Coronavirus

[SciFiFisher]

His case isn't confirmed. He called his clinic and they said yep, you probably have it, but don't come in and you're not eligible for testing. I wonder if clinics are keeping track of these diagnosed but not confirmed cases.

Nope. Due to the lack of testing there are a lot of cases that are not being counted. That isn't necessarily bad. But, it does mean we have no way to contain outbreaks other than making everyone stay away from each other.

[Swift]

We don't have a working scale in the house, so I don't know what my weight is, but judging by my belt holes, I'm either holding steady or losing weight (and that's after losing about 10 pounds or so over the winter with exercise and watching my portion sizes).

On the one hand, I'm probably eating a little more, but not much. Not going out for lunch, but the spot shortages of food items and all the stories about food banks has re-triggered all my childhood "finish everything on your plate because there are kids starving in China" training (except now they are starving in Akron).

But I am making sure I'm exercising everyday, we have been going for walks in local parks or just around the neighborhood every day, even when the weather is bad. I even do laps around the house. Averaging around 7000 steps a day.

[SciFiFisher]

A lot of places are starting to do mandatory mask wearing. Starting Monday the VA in Northern California is insisting that all employees wear a cloth mask if they are going to be near each other or patients. They are saving the N95 and full PPE measures for actual known cases of Covid 19. The small commissary I shop at insists that all shoppers have to wear a mask or face cover while in the store.

New York is staying on lockdown for another month until May 15.

I read that there are over 30 different vaccine trials getting ready to ramp up. I am cautiously optimistic that we will have a working vaccine by spring 2021. Anyone who thinks that is slow has never seen the usual process to get approval for a vaccine during normal times. j

China has released information indicating that the Wuhan deaths are double what they originally reported. I am not totally convinced it was all a cover-up. I think they may have realized they had a lot of unexplained deaths that suddenly made sense when they looked at CV-19 as the cause. OK, it was mostly a cover-up.

[Rommie]

I feel like the over-optimistic estimations right now about when we are getting back to work/ back to normal are driving me bonkers. Like hooray, "only" 2,000 people died yesterday, time to reopen those Florida beaches! I get why people want to be optimistic about getting back to normal, of course, but as I said earlier I have a tough time believing that this summer I'm gonna be doing more than a camping trip to Vermont if we're lucky. That and our joke speculation on if the corner ice cream shop will be able to open as isn't all of ice cream essentially takeaway outside.

I suppose the reason this annoys me is I already know people in my family will think we're overreacting about delaying the wedding a year if that's what it comes to. And be all "hah, look!" if we could have held a gathering of that size. But come on, we're not going to get people attending if they're too scared to travel, and that's the whole point of doing a second one. (On the bright side, if we delay no need to worry about if the dress would arrive in time from China!)

Also btw, today our masks arrived that we ordered off of Etsy with special patterns- mine is Hawaiian floral, F's is Neko cats. We figured if we need to wear them everywhere we should shell out and have a little fun with it.

[lady_*nix]

I wish people more people would cover their mouths/noses. And actually wear masks correctly. I keep seeing people just walking around with masks hanging off their chins, or leaving their noses uncovered.

Oh, I know masks are more about protecting others than protecting one's self, but in addition to some cotton masks I went ahead and ordered a couple pairs of swim goggles - you know, to act as eye shields. Because eyes are a droplet infection route with this bug, and with asthma + autoimmune conditions I'm actually pretty likely to die if I get it. Figure lousy protection is better than no protection.

[Swift]

That and our joke speculation on if the corner ice cream shop will be able to open as isn't all of ice cream essentially takeaway outside.

Our favorite local ice cream place, Handel's, just reopened within the last week, but only for call-ahead orders. They could have stayed open, since food is an essential service, but they decided to shutdown for about a month. They have no indoor seating and are normally open year round (yes, I've seen people standing in snow storms to get their ice cream). But in nice weather there will be mobs waiting in line, and so I'm guessing that is why they have reorganized as call-ahead.

They do have really awesome ice cream.

I suppose the reason this annoys me is I already know people in my family will think we're overreacting about delaying the wedding a year if that's what it comes to.

I can speak about your family, but delaying your wedding sounds like a very sensible idea.

[pumpkinpi]

We don't have a working scale in the house, so I don't know what my weight is, but judging by my belt holes, I'm either holding steady or losing weight (and that's after losing about 10 pounds or so over the winter with exercise and watching my portion sizes).

On the one hand, I'm probably eating a little more, but not much. Not going out for lunch, but the spot shortages of food items and all the stories about food banks has re-triggered all my childhood "finish everything on your plate because there are kids starving in China" training (except now they are starving in Akron).

But I am making sure I'm exercising everyday, we have been going for walks in local parks or just around the neighborhood every day, even when the weather is bad. I even do laps around the house. Averaging around 7000 steps a day.

I have a scale, and I get on it once a week to see if there are any trends. (I figure it's not so accurate so I don't really care about the precise number.) I've been fluctuating about 3lbs up or down from a median point for the past year, which is 1 or 2 lbs above what I was at for the few years before that. At my last physical my doctor told me I've reached the age where if I do nothing, meaning maintaining a consistent eating and exercising schedule, I'll gain about a pound a year. So to just maintain my weight over the long term, I'll have to work at it as if I'm trying to lose weight.

[Rommie]

OMG so told my parents while chatting today that we were thinking about delaying the wedding a year. My dad was like "yeah, I get why you would do that, just delay until everyone can come party!" (my dad is really on top of realistic risk assessment anyway), and my mom's first reaction? "Call the wedding dress shop and ask if you can cancel the order, you can't possibly get a white wedding dress because you can't possibly still be a bride a year from now!" But then added in "of course you already had your wedding, and this is just a party" because she keeps towing that line.

So now I'm laughing that my mom at least can distract me from coronavirus with her weird traditional ideas. I'm like mom no one's going to care what I wear or comment on it if they want to get fed and boozed up for free.

[SciFiFisher]

I wish people more people would cover their mouths/noses. And actually wear masks correctly. I keep seeing people just walking around with masks hanging off their chins, or leaving their noses uncovered.

Oh, I know masks are more about protecting others than protecting one's self, but in addition to some cotton masks I went ahead and ordered a couple pairs of swim goggles - you know, to act as eye shields. Because eyes are a droplet infection route with this bug, and with asthma + autoimmune conditions I'm actually pretty likely to die if I get it. Figure lousy protection is better than no protection.

Slightly good news. CV-19 doesn't seem to be hitting asthmatics as hard as they thought it would. Here is a good reference. The main asthma information is near the bottom.

[lady_*nix]

Ooh thanks Fisher, that's good to know! Still gonna be my paranoid best about hygiene though, as you do.

Edit: oh weird, that's interesting that people with asthma may have a lower death rate once hospitalized. TBH I'd guess that's more about brain conditioning than physiology. Someone who's lived with asthma for years might be quicker to recognize when their breathing situation is bad, and so quicker to get themselves medical intervention when it's needed.

[lady_*nix]

I forget if I've posted stuff on this before, but:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/04 ... s-ppe.html

Over the last few weeks, it has started to appear as though, in addition to abandoning the states to their own devices in a time of national emergency, the federal government has effectively erected a blockade — like that which the Union used to choke off the supply chains of the Confederacy during the Civil War — to prevent delivery of critical medical equipment to states desperately in need.

I question the wisdom of that Civil War analogy considering that many of Trump's allies are basically neo-Confederates, but yeah, there it is. The closest analogy my brain can find is stuff like the Holodomor under Stalin, the use of famine as a political weapon.

[Rommie]

I'm really hesitant to draw such comparisons. What is going on now is awful but the Holodomor was a genocide that killed 10 million people, so bad as this is they're just really not comparable.

[Rommie]

We've reached the point of quarantine cabin fever where I'm getting nostalgic about going to restaurants that weren't even that good.

[pumpkinpi]

We've reached the point of quarantine cabin fever where I'm getting nostalgic about going to restaurants that weren't even that good.

A good portion of our favorite restaurants are doing takeout. It's something to look forward to on the weekends!

[SciFiFisher]

We did Cheesecake Factory curbside pickup on Saturday.

[Rommie]

Same here, but I think my point is more that I miss the going out part!

[pumpkinpi]

Same here, but I think my point is more that I miss the going out part!

A couple of the places have been quite a trek from home, and the food (especially fries) would not hold up on the trip, so we ate in the car.

[SciFiFisher]

Same here, but I think my point is more that I miss the going out part!

Well, yeah.

[SciFiFisher]

Same here, but I think my point is more that I miss the going out part!

A couple of the places have been quite a trek from home, and the food (especially fries) would not hold up on the trip, so we ate in the car.

I live a mile from a McDonalds. Having a 10 y/o who loves their toys I stop there way more than I probably should. I always eat the fries on the way home. The concensus at my house is that the fries are only good when they are hot.

[SciFiFisher]

I shared this on FaceBook yesterday. Please do not take this as a gloomy forecast. I merely am trying to impress upon people the seriousness of treating the coronavirus situation seriously. Especially in light of all the people who are being incited to protest and demand that we "open back up the economy". For the record I understand that many people are hurting badly. But, there is a solution. We have to embrace supporting those people with all the compassion, financial support, and other services they need. If it means the U.S. government sends them $2,000 a month for one year then we should do that. If it means that we expand the SNAP (food stamps) program 10,000 fold for 1 or 2 years then lets do that.

MY FACEBOOK POST:

So, you think Nightmare on Elm Street is scary? Nightmare On Elm Street if you include all nine movies only has 42 confirmed deaths.

Try being a nurse and realizing that the first reported case of coronavirus in the U.S. was on January 21st. That is just 92 days ago. The death toll is officially at 45,150. In. 92. Days. Just to compare and contrast. The U.S. was involved in Vietnam from 1955 to 1977. Officially the Vietnam War was approx. 1963 to 1973. In 20 years the U.S. had a death toll of 58,000 soldiers.

Even if you only look at 1963-1973 the Vietnam war was 3650 days. If coronavirus were to keep killing people in the U.S. at the same rate as it has so far it would kill 1,785,326 people over 3650 days. Just think about that. Coronavirus is literally thousands of times more deadly than going to war in Vietnam.

That’s a nightmare on every street in the U.S.

[pumpkinpi]

Same here, but I think my point is more that I miss the going out part!

A couple of the places have been quite a trek from home, and the food (especially fries) would not hold up on the trip, so we ate in the car.

I live a mile from a McDonalds. Having a 10 y/o who loves their toys I stop there way more than I probably should. I always eat the fries on the way home. The concensus at my house is that the fries are only good when they are hot.

It's a little known fact that you get 5-7 minutes to eat your fries before they lose their freshness. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/772775254

[geonuc]

I shared this on FaceBook yesterday. Please do not take this as a gloomy forecast. I merely am trying to impress upon people the seriousness of treating the coronavirus situation seriously. Especially in light of all the people who are being incited to protest and demand that we "open back up the economy". For the record I understand that many people are hurting badly. But, there is a solution. We have to embrace supporting those people with all the compassion, financial support, and other services they need. If it means the U.S. government sends them $2,000 a month for one year then we should do that. If it means that we expand the SNAP (food stamps) program 10,000 fold for 1 or 2 years then lets do that.

MY FACEBOOK POST:

So, you think Nightmare on Elm Street is scary? Nightmare On Elm Street if you include all nine movies only has 42 confirmed deaths.

Try being a nurse and realizing that the first reported case of coronavirus in the U.S. was on January 21st. That is just 92 days ago. The death toll is officially at 45,150. In. 92. Days. Just to compare and contrast. The U.S. was involved in Vietnam from 1955 to 1977. Officially the Vietnam War was approx. 1963 to 1973. In 20 years the U.S. had a death toll of 58,000 soldiers.

Even if you only look at 1963-1973 the Vietnam war was 3650 days. If coronavirus were to keep killing people in the U.S. at the same rate as it has so far it would kill 1,785,326 people over 3650 days. Just think about that. Coronavirus is literally thousands of times more deadly than going to war in Vietnam.

That’s a nightmare on every street in the U.S.

I didn't mention it on your FB post but I'm not sure your math is correct when you say "literally thousands of time more deadly".

[Rommie]

I shared this on FaceBook yesterday. Please do not take this as a gloomy forecast. I merely am trying to impress upon people the seriousness of treating the coronavirus situation seriously. Especially in light of all the people who are being incited to protest and demand that we "open back up the economy". For the record I understand that many people are hurting badly. But, there is a solution. We have to embrace supporting those people with all the compassion, financial support, and other services they need. If it means the U.S. government sends them $2,000 a month for one year then we should do that. If it means that we expand the SNAP (food stamps) program 10,000 fold for 1 or 2 years then lets do that.

MY FACEBOOK POST:

So, you think Nightmare on Elm Street is scary? Nightmare On Elm Street if you include all nine movies only has 42 confirmed deaths.

Try being a nurse and realizing that the first reported case of coronavirus in the U.S. was on January 21st. That is just 92 days ago. The death toll is officially at 45,150. In. 92. Days. Just to compare and contrast. The U.S. was involved in Vietnam from 1955 to 1977. Officially the Vietnam War was approx. 1963 to 1973. In 20 years the U.S. had a death toll of 58,000 soldiers.

Even if you only look at 1963-1973 the Vietnam war was 3650 days. If coronavirus were to keep killing people in the U.S. at the same rate as it has so far it would kill 1,785,326 people over 3650 days. Just think about that. Coronavirus is literally thousands of times more deadly than going to war in Vietnam.

That’s a nightmare on every street in the U.S.

I didn't mention it on your FB post but I'm not sure your math is correct when you say "literally thousands of time more deadly".

Agreed. Sorry mate.

I mean it's still far more serious than people are taking it, don't get me wrong. And I think that's going to be intensely frustrating as things progress, because people want to open things up when we still don't have an idea of the scale of the thing due to lack of testing.

Also, interesting article this morning- it turns out our local hospital was in the worst shape in the state, with about $120 million in debt and usually getting $200 million in a year. They canceled non-elective surgeries to make space for coronavirus, but since this is a fairly rural area they're primarily empty right now. So they're in serious financial trouble soon if things don't change at least a little.

[SciFiFisher]

I shared this on FaceBook yesterday. Please do not take this as a gloomy forecast. I merely am trying to impress upon people the seriousness of treating the coronavirus situation seriously. Especially in light of all the people who are being incited to protest and demand that we "open back up the economy". For the record I understand that many people are hurting badly. But, there is a solution. We have to embrace supporting those people with all the compassion, financial support, and other services they need. If it means the U.S. government sends them $2,000 a month for one year then we should do that. If it means that we expand the SNAP (food stamps) program 10,000 fold for 1 or 2 years then lets do that.

MY FACEBOOK POST:

So, you think Nightmare on Elm Street is scary? Nightmare On Elm Street if you include all nine movies only has 42 confirmed deaths.

Try being a nurse and realizing that the first reported case of coronavirus in the U.S. was on January 21st. That is just 92 days ago. The death toll is officially at 45,150. In. 92. Days. Just to compare and contrast. The U.S. was involved in Vietnam from 1955 to 1977. Officially the Vietnam War was approx. 1963 to 1973. In 20 years the U.S. had a death toll of 58,000 soldiers.


Even if you only look at 1963-1973 the Vietnam war was 3650 days. If coronavirus were to keep killing people in the U.S. at the same rate as it has so far it would kill 1,785,326 people over 3650 days. Just think about that. Coronavirus is literally thousands of times more deadly than going to war in Vietnam.

That’s a nightmare on every street in the U.S.

I didn't mention it on your FB post but I'm not sure your math is correct when you say "literally thousands of time more deadly".

Probably not in statistical terms. But, hyperbole always makes the story better.

[pumpkinpi]

The governor just closed schools through the end of the school year. I completely expected that, and am happy that a decision's been made. I think it's the right one. That means we're almost halfway through--the kids were home as of March 16 (6 weeks tomorrow ) and school ends June 9 (6.5 more weeks).

What I'm really worried about is the summer. The kids are signed up for various camps, which I completely expect to be closed. But they are also signed up for their school all-day summer care. If that's not open I don't know what we'll do. Not necessarily activity wise, but figuring out what to do if MrPi and I have to be back at work.