Corona Virus Now Spreading

[Graceful-Lily]

Like everyone else, birds are busy panic buying!

I could feel the panic.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Hi guys. I just wanted to ask if this is also happening wherever you are, because it's really weird. There are no birds. We see maybe 2 or 3 a day. I'm from Argentina, and I've mention it to my uncle who lives 10 km away and it's the same in his area. So, does anybody knows why this could be happening? It's kind of freaking us out.

We have had no birds, insects or squirrels here for close to a week now where I live.

 

[Jem]

Graceful-Lily - Perhaps a beautiful masterpiece painting can help? If you have enough paint supplies that is...
I know I would love to see what your mind comes up with at this time...

 

[Graceful-Lily]

I should have bought more canvas before the stores closed! But I had no idea. I've been planing out different ideas but I haven't started painting because I have school work due this week.

 

[Katie M]

I should have bought more canvas before the stores closed! But I had no idea. I've been planing out different ideas but I haven't started painting because I have school work due this week.

I know Amazon is prioritizing food and medical supplies, but will they still ship other things?

 

[Graceful-Lily]

I know Amazon is prioritizing food and medical supplies, but will they still ship other things?

I have no idea. I'm sure more information about our restrictions will come out once Trudeau irons out the details.

 

[kittyluv387]

Anyone else's wfh get extended? We got a message it has been extended from end of march to May.

 

[Sonatine]

This is all getting pretty rough. I work in the hospital, so my job security has never been better, but at what cost? To try and prevent rampant infection of our staff, the pharmacy where I work has split the entire team into two, and we alternate weeks. Of course, we're short on PPE. The only people who get it is those who go into the cleanroom to make IVs; it's for the patients' protection, not for ours, but even then we have to rewear our gear. When I see healthy people out in public with masks and remember that I had to wear the same one for 16 hours at work IN A HOSPITAL, I fume a little bit (and make no mistake, those little disposable masks get pretty rank after 16 hours).

My classes for my pharmacy doctorate have moved to online only, and I can only hope that my rotations for my last year will start on time. At least I'm home more with the cats! They love it.

 

[DreamerRose]

I should have bought more canvas before the stores closed! But I had no idea. I've been planing out different ideas but I haven't started painting because I have school work due this week.

Order online from Dick Blick's Art Supplies. My son is a landscape artist, and I just sent him a gift card.

 

[pearl99]

I've been volunteering at an animal shelter with the kitties for a year and they've told us to stay home now till May. I've felt safe from virus spreading there since it's a large shelter, well ventilated, very wide hallways, and we weren't working with other people, just the cats. It was easy to keep 6 feet away and enough hand sanitizer, gloves, and disinfectant, etc.
It's in our interest but too bad. Look forward to May!

 

[DreamerRose]

I was just browzing Amazon Prime movies, and ran across this documentary, which was made in 2005. The synopsis is chilling. The title is "The Coming Pandemic." Here's a link, which may not come through if you do not have Prime: The Coming Pandemic

 

[Ceracera]

Hi guys. I live in China, where the lockdown has lasted 2 months.

There's a lot of coverage on what's happening, but very few places are advising people on what to do so I thought I could share my experience in case anyone finds it helpful.

The lock downs started here at the end of Jan. People bought up all the canned fruit and instant noodles, but they didn't seem to care about the toilet paper. It was mostly because no one knew how long they'd have to stay at home for. Most just bought whatever social media was saying other people were buying. But then some realised they forgot to stock up on other essentials like laundry detergent and shampoo. So it's a good idea to make a list of stuff you think you'll need.

You could find canned food and instant noodles on supermarket shelves pretty easily once the panic died down after the first two weeks, so I wouldn't be surprised if the same goes for toilet paper in other countries.

Delivery services and mail never stopped, so I actually didn't stock up that much in the beginning. I used a delivery service app to order a week's worth of food each time, and then met the delivery person at the front gate. It did take ages to get my order at first (I'd place my order in the morning and only get it delivered at night the next day) but it got a lot better after the first two weeks. Mail deliveries were slow at first too. Some of the stuff I ordered online at the end of Jan only made it to me mid-feb.

The biggest issue staying at home is your mental health. A lot of psychologists here recommended sticking to your daily routine as much as possible so you don't forget about it after long periods at home. Like if you used to get up, shower, have breakfast or put on makeup, then you should still do those things even if you are no longer leaving the house. It's also a good idea to stick to your work schedule.

With all the extra hand washing, your skin gets really dry. A good hand cream is a must.

Try to stay occupied. Cabin fever really sets in after the first week. Divorce rates here are actually up cause couples spent too much time together.

If you have to leave, it's a good idea to arrange for a pet sitter. There've been stories here of people who evacuated cities thinking they'd only be away for a week, so they left their pets at home with just a week's worth of food.

If you're able to get the n95 respirators, its a good idea to buy some. Masks had to be rationed out here starting the end of Jan and its only recently that they've become easier to buy.

HTH

 

[molly92]

If you're able to get the n95 respirators, its a good idea to buy some. Masks had to be rationed out here starting the end of Jan and its only recently that they've become easier to buy.

Thank you for your advice. So glad that you guys are seeing improvement.

Please, though, everyone, do not buy any N95's, on the off chance you can find them. They are desperately needed in hospitals.

 

[Ceracera]

Thank you for your advice. So glad that you guys are seeing improvement.

Please, though, everyone, do not buy any N95's, on the off chance you can find them. They are desperately needed in hospitals.

The logic here was that if people protected themselves, there would be less burden on the healthcare system as well. But I see what you mean.

 

[denice]

I was just browzing Amazon Prime movies, and ran across this documentary, which was made in 2005. The synopsis is chilling. The title is "The Coming Pandemic." Here's a link, which may not come through if you do not have Prime: The Coming Pandemic

A number of years ago I watched a documentary on I believe National Geographic about another Bird Flu Pandemic which is what the Spanish Flu was. It started with patient zero in the U.S. coming to the U.S. from Southeast Asia. I did a paper about the Spanish Flu epidemic and another Bird Flu pandemic. It wrote it about 8 years ago and the whole thing about the need for ventilators in that situation was true then as well. We have always considered the next big pandemic to be Bird Flu, coronovirus wasn't on anyone's radar.

 

[Xraystyle]

The logic here was that if people protected themselves, there would be less burden on the healthcare system as well. But I see what you mean.

Yeah the issue I see is really availability. In China, and likewise here in Korea, we have factories set up to make masks. We also have a population that uses them regularly outside of healthcare settings and so the demand is always there. Therefore, even with the huge increase in demand, after a little while, the factories were able to catch up and others were able to convert their machines to meet demand. Then, shipping takes only a few hours to go anywhere in the country. For the same thing to be effective in America, every state would need mask-making factories.

It is the advice that needs to be followed in Asia, but not in other areas due to the low manufacturing and shipping capacity. After all, the masks the West used to get were from China and Korea and we've stopped exporting so that we can use them ourselves. That's 50 million people getting 2 masks a week in Korea alone.

 

[Xraystyle]

A number of years ago I watched a documentary on I believe National Geographic about another Bird Flu Pandemic which is what the Spanish Flu was. It started with patient zero in the U.S. coming to the U.S. from Southeast Asia. I did a paper about the Spanish Flu epidemic and another Bird Flu pandemic. It wrote it about 8 years ago and the whole thing about the need for ventilators in that situation was true then as well. We have always considered the next big pandemic to be Bird Flu, coronovirus wasn't on anyone's radar.

Last year, headlines here were dominated by wild boars with swine flu and the fears of infecting livestock --and then jumping to humans. They culled thousands of pigs to prevent it.
I noticed a couple of weeks ago that they are still finding dozens of dead boars with swine flu in the DMZ (border between North and South Korea, which is essentially a wildlife preserve).

 

[molly92]

The logic here was that if people protected themselves, there would be less burden on the healthcare system as well. But I see what you mean.

I'd absolutely agree under normal circumstances, but the situation is extraordinarily dire here for our healthcare professionals right now. There are already not enough masks for doctors and nurses, and soon we will start running out of other supplies. We started preventative measures too late and our hospitals are going to pay for it now and in the coming weeks before the effects of social distancing start to pay off.

I suppose it's worth considering that measures to be taken and advice to follow will vary depending on where your country is on the curve and what limitations you're working with. China and South Korea need to take steps right now to slow and prepare for a second wave while finding a way to get back to some level of normality, and that will look different from places where the epidemic is just starting to ramp up.

 

[molly92]

We have always considered the next big pandemic to be Bird Flu, coronovirus wasn't on anyone's radar.

Last year, headlines here were dominated by wild boars with swine flu and the fears of infecting livestock --and then jumping to humans. They culled thousands of pigs to prevent it.
I noticed a couple of weeks ago that they are still finding dozens of dead boars with swine flu in the DMZ (border between North and South Korea, which is essentially a wildlife preserve).

Coronaviruses have definitely been a concern. SARS and MERS were both coronaviruses, and there are several papers from the past decade concerned about the next novel coronavirus. There are also several papers concerned about the next swine or bird flu. Just because we've had this virus doesn't mean we won't get another one. The viruses are random, and we should always be prepared for this. We should have been prepared for this, but as is the case when warned about things that haven't come to fruition yet, most politicians will toss those concerns to the side to focus on more immediately pressing matters.

It's definitely been eye-opening for me to realize, among other things, that human memory is very short. I like to think I listened to experts, but in truth, I didn't really understand how seriously to take their warnings about things. I think I'll feel differently from now on.

 

[Xraystyle]

Coronaviruses have definitely been a concern. SARS and MERS were both coronaviruses, and there are several papers from the past decade concerned about the next novel coronavirus. There are also several papers concerned about the next swine or bird flu. Just because we've had this virus doesn't mean we won't get another one. The viruses are random, and we should always be prepared for this. We should have been prepared for this, but as is the case when warned about things that haven't come to fruition yet, most politicians will toss those concerns to the side to focus on more immediately pressing matters.

It's definitely been eye-opening for me to realize, among other things, that human memory is very short. I like to think I listened to experts, but in truth, I didn't really understand how seriously to take their warnings about things. I think I'll feel differently from now on.

They are saying that the thing that helped Korea the most was the actions and laws they took after we had a MERS outbreak in 2015. That's when they gave the government extra power to extract patients' personal information (could you imagine trying that in the states?) and forcibly halt things like church services and private businesses. It also helped them standardize and expedite testing procedures and manufacturing. I think Hong Kong and Singapore felt the same way having dealt with SARS.

But yes, I was in college for the swine flu pandemic and I seem to remember that our university basically threw its hands up and said "if you're sick, you have swine flu. Don't bother getting tested, just stay at home and drink fluids." All 3 of my roommates got it, and I must have been asymptomatic. That was only 10 years ago, but 10 years ago should have been enough time to have better disaster readiness plans in place...but...well...there probably were people qualified to handle that a few years ago...