Corona Virus Now Spreading

[Kieka]

Now that I have answers, my brother did test positive for COVID two weeks ago. He works in the medical field and was tested because he was exposed to a patient with it. He has been a truly mild case with just a very minor cough and some of the digestive issues. My brother has been isolated to the back part of the house with his own outdoor access and bathroom. Before he can go back to work he has to get two negative tests, he took the first retest Friday and will have results by Wednesday.

Since my brother lives with me and I was in the same room as him between testing and test results; I left work early when I found out and have been home quarentined for 14 days now. I was able to get a test because my county has five drive up testing centers. Any resident can call to get tested but those with symptoms take priority. The testing took all of 15 minutes from checking in to completed. It took 5 days to get the test and I just got the results today, my test was negative.

I know I am lucky to be in a county with testing fairly readily available and free. That said, I will clearly say this is not a cold or flu. This is something totally and completely different. It hits some people, like my brother, so lightly they can barely tell. If he wasn't required to be tested because of his work he wouldn't have known and would have unknowingly passed it on to someone who could have been hit hard. That's the scary thing. That any one of us could have such a mild case we didn't even know but we pass it to someone who dies from the same thing. The cold or flu, you know you have it. You get that feeling in your throat or a nose that won't stop. People know you're sick and stay away. You know you're sick and stay home. But this? You just don't know and not knowing could kill someone else.

 

[denice]

That is the big difference between this and the last pandemic in 1918. With the Spanish Flu there was no long period of being contagious before getting sick and there were no mild cases. The majority did survive but even those who survived were very very sick. They were so sick that there was no going to work, people went to bed and the religious prayed that they survived.

 

[denice]

At the beginning of all this I had some kind of bug. Sniffles, scratchy throat and a bit of a cough. The weird symptom I had was my ear on the same side where I had Bell's Palsy about twenty years ago hurt off and on. Not bad and it didn't get stuffed up like an infection but it was definitely there. It lasted about a week at the most and went away along with the other symptoms. That is why I am interested in an accurate test for antibodies. Did I have a mild case of COVID or was it some other type of virus? The only way to know is with the antibody test. If I had a very mild case of this I am not someone who you would think would have a mild case. I am 64 and I was a heavy smoker for many years, I am one of the people that would be considered vulnerable.

 

[Willowy]

I am one of the people that would be considered vulnerable.

It seems so random. You hear about a sickly 103-year-old who recovered, but a previously-healthy 37-year-old who ran marathons died. It's really weird. Maybe someday they'll sort out why it acts like this.

For the past 3 weeks or so, I've been deadly tired and ached all over. No cough or fever or anything else, but who knows. And now I feel mostly better. So, yeah, I'm interested in a good antibody test too.

 

[LTS3]

I overheard a person outside flippantly saying that there was no way she was ever going to wear a mask and that an older guy gave her a disapproving look the other day for not wearing a mask She was standing right next to other people and talking to them and to someone who was on their balcony. Some people aren't taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus seriously

 

[KittyFriday]

I read an article the other day (I think in the NY Times) written by a doctor who traveled to NYC to help treat patients. He said one of the truly stunning things about the disease is that when it hits the lungs, it deprives your body of oxygen but still allows you to breathe out carbon dioxide. So your body is suffocating, but your lungs don't recognize it and you'll start breathing deeper and faster to compensate and that causes its own problems. Apparently this is why there are people who are down to 50% oxygen and need breathing assistance but are still texting and playing games and feel fine. It's also why once many people end up in the hospital feeling poorly they are already very oxygen deprived and in very bad shape.

I've also read that there are doctors who are concerned more with the long term effects of survivors in addition to mortality rates. Those who survive can have decreased lung capacity for a very, very long time. And they still aren't sure what kind of vascular and neurological effects may be caused by the illness. It's not the flu or even "just" pneumonia and that's why it is so scary. Much more is being negatively effected and there is so much scientists don't know.

I do think places should open up. I think there are a lot of negative economic effects that should make people take a good long look at the way our country functions and I don't want anyone to be out of work or in any sort of financial risk. But it should be done safely. And what really upsets me is those who don't want to follow any safety precautions, and those who say it's fine if people die because surely they were "at risk" and if you are scared just stay home.

 

[Kieka]

And what really upsets me is those who don't want to follow any safety precautions, and those who say it's fine if people die because surely they were "at risk" and if you are scared just stay home.

The ones that really get me are the ones who believe its a hoax because they don't see body bags lining the sidewalks. My brother got confronted by someone at the hospital he works at demanding to see the body bags to prove it is as bad as the media makes it out to be.

Some people won't take it seriously unless they or theirs get it. Even then, if they get the more mild case they might still think its blown out of proportion. I know some of my coworkers now are saying that since my brother was asymptomatic but tested positive its proof its being blown out ot proportion. Except, my brother being asymptomatic should be proof of how scary this is. He had zero symptoms and if he hadn't been tested he could have passed it to hundreds of people since he is an essential worker. Someone out of those hundreds would have died and many others would have ended up with long term lung damage. Its a stealth virus, thousands of people are (probably) the equivalent of typhoid Mary's and don't even know it. They will accidentally pass it on to someone who won't be asymptomatic.

I do think real rates of recovered and active are in the teens now but it takes in the 70% range for herd immunity to kick in. We aren't ready to reopen in my opinion.

 

[aliceneko]

I overheard a person outside flippantly saying that there was no way she was ever going to wear a mask and that an older guy gave her a disapproving look the other day for not wearing a mask She was standing right next to other people and talking to them and to someone who was on their balcony. Some people aren't taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus seriously

Ugh, these sorts of people really grind my gears. As someone who is at risk to the virus more than the average person, it angers me seeing ignorant people say stuff like this so casually. They won't care though, until they get it themselves.

 

[denice]

We aren't ready to reopen in my opinion.

It isn't so much being 'ready to reopen' it is that what we are doing is not sustainable. It is actually only a very short term solution. We can't stay locked down until there is a vaccine or we have a sure fire medicine that will stop it from going into a serious illness. Once that vaccine or medicine is found we would need ample supplies of it which is a problem for the U.S. because we don't manufacture these medicines anymore. To stay locked down like this much longer will completely break government budgets and put large numbers of people out on the streets with absolutely no money coming in. We have to find a way to get the economy going to some degree with safety measures to try to keep down the number of infections.

 

[LTS3]

Probably did a faux pas at the independent market today I walked in as usual and did my shopping. As I left, I noticed a line of customers lined up outside with carts in a marked off area. Was I supposed to have waited in line? There were no people lined up outside when I entered the market less than 15 minutes earlier. There weren't any store employees or signs outside either to direct customers to wait in line or inform of the new mask and glove policy.

 

[Kieka]

My grocery store has a counter who starts a line once the store reaches a certain number. I bet thats what happened, the store reached capacity after you got there.

 

[susanm9006]

Probably did a faux pas at the independent market today I walked in as usual and did my shopping. As I left, I noticed a line of customers lined up outside with carts in a marked off area. Was I supposed to have waited in line? There were no people lined up outside when I entered the market less than 15 minutes earlier. There weren't any store employees or signs outside either to direct customers to wait in line or inform of the new mask and glove policy.

It may have been that the store reached its capacity after you went in. So once that happens they make people line up outside. Our target store works like that.

 

[Silver Crazy]

I overheard a person outside flippantly saying that there was no way she was ever going to wear a mask and that an older guy gave her a disapproving look the other day for not wearing a mask She was standing right next to other people and talking to them and to someone who was on their balcony. Some people aren't taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus seriously

Dont they have the "Darwin Award" for people like that???

 

[furmonster mom]

Went to Costco this morning, and they were "enforcing" the mask requirement by having two tables set aside with people handing out free surgical masks to those who needed them for shopping. Honestly, though, it seems that most folks have finally gotten the message, because they weren't handing out very many.

Hubby had to go to Lowe's and Home Depot, and he said that was a whole 'nother story. Maybe half the people (including staff) were wearing any masks.

I can't believe the headline today about a security guard that was shot after a confrontation with a customer who refused to wear a mask. That's just nuts.

 

[Margret]

It isn't so much being 'ready to reopen' it is that what we are doing is not sustainable. It is actually only a very short term solution. We can't stay locked down until there is a vaccine or we have a sure fire medicine that will stop it from going into a serious illness.

Really and truly, take a look at this website: What Happens Next? COVID-19 Futures, Explained With Playable Simulations. It shows exactly how to minimize the number of infections without destroying the economy.

I can't believe the headline today about a security guard that was shot after a confrontation with a customer who refused to wear a mask. That's just nuts.

The one that gets me is the report I heard several days ago about a security guard at a Walmart who called the cops because there were a couple of (horrors!) black guys who were wearing face masks in the store . He said that store policy was that face coverings weren't allowed, but he wasn't calling the cops on any of the white shoppers who were wearing face masks.

And I ran into this rather hopeful story this morning: Coronavirus: Scientists hail 'groundbreaking' discovery of antibody which prevents infection

Margret

 

[tabbytom]

Social Distancing

 

[denice]

A group of businesses, churches and private individuals have filed a federal lawsuit against the Governor of Maryland. The suit is based on being denied their right to free assembly, the right to protest, the right to participate in commerce and the right to freely practice their religion.

98 percent of confirmed virus cases at Ohio jail were asymptomatic, officials say
Ohio is mass testing all inmates and staff in the state prison system. One prison found over 70% of inmates were positive however a total of 98% of inmates and staff tested so far have been asymptomatic. Some of them probably are presymptomatic but that still is an astounding figure. We really need a highly accurate antibody test that is given to swaths of the population all over the country. That will give us real figures as far as how widespread it is and what the true mortality rate is. In New York they are talking about a mortality rate of 5 to 6%. Given the huge numbers of asymptomatic people being found in a mass testing I think that figure is way too high. They are only testing people sick enough to have contact with the medical system. They aren't testing people with no symptoms or people who only have the sniffles.

 

[WillowMarie]

I can't believe the headline today about a security guard that was shot after a confrontation with a customer who refused to wear a mask. That's just nuts.

Ah, that made me sooooo angry! I wanted to scream and cry. The security guard was doing his job to protect people. Like, just put on a darn facemask people! This is about protecting other people! Get over it!

I read the article and it said the husband came in and started harassing the security guard before he shot him, asking who disrespected his wife. Um, she wasn't following safety protocols in the store and the security guard asked her to leave, as was his job to do. Your wife was the one about to disrespect the whole store because she wasn't protecting herself from others and putting everyone at risk! Soooo angry!





My brother traveled with me to make the first trip to clean out my rental by school. I wore my facemask at every gas station. He seemed to think if it was quiet or looked like a not as busy area, it was fine for him not to wear his. When he asked me at one stop if there were people inside after I came back from the restroom, I said just the cashier, but you should still wear your mask because the mask protects others if we are carrying it and we don't know how long it stays in the air after you breathe, or the particles may land on things, if he was unknowingly carrying it. He went in without the mask...

Also, I'm worried my brother wasn't as careful as me because he felt safe using the hand sanitizer in the car. I brought a paper towel with me into the bathroom. Since I pumped gas, I washed my hands as soon as I entered the bathroom to prevent getting as much on my clothing. I washed my hands afterwards and turned off the faucet with the papertowel. The towel was used to open the doors of the store and tossed before jumping in the car. I realized later if my brother wasn't opening the car with clean hands or forgetting to use sanitizer before using the steering wheel, I would have touched those same surfaces when we switched, although I drove the first half each day, and he drove the second.

 

[Willowy]

Went to Costco this morning, and they were "enforcing" the mask requirement by having two tables set aside with people handing out free surgical masks to those who needed them for shopping.

Costco being Costco, I figured that's how they'd handle it. I went on Saturday and they weren't handing masks out yet, but, yeah, most people were wearing them anyway. Costco's usual clientele are more likely to do that, I think.

I have a co-worker who is remodeling his house, so he goes to Menard's almost every day. He said that if you don't have a mask, they direct you to the Customer Service desk and you have to buy one for $1. And he said if anyone argues, they just say "well, if all the employees get sick, we'd have to close, so. . ." *shrug*, and nobody really argues back after that, that he saw anyway. I'm sure some will argue back at some point. He did see a lady screaming at someone for standing too close to her, at least in her perception. So tensions seem to be running a bit high.

 

[susanm9006]

I have a co-worker who is remodeling his house, so he goes to Menard's almost every day. He said that if you don't have a mask, they direct you to the Customer Service desk and you have to buy one for $1. And he said if anyone argues, they just say "well, if all the employees get sick, we'd have to close, so. . ." *shrug*, and nobody really argues back after that, that he saw anyway. I'm sure some will argue back at some point. He did see a lady screaming at someone for standing too close to her, at least in her perception. So tensions seem to be running a bit high.

After a bad experience at Menards a few weeks ago I haven’t been there but went today for something only they carry.Much, much improved. The “out” door was closed to people trying to come in. Everyone was masked. It was great. Unfortunately I also had to go to Fleet Farm, a store similar to Menards for vacuum sealer bags and hardly anyone was wearing masks, unmasked cashiers were talking loudly to one another across checkout lines. Cross this store off my list.