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Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Sandia Mandatory COVID-19 Testing



Sandia National Laboratories announced today that at some point in the near future they will be rolling out mandatory random/sequential COVID-19 PCR testing. There was no information on what will happen upon a positive test result. Failure to comply will result in punitive action, up to and including termination.
Apparently the ADA and EEOC have suspended all rules protecting employees from invasive medical testing, in the name of workplace safety. Any thoughts how to handle a forced test with unknown personal and career impact, when you feel fine and know that the test has a nonzero false-positive rate?

23 comments:

Anonymous said...


Relax on this part, if the test positive it is good to know and you probably get sent home for two weeks on a special Covid-code so you will not even use your sick leave. After that they test you again, if nothing you go back in. At least this would be a good guess as to how they would do it.

Now if you want to worry about something it will be when you are forced to take your Gates vaccine. Sure it could be fine but you never know if some of those conspiracy theories are right.

I better question is if the tests are the nasal swabs or the anti-body tests. The anti-body tests could say if you did have it. Once you have had it you are no longer infectious just like every other flu, so you are good to go and immune. If it is the swab test and you already had it it could just be negative and you could still be worried you could get it.

I am not "its just the flu bro" but I am also not "its the Spanish flu bro either". The fraction people dying is probably at 0.5%, although numbers vary from 1% to 0.1% Of those that do die the number of pre-existing conditions is like 50% and the number over 70 is another 50%. Once you take that into account this thing is probably a couple of times worse than the flu for the average person, but considerably worse for certain groups. So here is my big controversial approach. We should open up but take action to protect vulnerable groups. As for if we should have done the huge lockdown on everyone, in hindsight maybe not but it is like preparing for a hurricane, if it misses us just be happy it was not worse. I also don't buy into that we will create a 10 year great depression by locking down for a couple of months, particularly if start opening up soon.

Anonymous said...

5/20/2020 9:25 AM

Unless you are working for the CDC or an expert in epidemics you opinion counts for nothing or even worse is dangerous. It is that lack of taking heed of what the experts have to say that have led us to the US being by far the worst hit nation in the world. Even in 1918 people listened to the experts but in 2020 we have crackpots saying to take poison and people pushing for opening up the economy so that ya-hoos can go to Fudruckers, watch NASCAR, and kill joggers. The world has gone insane but luckily there are still some scientists, experts, news reporters who have taken up the fight to save lives.

Anonymous said...

I have agreed with the shutdowns in the most hard-hit states (including my own), but the barely-hit states have a point that they have suffered too much economic damage vs questionable protection. One size does not fit all and unfortunately the response in NY, NJ, and CA convinced other governors to do it that way unnecessarily. Balance and discernment have been missing and Governors have mainly shown themselves to be witless. As has the President.

Anonymous said...

LANL has been doing this for approximately two weeks

Anonymous said...

"have agreed with the shutdowns in the most hard-hit states (including my own), "

Are you in New York?

Anonymous said...

"have agreed with the shutdowns in the most hard-hit states (including my own), "

Are you in New York?

5/21/2020 9:02 PM

Besides one or two counties New Mexico not had many cases. I think Los Alamos county has a total of 6 confirmed cases and zero serious cases.

Anonymous said...

Besides one or two counties New Mexico not had many cases. I think Los Alamos county has a total of 6 confirmed cases and zero serious cases.

5/22/2020 5:58 PM

Almost no one lives in Los Alamos compared to Albuquerque, so the per capita is about the same as the rest of the state, with the exception of the Native American Sovereign Nations, which have been devastated.

Anonymous said...


"Almost no one lives in Los Alamos compared to Albuquerque, so the per capita is about the same as the rest of the state,"

False, Los Alamos is at 0.03% Abq is at 0.18% per capita. It is not the same as the rest of the state.

Anonymous said...

False, Los Alamos is at 0.03% Abq is at 0.18% per capita. It is not the same as the rest of the state.

5/23/2020 8:50 PM

Once they start testing in Los Alamos the numbers will bear out the claim.

Anonymous said...

Nationwide, the advent of greater testing has significantly increased the number of "new cases" on a daily basis. This is to be expected since the CDC estimates that about 35% of people who have Covid-19 are asymptomatic and don't know they have/had it.

Anonymous said...


Once they start testing in Los Alamos the numbers will bear out the claim.

5/24/2020 5:54 AM

I had a longer detailed post on all this but Scooby did not allow it. I agree that the number of cases at Los Alamos is much higher however there is not a single serious case. There is a clear reason that McKinley country has the highest number of cases. It also has something like 40% of the its population with pre-existing conditions. I cannot say more or this post will not see the light of day.

Anonymous said...

Nationwide, the advent of greater testing has significantly increased the number of "new cases" on a daily basis. This is to be expected since the CDC estimates that about 35% of people who have Covid-19 are asymptomatic and don't know they have/had it.

5/24/2020 5:15 PM


So 35% percent have it and don't know it. Why in hell are we allowing any state to open up ? This is nuts Texas is going to explode in cases, at 1-3% death rate that is going to be a lot of dead red staters. The US could have 2 million deaths or more.

Anonymous said...

The US could have 2 million deaths or more.

5/24/2020 10:17 PM

That was among the original estimates by respected health researchers, and was roundly derided. If the idiots in the states that are "opening up" continue to ignore the safety rules about masks and distancing, we'll be at 2,000,000 and more by next January. Also, too many people are ignoring the Multi-symptom Inflammatory Syndrome now arising in children. Opening schools could be a big mistake.

Anonymous said...


"That was among the original estimates by respected health researchers, and was roundly derided. If the idiots in the states that are "opening up" continue to ignore the safety rules about masks and distancing, we'll be at 2,000,000"

I simply don't understand what you saying. One of the issues is that you would also have 4 million in Europe, 10 million in Asia and Africa. These numbers don't add up. Lets try to look at what you are saying a bit more.

>That was among the original estimates by respected health researchers, and was roundly derided.

It is true that was the original projections but I cannot recall anyone deriding it. These where the numbers predicted for Europe and the USA even with all the social distance. It was pretty simple how they got that number, if you assume 2-3% death rate and 30% of the population getting it than yes you get 2 million dead. What is the actual death rate? No one knows, it could depend on the strain and so on but clearly it is less than 1%, and could be down to 0.1%. How much does social distancing help? Again who knows it could be that the same number people will get it it will just happen over 5 months rather than 2 months but in then end the same number are dead. Do masks work? Again who knows, sure they work for Doctors doing surgery to help slow the spread of bacteria but how much do the slow a virus? Will there be a vaccine, again how many strains are there and so on will determine if one can even be effective. In other words it is a lot of unknowns. I really doubt your 2 million by Jan. It will probably top out at 130k, and the per capita will be the same as the European countries. I cannot figure out what exactly is up with China, Korea and Japan, since no one seems to honest with the numbers. Another possibility is that their populations already have a less deadly strain. The idea that Japan and Korea just locked down better is nonsense, sure they probably do follow the rules better but the density is such that there is simply no way it could work. There is something wrong with the numbers of Korea and Japan. Here is my prediction. Japan, and Korea have 50k dead or so each but have not recorded it as such for whatever reason, I suspect if you are over a certain age and die in the countries it is called old age by default. I have tried to get the death by age in the counties and oddly enough cannot find it. All the age related numbers come from Europe. Odd is it not? The numbers are consistent with the numbers you would expect from people 60 and below and their populations I would also bet after it is all said and done that the
per-capita is going to end up close to the same for most nations, if we ever get the real numbers. I can understand how it can be 2 or 3 times higher from one country to another but not the 10 times higher that is currently being reported.

"Also, too many people are ignoring the Multi-symptom Inflammatory Syndrome now arising in children. "

Just how many kids have gotten this compared to how many kids of have been exposed? Considering the number kids exposed it appears to be extremely small, which is probably why it is ignored.

Anonymous said...

8:58 Rational and coherent. Are you sure you've got the right blog?

Anonymous said...

Considering the number kids exposed it appears to be extremely small, which is probably why it is ignored.

5/25/2020 8:58 PM

If you were the parent of a 4 year old, would you ignore it? Send your kid to daycare without a worry?

Anonymous said...

If you were the parent of a 4 year old, would you ignore it? Send your kid to daycare without a worry?

5/26/2020 5:42 PM

Yes I would ignore it.

I would worry more about sending my 4 year old to a house party with a trampoline.

Anonymous said...

8:58 Rational and coherent. Are you sure you've got the right blog?

5/26/2020 4:58 AM

What, people like 8:58 should be banned from the internet and polite society in general. This kind of talk is dangerous especially in these times. Any posts on the current pandemic should only be allowed by experts.

Anonymous said...

What, people like 8:58 should be banned from the internet and polite society in general. This kind of talk is dangerous especially in these times. Any posts on the current pandemic should only be allowed by experts.

5/26/2020 11:34 PM


So its better if we just re-imagine polite society as compliant sheeple and their "progressive" shepherds? Fascinating.

Anonymous said...


"So its better if we just re-imagine polite society as compliant sheeple and their "progressive" shepherds?"

That is better world than one where the president tells you to drink clorox on live TV.

Anonymous said...

That is better world than one where the president tells you to drink clorox on live TV.

5/27/2020 10:35 PM

Of course you know that didn't happen, but since it fits your desired narrative, you'll keep repeating it.

Anonymous said...

Of course you know that didn't happen, but since it fits your desired narrative, you'll keep repeating it.

5/28/2020 5:11 PM

What do you mean it did not happen? It was all over the news.

Anonymous said...

Well, apparently Scooby believes that Trump told people to drink clorox. That is really sad. He will continue to delete any challenge to the insane post of 5/27/2020 10:35 PM and 5/28/2020 9:08 PM. I wonder why? It violates no blog rule I can see. Not an unusual situation, unfortunately.

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