Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #46

[NuttMegg]

Population of Spain=46 million.
Population of USA= 335 million

That doesn't matter. We're a far richer nation than Spain, and the president could have used the DPA. 3 M said they were selling the masks for $1 each. If Spain can afford to hand out free masks to workers on public transit, we should be able to also. At the very least.

3M sues distributor for alleged price gouging of N95... | Daily Mail Online

 

[katydid23]

As I said, the USA should be providing masks to its citizens instead of telling them to use bandannas or paper towels and DIY. IMO

Many workers in my country still haven't stopped working, and even those people did not get much help from the federal government re PPE. Even in hospitals help from the federal government has been very late, and very spotty, and the president has repeatedly said that it is up to the governors to deal with health supplies.

I know people from other countries don't always understand what goes on over here, (and vice versa) but there is a power of the president to invoke and enforce the DPA to make private industries produce products needed by the country to deal with extreme emergencies. Workers in my country have been riding crowded subways throughout this pandemic, without the federal government helping them with masks, as the Spanish government is so rightly helping their workers.

41 Transit Workers Dead: Crisis Takes Staggering Toll on Subways

We need the feds to do everything for us? We cannot make our own masks, or tie our own scarves/masks?

We should expect the federal government to send out 335 MILLION masks, ands then keep resupplying them to all of us? How is that going to work?

We are not helpless as individuals or as towns or small groups or as families. We can assess situations and figure out ways to supply ourselves and others.

And it seems that Spains did NOT supply their entire country with masks. They have a million, ONE USE ONLY masks, which they are handing out in bus stops etc.

 

[Gardener1850]

Bubonic plague is alive and well in gophers:

"Parks Canada has closed off a Saskatchewan national park's remote prairie dog colony to the public after a rodent from the area tested positive for sylvatic plague — the same bacteria that causes the bubonic and pneumonic plagues in humans.

"In this case, the real risk for people is very low," Adriana Bacheschi, the acting superintendent for Park Canada's south Saskatchewan field unit, said Wednesday.

Plague aside, prairie dogs are already a threatened species in the province. (Parks Canada)
"The last time there was a case of a human infection in Canada was in 1939, and it was not fatal."
​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/bacteria-bubonic-plague-kills-sask-prairie-dog-1.4213355

Plague is also in cougars in Yellowstone:
Yellowstone study finds plague (yes, that plague) in nearly half of tested cougars

From a study published March 2, 2020: Plague, pumas and potential zoonotic exposure in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem | Environmental Conservation | Cambridge Core

 

[LadyL]

Test results Thursday night confirmed a Charlotte woman's fears. Despite staying home, her fever, headache, trouble breathing and coughing are from COVID-19.

Charlotte woman hasn't left her house in three weeks but tested positive for COVID-19

ETA: well the headline is misleading - she did receive groceries from a covid-positive person and her husband leaves the house and she didn't think to sanitize groceries

 

[nye bevan]

I'm so glad the numbers tend - tend - to show an alleviation; but we must - must - continue social isolation and the operating of only those jobs now deemed essential. The ongoing seriousness of this disease, its unknown components, these remain unfathomed. No one should be sacrificed to the wheels of commerce -- only saving lives saves this economy.

 

[ilovewings]

We seriously, as private citizens, need to do our best at being our own self representatives. Even that effort, seems to fall flat, far too many times. Due diligence(?) not sure if that is the term I am seeking.

Even now, with the healthcare system using up to date electronic based records, medication errors ARE happening. With the current situation, under such pressure, the HC workers are now exhausted. Making errors even more likely.

As I am sitting here reading, drinking my morning coffee....I am learning so much about this situation. Even with all of the efforts I personally make, to keep updated, I hadn't heard the metformin issue till just now. I take metformin x2. as well as Lisinopril. Both, being drugs identified as complications to catching the virus.

Some days, well, most days, I just read and scroll. As I am also a live in caregiver for my 94 yr old father, I must take his needs into consideration also. Bottom line, we are both in the "high risk" category.

This global crisis, will be testing every society. Every culture. Every level. Rich/poor. Young/old. All colors, all genders. We are all trying to figure it out, as we go along,

Frightening. Sometimes even terrifying. No reference books to dig into. We are all on a fragile future. Everywhere we turn, we cannot even find comfort.

I will continue to practice the self isolation directives with my elderly father. We just got very lucky in that late stepmom had 1 box of medical face masks, and 2 boxes of the gloves.
And that I just slid in under the time line, moving from another state to help my father.

Now, we sit and wait and hope we do not contract the virus.

It seems we are living a terrified existence. It is so sad. so tragic and most days I actually cannot believe this is happening.

 

[jjenny]

Test results Thursday night confirmed a Charlotte woman's fears. Despite staying home, her fever, headache, trouble breathing and coughing are from COVID-19.

Charlotte woman hasn't left her house in three weeks but tested positive for COVID-19

ETA: well the headline is misleading - she did receive groceries from a covid-positive person and her husband leaves the house and she didn't think to sanitize groceries

Yep, and it sounds like she actually met with the woman who later tested positive, when this woman dropped off groceries. She said she barely had any contact with this woman and didn't touch her, but you don't need to have actual physical contact since covid is airborne.

 

[jjenny]

We need the feds to do everything for us? We cannot make our own masks, or tie our own scarves/masks?

We should expect the federal government to send out 335 MILLION masks, ands then keep resupplying them to all of us? How is that going to work?

We are not helpless as individuals or as towns or small groups or as families. We can assess situations and figure out ways to supply ourselves and others.

And it seems that Spains did NOT supply their entire country with masks. They have a million, ONE USE ONLY masks, which they are handing out in bus stops etc.

We can make our own masks, but our own masks are much less effective than professionally made masks such as N95 masks. I am not even asking that we were given these masks for free, but we can't even purchase them anymore. Even the N95 masks that people used for home work, such as painting, woodworking, are no longer in stock anywhere. Where did they all go?

 

[Wicked Strong]

We need the feds to do everything for us? We cannot make our own masks, or tie our own scarves/masks?

We should expect the federal government to send out 335 MILLION masks, ands then keep resupplying them to all of us? How is that going to work?

We are not helpless as individuals or as towns or small groups or as families. We can assess situations and figure out ways to supply ourselves and others.

And it seems that Spains did NOT supply their entire country with masks. They have a million, ONE USE ONLY masks, which they are handing out in bus stops etc.

Yes, thank you for your reasonable post. We apparently have started to become a nation of waiting on the government to supply us with everything, and we have either forgotten how to take care of ourselves, or expect it. No government in the world needs to be our care givers.

I didn't have a mask and Friday it was suggested to wear one out in the grocery stores. I took a long sheer scarf (with "lips" print and rhinestones), folded it many times, places it over my nose and mouth and tied it back with a large bow! Everyone smiled and laughed, and I was able to buy enough groceries for the next 3 weeks.

MOO

 

[LadyL]

WARNING: shows people in coffins

“In three days, I lost my husband and son to an ugly plague. I watched my son go from completely well and whole and happy to being gone in three days.”

'Unimaginable' pain: Coronavirus robs Michigan woman of whole family

 

[ilovewings]

Yep, and it sounds like she actually met with the woman who later tested positive, when this woman dropped off groceries. She said she barely had any contact with this woman and didn't touch her, but you don't need to have actual physical contact since covid is airborne.

That is really frightening---

 

[tresir2012]

As I said, the USA should be providing masks to its citizens instead of telling them to use bandannas or paper towels and DIY. IMO

Many workers in my country still haven't stopped working, and even those people did not get much help from the federal government re PPE. Even in hospitals help from the federal government has been very late, and very spotty, and the president has repeatedly said that it is up to the governors to deal with health supplies.

I know people from other countries don't always understand what goes on over here, (and vice versa) but there is a power of the president to invoke and enforce the DPA to make private industries produce products needed by the country to deal with extreme emergencies. Workers in my country have been riding crowded subways throughout this pandemic, without the federal government helping them with masks, as the Spanish government is so rightly helping their workers.

41 Transit Workers Dead: Crisis Takes Staggering Toll on Subways

You replied to me saying "where did it say that" and I provided the answer. My country is the same but most of us here stay inside and hope the essential workers get provided for from their employers. If they cannot do that then they must furlough the workers and pay them 80% reimbursed by our govt. You didn't answer my question about your shop workers and whether their employers have put up screens to protect them.

Regarding the transit workers, that is terrible.

 

[LadyL]

The size of the crowd was huge, and left many wondering why so many Londoners would converge on a single, albeit large, shopping venue. But the apparently crowded nature of the line also shocked the eye, with hundreds seemingly mere inches from the person before them.

When we went to look ourselves, we saw something quite different.

This photo of a Costco lineup sparked viral frustration in London. Did it show the full story?

 

[Suglo]

One million one time use masks? That doesn't seen like enough to give everyone who needs them. JMO

I know. I was surprised that they insisted they were not to be reused. They did say they hope to have 10 million by Monday when some industries return to work.

ETA: It seems they want the workers to use them while using public transportation which most people in Madrid use to go to work. They are not necessarily meant to use all day more so in subways, on trains and buses.

 

[jjenny]

R0 of covid is actually much higher than was believed originally, making it harder to control.
"The new study from China and published on the CDC website suggests the R0 for COVID-19 could be as high as 5.7, meaning the disease is highly contagious. It is unclear if the new study refers only to cases in China or if it can be applied elsewhere."
How contagious is COVID-19? New study suggests very; Acton says steps taken in Ohio are lowering spread

 

[katydid23]

<modsnip: quoted post was removed>

335 million 'one use' masks=335 million to purchase and how much more to distribute?

ONE USE masks are not the priority for us now. Homemade washable masks are more effective and useful in the long run.

<modsnip>

 

[jjenny]

I know. I was surprised that they insisted they were not to be reused. They did say they hope to have 10 million by Monday when some industries return to work.

Surgical masks and even N95 masks aren't supposed to be reusable. Because there is such shortage of them in US, I guess even medical professionals had to reuse them here, which is not good.

 

[jjenny]

335 million 'one use' masks=335 million to purchase and how much more to distribute?

ONE USE masks are not the priority for us now. Homemade washable masks are more effective and useful in the long run.

Comparing this to the money invested in the stimulus bill is comparing apples to oranges, in my opinion.

All the evidence i have seen indicates homemade masks are far less effective than N95 masks. Homemade masks are mostly to protect other people from you (in case you are asymptomatic carrier). N95 masks can actually protect you from other people.

 

[jjenny]

That is really frightening---

Just breathing and talking can transmit covid. When this woman dropped off groceries, and the lady met with her, they probably talked at least a bit. Were probably closer than six feet from each other. Then there is a chance she got it off groceries because she didn't wipe them when she brought them into her her house, and the covid infected woman who brought them to her obviously had touched them.

 

[tresir2012]

One million one time use masks? That doesn't seen like enough to give everyone who needs them. JMO

I think it is possibly just Madrid ATM but not sure so MOO. Still 1 million is not many for a capital city like Madrid. I wonder how many are going back to work next week? Does anyone know?

(ETA the original link said 10 million masks)