Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #48

[margarita25]

Someone just sent me this:

“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d go up to a bank teller with mask on asking for money.”

 

[The Night Watchman]

My main concern is making sure we have enough hospital beds. And ventilators. But I feel like ventilators are basically a death sentence, we need more and earlier interventions. I'll check indiana stats, but we are nowhere near overwhelmed.

I think most places mobilized quickly and there are enough beds. We're been hit hard in MA, yet the backup med facilities will probably not get used much, if at all. This is good news, better to be over-prepared.

The need for ventilators was a catch all for the media- the sky is falling and let's point fingers. Ventilators are great for illnesses like pneumonia when patients need medication and are having a hard time on their own. But, there isn't an approved treatment for CV, so ventilators aren't very useful, except for younger and healthy patients who's bodies can heal on their own without medication. In older patients, ventilators tend to prolong their death walk, and if they survive often have permanent health issues. Hopefully some of the new unproven drug treatments pan out, this would change this course of this disaster.

 

[Inthedetails]

Zoom Video Conferencing - Don't Use It!

I need to make a comment about this software. For the last month, I said it was okay to use as long as security settings were managed. I was wrong. Do not use this software. If you have an account, close it and do everything you can to eliminate it.

I have an account through work. This morning I received an email from Zoom telling me that my cloud recordings were available. I didn't make any recordings at 5AM today. The recording is of a child, roughly 10-12 years old, speaking Arabic and there's a woman speaking in the background. My name, work email, password and personal information have been stolen and sold on the darkweb. I'm waiting for security at work to provide guidance about what to do next.

"Cyble said it was able to purchase roughly 530,000 Zoom accounts for $0.0020 each, obtaining email addresses, passwords, personal meeting URLs, and host keys (the six-digit PIN that Zoom meeting hosts can use). It said some of the accounts belonged to companies including Chase and Citibank, as well as educational institutions."​

Researchers found and bought more than 500,000 Zoom passwords on the dark web for less than a cent each

I thought it odd that as soon as social distancing started happening, Zoom was instantly the go-to platform to use. For those of us not familiar with these things, it seemed to come out of nowhere - and suddenly everyone was using it....schools, businesses, churches. Instantly!

I remember thinking I was so out of touch as I thought places would need a moment to catch their breath to figure out how to communicate in this new environment, but everyone seemed to jump on Zoom.

In hindsight, I wish everyone did take a breath for a moment. Sometimes that is the best approach - slow down, take time with decisions, don't go with the first option that looks easy.

I haven't used Zoom but I know my kids did at first for both school and group meetings. I think both have stopped.

jmo

 

[margarita25]

I thought it odd that as soon as social distancing started happening, Zoom was instantly the go-to platform to use. For those of us not familiar with these things, it seemed to come out of nowhere - and suddenly everyone was using it....schools, businesses, churches. Instantly!

I remember thinking I was so out of touch as I thought places would need a moment to catch their breath to figure out how to communicate in this new environment, but everyone seemed to jump on Zoom.

In hindsight, I wish everyone did take a breath for a moment. Sometimes that is the best approach - slow down, take time with decisions, don't go with the first option that looks easy.

I haven't used Zoom but I know my kids did at first for both school and group meetings. I think both have stopped.

jmo

In case you missed this / one of many articles, some quick references:

“The FBI is warning schools, in particular, to be careful.

"The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language," the bureau's Boston office said this week.”

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/03/826129520/a-must-for-millions-zoom-has-a-dark-side-and-an-fbi-warning
Apr 3

—-

Zoom under scrutiny in US over privacy, *advertiser censored* hacks
Mar 31

—

Zoom bombing: Video calls hacked with racial slurs and *advertiser censored* - CBS News
Apr 2

—-


As @otto said, “zoombombing” can be managed with the proper security settings, posted upstream - if someone wants info about that please message me.

I saw one awful story where a little boy’s zoom screen suddenly showed *advertiser censored*. He was so upset and scared he ran up to his room and his mom was like what happened? Then she saw the image on his zoom.

ETA: actually never mind about the settings, @otto said we shouldn’t use it at all.

 

[anneg]

5 reasons you may not have received your stimulus check... spells it out.

5 reasons you may not have gotten your stimulus money yet

It sounds like my husband's and my stimulus payments are delayed because we didn't have a refund in either 2018 or 2019. We paid a small amount of tax due with both returns. But we both get Social Security and I expect we will get the payments within the next week.

 

[I'm Just Here]

Going to Shakespeare in the Park has been a summer tradition for my daughter and me since she was a little kid. It's so much fun to get up early to wait in line for tickets in Central Park (seriously, it's nice!) and then see the world-class performances in the evening. I'm not surprised this year has been canceled, but it's a pang in the heart to learn about it.

Shakespeare in the Park is canceled as summer loses another tradition to virus

Sorry to hear that. I actually started to get teary eyed after thinking about the local fun summer events that won't be held. I have no clue how to replace those good times.

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Drumroll.... Captain Tom has just hit the £20million mark for the NHS (original target £1000)

Fantastic news! What a guy!

 

[Wicked Strong]

It sounds like my husband's and my stimulus payments are delayed because we didn't have a refund in either 2018 or 2019. We paid a small amount of tax due with both returns. But we both get Social Security and I expect we will get the payments within the next week.

I think that's what is happening to me. I haven't filed my 2019 return yet, but I have always owed money in the previous year's and have had an direct withdrawal from my account. They have said that they are only accessing bank accounts that have had refunds. I also get SS, so eventually mine should show up. I thought they said starting today, but now it sounds like next week.

MOO

 

[oviedo]

Zoom Video Conferencing - Don't Use It!

I need to make a comment about this software. For the last month, I said it was okay to use as long as security settings were managed. I was wrong. Do not use this software. If you have an account, close it and do everything you can to eliminate it.

I have an account through work. This morning I received an email from Zoom telling me that my cloud recordings were available. I didn't make any recordings at 5AM today. The recording is of a child, roughly 10-12 years old, speaking Arabic and there's a woman speaking in the background. My name, work email, password and personal information have been stolen and sold on the darkweb. I'm waiting for security at work to provide guidance about what to do next.

"Cyble said it was able to purchase roughly 530,000 Zoom accounts for $0.0020 each, obtaining email addresses, passwords, personal meeting URLs, and host keys (the six-digit PIN that Zoom meeting hosts can use). It said some of the accounts belonged to companies including Chase and Citibank, as well as educational institutions."​

Researchers found and bought more than 500,000 Zoom passwords on the dark web for less than a cent each

yikes - I've only used it once - deleting it off my iphone now.

 

[10ofRods]

Sorry to hear that. I actually started to get teary eyed after thinking about the local fun summer events that won't be held. I have no clue how to replace those good times.

I think about what good times people had in the past - acting things out themselves. With props and costumes. Kids enjoy it so much, when the audience is a loving family. Of course, not everyone can get together with enough people to do that.

I do think that as individuals, we have to begin to return ourselves to more normal functioning by end of summer. IOW, if by then, our closest family members do not have CV19, we should begin to do things together and see each other again, even if we are doing it out of doors and with some social distancing for safety.

Our family has never been big on large gatherings, except for the occasional concert. Almost all of us work around people so much and are exposed to every cold and flu that exists, getting more opportunity to hang out with complete strangers isn't our gig. Shakespeare is, though, and we've enjoyed the now-canceled plays in Solvang.

I think our family may organize a wine tasting north of Santa Barbara, as a day trip, at a dog-friendly winery or too - in June. We'll wear masks I guess. Well, some of us will - the younger people won't I'm sure. All of this is contingent on California still having available medical care and medicines, which I think we will.

Disney is working on plans to reopen that make sense to me. Vulnerable people ought not to go at all of course. To me, that's anyone 50 and over and everyone who has past immune issues. My family is pretty sturdy (I guess I'm the oldest of us living in California, of the people I consider immediate family). Everyone in the family is sensible about health precautions (my sister works in healthcare, her husband is able to work from home etc, etc)

So although I'm sad that I can't go to Disney for a long time, I'm also hoping that this virus is partly seasonal, that most people I might want to interact with will be reasonable about their own exposure, and that we'll have actual serological tests for antibodies by the end of summer.

 

[oviedo]

Bingo.

jmo

and when you wash them they help whiten the whites since they already have bleach on them - I've been using a homemade spray bleach solution for years rather than wipes- I just have to use a good quality bottle and clean the nozzle since bleach breaks the plastic down IMO

 

[Deleted member 158085]

My main concern is making sure we have enough hospital beds. And ventilators. But I feel like ventilators are basically a death sentence, we need more and earlier interventions. I'll check indiana stats, but we are nowhere near overwhelmed.

Indiana healthcare is not overwhelmed? You mean they actually have enough PPE? Because they were the first state I saw that their hospitals were requesting homemade masks.

I think we need to remember that there’s never been a flu season where the entire country is desperate for PPE. (I know you have not compared this to the flu in any way, but others have.)

 

[they'll get you]

Former foreign minister Alexander Downer says China must come clean about the coronavirus or it will “arouse the wrath” of the world.

But Mr Downer told the Australia-UK Chamber of Commerce on Friday there was still speculation it may have escaped from a scientific lab.

“For China this is a slow burn,” he said during a webinar.

“So far China sending masks and testing kits, some of which apparently don’t work too well, to other countries and saying, ‘Oh look we’re here to help you’.

“Come on guys, you started it in the first place, let’s find out how that happened and let’s do our best to make sure that can never happen again.”
https://news.google.com/articles/CB...WM3MmFjNjJiZWMvYW1w?hl=en-AU&gl=AU&ceid=AU:en

 

[Deleted member 158085]

Until our medical staff are all properly protected with PPE by the old standards (before “a scarf can do in a pinch), I consider this country’s health system to be overwhelmed.

Also, when we are hearing about shortages of meds necessary to even use ventilators, we are clearly overwhelmed. The idea that some people may experience this excruciating end without proper medication is another disgusting failure.

 

[cass523]

Takeover of NYC's Digital Billboards with Artistic Messages to Inspire New Yorkers - Untapped New York

My favorite is the "6 feet is 6 feet is 6 feet is 6 feet" one.

"It's better to be 6 feet apart right now than 6 feet under," Governor Whitmer

Good Morning America on Twitter

 

[10ofRods]

How San Francisco's Chinatown stayed ahead of CoVid:

How San Francisco's Chinatown Got Ahead of the Coronavirus

You have to scroll a bit to read the article, but basically, they were already contacting every business and temporarily shutting schools as early as the first week in February. They knew it was coming and they knew that some of their residents were flying back to Wuhan. Everyone was asked to self-quarantine for 14 days, which apparently they did well - because despite being the most densely populated part of San Francisco, Chinatown has had few cases.

They also immediately raised funds within the community for medical supplies, because they knew they needed to be proactive, given their high risk.

They had many volunteers from multiple community groups who went to every business to encourage social distancing and many businesses closed, as they knew what a CoVid epidemic might be like. Everything is still shut down.

 

[CSIDreamer]

Indiana healthcare is not overwhelmed? You mean they actually have enough PPE? Because they were the first state I saw that their hospitals were requesting homemade masks.

I think we need to remember that there’s never been a flu season where the entire country is desperate for PPE. (I know you have not compared this to the flu in any way, but others have.)

Yes, an indiana hospital (deaconess I think) started early requesting homemade masks. My home county health department was beating the bushes early asking for donations. Masks, gloves, Bass Pro even donated rain gear for protective gear. We have drop boxes so if anyone scoops up anything of worth, they take it to a PPE dropbox.

The state of indiana also has a list of acceptable donations. They have not asked for homemade masks to the best of my knowledge.

Yes, rationing is being done. But if you read my post I was talking about available beds and ventilators.

 

[pocketaccent]

I think they only pay attention to the routing info you have submitted if you are claiming a refund, IMO. I also think that Mnuchin and the others designing this system have little idea about all the different ways we file our taxes. If they really knew, I'd have already received my $$ via the same means I get my SS deposit, like Mnuchin said right up there on the stage.

(60 million people still waiting!This article may help. Very detailed)

Stimulus checks: 5 reasons you may not have gotten paid - CNNPolitics

Washington (CNN)About 80 million people were sent their stimulus payments this week -- but if you weren't one of them, it doesn't mean you won't get the money.

You're one of roughly 60 million people still waiting....
...
Here are five reasons why you might not have received your money yet:

1. You didn't get a federal tax refund in 2018 or 2019...
2. Your refund went to an old bank account...
3. Your refund went to a temporary account set up by a tax preparer...
4. You filed a paper return in 2019...
5. You aren't normally required to file a tax return...

 

[CSIDreamer]

Until our medical staff are all properly protected with PPE by the old standards (before “a scarf can do in a pinch), I consider this country’s health system to be overwhelmed.

Also, when we are hearing about shortages of meds necessary to even use ventilators, we are clearly overwhelmed. The idea that some people may experience this excruciating end without proper medication is another disgusting failure.

That reminds me. The RN from Texas that has been mentioned here. When she was in New York she fought with doctors over comfort care for dying patients. No morphine, no ativan. I wonder if there's a shortage of those, too?

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Warning: this scam text is doing the rounds. Bloody charlatans.

View attachment 243372

Yes they are. Imo, scammers of any kind are the scum of the earth. Years ago when I answered I told them just that too. Lol! Then I learned the best thing to do is never answer the phone, period, or click on any email I don't recognize.

I saw on the news this morning that AG Barr has assigned 94 prosecutors to deal with only all of the CV-19 scams popping up everywhere.

And sadly they said the CV-19 scammers have already been able to scam many out of many millions.

Its unbelievable to me how many still fall for scams as long as they have been doing it.

Since my hubby, and I are considered elderly our age group is who they target most often. So many of the elderly still fall for these scams including my own dear M-I-L before she passed away. She was in her late 80s at the time. Thank goodness she told my hubby about it the day it happened, and he stopped the transaction in its tracks. But so many of the elderly still fall victim over, and over again.

When they call us its always from a number we dont recognize nor shows any company name... I never answer, but immediately block them.

Yet even that is not enough for they will use names of legitimate companies, and toll free numbers or local numbers from our area.

Heck I have even received calls where the ID caller shows my own name, and phone number they are calling... as if I'm going to answer. LOL!

At times I have had to block 10 to 15 a day. It's strange I get more scam callers on our landline than my cell phone.

So many are from overseas where often our LE agencies dont have jurisdiction.

I'm glad though the federal government is cracking down on all of the robo- calls, but like always they seem to be one step ahead finding others ways to scam.

I knew this would be a ripe time for them to be out in full force.

Jmho