done have eliminated the flu, you should take at least a few moments to reflect on the fact that they have done ~nothing to rhinovirus.

Why do you keep saying these measures have done nothing to rhinovirus?

The link you've shared does not support that. It shows relative percentages - and you're confusing that for absolute infection counts.

Unless you also believe that 60% of the population has a stomach virus on a daily basis (data from their other chart).

[timr]

> Why do you keep saying these measures have done nothing to rhinovirus?

Because they haven't.

> The link you've shared does not support that. It shows relative percentages - and you're confusing that for absolute infection counts.

I am not confusing it. It shows you the percentage of samples they test that come up positive for rhinovirus (and other things. They test for all of the things listed, in parallel.)

Influenza A & B, RSV, and some other viruses have been virtually eliminated across their sampled population. The rate has dropped to zero. Rhinovirus has not -- the rate of detection is unchanged.

[BoiledCabbage]

Again, you're confusing percentages.

To use some simplified numbers to explain it - consider that normally 100,000 people are infected with some form of respiratory virus on a daily, basis and 20% of those are rhinoviruses, then that means there are 20,000 daily rhinovirus infections. And let's also say that strains of influenza are another 20% and 20,000/day.

Now what is happening, is in a covid world, due to masks and distancing, the number of people infected on a daily basis drops from 100,000 to 10,000. Rhinoviruses are sill 20% of that, but they are now down to 2,000. Masks and social distancing has had a drastic affect on them.

Influenza drops down to only 2% so only 200 cases daily. Masks and distancing have an even more drastic effect in influenza.

As a result, we're seeing exactly the graph you've linked.

Rhinovirus is 20% rate, but of a much smaller pie. And you're mistaking that as masks and distancing having little or no effect.

[timr]

I am not "confusing percentages". You (now) agree with me on what the data says, you just don't like how it fits in with your theory.

> Now what is happening, is in a covid world, due to masks and distancing, the number of people infected on a daily basis drops from 100,000 to 10,000. Rhinoviruses are sill 20% of that, but they are now down to 2,000....Influenza drops down to only 2% so only 200 cases daily. Masks and distancing have an even more drastic effect in influenza.

Yes, I understand your hypothesis: masks make influenza go down to almost 0, but somehow rhinovirus ends up at exactly the same percentage as it was before. In other words: masks work exceptionally well for flu, don't work at all for rhinovirus.

This is a theory. It is...implausible...but if you want to believe it explains the patterns in the data, you're certainly welcome to do so.