Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #55

[Kensie]

This is a major concern that I have pertaining to myself and many others and it is scary:
The coronavirus economy is exposing how easy it is to fall from the middle class into poverty

A fear I have always had and I don't know why is that I would end up homeless. Everyone I told this fear to laughed at me. With the current pandemic situation, this fear is probably a real fear for many people, myself included.

Record 103,415,000 Not in Labor Force; Participation Rate Sinks to 47-Year Low

A record 20.5 million jobs were lost in April as unemployment rate jumps to 14.7%

 

[Bravo]

Night all. Be safe. Be kind.

 

[Sundog]

Sad news
Magician Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy dead at 75 from COVID-19 complications

 

[LadyL]

She's a medical "professional" (in the loosest terms) who stole from a dying patient - at least according to the headline I can't see the rest of the article because it's behind a paywall. If true, she lost her job for the exactly right reason. She has no honor and no ethics and shouldn't be anywhere near vulnerable people. She should lose her license. And if she did that, I'm sure that's not the only horrible thing she's done.

ITA.

 

[KALI]

I'm so very sorry KALI.

It's okay. We'll figure it out. Hubby and I are still in love and appreciation of each other. Our bond is very strong.
I truly thank God that I met and married this 73 year old heart throb of mine 30 years ago.
It's been a wild ride.
If my husband were to die tomorrow, Covit-19 or no Covit-19, there would be so many people showing up to honour him, it would be crazy.
Truth.
My plan is to keep him safe and healthy!

 

[MsMarple]

..


It is an interesting concern. At one point, my county's disaster plan had a "what if we have to close the county to people from other counties" portion to it (not easy to do actually). Not sure if we still have had an active disaster planning council, as right now, each bit of the governmental world seems to be answering to Sacramento on its own, rather than speaking to each other.

I really hadn't thought about how a "clean" county would become an attractant to others. How far away is the next largish town?

I don't think it will change your risk to "high," but it will be increased from "nearly zero" for sure. IMO.

Yep, interesting for sure. The two largest towns from us are about 40 minutes away, one is west and probably not an issue, and one is south, even closer to Seattle.

The others require a ferry ride but in at least one case it's possible the residents would come over to enjoy our town as we have numerous state parks.

Right now I don't think there's a problem as many of our tourists come from Oregon and I don't really see that happening anytime soon. But still, it's something to watch.

The same could be said for other areas in the state too as we have plentiful parks, forests and camping. I just want to be able to walk around in my town without worry. I'm soooo tired of avoiding my friends!

 

[The Night Watchman]

Will our California based Bistro restaurant survive Covit-19?
Nope.

<modsnip: removed political commentary>

This combination is something we cannot overcome, no matter how many hours we work, or how many of our customers love us, or, the great reviews we get on social media will not be enough for us to stay in business OR continue to live in the very expensive State of California.
So, new huge chapter coming up for us. We have to walk away, and start over.
*everything I've written here is my sole opinion.

Agree with your sentiments. I really don’t understand why 99% of the population doesn’t see the effect of our actions. When they do it will be too late. There is no do-over here and the effects will be felt for years if not longer. The death toll stands at 0.02% of the population with an average age of 80, and we have permanently damaged our children’s future. And put a ridiculous number of small businesses out of business,

What no one can admit, is that we have a pandemic. It’s a very bad thing. A lot of people will die, it is unavoidable in a pandemic.

 

[KALI]

Ah. That is sad. Rest in peace Roy. Thank you for loving all animals, big and small.

Sad news
Magician Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy dead at 75 from COVID-19 complications

 

[mickey2942]

This is a major concern that I have pertaining to myself and many others and it is scary:
The coronavirus economy is exposing how easy it is to fall from the middle class into poverty

A fear I have always had and I don't know why is that I would end up homeless. Everyone I told this fear to laughed at me. With the current pandemic situation, this fear is probably a real fear for many people, myself included.

Record 103,415,000 Not in Labor Force; Participation Rate Sinks to 47-Year Low

A record 20.5 million jobs were lost in April as unemployment rate jumps to 14.7%

Yes. And so many people spend, new phones, computers, tablets, cars...few have savings to weather this type of downturn. This is when people need to hit the ground running, "Who Moved My Cheese", a silly name for a book, but one that is very relevant for people who need to find not only new jobs, but maybe even new careers.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Senate Elevates Bipartisan Calls for Revisions to Paycheck Protection Program
This week Senate Republicans and Democrats have underscored the need for a number of changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. These proposed changes include:

• Extending the program’s eight-week covered period to deploy PPP funds and earn loan forgiveness to 16 weeks after the loan is disbursed for businesses whose revenues have declined by at least 25 percent
• Raising the PPP’s non-payroll forgiveness cap from 25 percent to 50 percent
• Allowing small businesses to deduct expenses paid with a forgiven PPP loan from their taxes.

more at link:
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/covid-19-policy-update-19-60016/

 

[MsMarple]

Yes. And so many people spend, new phones, computers, tablets, cars...few have savings to weather this type of downturn. This is when people need to hit the ground running, "Who Moved My Cheese", a silly name for a book, but one that is very relevant for people who need to find not only new jobs, but maybe even new careers.

In my town, which until the virus came along was attractive enough for people to take on multiple jobs, even jobs that they were overqualified for in order to live here. They call it "reinventing themselves."

The paradigm has ceratinly shifted.

 

[Kensie]

It's okay. We'll figure it out. Hubby and I are still in love and appreciation of each other. Our bond is very strong.
I truly thank God that I met and married this 73 year old heart throb of mine 30 years ago.
It's been a wild ride.
If my husband were to die tomorrow, Covit-19 or no Covit-19, there would be so many people showing up to honour him, it would be crazy.
Truth.
My plan is to keep him safe and healthy!

You can never beat true love. My parents were also a true love couple. So encouraging to read that 'true love' exists in these troubling times.

 

[Sundog]

Article about herd immunity and what it would take for Canada to get to that point - looks at different options Canada might take as they look at options for reopening - good description that can also apply to the U.S. (with different numbers)

Everything you need to know about herd immunity. Hint: we're a long way off. - Macleans.ca

 

[mickey2942]

Agree with your sentiments. I really don’t understand why 99% of the population doesn’t see the effect of our actions. When they do it will be too late. There is no do-over here and the effects will be felt for years if not longer. The death toll stands at 0.02% of the population with an average age of 80, and we have permanently damaged our children’s future. And put a ridiculous number of small businesses out of business,

What no one can admit, is that we have a pandemic. It’s a very bad thing. A lot of people will die, it is unavoidable in a pandemic.

I wondered at the "panic time" in mid March, when everyone had to go home and hunker down, why we all didn't just put on masks, gloves, and do social distancing at that time.

After all, we are all going back to work, doing that exact scenario. Granted, some jobs may never come back. But we would not have the unemployment rate we have now, and the wath of devastation. And I don't think that we would have had the enormous numbers of dead that were predicted.

But, it was a zero sum game...do it, and suffer economic consequences or ignore it, and potentially suffer the huge deaths that the models predicted.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

At least 917 federal and state lawsuits have been filed in relation to the pandemic, according to a database run by Hunton Andrews Kurth, an international law firm.

That tally is just starting, says Torsten Kracht, a partner running the project. “I can easily foresee litigation directly related to COVID-19 continuing to be filed for the next two, three years at least. It will be litigated for the next decade, likely.”
...
The virus has killed more Americans than the Vietnam War, raising a host of public health issues about the workplace and reopening economies. It’s caused more than 30 million people to file for unemployment benefits and triggered a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill to help faltering businesses and households.
...
Here’s a breakdown of the cases already piling up in the courts: Details at link.

• Nurses are suing about a lack of personal protective equipment

• Retail workers are suing their employers over workplace safety

• Employees working from home could sue over working too many hours

• Travelers are taking airlines to court over refunds for cancelled flights

• Sports and music fans are suing ticket vendors

• A student says she’s getting ‘overpriced bubble-gum and duct-tape substitutes’

• Insurance policies for business shutdowns are being put to the test

• The CARES Act has spawned lawsuits against banks

• A wave of bankruptcy cases is expected

• Businesses and church pastors are suing states over social-distancing rules

• A lawsuit says children of undocumented immigrants should get stimulus checks

‘What we are confronting now is really unprecedented.’ Coronavirus-related lawsuits are about to flood the courts

 

[otto]

Article about herd immunity and what it would take for Canada to get to that point - looks at different options Canada might take as they look at options for reopening - good description that can also apply to the U.S. (with different numbers)

Everything you need to know about herd immunity. Hint: we're a long way off. - Macleans.ca

Good article!

"Any attempts to exercise U.S.-style “civil liberty,” riding roughshod over all precautions and simply opening everything up, could result in between 201,000 and 224,000 deaths in a month or two, with the hospitals completely overwhelmed. Far-fetched? Not at all. The virus is still lurking out there and there’s nothing to stop it spreading through the newly liberated population sooner or later. Only a vaccine can produce herd immunity safely, and that’s a long way off.
...

So in case you were misreading this as a green light to return to normal, put that thought on pause. The slowing of the spread is the result of our collective foot on the brake; release it, and the movement will continue. Flattening the curve is not rationale for stopping the pressure, it is rationale for continuing. Otherwise the gains we’ve made will be lost.
...

The first is what might be called the “force-and-contain” approach. It will initially require not just a flat curve, but zero new cases each day for as long as two incubation periods (about a month), at which time, if verified by intensive random testing, the virus can be assumed to be absent. With borders closed, the clammy, pallid population can be brought blinking into the bright sunshine.
...

It’s essential to understand that a second wave of infections and deaths, however small, is unavoidable because the vast majority of the population are still susceptible, and the virus is still circulating undetectable in apparently healthy citizens. "​

Everything you need to know about herd immunity. Hint: we're a long way off. - Macleans.ca

 

[MsArk]

I noticed I had a bit of a sore throat when I woke this morning but went on to work in my home office as per usual, worked all day. Took a break this afternoon and ended up falling asleep for a couple of hours. Woke up to a temp of 100.1. Not feeling well at all and wondering... did I just pick up covid 19 while on one of my grocery runs. We shall see.

 

[otto]

I noticed I had a bit of a sore throat when I woke this morning but went on to work in my home office as per usual, worked all day. Took a break this afternoon and ended up falling asleep for a couple of hours. Woke up to a temp of 100.1. Not feeling well at all and wondering... did I just pick up covid 19 while on one of my grocery runs. We shall see.

Door handles carry the virus.
I hope it clears by the morning. Stay hydrated.

 

[MsArk]

Door handles carry the virus.
I hope it clears by the morning. Stay hydrated.

Thank you Otto. I am having a hard time falling back to sleep. My legs are killing me. I think I’m off the soak in a hot bath.

 

[otto]

Thank you Otto. I am having a hard time falling back to sleep. My legs are killing me. I think I’m off the soak in a hot bath.

That's not a good sign. Is testing accessible where you live?