Corona Virus Now Spreading

Willowy

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Considering the large supply of masks around the country and how little is being done to get them to health care workers, it doesnt really matter if you sit around and not buy masks.
If there is a large supply of masks somewhere, I sure don't know where to find them :dunno:.

Tbh even under normal circumstances I don't know where to find face masks other than Amazon. Maybe the medical equipment supply store? I've never seen them at Walmart or similar store.
 

denice

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Home Improvement type stores that contractors go to like Lowe's often have them, even the N95. They have them to help with paint sawdust etc. They are no longer selling them, everything is going to healthcare workers now.
 

KittyFriday

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Yeah, my dad does a lot of construction around the farm and has some N95s in his barn (and was fit tested for them back when he worked at the health department). I'd suggest he donate them but I don't think he has many and honestly he has barn cats so I'm sure they don't smell great.
 

tarasgirl06

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There have probably been several 'things' like this in human history... . Bubonic Plague (Eyam - Wikipedia). Ebola. Spanish Flu. This is another thing to be survived.

The main difference I think now in our current lives is that we have constant and unending media coverage of every, single, thing - all the time.... We have social media. We have forums.

Sometimes I think we have too much information thrown at us 24/7 and at the same time too much misinformation from different sources (including the media...) :(
The thing that makes this unique, now and hopefully forever, is that it is truly worldwide. This is unprecedented in that respect. History will record as to whether or not it is the worst killer.
 

WillowMarie

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Out of curiosity, has anyone read the book The Hot Zone?

Ebola is horrifying. This is horrifying too but man, Ebola is bad. Thankfully it isn't as contagious and the incubation period is much shorter so it was easy to contain when it came to the US.
Yes, back in high school. Really enjoyed the book, but agree it was terrifying to read and think about being exposed, too.



I'm still not convinced everyone is taking it seriously around here. I joined my mom for a car ride, and we parked in street parking and walked to the pharmacy door to grab her cat's meds. On the way back, two people were walking towards me, and when I was at the car and opening the door, the people walked RIGHT behind me :eek: :mad: when they had 5 or more feet they could have moved over to provide social distancing!!!!! This is why I never leave the house, haha. I can't trust people. :runaround: There is my rant.
 

Talien

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If there is a large supply of masks somewhere, I sure don't know where to find them :dunno:.

Tbh even under normal circumstances I don't know where to find face masks other than Amazon. Maybe the medical equipment supply store? I've never seen them at Walmart or similar store.
It's because people are hoarding them. The idiots who are panic buying everything in sight and the dirtbags that hoard them to resell at inflated prices, mostly to the aforementioned idiots who think they need hundreds of rolls of toilet paper, hundreds of bottles of hand sanitizer, alcohol, and bleach, and hundreds of masks. Of course, stores not setting quantity limits on the hoarded items aren't helping either.

Masks are commonly sold at any home improvement store or building supply place. You can also occasionally find them at pharmacies and medical supply stores.
 

Willowy

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Masks are commonly sold at any home improvement store or building supply place.
Those are dust masks, yeah, I probably even have a couple around somewhere (not really in donatable condition or I would take them to the clinic). I meant the blue surgical-type masks, like what vets use and the ICU has in boxes for visitors (before this). They must be normally available to consumers (I know someone who wears them because her husband is immunoconpromised) but I've never seen those for sale anywhere. This type:
A_surgical_mask_(2017).jpg
 
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Willowy

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I'm not sure there are a lot of people hoarding TP, hand sanitizer, etc. Of course there are always a few bad eggs but I think mostly the shortage is because everybody thought "hmm, might as well buy one or two" and the supply chain wasn't prepared for everybody to buy one or two all at the same time.
 

pearl99

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Those are dust masks, yeah, I probably even have a couple around somewhere (not really in donatable condition or I would take them to the clinic). I meant the blue surgical-type masks, like what vets use and the ICU has in boxes for visitors (before this). They must be normally available to consumers (I know someone who wears them because her husband is immunoconpromised) but I've never seen those for sale anywhere. This type:
View attachment 328639
They are on Amazon. I haven't seen them in stores ever but I haven't looked either. Have had no need for them before.
 

Graceful-Lily

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There were some cases at a nursing home my sister works at and people are refusing to show up to work. Apparently several nursing homes in Canada have cases. And I'm hearing about the elderly being mistreated and not looked after properly due to fear of contracting the virus.
 

Ceracera

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Good places to get the latest updates: r/Coronavirus
If there is a large supply of masks somewhere, I sure don't know where to find them :dunno:.

Tbh even under normal circumstances I don't know where to find face masks other than Amazon. Maybe the medical equipment supply store? I've never seen them at Walmart or similar store.
Hardware store, ebay, online. Some paint kits or first aid kits come with one. Some mask makers have their own website. Like meoair.com but theyve stopped shipping internationally
 

DreamerRose

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I'm not sure there are a lot of people hoarding TP, hand sanitizer, etc. Of course there are always a few bad eggs but I think mostly the shortage is because everybody thought "hmm, might as well buy one or two" and the supply chain wasn't prepared for everybody to buy one or two all at the same time.
That's exactly what I think. In fact, when I see a hard-to-find item, I'm tempted to buy two of them myself. I now have or on order enough cat food to last about six weeks.
 

tarasgirl06

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There were some cases at a nursing home my sister works at and people are refusing to show up to work. Apparently several nursing homes in Canada have cases. And I'm hearing about the elderly being mistreated and not looked after properly due to fear of contracting the virus.
This happens far more often than "we think" in the best of times. In times like these, we do not want to know. On all fronts -- human and animal -- we do not want to know. But when we work in service or advocacy, we DO know the tip of the iceberg. To everyone who is spiritual, I BEG you, send up *Prayers* like never before. Because this IS "never before."
 

She's a witch

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Even N95 masks are on amazon, not available for general public but to hospitals. I can only guess that their price went up (I think now it’s $12 for 10) so not sure if it’s an issue for hospitals, I guess they usually buy them way cheaper. But hey, if I understand the American health system well enough, hospitals make money on each patient so financially they should be ok when so many people fall ill?

Because of the shortage, I understand why CDC won’t admit that covering mouth by all public would be somewhat useful. But I don’t agree that lying about it is a better idea.
Two interesting articles (&editorial) about this:
More Americans Should Probably Wear Masks for Protection
Opinion | The Mask Fiasco
 

tarasgirl06

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Even N95 masks are on amazon, not available for general public but to hospitals. I can only guess that their price went up (I think now it’s $12 for 10) so not sure if it’s an issue for hospitals, I guess they usually buy them way cheaper. But hey, if I understand the American health system well enough, hospitals make money on each patient so financially they should be ok when so many people fall ill?

Because of the shortage, I understand why CDC won’t admit that covering mouth by all public would be somewhat useful. But I don’t agree that lying about it is a better idea.
Two interesting articles (&editorial) about this:
More Americans Should Probably Wear Masks for Protection
Opinion | The Mask Fiasco
Yeah, you know, when all else fails, *USE COMMON SENSE* or as my dad used to say, "Use your head for somethin' besides holdin' your ears apart" :doh::dunno: and I like the way you put it: "...But hey, if I understand the American health system well enough, hospitals make money on each patient so financially they should be ok when so many people fall ill?" *You must be taking those smart pills!*
 

susanm9006

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I have just started sewing masks for family members. The reasons for masks is to keep our own exhalations from getting passed on to others. The thought now is that even talking can put virus droplets in the air and with so many people with the virus being non symptomatic they may be shopping right along with you. So if people wear masks they not only have some protection but are also helping those without masks and surfaces the droplets can land on. If you can’t sew you can use a handkerchief or a bandanna, or fashion something out of masking tape and vacuum filter bags, whatever you can put together.
 

glittercat

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Out of curiosity, has anyone read the book The Hot Zone? Jerry Jaax got the office I work in up and running and retired right before I was hired. My boss took his place and she's a huge fan of both him and Nancy so had me read that book. Ebola is horrifying. This is horrifying too but man, Ebola is bad. Thankfully it isn't as contagious and the incubation period is much shorter so it was easy to contain when it came to the US.
A fascinating and hideous book. I've got a strong stomach but when he went into depth describing the symptoms at the start of the book I actually had to put it to one side for a bit.... At least it was confined and did not get out in that particular instance!!!

The same author, Richard Preston, also wrote a book called The Cobra Event. Fictional but based on real diseases. Again kind of gruesome!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LPX10C8/?tag=
 

doomsdave

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A little bit of good news:

A NYC respiratory therapist got sick with CV 19, got better, and went back to work.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-...cid=spartanntp

New Yorkers have a reputation for being tough and resilient – and Raeburn Fairweather is a shining example of that.


The respiratory therapist at Brooklyn’s Maimonides Medical Center is now back at work trying to save the lives of coronavirus patients after catching and recovering from the sickness himself.
 

jcat

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Out of curiosity, has anyone read the book The Hot Zone? Jerry Jaax got the office I work in up and running and retired right before I was hired. My boss took his place and she's a huge fan of both him and Nancy so had me read that book. Ebola is horrifying. This is horrifying too but man, Ebola is bad. Thankfully it isn't as contagious and the incubation period is much shorter so it was easy to contain when it came to the US.
I've read it a couple of times. It was fascinating and terrifying - and is the reason I've turned down several invitations to visit former colleagues and students in Africa over the years. I'm currently reading a book about the 1918 "Spanish" flu pandemic, Pale Rider, which is also very informative - and frightening.
Pale Rider by Laura Spinney review – the flu pandemic that killed 50 million

They are on Amazon. I haven't seen them in stores ever but I haven't looked either. Have had no need for them before.
Check out the delivery periods and suppliers, as most are shipped from China and can take about 4-6 weeks to arrive, if they ever do. The packages have customs declarations listing the contents and have a tendency to get "lost" in the mail due to worldwide shortages. Simple surgical masks are normally sold at pharmacies and medical supply shops in Germany, but they sold out weeks ago, even though there are a few domestic producers. Quite a few online offers (at exorbitant prices) are scams, as even national governments have learned the hard way.
 

She's a witch

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Everyone talks about millennials and younger folks not adhering to the isolation rules, but not much is said about elderly that just won’t take precautions. I’m a bit frustrated right now so sorry for ranting. My husband’s grandmothers, both over 85yo, are still out on a daily basis. They are highly functional and social given their age and live alone (they refused to move in with my husband’s parents) and I’m guessing they are simply bored out of their mind. None of them use internet so TV and phone is the only entertainment it seems. It’s so difficult to change the habits of an elderly person. They go out to the bakery, boucher’s, to their neighbors etc, I’m guessing more for a company than the necessity. The family calls them daily but obviously it’s not enough. They have help arranged. But They are lonely and bored and because of that, they simply forget about precautions. It’s really difficult and frankly, disheartening, as we make such an organized effort to keep high risk people safe and some of them won’t do the same for themselves.
 
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