Corona Virus Now Spreading

[LTS3]

I needed a specific high dose strength of vitamin D3 that was not available in OTC form.

 

[DreamerRose]

Yes, it is available. I am vitamin D deficient, which has caused a decrease in the absorption of calcium, leading to osteoporosis. Under the direction of an endochrinologist, I now take 3,000 units of OTC vitamin D a day. When this was first discovered, I took the prescription vitamin D, which was 50,000 units. That's the only difference, the size. 1,000 units a day could well help the rest of you.

 

[denice]

More new cases then what has become the usual have shown up in China and South Korea. Most of the new cases in China have been in a province that borders on North Korea, who knows what is going on in North Korea. China has raised the alert to high risk in that province. I don't know if that means a lockdown again, in China a lockdown is a lockdown kind of like house arrest.

 

[Willowy]

They had aerosol disinfectant at Walmart. It's their brand, not Lysol, but still. I got one.

Pence is refusing to quarantine despite being exposed. Everybody in the White House is going to have it soon. It's about to get real interesting up in here.

 

[Xraystyle]

China has had students coming back from abroad with it. Harbin went on lockdown a couple of weeks ago because of a returning student (from New York) who was visited by her (aunt)? and then the aunt went to a big gathering and ended up spreading it.

Korea is...at a cultural crossroads. Fingers crossed for us that things shake out okay...judging from the news, a lot of young people are getting tested, but unlike the cult from our last major outbreak, they are not being forced to do so yet. Another layer is the stigma against LGBTQ people. A couple of the clubs are known as gay clubs and so if people are outed, they could suffer a lot of abuse (there are no legal protections for them, it's just *not* illegal), so they are resisting coming forward to be tested. The government is allowing them to get tested anonymously, which will hopefully help. But it's basically anyone who went to a night club over the span of the holiday period in the neighborhood of Itaewon (which is the famous foreign district, adding another layer of issues as alerts and info are mostly only posted in Korean or less frequently in English).

They are going to start antibody testing by the end of this month to try to get an idea of how many people have actually had it and maybe didn't know it. I wish we could all get tested, to be honest. I feel like we might've gotten a very mild strain that has gone undetected for a long time. Some nightclubs have been open this whole time and to think that only now it's spread seems impossible. To think I've been riding crowded subway trains this whole time without it spreading seems impossible.

Anyway, my academy had us "pledge" to stay away from nightlife venues and crowded areas. Jokes on them seeing as I *live* in one of those nightlife districts. Ah well, I don't go clubbing and everything I wanted to go to has been canceled anyway. I canceled on a friend's birthday party because it was going to be about 20 people I didn't know in a small party room with a bunch being foreigners who aren't being as strict about wearing masks (a lot of them are public school teachers and so are still teaching online, whereas my school has kids in the classrooms, so the stakes are higher for me). Felt bad, but better to be safe. I still have a reservation for the small beach festival we're supposed to go to at the end of June. I want that to go ahead more, so I'll do my part.

 

[NY cat man]

I got another report from my older brother yesterday. He said that his son and daughter-in-law both have recovered, although his son- in his late 40s- never showed any symptoms at all. She might have gotten sick because while her cancer is in remission, she has had ongoing aftereffects from the treatment. Their two kids- aged 17 and 20- never showed symptoms either.

 

[denice]

This virus is really strange. I really think there is something genetic making some people more vulnerable to the severe form. There are people with pre-existing conditions which are considered vulnerable and don't go into a serious form of the illness. There are then young healthy physically fit people who get very ill and sometimes don't make it. There is something genetic going on that hasn't been figured out yet. The elderly getting very ill is to be expected, it happens with seasonal flu as well. Even a common cold can be the start of something that turns fatal for someone who is very elderly with fragile health. I am not saying that they should somehow be 'sacrificed' I am just stating a fact that goes with what has become common illnesses.

 

[Willowy]

Hehe, I follow the Navy base I grew up on Facebook, and they had a COVID-19 FAQ with the base Captain. One "question" was: "Stop stripping people of their civil rights and enforcing rules that make no sense", and the Captain's reply was "So sorry you feel that way. You are free to return to the US immediately" . The Navy does NOT mess around. I kind of wish we had somewhere to send obnoxious people!

 

[KittyFriday]

My mom feels bad for the secret service agents who have tested positive as she wonders if they were told they weren't allowed to wear masks since there seems to be such an anti-mask agenda in the white house.

I went with my parents to buy flowers at a local market this weekend. We all wore masks and gloves and we were the only people there doing so. Lots were talking about throwing parties that evening.

 

[Jem]

This virus is really strange. I really think there is something genetic making some people more vulnerable to the severe form.

IMO...It's not the virus...it's us. I already hinted to that - well I guess not hint...considering I started a whole thread on why humans are increasingly immuno-compromised.
I wouldn't put it on genetics per se, but I firmly believe there is something going on...weather it's chronic stress, vitamin D deficiency, our food, etc...that is causing us to develop over reactive immune systems.
With the whole vitamin D thing I posted earlier - it points to how our response to the virus could be primary the issue.
To clarify....there is not a "severe form" of the virus itself, it's whether or not you develop the more severe complications...so it's on you and your immune response to the initial infection if you get it bad or not. And the thing with "pre-existing conditions" may not play as much of a factor if the condition does not have a direct impact on how your body responds to an infection. For example, of course if you have a bad heart...overall your health is compromised, but you can have a bad heart and still not hyper-react to an infection. You may have a heard time with oxygenation because your heart is weak, circulation, blood pressure, ect...making coping with ANY upper respiratory more difficult...BUT that does not mean that you will develop the secondary complications that are killing people. You may still end up passing if your heart can't cope though, but you'd be passing from complications due to your pre-existing condition, not necessarily from complications of the virus if your immune system didn't go into overdrive.

 

[denice]

The big killer with the Spanish Flu epidemic was the immune response but it was across the board. That is why the highest mortality rate was among young healthy adults who would have the strongest immune response. This is so hit or miss this is definitely something different. Some young healthy people have very mild or even no symptoms, another young healthy person dies. With the Spanish Flu there were no mild cases, everyone got very sick with it. That isn't the case with this.

 

[goingpostal]

You guys see the latest WH briefing? Huge signs saying the US leads the world in testing. Is that this administrations version of the Mission Accomplished banner? I guess "US leads in deaths and people still can't get tested" didn't screen well. I see now they are requiring West Wing workers to wear masks, way to close the barn door after all the horses are out.

 

[denice]

When it comes to per capita deaths we are actually ninth in the world Coronavirus deaths per million by country | Statista I think that is because of our critical care capabilities. I know in many ways our health care system is behind the rest of the developed world but one area where we aren't is in taking care of the very sick.

 

[rubysmama]

This virus is really strange. I really think there is something genetic making some people more vulnerable to the severe form.

I've wondered about genetics having something to do with how serious a case someone gets.

Another theory I've seen is that it depends on how much of the virus you are initially infected with. If just a little, your immune system can battle it easily. But if you're exposed to the virus for a long time, you have more of it in your system by the time your immune system kicks in, and then it over-reacts and causes the damage to various organs.

 

[Willowy]

When it comes to per capita deaths we are actually ninth in the world

The virus hasn't even peaked in most of the US. It's a bit early to call it.

 

[Kieka]

I've wondered about genetics having something to do with how serious a case someone gets.

Another theory I've seen is that it depends on how much of the virus you are initially infected with. If just a little, your immune system can battle it easily. But if you're exposed to the virus for a long time, you have more of it in your system by the time your immune system kicks in, and then it over-reacts and causes the damage to various organs.

My brother is still testing positive for a very mild case (day 23 now) and he had only one person as a known exposure. He was CNA for that person over several days without proper PPE before the person was identified as a carrier. I would guess he was exposed probably an hour a day over a week. Maybe it is true that since he got low level over several days that is why he has had such a mild case. But I've also heard of people dying or being severely sick after minor contact.

 

[rubysmama]

But I've also heard of people dying or being severely sick after minor contact.

Or starting off with really minor symptoms, then quickly worsening and dying. Which is why no one should not be taking the threat seriously.

 

[NY cat man]

Today, the NY department of health made a U-turn, barring nursing homes from accepting anyone who tested positive. This is the same department of health that on Mar. 25, prohibited nursing homes from refusing to admit or readmit anyone who tested positive. The result? Fully a third of all covid-19 deaths in this state have been nursing home residents.

 

[Willowy]

But now where are they going to put people who should be in a nursing home? Will they die from lack of skilled nursing care? I'm not sure there are any good answers in that case.

Most of the deaths here so far have been in nursing homes, which is probably inevitable, unfortunately .

 

[Kieka]

Or starting off with really minor symptoms, then quickly worsening and dying. Which is why no one should not be taking the threat seriously.

The unknown with this thing is what is so scary. Plus the people protesting (at least here in the US) seem to be getting their way. My county had an 8 hour town hall meeting and lifted some restrictions. Apparently even our county sherrif showed up saying he can't keep enforcing rules on people who are struggling.

I am really torn because I get people are having a hard time with the restrictions. But we still have climbing numbers and the only reason they are slowly climbing is the restrictions. I predict a huge spike here in the next two weeks.