Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #90

[dixiegirl1035]

SSA field offices have been closed since March of last year. If you need to do a name change, correction, etc - you can mail in a form plus multiple documents to include your drivers license and your passport. Originals.
Photo copies are not accepted.

Forget calling, it’s like the IRS.

I can’t get my DL renewed online, tried multiple times and website says I have to make an appointment when the office reopens.
Geez, who knows when that will be.

I had to apply for SSA and started 6 months prior due to COVID. Luckily, I had been in there a year prior and had an account... that was messed up as to me doing it online. I took over 3 months to get straightened out so that I could file for my SS.

I know that many states are doing extensions as to drivers licencse... Jeeez. Such a stretch for all and they are having to do with reduced fundings and .... are they laying off their employees who used to be customer facing.

So so so many affected due to this awful pandemic and virus.

As we are learning now, so very very many thought at the outset if would wean after 2-3 months and bet the bank on it. Yet others in science said "it's not an adenovirus or such... it's a coranavirus..."... and even then many in high up knew of SARS and others that were a flash and then disappeared.

I.GET.THAT and yet... nope, it's not like that.

I applaud those that can say science is a learning experience everyday, and we must retrench with what we learn.

And I just do not get nor understand once the data changes and more is learned, some need to stick to what was only the data/learning we had 10 months ago.

SMH

 

[Sprockett7701]

TY - I'm aware, haven't noted any side effects I really hate taking any prescription meds but my allergies are unbearable without them.

That’s so good that it works for you, I’ve heard a lot of adults don’t have any side effects from it. I wonder if it effects the chn more because their brains are still developing and it has been found to effect the development of certain parts...way above my pay grade to understand it all, kinda frustrating when you’re trying to figure out if it is the medication or something else causing your 4 yr old to suddenly be devil incarnate... ;-)

 

[dexgirl]

I mailed in my car registration renewal form in November. The Ohio DMV does not have a record of it yet. They stated that with the USPS mail issue and Covid-related delays it is taking approx 10 weeks to receive an updated vehicle registration. Luckily, our Governor DeWine signed a bill that automatically extends my expiration date to 7/1/2021.

Heads up! Just checked my bank account and I received the second stimulus check last night! Not that this money goes that far...

 

[imstilla.grandma]

New coronavirus variant reported in Florida, marking nation’s 3rd confirmed case | KXAN Austin

eta: I just logged into my bank account and my stimulus has already hit. Surprise for me. I need it. For silly things like food, electricity, gas and water.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Yep, my new grandson, born in May, never received his social security card, which is required for insurance. Daughter-in-law spent the longest time trying to get a human to understand that she couldn't tell them his social security number because they'd never received it. Finally had to send in the multiple documents, including his birth certificate and her passport. During the time when we were hearing all about the US Mail being slow and losing things. Took about six weeks and they finally got it last week.

Oh my goodness. Things are so complicated these days! I’m just not comfortable mailing in my drivers license unless I have a duplicate. You have to show a valid ID for so many things.
Speed bumps in life during a pandemic!

 

[shadowdancer]

Hi Shadowdancer, so sorry to hear about your test result. I am sure I had it in March and I was scared too. Do you have a pulse oximeter? If not, worth investing 20 quid or so and you can get them on Prime next day. That will give you peace of mind, to keep an eye on your oxygen levels. If that drops below 95%, you would phone 111. My legs and back ached quite badly, so make sure you have paracetamol to hand - mine came from Amazon again. You may lose your appetite but just drink plenty of fluids and have little snacks.

I'm in Buckinghamshire and I'm guessing you are most likely in a tier 4 area yourself too, as most of us are now here.

You are v welcome to message me.

Look after yourself

HKP

Thank you so much, I have purchased a pulse oximeter, new thermometer and more supplements.

I already have loads of paracetamol so thats one positive. I haven't got much of an appetite right now, and I am feeling dehydrated despite drinking loads.

I am still tier 3, although we are bordered by various tier 4 areas, so tier 4 is probably inevitable for our area.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I have been taking vitamin D3 since April so hopefully my levels of that are good. I will look online to buy the other supplements you mentioned as I want to take anything that may help.

I have shared this youtube from Dr. Roger Seuheult, a pulmanologist on the front lines, with many people who wanted to know more about supplements. He goes through his daily regimen to protect against Covid.... it is really informative, and you will learn about the supplements that doctors take. (the numbers data is obviously out of date however, since this was created in April 2020.)

 

[nightowl1975]

Interesting discussion that UK has decided to ????off label??? have 3 months between first and second dose for vaccine.

He says looking at data on Oxford vaccine, Dr. Campbell agrees with this as first dose keeps folks out of the hospital which is most important right now at first, and then delay to give "better" immunity. He thinks that they should do this with the Pfizer vaccine also.

ETA: Looking forward to January 4th Youtube with Dr. Campbell and Dr. Seheult from MedCram. No time yet announced for the release, but 1,208 questions/comments they are soliciting for their feed that day at https://www.youtube.com/post/UgztzMxKI_1i4AmPIrV4AaABCQ

I am so glad the medical community didn’t dismiss even asking the QUESTION of if we should consider giving more people one dose of vaccine vs holding back the second dose for those vaccinated, effectively cutting in half the number of people who can have ANY protection. I believe it was the Florida governor who asked a similar question and when I agreed it was at least worth considering the question, the reaction here was honestly quite ridiculous. We are in the middle of a pandemic with so little that is known. Asking questions is how we learn, and IMO, we have to consider all sorts of things that aren’t ideal in order to get through this with the least amount of damage.

It doesn’t surprise me that it might make sense to vaccinate twice as many people with one dose vs half as many people with two doses when the total number of vaccines is so small.

 

[margarita25]

A tearful New Year’s Day wish for all, as we head into 2021 at this very awful stage in the pandemic, a year later, with cases and deaths surging in areas both nationally and globally, that we stay strong and committed to protecting ourselves and each other from this awful disease. Do not let pandemic fatigue get the best of you, leading to the making a careless decision - hang in there, double down, we’re getting there with the vaccines.

Thank you for being here this year, as we navigated and learned together, and continue to do so.

It’s going to be rough for a while still, sadly. Thank you @dixiegirl1035 and all of those committed to keeping the science, education and support flowing in these threads.

To all of you who have been ill, who are ill, and who may become ill, who have family members and friends who became ill, sending well wishes and healing thoughts for all of you. I also worry about some members who haven’t checked in in a while and hope that we will hear from some of them.

We will get through this together, hang in there. (Sob)

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Doctors at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children first reported a rise in child abuse cases at the beginning of the pandemic and say it’s only gotten worse since then as the children they’re treating have gotten younger, and their injuries, more severe.

Almost all infants and toddlers,” says Dr. Donald Plumley, Director of Pediatric Trauma at Arnold Palmer Hospital. “The ones we’re seeing are young and severely abused, which is the sad part.”

Dr. Plumley says he first noticed more children being admitted to APH with severe injuries in March, and the trend has only continued, as their typical number of severe abuse cases has doubled.

“And what has us really concerned is there’s probably the silent amount of other children that are being abused, not to the point that they require critical care, whether being verbally or physically,” Dr. Plumley says. “A bruise, a black eye, would be noticed by a teacher and we’re really missing out on those.”
Reports of ‘severe’ child abuse cases have doubled during the pandemic, doctors say

 

[MimosaMornings]

United House of Prayer hosting another major event | wcnc.com

“As state health officials warn against large gatherings to ring in 2021, WCNC Charlotte has learned a local church is hosting a gathering that’s expected to bring out hundreds of attendees.

House of Prayer churches from all over the area are expected to bring in members in by the busloads.

“It’s going to be a large crowd It’s going to be at least 500 plus," said a member who spoke anonymously and exclusively to WCNC Charlotte's Billie Jean Shaw Thursday.

According to the Mecklenburg County Health Department, at least 208 COVID-19 cases and nine deaths were traced back to the event.

WCNC Charlotte obtained letters the bishop sent to members encouraging them to attend the mass gatherings despite peaking COVID cases across the country. WCNC Charlotte also obtained audio of Bishop Bailey telling a congregation he healed them from COVID-19.”

Here we go again....like 208 cases and 9 deaths weren’t enough from the last event.

United House of Prayer hosting another major event | wcnc.com

“They have something call Daddy's Club which is $2,000 per member. The whole thing is about money. He just wants them there for money," said the member.”
——-
I have a friend and mother who got Covid from their home helper - who went to the first event and bragged about “Daddy” curing everyone of Covid.
My friends mother is still in the hospital.
Guess she’s not cured because she didn’t write that check.

We can shut down indoor dining at restaurants, close gyms, work remotely and do curbside pickup but we can’t do anything about superspreading church events - especially the same churches that KEEP doing it again and again.

JMO

 

[nhmemorymaker]

You have 1492 deaths. I'm not sure where you're getting your figures.

<modsnip>

As of yesterday, Dec 30, San Diego county had 1472 total deaths (about 3.5X more than you're stating).

And then, your math is really really questionable. First, only 152,000 San Diego County residents have had Covid! That's good!

But it's only because San Diego took measures to repress and mitigate it.

Of the San Diegans who got COVID, about 1% died!!! Not .0009%

Can you imagine if everyone in your area got COVID? I hope so - because that's where we might be going.

Still, it's true that 1% is a far better number than in South Dakota or North Dakota or my county or the USA as a whole. Yay. But it's only because San Diego has shut down and been sensible

Let's go further. You have 3.3 million people, mostly pretty well-off, and hardly anyone has gotten COVID - yet.

Where's the B.S. in that? No one who studies disease seriously looks at the total available population as a first measure of analysis. We look at how many positive cases and then, how many die (given the medical system in the area).

Once again, SDCounty is lucky - it's had only 152,000 cases. California has had it easy. Take a look at UK or New Jersey. But it means that with 3.3 million people, you have a long, long way to go before this disease rips through your whole population.

1% mortality is great, though. SD did a lot to protect its hospitals and care homes - it shows. But to me, if 1% of my friends and family and students and acquaintances and medical providers...die...that's way too many. That's not B.S.

<modsnip>but thank you for taking all the time, @10ofRods, with all your scientific knowledge.
Thanks, thanks thanks.

Spreading misinformation is just so painful. Facebook pages here are just so awful... I have just stayed off of my local community pages because of so much misinformation that hurts so many people. Opinions are one things, but calling misinformation "facts" has just hurt so many people.
That is why I find this connection to websleuths just so valuable... more truth and international data than anywhere else for me.

I just found out a good friend is in a hospital ICU with Covid... She kept thinking she had pneumonia, and refused to accept it might be Covid.... and now she is having to get blood transfusions. Truly a good person, but she just kept wanting to believe the misinformation, she was hearing too. I kept telling her I could not spend time with her for a while...and now I have to to feel woe and anxiety about her condition.

Guess I am just saying thanks to so many here that have extensive knowledge, and find, connect and post truthful and very helpful information.

Happy New Years to All.... and may we all get our wishes answered--->that 2021 will be better than 2020 .....

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Hi Shadowdancer, so sorry to hear about your test result. I am sure I had it in March and I was scared too. Do you have a pulse oximeter? If not, worth investing 20 quid or so and you can get them on Prime next day. That will give you peace of mind, to keep an eye on your oxygen levels. If that drops below 95%, you would phone 111. My legs and back ached quite badly, so make sure you have paracetamol to hand - mine came from Amazon again. You may lose your appetite but just drink plenty of fluids and have little snacks.

I'm in Buckinghamshire and I'm guessing you are most likely in a tier 4 area yourself too, as most of us are now here.

You are v welcome to message me.

Look after yourself

HKP

Hope some nurses pipe in here..
Oxygen below 95% is not necessarily an emergency call situation. I happened to have a docs appointment when I had heard this same statement before....and she assured me there are lots of people who run lower on oxygen....My oxygen is lower all the time, and I feel no dizziness or whatever...

Best for someone to monitor their own oxygen for a while to test out their own variances.

 

[nightowl1975]

Some healthcare workers refuse to take COVID-19 vaccine, even with priority access
They are frontline workers with top-priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine, but they are refusing to take it.

At St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Tehama County, fewer than half of the 700 hospital workers eligible for the vaccine were willing to take the shot when it was first offered. At Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, one in five frontline nurses and doctors have declined the shot. Roughly 20% to 40% of L.A. County’s frontline workers who were offered the vaccine did the same, according to county public health officials.

So many frontline workers in Riverside County have refused the vaccine — an estimated 50% — that hospital and public officials met to strategize how best to distribute the unused doses, Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari said.

The vaccine doubts swirling among healthcare workers across the country come as a surprise to researchers, who assumed hospital staff would be among those most in tune with the scientific data backing the vaccines.
.

This doesn’t surprise me at all, as it is what I’ve seen among healthcare workers across my company. When I suggested it here as a possibility that a significant number of healthcare workers weren’t going to jump right in line for the vaccine, I was pretty much told what I was seeing must be local or isolated or just people who say one thing but then would actually do another once the vaccine was actually available.

Instead, it looks like what I was seeing and hearing was spot on for what is actually happening in real time today. It was unfortunately much worse than I expected in terms of numbers of healthcare workers refusing the initial vaccine in my company. Only 25% of eligible staff opted to get the vaccine when dose one was offered last week. Some other facilities in my company saw higher participation, but none over 50-60%.

There is some extreme reluctance out there over this vaccine, even among healthcare workers. From what I’ve seen, it’s *mostly* those without a college degree who are outright refusing to be vaccinated, but not all. The lower level the degree, the less likely they are to have been vaccinated as well (so those with an associates were far less likely to get it than those with a bachelors or masters).

 

[musicaljoke]

Interesting to compare other sites in the country, and their health department pages (SD is at https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/cont...Epidemiology/COVID-19_Daily_Status_Update.pdf) . Your dashboard has so much information compared to my county, and impressive contact tracing.

My county is at 0.069% cumulative rate of deaths

I get with your numbers (493/3,460,000) x 100 = 0.014% Am I doing the math wrong?

.....although the above link for San Diego County health department says deaths on last page are 1,534 which would be (1,534/3,460,000) x 100 = 0.044% cumulative rate vs. your calculation of 0.0009%.

Yes, you are doing the math incorrectly for the statistic that you are looking for. The death rate is based on the number of people who became sick, not based on the entire population. So far, it appears that about 3% of people who contact covid have died. That statistic hasn't changed much since the covid rate was first calculated.

With your method of calculating the death rate, the numbers will constantly be rising. You won't know what the death rate is until the entire population has become infected.

With the information about the death rate that we know to be as accurate as we can make it right now, about one person out of every 30. or so. who get sick with covid, will die. God have mercy on us.

Coronavirus Update (Live): 84,137,048 Cases and 1,831,348 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic - Worldometer

But I'm sure that others have chimed in on this too.

 

[margarita25]

United House of Prayer hosting another major event | wcnc.com

“They have something call Daddy's Club which is $2,000 per member. The whole thing is about money. He just wants them there for money," said the member.”
——-
I have a friend and mother who got Covid from their home helper - who went to the first event and bragged about “Daddy” curing everyone of Covid.
My friends mother is still in the hospital.
Guess she’s not cured because she didn’t write that check.

We can shut down indoor dining at restaurants, close gyms, work remotely and do curbside pickup but we can’t do anything about superspreading church events - especially the same churches that KEEP doing it again and again.

JMO

Just think of all the great things some of these superspreader churches could have done with their populous, money and resources - helped with food drives, etc., etc. I’m sure many have done good things, but for those who instead decided to be superspreaders, deny and outright defy public health and safety measures, purposefully contributing to sickness and deaths, what a shameful hypocrisy re: “loving thy neighbor”. What a wasted opportunity for helping as an entity, and beyond disappointment, to put it mildly, jmo.

People have shown their true colors, that’s for sure.

 

[Marysmith]

They probably injected it. Who knows?

They did...

 

[margarita25]

 

[10ofRods]

I am so glad the medical community didn’t dismiss even asking the QUESTION of if we should consider giving more people one dose of vaccine vs holding back the second dose for those vaccinated, effectively cutting in half the number of people who can have ANY protection. I believe it was the Florida governor who asked a similar question and when I agreed it was at least worth considering the question, the reaction here was honestly quite ridiculous. We are in the middle of a pandemic with so little that is known. Asking questions is how we learn, and IMO, we have to consider all sorts of things that aren’t ideal in order to get through this with the least amount of damage.

It doesn’t surprise me that it might make sense to vaccinate twice as many people with one dose vs half as many people with two doses when the total number of vaccines is so small.

Even if it means the people who were already vulnerable will still get very sick and possibly die?

I sure do hope that if the half dose idea takes hold that people realize they still must behave as if they can get COVID - because they can (it'll only be 45-50% effective at preventing COVID) and they will.

What's going to happen is that people will get one dose and then go about as if they are immune (as some people already are, in advance of their second scheduled dose). 1 RN is already positive (not dead) after a first dose, which means he can transmit it to his patients.

Hopefully healthcare workers will at least get it on schedule.

IMO, this scheme will result in thousands of people going back to "normal" behavior despite the fact that only about half of them, or less, have immunity to COVID (hopefully they will get a milder case).

The hard part about this decision, from my POV is that the entire system was designed so that people's immune systems were primed for a higher dose of the vaccine - and the timing of that second dose was supposed to be around the time that the first dose was providing its peak (but weak) immunity.

By waiting 12 weeks, that advantage may be lost, and so the larger dose may give people more reactions than expected. That was the whole point of the divided dose. Many people will end up getting their second dose at a point in time when the first dose's effectiveness is waning. The 95% effectiveness will never be reached in that population, as the "priming" process of the first dose will be gone.

In fact, people who wait months for the second dose may in fact need a third one, according to what I'm reading. Of course no one knows, as no one has studied or tested that.

It's so hard for me to believe that lay people are now rigging a non-scientifically analyzed solution, when the available data for best practice says otherwise.

TL;DR: waiting 3 months for a second dose may not improve immunity past 50-55%...so half the population will still be getting COVID and transmitting it, despite all the money put into the vaccines...

 

[nightowl1975]

Even if it means the people who were already vulnerable will still get very sick and possibly die?

I sure do hope that if the half dose idea takes hold that people realize they still must behave as if they can get COVID - because they can (it'll only be 45-50% effective at preventing COVID) and they will.

What's going to happen is that people will get one dose and then go about as if they are immune (as some people already are, in advance of their second scheduled dose). 1 RN is already positive (not dead) after a first dose, which means he can transmit it to his patients.

Hopefully healthcare workers will at least get it on schedule.

IMO, this scheme will result in thousands of people going back to "normal" behavior despite the fact that only about half of them, or less, have immunity to COVID (hopefully they will get a milder case).

The hard part about this decision, from my POV is that the entire system was designed so that people's immune systems were primed for a higher dose of the vaccine - and the timing of that second dose was supposed to be around the time that the first dose was providing its peak (but weak) immunity.

By waiting 12 weeks, that advantage may be lost, and so the larger dose may give people more reactions than expected. That was the whole point of the divided dose. Many people will end up getting their second dose at a point in time when the first dose's effectiveness is waning. The 95% effectiveness will never be reached in that population, as the "priming" process of the first dose will be gone.

In fact, people who wait months for the second dose may in fact need a third one, according to what I'm reading. Of course no one knows, as no one has studied or tested that.

It's so hard for me to believe that lay people are now rigging a non-scientifically analyzed solution, when the available data for best practice says otherwise.

TL;DR: waiting 3 months for a second dose may not improve immunity past 50-55%...so half the population will still be getting COVID and transmitting it, despite all the money put into the vaccines...

It may prove to be a terrible idea. My point was we won’t know unless someone asks the questions and medical doctors and scientists who do medical research actually look at finding an answer.

Unfortunately, with the disaster roll-outs we’ve been reading about in many states, I suspect we may find out whether we want to or not when there’s not enough second doses available in a timely manner to vaccinate all of those who have already gotten the first dose. Time will tell.

Also, one crucial thing to note and emphasize with everyone regarding the comment that a nurse who got the vaccine now has covid.... many take this to mean either she got covid from the vaccine (impossible with this vaccine) or that the vaccine clearly doesn’t work at all if people are still getting covid (we cannot possibly judge this vaccines effectiveness mere days after it being administered, it’s not immediately effective).