Coronavirus - COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #27

[Trident]

Can our plant herbs in a sunny window ?

Yes, you can. However, it is better to keep them in the dark until they sprout. After that be sure they have ample water. Sunlight, coming through glass, is very hot and strong. Just be sure not to drown them.

 

[MajorHoople]

Some people pulled up in front of my house and went next door. Came out with camping gear, fishing nets and a long gun. Loaded up and took off.

Did they look like burglars? Did you call the police?

 

[Henry2326]

McDonald’s closes dining rooms across the country amid COVID-19 pandemic McDonald’s closes dining rooms across the country amid COVID-19 pandemic Live5News on Twitter

Live5News on Twitter

STAY HOME, SAVE LIVES

 

[BeckyF]

I'm so sorry. These are scary times. A friend just posted about her father's bypass being canceled. Again, that's something he needs. I'm very worried myself because I have ongoing medical needs that require testing regularly in a hospital lab. I can't risk coronavirus though. What are we supposed to do?

I think at this point just take 1 day at a time. Honestly, if I have a heart condition and need treatment, I'll risk getting the virus. I might die from either one. There are only 2 cases in my state.

 

[LadyL]

Every single time they say don't touch your face I am literally touching my face as I sit at the computer with my chin in my hand, the other hand on the mouse.

yep me too

 

[Mimi in London]

I thought they decided to give up on containment?

Nope, they just had a particular strategy about timing.

WASHINGTON

Seattle is prohibiting public visitors to its police precincts and headquarters
Effective Immediately: Police Precincts and Headquarters Closed to Public Mike Baker on Twitter

Mike Baker on Twitter

STAY HOME, SAVE LIVES

Gosh, yes. Good idea.

 

[SkylarSid]

Frustration... personal story...
Unfortunately, a close relative is a believer in his rights. He doesn’t think any government has the right to tell him he can’t go to a restaurant. Not able to even discuss this with him - gets angry.

Told him about Jack Ma’s donation to the US of a million masks and test kits - after this relative’s anti- Chinese tantrum. Jack Ma is Chinese. Of course, this relative had no idea Jack Ma is co-founder of Alibaba and worth about 40 billion.

Nothing to do but sit back and wonder how I could be related to such an idiot.

Is his donation to the US or to Africa or to both? I have seen one article saying to the US and another one saying to Africa?

 

[Herat]

Our experience attempting to get tested for CoV19 today.

My DH's employer has a testing clinic set up for employees and their families. Call your employer, health insurance provider, your local hospital or your County Health Dept to find a location where you can get tested if you are sick.

First we called and the nurse asked about travel history, who we had come into contact with, our symptoms, etc. They gave us an appointment time and told us where to park, to stay in our vehicle and to call when we arrived. When we got there for our appointment there was a nurse in PPE talking to another patient in his car. Parking was limited (only 4 spaces). At first we parked with one parking space separating us from the other car (the farthest away we could get). The nurse waved at us without approaching, then went inside and called us on the phone. She asked us to move our vehicle to separate more from the other car. We had to park where there technically wasn't a legal parking space but we complied.

Next we waited and waited and waited. We watched the nurse make 3 trips to the other car and then the other car left. It took about 30 minutes for the person before us to be assessed and leave and then we waited another 30 minutes after that. My DH was frustrated about an hour after our appointment time and he almost went inside. But I convinced him to call instead and make sure they had not forgotten us, since we had moved our car away from the designated parking spaces like we were told to do. He called. They had not forgotten us. The nurse came out minutes later and apologized for the wait but she explained this was the first day they have done this and they are being extra careful. They have to change their PPE and get new gloves, new mask, new protective smock between each patient and between each sample collected, and they have to clean and disinfect everything thoroughly.

The nurse started by taking my temperature and my heart rate with a finger pulse reader. She asked me my symptoms. Then she explained they were first going to test for influenza. That test takes 10 minutes and if it is negative then they would test for other things. The test was a very painful nasal swab. It hurt so bad tears ran down my checks involuntarily. The nurse was very sweet and apologetic. She told me that unfortunately if the flu test was negative the next one would also be a nasal swab. She went back in to run my test and change her PPE. Next she came out and did the same flu test for DH. DH's symptoms are still worse than mine today. He couldn't stop coughing and he nearly threw up when the nurse swabbed his nose (did I mention it's painful? My nose still hurts from the swab).

Both our Flu tests came back negative. The nurse called my DH on the phone and asked him a bunch more questions about his symptoms and medical history. The nurse came back out and said that they were only going to test DH for other upper respiratory illnesses because he has worse symptoms than me and is higher risk of having it already. They will send the test away to a lab to be tested for a panel of several upper respiratory illnesses and ONLY if those all come back negative, then they will also test for CoV19. She said that if he tests positive for CoV19 they will assume I have it too and I don't need to get tested. DH has to stay home and self isolate for 14 days or until they medically clear him. If DH's test comes back with an upper respiratory illness other than C0V19 then his quarantine is lifted. If he tests positive for CoV19 then I have to stay home too. We also have to keep track of any and all visitors to our house for the 14 days. They gave us a sign-in form for tracking visitors.

At the time I was happy to not have another painful swab done but my poor DH had to have another one for the upper respiratory panel. Then I thought about the implications of this whole thing. What if we have an upper respiratory bug and CoV19 at the same time? What if our flu tests had been positive but we also have CoV19? We wouldn't have even been given the option of a 2nd test. What if DH and I have different illnesses? None of this procedure makes any sense in the context of the seriousness of this illness. Of course it looks like the numbers are low if they refuse to test someone without checking other things first! They didn't tells us and we didn't ask, but I'm sure this is due to a shortage of tests. They are probably rationing tests and it's very difficult to get tested unless you have had direct contact with a CoV19 positive person or unless everything else is ruled out. I don't know how long the additional tests will take either. We forgot to ask. Hopefully they will come back this week.

Yes. It is likely the requirement of your State Bureau of Health or other regulatory agency.
In order not to waste resources and time, you have to have a negative Influenza test for them to submit an additional specimen to a laboratory for SARS-CoV-2. I hadn't yet heard the step of doing another respiratory pathogen test.

Right now, the laboratories who are doing testing cannot handle the workload efficiently to get the results out for the most at-risk or serious cases. So, there is a rationale for making sure other less significant diseases can be excluded, as the symptoms do overlap a lot.

The CDC has improved some of the issues. I think it will get progressively better as the laboratory testing becomes more automated and the results can be returned faster.

 

[Really?]

<modsnip: quoted post was removed>

Here’s how scary it can be. My aunt and uncle, both in their late 60s, are cancer survivors. They are in recent (less than 1 year) remission. Both were diagnosed with “community viral pneumonia” late last week. Both on meds, inhalers, & quarantined at home. It started as a cold but progressed. Their Florida mobile home community closed the pools and cancelled all activities. It’s an all age community with tons of families.

My other aunt and uncle are also in Florida, but in a retirement community that accepts you when you’re healthy, and continues care as you decline. Their community has been closed off. No visitors, limited deliveries.

Both couples are on the east coast. I’m on the west coast. My visit has been postponed. I’m sad but totally understand as I am also a cancer patient.

Stay home, please. It took me 57 years to find my family. (DNA) I don't want to lose them before I get to know them, just because of ignorant fools!

Thank you for sharing and God bless.

Please join me tonight on YouTube Live. We have a chat room. If you need some comfort and want to know you are not alone please join us on our Websleuths YouTube channel.

CLICK HERE AT 10:00 PM EASTERN TONIGHT TO JOIN US LIVE

We really have a great group of people. We need to help each other, comfort each other, make each other laugh if possible.
Hope to see you tonight and every night at 10: 00 PM Eastern.
Love,
Tricia
PS. Monday's used to be my night off but until further notice, we will be going live every night at 10:00 PM Eastern until further notice

Dang.......I’m out like a light way before 10.

 

[NuttMegg]

I wonder if there have been any warnings about money, ie bills, coins, etc.

" New research suggests the coronavirus can last between three hours and three days on surfaces, depending on the material. "
The new coronavirus lives on surfaces for 3 hours to 3 days, new research says. Here's how to disinfect them properly.
New research published Wednesday from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports Graham's assessment. The study suggests the virus can live up to four hours on copper, up to a day on cardboard, and up to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The coronavirus can also live in the air for up to three hours, the study authors found.

 

[Mimi in London]

I'm thinking of all the children who have abusive parents, or no parent at all. School may have been their only 'safe' place.

I’ve been trying not to think about that. I bet the teachers are highly aware and concerned.

I said the other day at least the murder in’ murderers will be off the street. But the DV-related murders could be rife.

 

[CocoChanel]

Is his donation to the US or to Africa or to both? I have seen one article saying to the US and another one saying to Africa?

Apparently BOTH....
Chinese billionaire Jack Ma donates masks, test kits to all countries in Africa - CNN

Chinese billionaire and co-founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, says he will donate masks, test kits and protective suits to all countries in Africa to help the continent in its fight against the novel coronavirus.

Ma's foundation will donate at total of 1.1 million testing kits, six million masks, and 60,000 protective suits and face shields.
They will also work with local medical institutions on the continent to provide online training material for coronavirus clinical treatments.
"The world cannot afford the unthinkable consequences of a COVID-19 pandemic in Africa," he said in a statement tweeted Monday.

AND

Donated coronavirus test kits and masks arrive in US from China

The first shipment of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma’s donation of 1 million masks and 500,000 coronavirus test kits to the United States arrived in the US on Monday morning.

 

[Mimi in London]

I've missed a lot of pages so I'm playing catchup...I apologize if this has already been posted. This is Clearwater Beach (FL) today FULL of spring breakers. You know, spring breakers that then go back to their home towns and states bringing with them the viruses they got while not practicing social distancing on spring break.

WFLA NEWS on Twitter

Dear. God.

 

[cass523]

I was replying to @Lilibet a question she asked about people receiving communications if they don't watch the news. I was not fast enough responding, a new thread opened.

Lilibet posted, "What I want to know is...how are these 15 day of limiting group sizes, etc. going to be communicated to the people who don’t watch the news or keep up on this like we do?"

This is a GREAT ALERT SYSTEM. Depending on how a person creates, or sets up their alerts, maybe they will get a notification regarding the 15 day limit group size.

People can sign up for text alerts, or email alerts using Nixle.com. Many years ago, a friend told me about Nixle, my family and friends have been receiving important alerts ever since.

"When seconds matter, notify citizens over multiple communication paths, including voice, sms, email and social media. Social integration capability allows for greater resident reach.

Nixle proactively manages incident communications before, during and after an event to keep residents safe and informed. Nixle keeps you up-to-date with relevant information from your local public safety departments & school."

EMERGENCY ALERTS

Immediately notify residents during emergency incidents including:

Severe Weather
High Winds Advisory
Natural Disaster
Active Shooters
Terrorist Acts

Inform or seek assistance from the public about relevant community assistance including:

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS

Finding Missing Person
Send Severe Traffic or Road Closure Alerts
Provide Public Safety Information at Events (Parades, Fairs, etc...)
Child Abduction
Finding Missing Person
Sharing Criminal Activity

Resident - Nixle

Example alert received

Message regarding the Coronavirus, COVID-19 - and the Borough of Fair Haven Pandemic Plan

Borough of Fair Haven Residents:

The Fair Haven Office of Emergency Management (OEM), continues to actively monitor the evolving novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreaks in our area and we continue to work with County and State Health Departments as well as the Center for Disease Control (CDC). We are ensuring that our police and first responders are prepared and have a plan in place to continue basic operations, deliver essential services and respond to emergencies.

In our immediate area, a 27 year old Little Silver resident has tested presumptive positive for COVID 19. It is believed that this individual contracted the virus while attending the Biogen Conference in Boston MA in late February. This resident has been self-quarantined since March 1st and appears to be recovering at home."

 

[Kensie]

Took my dogs for their daily walk and ride in the car and could not believe what I saw- it is like no one is paying attention. Stores packed - not only grocery stores but Best Buy, craft stores, clothing stores. I just don't get it. Kroger has a HUGE parking lot and it was full. Restaurants were packed.

Meanwhile, 33 cases are being tested in the local hospital system.

 

[LadyL]

South Korea and Bahrain have truly lead the way in testing. The UK and Australia fall short and the USA is lower still.

Bahrain: 4910 tests per million people
S Korea: 4099
UK: 387
Aus: 325
US: 26

Figures at 9th/10th March
Coronavirus Testing Criteria and Numbers by Country - Worldometer

Bahrain? I've never even heard of that country I see on google that it's an island in the Persian Gulf

 

[ColyH]

Frustration... personal story...
Unfortunately, a close relative is a believer in his rights. He doesn’t think any government has the right to tell him he can’t go to a restaurant. Not able to even discuss this with him - gets angry.

I have a feeling your relative would be the first person to suit the government if he gets sick.

 

[margarita25]

ICC-WHO Joint Statement: An unprecedented private sector call to action to tackle COVID-19
16 March 2020

“In a coordinated effort to combat the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed to work closely to ensure the latest and most reliable information and tailored guidance reaches the global business community.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health and societal emergency that requires effective immediate action by governments, individuals and businesses. All businesses have a key role to play in minimising the likelihood of transmission and impact on society. Early, bold and effective action will reduce short- term risks to employees and long-term costs to businesses and the economy.

To aid this collective effort, ICC will regularly send updated advice to its network of over 45 million businesses so that businesses everywhere can take informed and effective action to protect their workers, customers and local communities and contribute to the production and distribution of essential supplies.

ICC will also contribute to enhancing information flows on the coronavirus outbreak by surveying its global private sector network to map the global business response. This will both encourage businesses to adopt appropriate precautionary approaches and generate new data and insights to support national and international government efforts.

As an immediate priority, businesses should be developing or updating, readying or implementing business continuity plans. Business continuity plans should aim to reduce transmission, including by: promoting understanding of the disease, its symptoms and appropriate behavior among employees; setting up a reporting system for any cases and contacts; preparing essentials; limiting travel and physical connectivity; and planning for measures such as teleworking when necessary.

Calls to Action

• ICC strongly endorses WHO’s call on national governments everywhere to adopt a whole-of- government and whole-of-society approach in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reducing the further spread of COVID-19 and mitigating its impact should be a top priority for Heads of State and Government. Political action should be coordinated with actors in the private sector and civil society to maximize reach of messaging and effectiveness.
• Governments should commit to making available all necessary resources to combat COVID-19 with the minimum of delay and to ensure that cross-border medical and other essential goods supply chains are able to function effectively and efficiently
• ICC and the WHO encourage national chambers of commerce to work closely with UN country teams, including WHO country offices where they exist, and to designate mutual focal points to coordinate this collaboration.
• ICC encourages its members to support their country’s national response efforts and to contribute to the global response efforts coordinated by the WHO through www.covid19responsefund.org.

As the pandemic evolves, ICC Secretary General John W.H Denton AO and WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will continue to coordinate their efforts.

Essential information on the COVID-19 pandemic can be found on the WHO’s dedicated site.”


ICC-WHO Joint Statement: An unprecedented private sector call to action to tackle COVID-19

 

[LadyL]

Watch the video at link....he's angry...

A new world is emerging from this crisis.
Serbian President: "European solidarity does not exist. That was a fairy tale. The only country that can help us in this hard situation is the People's Republic of China. For the rest of them, thanks for nothing." Branislav Lakićević on Twitter

Ajit Singh on Twitter

STAY HOME, SAVE LIVES

WOW

 

[FlossyMay]

Georgia state testing — including Milestones — suspended until further notice