Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #87

[acutename]

I still don't get what people think our options are? I get lock downs are hard. Masks aren't hard but all people won't do even that willingly.

But what exactly do people think should be done if our hospitals are crushed under the weight of sick and dying people? Just ignore it? Let the sick just lay in the hallways on gurneys? Just hope there are enough refrigerated morgue trucks to go around?

We can't actually force what healthcare workers we do have to work endlessly because people aren't willing to forgo things. You run out of enough health care workers. Some die. Some get sick. Some go into quarantine.

Imagine the hospital system in all 50 states overwhelmed. So what do we do? Just keep saying everyone has the right to go out without a mask, and do whatever the heck they think falls under their personal liberty while expecting the medical system to be there for them? We can't divert healthcare workers around the country if the whole country is under tremendous pressure. There are actual limits to what we can handle. We can't train enough doctors or respiratory therapists that quickly.

Are people's actual lives just not worth as much as being able to go wherever you want? Does someone who refuses to help prevent a catastrophe even deserve to receive limited care? Should a younger person who wouldn't wear a mask really get prioritized over an older person who wore a mask and got sick anyway while doing what was medically necessary like seeing a doctor? We don't have unlimited medical resources in this country. We will be rationing care at this rate.

this is New York in April in the rest of the country. the crazy thing is that the virus does not really care where you live... it spreads.

 

[GRT]

I am in no way saying lockdowns don’t work. What I am saying is if people are FOR lockdowns then they MUST be willing to forfeit certain things.
EXCEPT for those in high risk groups everyone should be willing to get their own groceries and come right home, hang out with ONLY those you live with, forgo gatherings, and abstain from attending church. We can’t have it both ways.

I think grocery delivery is safer than going to the store, because with delivery, you have less person to person contact. The delivery person can knock and leave the box on the steps. Payment is online or over the phone via credit card.

Grocery stores are hot spots for the virus, so keeping as many folks out as possible is probably a good idea.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Gov. Charlie Baker reiterates that children should be in classrooms as he tours Carlisle school
More at link
Last week, Baker, Riley and Peyser doubled down on their push for districts to bring students back into classrooms during the coronavirus pandemic. Announcing updated guidance, the officials said districts should prioritize in-person learning as long as there is no evidence of in-school spread of COVID-19, even if a community is designated at “high risk” for spreading the virus.


Baker touted some of the ways Carlisle has adapted to bring students into classrooms during the pandemic, aside from the more obvious and required measures like mask-wearing and hand-washing. For example, Carlisle has four shifts for lunch, Baker said, with students eating in the classroom or cafeteria based on shift.


“I’m sure that that is a big change from the way things used to work,” Baker said. “The classrooms themselves, it’s pretty obvious that you’re using every single square inch of space that’s available in those classrooms to create the kind of distance you want to create for the kids.”


Baker noted that every child the officials saw during their tour of the school was wearing a mask. The students did not seem stressed by the requirement, Baker said, adding “which makes them a lot more mature than many of the adults that I know.”


Fwiw
Carlisle district <600 students
Enrollment Data (2017-18) - Carlisle School (00510025)

Carlisle, Massachusetts - Wikipedia


Our district has over 25,000
students. (And our demographics are very different than Carlisle) Kinda oranges to apples imo

Right...apples and oranges. I would think the governor should be spending time in Lawrence, Lowell or Chelmsford to see how in-school is working out for those kids. Carlyle is probably the least populated town in the greater 495 Belt...

 

[dixiegirl1035]

I don't understand the rationale about what gets "shut down" and what "stays open". When my state was "shut down" it seemed like business as usual. Almost every single business had some sort of "exemption".
1. Hardware stores, Home Depot.
2. Craft stores, Hobby Lobby
3. Auto parts, Napa
4. Construction jobs kept on going
5. Bike shops, sure, go buy a bike
6. Wine shops, must have WINE!
7. Expensive coffee and bakery shops. Can't go without Starbucks!
8. Kitchen store, Williams-Somoma, in case there was a "ravioli machine" emergency!

On and on...we never really had a "lock down". And now, this is our reward.

Did your infections not decrease?

 

[nhmemorymaker]

No surprise here

Yeah....

I just thought how this related to parents worried sick about keeping their jobs and keeping kids in school, and making it all work...

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Here's what the ND Nurses Association thinks about his knucklehead announcement:
ND nurses reject policy allowing COVID-positive medical workers to stay on job, call for mask mandate | Grand Forks Herald

It's a shame they didn't respond until it hit them as this has been on the book for many many months as we have discussed here in the threads.

It's awful that there wasn't an outcry for all way back. This United States is so divisional.. and there needs to be a voice for all to stand up. I can't recall if the entire group of nursing nationwide (have no idea what that organization may be) did such. It's so piecemeal MOO

 

[dixiegirl1035]

It is Friday evening here ... and what was one of the leading headlines on Australian TV news?

"America has a frightening new peak in daily covid cases"

Expect the same headline for the next 3 months? Every.single.day?

 

[nhmemorymaker]

IDK how much good it will do but I ordered 3 plug in air purifiers/sanitizers with UV lights to plug in near all our exterior doors. I figure every little bit helps.

hmmmm ... Can you explain more. Sounds interesting....

 

[GRT]

California has now followed Texas ....

California has become the second US state — behind Texas — to eclipse a million known cases, while the US has surpassed 10 million infections, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The nation's most populous state — with 40 million residents — ranks 39th nationwide in the number of cases per 100,000 residents.

The timeline of COVID-19 in America often comes back to California.
The February 6 death of a San Jose woman is the first known coronavirus fatality in the US.
That same month, California recorded the first US case not related to travel and the first infection spread within the community.

California hits grim 1 million COVID-19 case milestone, while virus surges in the US Midwest

I remembering wondering whether the virus was moving around before the first California case. I've mentioned before that my sister is a national Hospice nurse, and in January, she was jetting all over the country, visiting various Hospices. She flew in and out of Atlanta (an international hub), and at the end of January, she got really sick with a fever and respiratory infection that kept her home for over a week.

There were no tests available back then but she said it was "different" from previous times when she got the flu. Plus, she had a flu shot last year. The other Hospice nurse she travels with was also sick at the same time with the same thing so they probably picked it on while traveling. Maybe just a strong flu. Who knows? But, we've wondered.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Fauci opposes nationwide lockdown: 'We can turn this around'

"You can get a lot done without necessarily locking down if you adhere to the fundamental principles that many of us, myself included, have been talking about for quite a while now," Fauci said.

While Fauci did not take the possibility of a lockdown off the table, he advised that the "consequences of a lockdown from an economic as well as a...morale standpoint are very, very important."

In addition to millions of job losses during the pandemic, studies have shown COVID-19 lockdowns contributed to widespread negative mental health outcomes.

Fauci opposes nationwide lockdown: 'We can turn this around'

"lockdown" is really such an ambiguous term these days....
I think we know soooooooooo much more than we did back in the winter/spring months.

But even back then, "essential" businesses were basically everything except restaurants, bars and movie theaters...
Even my Doggy Day Care was considered essential!!!!

However, Fauci is certainly firm on the basics...

Specifically, Fauci urged the "uniform wearing of masks," physical distancing, avoiding congregate settings, avoiding crowds, doing things outside instead of indoors and regularly washing hands. He noted that wearing a mask and physical distancing were the most effective means to prevent infection.


If we can just get the mask and distancing thing done...... it will help.
And family gatherings............. Thanksgiving has never been so dangerous...........

 

[GRT]

-----respectfully snipped for focus-----

Thanksgiving has never been so dangerous...........

This! I love Thanksgiving, but I love my family more and if we miss one -- it's okay.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

There is fresh hope surrounding an Australian-made coronavirus vaccine, with early results showing its effectiveness on the elderly.

So far, results are showing the vaccine to be safe and effective in producing virus-neutralising antibodies among elderly participants taking part in a trial.

Trials are ahead of schedule, but it remains unclear when the formula will be completed and ready for use.

Infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin said it was good news this vaccine was seeing positive results among the elderly.

Queensland's coronavirus vaccine showing promising early results

I have felt that the Australian vaccine is just quietly moving forward.... not as much hoopla as the ones in the US and the UK.

Dixiegirl has helped decipher some of the data within the Pfizer documentation. I think we are going to be in total confusion as we get closer to having these vaccines.

How different will they be, stacked up against each other?
Who will get which ones?
I believe some of the billions that the US government has put into Hydroxiwhatever, Remdesiver, various vaccines... were to be more for US markets. Pfizer will do no such thing.
The vaccine differences and the massive supply chain complexities are going to dominate our minds in the future!!!

 

[mickey2942]

This! I love Thanksgiving, but I love my family more and if we miss one -- it's okay.

This. We already knew that holidays were out this year. Hoping next year will be wonderful. We will all have a vaccine, and be able to throw away the masks. Fingers crossed.

 

[Knitty]

This was posted long ago, by one of the greats, probably dixie or 10ofrods. I saved it so I could send it for Thanksgiving. Calculate your risk. Make sure you look at the counties where your guests are coming from. Risk for my county for regular Thanksgiving group is 15%. But the people that come to our house live in counties that range from 33% to 69%. We're not risking it.

COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool

 

[Lilibet]

I am so, so sorry to hear of the bad shape of your county.
I know you will be doing all you can to stay safe.

I was on FB today and saw a post from western NY saying how 'it shouldn't be allowed' that people should have to stay apart for Thanksgiving. And I wondered what kind of alternate reality that (highly educated) person lives in. They are a professor/councellor at a community college.

Thanks so much @SouthAussie! Yes, we are tightening up even more, if that’s possible, and assuming everyone has Covid.

There’s a lot of alternate reality surrounding holiday gatherings as if they have some magical way of not causing infections! I think holidays and other celebrations have been our nemesis. People aren’t willing to make a sacrifice and get creative on zoom.

 

[Shelby1]

I live very rural and have always ordered a lot online from Amazon etc. I usually put a big sign out on my porch with a big box of snacks thanking the wonderful delivery people starting right after Thanksgiving and going through until after Christmas. I ordered an array of snacks ranging from crackers and chips to cookies and candy. Then it struck me that DUH I can't do that this year . I buy a huge array because I don't know who might have a peanut allergy or needs something gluten free. I can't think of a way to safely do it because I can't bag individual "packages" up not knowing what people like and or their dietary restrictions. I know in the big picture that this isn't that big of a deal, but I'm bummed that I can't bring a little brightness to the wonderful people that bring things to my door. Last year a couple of Fed Ex guys came, very late in the evening to deliver something and I offered them the box and told them to take however much they wanted. One of them gave me a hug he was so excited. Made my week. And now that's taken away too unless I can think of a safe way to do it......

 

[dspdenver]

Americans likely to attend large holiday gatherings despite COVID-19, survey finds

[A new national survey by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center finds that although a majority of Americans plan to take precautions at holiday gatherings, such as social distancing and asking those with COVID symptoms not to attend, many will also put themselves at risk. Nearly two in five report they will likely attend a gathering with more than 10 people and a third will not ask guests to wear masks.]

 

[dspdenver]

The Strategic Stockpile failed; experts propose new approach to emergency preparedness

[A new analysis of the United States government's response to COVID-19 highlights myriad problems with an approach that relied, in large part, on international supply chains and the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). A panel of academic and military experts is instead calling for a more dynamic, flexible approach to emergency preparedness at the national level.]

 

[margarita25]

I live very rural and have always ordered a lot online from Amazon etc. I usually put a big sign out on my porch with a big box of snacks thanking the wonderful delivery people starting right after Thanksgiving and going through until after Christmas. I ordered an array of snacks ranging from crackers and chips to cookies and candy. Then it struck me that DUH I can't do that this year . I buy a huge array because I don't know who might have a peanut allergy or needs something gluten free. I can't think of a way to safely do it because I can't bag individual "packages" up not knowing what people like and or their dietary restrictions. I know in the big picture that this isn't that big of a deal, but I'm bummed that I can't bring a little brightness to the wonderful people that bring things to my door. Last year a couple of Fed Ex guys came, very late in the evening to deliver something and I offered them the box and told them to take however much they wanted. One of them gave me a hug he was so excited. Made my week. And now that's taken away too unless I can think of a safe way to do it......

This is very thoughtful of you.

The Strategic Stockpile failed; experts propose new approach to emergency preparedness

[A new analysis of the United States government's response to COVID-19 highlights myriad problems with an approach that relied, in large part, on international supply chains and the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). A panel of academic and military experts is instead calling for a more dynamic, flexible approach to emergency preparedness at the national level.]

"When COVID-19 hit, the U.S. was unable to provide adequate testing supplies and equipment, unable to provide adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), and didn't have a functioning plan," says Rob Handfield, first author of the study and Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at North Carolina State University.

"The SNS hadn't replenished some of its supplies since the H1N1 pandemic in 2009-10. Many of its supplies were expired. And there was no clear leadership. Federal authorities punted problems to the states, leaving states to fight each other for limited resources. And the result was chaos.

"We need to be talking about this now, because the nation needs to be better prepared next time. And there is always a next time."

To that end, Handfield and collaborators from NC State, Arizona State University, the Naval Postgraduate School and the Air Force's Contracting Career Field Management Team came together to outline the components that are necessary to ensure that there is an adequate federal response to future health crises. They determined that an effective federal program needs to address five criteria: (outlined at link)

 

[sds71]

More than 130 Secret Service officers are said to be infected with coronavirus or quarantining

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...9-11eb-8672-c281c7a2c96e_story.html?tid=ss_tw