Coronavirus COVID-19 *Global Health Emergency* #9

[californiagem]

Same here... it's the best! Did not know its available on amazon. Placing order today...

That stuff is great, and smells delicious!

 

[otto]

America’s top doctor is begging people to stop panic-buying face masks — fearing a shortage could cause an even bigger medical threat.

“Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!” US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams complained Saturday on Twitter.

“They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!”

Adams insisted that “everyday preventive actions” were the “best way to protect yourself,” listing “staying home when you are sick and washing hands with soap and water” and seeking help if you are sick.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/nypo...stop-buying-masks-amid-coronavirus-panic/amp/

Another one of those interesting contradictions! Masks protect health care workers, but they don't protect the general public. Quarantine is required when a city is infected, but not when a country is infected.

 

[MJPeony]

Question for anyone who has visited a medical facility (i.e. doctor's office, hospital, nursing home, etc.) recently: What specific practices are underway for screening of patients and/or visitors?

SBM

Not much at all from my experience the past week. I was at two separate health care facilities last week- one for myself and one for my child. San Francisco for one and Santa Clara County for the other.

Only thing I saw was a sign stuck to the cabinets behind the desk with the words “coronavirus alert” and a little cartoon saying to let the reception know if you’ve been traveling by plane recently and have a cough. Now let’s let that all sink in... Peanuts.

The following is entirely MOO and meant to give you MY perspective on this as it pertains to Silicon Valley/Santa Clara County/San Francisco:

I cannot overstate how little I think is being/has been done here to prevent the spread of this virus. I say this with due respect because I live here: I do believe the arrogance of Silicon Valley going to bite itself in the arse. Big time. That is the attitude I’m seeing here.

Lots of patronizing and criticism of people who are taking this seriously. Lots of “so ridiculous, it’s just the flu!” and “it’s terrible to be teaching our kids to panic- mountain out of a molehill.” I’ve also seen some making fun of others online for the people who are stocking up on toilet paper and food, etc.

Many ”movers and shakers” think they are invincible. And they rely on their own success and brains to get them to the top. To close schools and to take more “drastic” measures comes across as WEAK to many of these people. And it makes them feel things aren’t in their control. Movers and shakers are used to being in control, so denial of something bigger than themselves can be their default.

I think this attitude will, and has already, contributed to this virus epidemic that we will have here locally.

Again, this is only MY perspective as I’ve tried to get my head around my community’s lack of adequate response in the past 3 weeks.

************
In other news, I’m still trying to confirm more details on our latest confirmed case and the kids who are under mandatory quarantine. I did get a notice yesterday that the school is being deep-cleaned this weekend. I have to say I am really not liking that I have to send my kids there tomorrow.

 

[Henry2326]

Nigeria identifies 100 who may have been exposed to coronavirus patient Nigeria identifies 100 who may have been exposed to coronavirus patient Reuters on Twitter

Reuters on Twitter

 

[justbeachy]

This is hand cream we use at my hospital. I love it!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AJWQKE...olid=292CYT43P45P4&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Just ordered one to test it out...thank you!

 

[enelram]

Another one of those interesting contradictions! Masks protect health care workers, but they don't protect the general public. Quarantine is required when a city is infected, but not when a country is infected.

Yup, one huge lesson I hope we all learn from this is, Don't believe Everything Your Leaders
are Telling you. "Think for Yourself" and learn
Critical Thinking skills.

 

[NoSI]

Telehealth can help fight coronavirus, but there are obstacles in the U.S.

We use telehealth to complete psych evals in 2 of our sister hospitals. A telecart is wheeled into the pts room and we sit at the computer in our office. We have been doing this for many month. I totally agree that telehealth can be valuable tool and can be utilized successfully in most situations. However, there are exceptions... Just on Friday we had patient in catatonic state and a sound eval was not possible via telepsych. Also it gets very difficult when pt is spanish speaking only (or any other language).... especially on weekends when we dont have in-person translators. There are limitations, but we have to maximize it's utilization without a doubt.

 

[KALI]

Does anyone understand why Italy's cases seem to be so many?

BREAKING: Italy reports 449 new cases of coronavirus and 5 new deaths, raising total to 1,577 cases and 34 dead Tracking coronavirus: Map, data and timeline
https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1234165644792389632?s=19

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Nothing, as far as I know. There should be more public information out, that if you feel "sick", stay home, and call in to an 800 number for next steps.

That would go very far in containment.

Our doctors/dentist always call patients with reminder about appointments (usually the day before). Some are robocalls but most are a real person. In either case, I think it might be helpful for the caller to tell patients to cancel appointment if they're unwell and to reschedule at a later date.

 

[Alathea]

Yeah, honestly I just came across a CDC report on that earlier this evening but was too bummed to post it right then.

Sigh:

“Update: February 14, 2020

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Prevention steps for
People with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 (including persons under investigation) who do not need to be hospitalized

and

People with confirmed COVID-19 who were hospitalized and determined to be medically stable to go home

Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home

People: As much as possible, you should stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home. Also, you should use a separate bathroom, if available.

Animals: You should restrict contact with pets and other animals while you are sick with COVID-19, just like you would around other people. Although there have not been reports of pets or other animals becoming sick with COVID-19, it is still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus. When possible, have another member of your household care for your animals while you are sick. If you are sick with COVID-19, avoid contact with your pet, including petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked, and sharing food. If you must care for your pet or be around animals while you are sick, wash your hands before and after you interact with pets and wear a facemask. See COVID-19 and Animals for more information.”

——-

This advice from the CDC makes no sense to me (not your fault as the poster, of course, Margarita! )

If I'm sick, and have been living with our pets throughout, and the symptoms take weeks to appear, then the pets likely already are carrying the virus, if they in fact can even do so.

So to then give the pet to another healthy family member to take care of (and likely spread the disease) makes no sense to me. I'd rather keep it all in one household and quarantine the pets along with myself or whoever is sick.

JMO.

 

[otto]

A full month after WHO was first notified, and one week after Wuhan city was quarantined, the WHO announced a public health concern. I think the WHO has been remiss in their role to alert, inform, and act in time to prevent this global problem. Perhaps their priority to preserve global economies has backfired, especially given last week's stock market response.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak in China—Summary of a China CDC Report

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Does anyone understand why Italy's cases seem to be so many?

? That it was in the country and not caught until was there 14 days or so later, when pt. was very ill yet had been passing along and was spreading for that long?

The downsides of not doing surveillance,

or like Washington State just said... only testing (and following?) those that have symptoms that were contacts of the original case that was caught? And by then... 3 more generations of infections that they cannot keep up with as to containment and isolation?

Those are just two guesses.

 

[KALI]

So glad I found this thread and did my shopping last week! Btw. If your store is out of tolite paper, buy boxes of tissues.

Coronavirus fears send West Coast shoppers into panic

Panicked shoppers have been clearing shelves though fears that they could soon be forced to self-quarantine at home if the coronavirus spreads.

Photos on social media show empty shelves and shoppers with carts piled high with water, canned foods and household needs like toilet paper, along with cleaning products such as Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer.

The panic is most frenzied in the West Coast, especially California and Seattle, both the areas hardest hit by the 71 cases confirmed in the US by Sunday morning, including the first confirmed death.

A Costco in Oregon ran out of toilet paper for the first time in its history, employees told MyNorthwest, saying the last few days had been the busiest they had ever seen, surpassing even prep for the holidays.

“Toilet paper is golden in an apocalypse,” one Costco employee told the site.

It’s not just the US epicenter of COVID-19 that has gone into panic, however, with USA Today reporting wild scenes and long lines at a Costco in Hawaii.

“Local health officials told us not to panic buy and not to freak out … and that was enough to get us to go out and buy everything,” shopper Ryan Ozawa, 45, told the paper.

https://nypost.com/2020/03/01/coronavirus-fears-send-west-coast-shoppers-into-panic/

 

[book-thinker]

Two dozen first responders quarantined for possible coronavirus
two dozen emergency workers are off the job--- as they're monitored for possible exposure.
By: KIRO 7 News Staff
Updated: February 29, 2020 - 10:28 PM
KING COUNTY, Wash. — Two dozen emergency workers are off the job as they are being monitored for possible exposure to the coronavirus.

Earlier Saturday evening, KIRO 7 was told it was seven fighters but that number climbed to 25, adding two police officers who are being quarantined.

Fire station 21 in Kirkland has a sign up tell people to keep out, including firefighters based there.

Content Continues Below
Each firefighter is believed to have possibly come in contact with the coronavirus at Life Care Center.
Now the situation has resources being stretched thin.
**********

In my opinion. Emergency workers should have been wearing masks before entering Life Care Center. I know standard
emergency procedure is to wear gloves but with the possible exposure to the coronavirus it also should've been
in place.

I just want to bury my head in the sand!
Instead for the next hour I will sit down with my cup of coffee and read my current novel "The Hangman's Daughter" by Oliver Potzsch. A mystery set in the middle 1600s.

 

[FrostOwl]

This seems to be the only benefit of the CoViD-19 epidemic, the level of pollution in China have dropped dramatically during the last month: https://nypost.com/2020/02/29/stunn...llution-over-china-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/
Hopefully the lesser amount of pollution in the air will also help that people with breathing problems due to pollutants will have less problems if/when they get the virus.

 

[badgersmythe]

World coronavirus death toll passes 3,000 death toll rises to 34


World coronavirus death toll passes 3,000 | Daily Mail Online

 

[Henry2326]

Two new confirmed coronavirus cases in the Seattle area at two new hospitals Mike Baker on Twitter

Mike Baker on Twitter

 

[otto]

Does anyone understand why Italy's cases seem to be so many?

Speculating, but early identification, containment and tracing movement of infected patients seems to be the only way to stop the virus. In some cases, that means tracing two weeks of movement for infected patients. Italy was unable to get ahead of it.

Unfortunately, it's quite likely that infected people are traveling from high risk areas (China, Iran, South Korea) to other areas because they expect better health treatment.

For example, an infected 34 year old Iranian woman flew from Iran to Qatar, Denmark and Toronto on Feb 25/26. She traveled business class, was not wearing a face mask, and then took a public shuttle bus to the York Region. She reported the illness on Feb 27.

I think it's quite likely that she booked last minute flights because she was sick, and perhaps believed that being sick in an area with few cases is better than being sick in Iran. Imagine all the people she encountered during her travels, knowing she was sick, and all the planes that were not disinfected after she spread germs on those planes. Her priority is her health, with no concern for anyone else.

 

[Henry2326]

NEW: France reports 30 new cases of coronavirus, raising total to 130 Tracking coronavirus: Map, data and timeline

BNO Newsroom on Twitter

 

[weepingangel]

Thank you. I’ve been looking for the updates from the nursing home.
As well as the healthcare workers in CA
Officials working to ID health care workers exposed to Solano Co. coronavirus patient

Two dozen first responders quarantined for possible coronavirus
two dozen emergency workers are off the job--- as they're monitored for possible exposure.
By: KIRO 7 News Staff
Updated: February 29, 2020 - 10:28 PM
KING COUNTY, Wash. — Two dozen emergency workers are off the job as they are being monitored for possible exposure to the coronavirus.

Earlier Saturday evening, KIRO 7 was told it was seven fighters but that number climbed to 25, adding two police officers who are being quarantined.

Fire station 21 in Kirkland has a sign up tell people to keep out, including firefighters based there.

Content Continues Below
Each firefighter is believed to have possibly come in contact with the coronavirus at Life Care Center.
Now the situation has resources being stretched thin.
**********

In my opinion. Emergency workers should have been wearing masks before entering Life Care Center. I know standard
emergency procedure is to wear gloves but with the possible exposure to the coronavirus it also should've also been
in place.

I just want to bury my head in the sand!
Instead for the next hour I will sit down with my cup of coffee and read my current novel "The Hangman's Daughter" by Oliver Potzsch. A mystery set in the middle 1600s.