2019 Novel Coronavirus

[frazil]

We haven't gone grocery shopping in 3 weeks so we’re down to condiments, some random blocks of cheese and a lots of canned beans. But!...while organizing the basement I found a stash of Christmas hershey kisses (from not this past Christmas) which I am now totally hoarding.

 

[P-E]

We haven't gone grocery shopping in 3 weeks so we’re down to condiments, some random blocks of cheese and a lots of canned beans. But!...while organizing the basement I found a stash of Christmas hershey kisses (from not this past Christmas) which I am now totally hoarding.

Pretty much the same here.  I found a bag of jelly beans from 2019 Easter. 

 

[Dleg]

 

[ruggercsc]

When is TN supposed to "peak"?

I should have been more clear that our office work from home order is through May 15th.  When the peak is depends on which model you look at.  I have seen anywhere from April 16th to the week of May 18th.  It seems to have peaked in the big cities (Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga) but is seems to be spreading in the rural counties.    

 

[Road Guy]

 

[Exengineer]

It is also a good thing to be prepared for a nuclear accident such as Three Mile Island or the Chernobyl event but you don't hear the experts saying "There's going to be a surprise nuclear meltdown during this Administration....."  because it would alarm people and if it really does occur then you could be rightfully accused of planning it in advance.  Of course if you announce such a thing every year the warning becomes another cry-wolf statement.  A significant nuclear event would cause far more deaths and longer term damage than any virus ever could.

 

[Road Guy]

I really believe the experts over shot their wad with this. For 20+million people out of work this is the lamest pandemic I’ve ever seen.

Hospitals are not really even prepping for a 2nd wave they are laying nurses off, cutting docs salaries, etc... and hoping they can get back to “work” like the rest of us....

The wife was seriously looking to go to NY to pick up some work - but the recruiters have told her if she can’t be there this Monday then they won’t need any extra ICU nurses if she gives a proper 2 week notice..(and no one more happy about that than me)


But there are a few fun things happening:

https://www.whiskeyriff.com/2020/04/09/colorado-brewery-drives-around-selling-beer-like-the-ice-cream-truck/

 

[P-E]

But there are a few fun things happening:

https://www.whiskeyriff.com/2020/04/09/colorado-brewery-drives-around-selling-beer-like-the-ice-cream-truck/

Beer truck.   Awesome!

 

[Dleg]

 

[Road Guy]

Think this is week 5? But same....

 

[Platypus Engineer]

^- I wrote a too long reply and deleted it but in general - Our household has dealt with each of those events listed above and the only one that actually freaked out the hospital staff was Ebola - not sure why so much but that was the one that I recall the most. I think & rightly so, up until the US govt admitted we had a "cure" for ebola when that poor nurse got it, it freaked the **** out of us much like this one

But this Covid has caused a massive change to the way the wife works,  she has been at this ICU in Denver for 7 years and they have never been full (24 bed ICU - so kind of small) I think a 200 total bed hospital.  Every previous Flu season wouldn't be much to write home about - and usually they would get "called off" i.e sent home more during flu season for lack of work than other times - Right now they have 29 covids in the ICU

For whatever reason the other 180 beds are pretty much empty, not sure if people are somehow magically not having strokes / heart attacks / falls / etc - 

But at this rate pretty much the entire hospital will be out of work in 2-3 weeks 

My cousin is a oncology nurse, and her unit has been taking COVID patients because the ICU is full, were even using cardiac care beds.

 

[snickerd3]

The private Remote oncology practice we have in town...the type that is only open a day or two per week because the Drs go to different offices in different small towns over the course of the week...the entire office and their two current local patients all tested positive 7 people total.    

 

[JayKay PE]

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

Folks, including a state rep, from The County (Aroostook County) are heading to Augusta to protest today. That the restrictions for northern Maine should be laxed since northern Maine isn't a populated as southern Maine (where most of the cases are). But this is a fantastic way for them to bring more cases north... 

 

[Road Guy]

Maine is a fairly tiny state but for some larger states I think it makes sense to take a regional approach - 

I always heard asthma is a much bigger problem in the NE? I wonder if that is part of why they are being hit so hard? Its still strange to me that Florida has one of the lowest death rates in the Country & they have the highest elderly population?

But I think this "Go outside if you want to Die" routine is getting a little old though - They should at least be intellectually honest and say "Go outside if you want to die, if you are 70+, already have a life threatening illness, very overweight,  smoke, vape, do heavy drugs, etc"

& I also dont think we need to be playing baseball tomorrow either.....

I sleep (well when she lets me) right next to someone who has been dealing with 4-6 covid+ patients a day for the last month (industry standard is 2 patients max) and she / we both agree that the emphasis should be on isolating / quarantining the high risk- but this nonsense of everyone is going to die is a little far fetched (even for today's media).  She only sees the ones who are very close to dying - I think 66% of those in the ICU end up dying, but many who just go to the hospital for 02 never make it to the ICU and are released quickly.

However, If she brings this home to me I have already decided I will handcuff myself to the house before I go to the hospital (except for when its time to workout and do my 100 burpees) 

 

[Platypus Engineer]

Folks, including a state rep, from The County (Aroostook County) are heading to Augusta to protest today. That the restrictions for northern Maine should be laxed since northern Maine isn't a populated as southern Maine (where most of the cases are). But this is a fantastic way for them to bring more cases north... 

Well if you keep non essential travel restrictions in place it could work. I live in Maryland and roughly half the cases are in the two counties that border DC, and the vast majority are along the I-95 Corridor. The westernmost county  in MD has 4 cases, and it hasn't changed since last week. The media is only reporting the total number of cases, so it keeps going up, only recently began reporting number of negative tests.

The guidelines from last week are so vague that is almost impossible to meet. How much is enough testing, amount of PPE, what robust contact tracing ?

Even when restrictions are lifted, there is no way to guarantee no else gets infected or dies, until a vaccine. But with the regulatory spiderweb, who knows when that will happen.

 

[Tiger15]

Maine is a fairly tiny state but for some larger states I think it makes sense to take a regional approach - 

I always heard asthma is a much bigger problem in the NE? I wonder if that is part of why they are being hit so hard? Its still strange to me that Florida has one of the lowest death rates in the Country & they have the highest elderly population?

But I think this "Go outside if you want to Die" routine is getting a little old though - They should at least be intellectually honest and say "Go outside if you want to die, if you are 70+, already have a life threatening illness, very overweight,  smoke, vape, do heavy drugs, etc"

& I also dont think we need to be playing baseball tomorrow either.....

I sleep (well when she lets me) right next to someone who has been dealing with 4-6 covid+ patients a day for the last month (industry standard is 2 patients max) and she / we both agree that the emphasis should be on isolating / quarantining the high risk- but this nonsense of everyone is going to die is a little far fetched (even for today's media).  She only sees the ones who are very close to dying - I think 66% of those in the ICU end up dying, but many who just go to the hospital for 02 never make it to the ICU and are released quickly.

However, If she brings this home to me I have already decided I will handcuff myself to the house before I go to the hospital (except for when its time to workout and do my 100 burpees) 

But it's not just about you. It's about you. You getting infected puts everyone around you, and everyone around them, at risk.

 

[Road Guy]

right, that's why we should quarantine / isolate the high risk.

 

[Platypus Engineer]

right, that's why we should quarantine / isolate the high risk.

True, but it is too easy to punish everyone. Because isolating high risk will lead to claims of discrimination.

 

[aog]

True, but it is too easy to punish everyone. Because isolating high risk will lead to claims of discrimination.

So these three options?

1. Isolate everyone = no discrimination.

2. Isolate sick and high risk = discrimination

3. Let each decide for themselves to self-isolate = no discrimination.