Corona Virus Now Spreading

[Willowy]

I put "non-Hispanic white", as they did not have a "Caucasian" option.

That's how the demographic is identified in the US because a lot of Hispanic people are of Spaniard descent and therefore are white, but are also Hispanic, so there has to be a different category.

I tried my info with everything the same except I chose Black/African American with a Chicago zip code instead and still got green. BUT, I also ran my mom's info and she got "moderately elevated" but when I changed it to Black/African American with all other info the same, it switched to "substantially elevated". So at that age race does matter. Not sure if anyone knows whether that's due to health care disparities and increased exposure or something genetic.

 

[denice]

I had been white not Hispanic. I went back and tried again changing ethnicity to Black and leaving everything else the same. I was still in the green category but barely, it did change my number.

 

[muffy]

I am 70 and overweight. I smoked for 50 years but quit. I also have COPD and high blood pressure and I am ln the green section. I also live in Assisted Living which they didn't mention.

 

[denice]

I think your zip code is a big factor in this. I know that Ohio outside of Mahoning county has a lower then average mortality rate from this. I don't really know why, Ohio actually probably has a population that is a little older then average. The state does have a good system of hospitals and no one in the state is a huge distance from a large hospital.

 

[CatladyJan]

I think it's a pretty lame assessment it doesn't include factors such as where you work, how many people coming and going from your home... It also doesn't list diseases such as MS.

 

[Willowy]

it doesn't include factors such as where you work, how many people coming and going from your home

Pretty sure it's only evaluating your chance of dying if you get COVID, not your overall chance of contracting it.

But yeah, it should have included more diseases in the list.

 

[denice]

Ohio has been trending down for at least a week and only reported 5500 cases yesterday.

 

[Katie M]

West Virginia is using a color coding system. My county is now in the red.

 

[Jem]

Well.....some "breaking news" has come out....it will be officially announced Monday.
Seems my province (Ontario) is going into a lock down starting Christmas Eve. What sucks is that the very large majority of cases are in the southern parts of the province...we only have 10 cases in my city right now.
I see where they are going with this...wanting to stop travelling, but it still sucks.
They are saying it will be a 28 day lock down for the south and a 2 week for the north. They even mentioned something about a ban on indoor gatherings with anyone outside your household...not sure if that can be enforced but I guess I'll know more tomorrow.

 

[Xraystyle]

We're steady at 1000 cases countrywide each day here, which meets the government's own criteria for level 3 lockdown (which isn't even a real lockdown) but they just keep wringing their hands and try to guilt trip the public into staying home. Unfortunately, most company heads don't believe in working from home, so it's next to impossible to prevent people from being out and about. I've just got to get through Thursday and then I have until the 4th off for winter vacation. Going to spend some quality time alone in my bed.

 

[Mia6]

This is scary but it sounds like they're on top of it

.Boris Johnson Tightens U.K. Lockdown, Citing Fast-Spreading Version of Virus

 

[Xraystyle]

Government just announced in Seoul that starting Wednesday, groups of more than 4 people cannot meet. This doesn't apply to regular business, just extracurriculars and social meetings.

One of our teacher's dad died over the weekend of COVID back in the states (LA). She can't go back for the funeral, it must be so devastating, but luckily she has her husband here for support. I know a lot of us having been thinking about what we can and can't do and have already made up our minds about certain scenarios.

 

[denice]

The only thing that is going to put this genie back in the bottle is to get the vast majority of people vaccinated with a highly effective vaccine with a short time frame. If that isn't done then this stuff will continue to bounce around and mutate. So far it hasn't mutated in a way that outwits the vaccines coming out now at least in the West. That is a huge undertaking especially given the logistical challenges of vaccine that has to be kept at subzero temperatures or at least refrigerated. There is also the problem with the growing anti-vaxxer movement that has been ignored for far too long. Putting a society into lockdown stops it for that period of time but it devastates an economy. The simple truth is you can't stay in lockdown and as soon as things are loosened up even a little it comes back with a vengeance.

 

[Rhall]

They even mentioned something about a ban on indoor gatherings with anyone outside your household...not sure if that can be enforced but I guess I'll know more tomorrow.

I'm sure they will mention that. Whether people will do it or not. We are sticking to our household. Our cases all along have under 20 and now they are 60+. The hospitals won't be able to take any more patients if it continues this way. I really don't think people are digesting what that means. They hear it - but unless you've dealt with it in some way - they just don't get it. It means you could show up at the hospital really sick and they turn you away because there are no beds.

 

[ZombieTiger]

A "mutated, fast-spreading" keeps being mentioned in European news as well, but then again, wasn't there already one in some places? What a mess.

 

[denice]

They hear it - but unless you've dealt with it in some way - they just don't get it. It means you could show up at the hospital really sick and they turn you away because there are no beds.

Emergency rooms in some areas of the U.S. are swamped as well. There are reports of ambulances waiting 6 hours to unload. That means fewer ambulances in service.

 

[Rhall]

Emergency rooms in some areas of the U.S. are swamped as well. There are reports of ambulances waiting 6 hours to unload. That means fewer ambulances in service.

Very scary! Especially since people are waiting to come in. These people are really sick!

 

[Jem]

They hear it - but unless you've dealt with it in some way - they just don't get it. It means you could show up at the hospital really sick and they turn you away because there are no beds.

Our hospital is over capacity, but a lot is due to trying to catch up with surgeries, and the elderly that have nowhere to go. They do have a plan in place to make beds available when or if the time comes. I know several OR nurses, and they have all been working overtime and the part timer's are working full time to handle the increased load...and it's still not enough. I have no idea what the plan is about placing the elderly who can't go home though...I think the nursing homes are still not accepting new residents...And I know there are beds available in some homes, because I know people who work in them. One nursing home (and I'm there are others, although this is hearsay from a worker there) has converted a section of their facility to a "covid ward", an area that they are able to keep quarantined, not sure how many beds though...it's empty right now...saving it for when or if any residents get sick.

 

[molly92]

A "mutated, fast-spreading" keeps being mentioned in European news as well, but then again, wasn't there already one in some places? What a mess.

There was one strain that was theorized to be more fast spreading from Spain looking at early data, but when more was analyzed it was discovered the spread of that one was due to Europeans vacationing in Spain and then returning home, not anything inherent about the virus itself.

We are also still in the early stages of understanding this strain in the UK. It could be something about the virus's mutations that are making it spread faster, or it could be a coincidence with an underlying, unknown cause. It's definitely something for scientists and health officials to watch carefully, but the recommendations for staying safe from the virus remain the same regardless.

Viral evolution is a complicated topic. An epidemiologist (Bill Hanage) said, "you should mistrust anyone with a neat evolutionary story explaining virulence," and I think that's good advice.

 

[denice]

The are no intensive care beds in the densely populated areas of Southern California or the San Joaquin Valley.
No intensive care beds for most Californians as COVID-19 surges