Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #46

[LadyL]

I finally managed to get a slot for 8 days from now. It took me two weeks to get a slot.

Around here everyone is having that same issue. I was up at 2am and was lucky!

Has anyone ever watched the shopper as they go through the store?

Three months ago I made the comment to hub that I would never use that service after what we observed. We trailed a bit to watch.

They didn’t just pick up produce and put it in the big shelved rolling cart - handled several bunches, weighing and put back in.

People were touching the cart with their arms/sleeves since it was blocking the aisle.

It’s open on all sides. People standing right beside it. One moved it to get what they needed. I was surprised.

The perishable items were just riding around - you would think those would be the last items picked.

Touched her hair multiple times since her hair was falling around her face.

Are they wearing masks while they do this?

oh no now that's all I'll be able to think about when we pick up our order

 

[MimosaMornings]

oh no now that's all I'll be able to think about when we pick up our order

Sorry I overthink things sometimes.
Lots on my mind.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

I actually remembered I had a vegan pancake mix and thought wow that'd be perfect for dinner. Went to look. Turns out it expired a year ago. Oops. No pancakes for us.

How to Tell Whether Expired Food Is Safe to Eat
Nonperishable items like grains and dried and canned goods can still be used well past their label dates, but with meat, dairy, and eggs, it's a different story. Although there are still no federally regulated expiration dates on those items, they obviously have shorter shelf lives. According to Sana Mujahid, Ph.D., manager of food-safety research at Consumer Reports, the best way to know whether a perishable food has spoiled is simply to “trust your taste buds and sense of smell.”

How to Tell Whether Expired Food Is Safe to Eat

 

[imstilla.grandma]

According to the Food and Drug Administration, “Serological tests measure the amount of antibodies or proteins present in the blood when the body is responding to a specific infection, like COVID-19. In other words, the test detects the body’s immune response to the infection caused by the virus rather than detecting the virus itself."

“It would be very useful, helpful, even reassuring to people to know, ‘Have I been infected, and I am potentially protected now?’ Imagine in the workplace,” Poland said. “It would be a great help to know if I had indeed been infected and now recovered from that and now able to take care of patients.”

“We think having the serology test, having access to that, will be really important because there may be people who had an illness in February or March and didn’t go to the doctor for it, and maybe they think, ‘Maybe I had it,’" DeSantis said. "And then you can also spot-check a representative sample to see how many people in our society have the antibodies.”

The governor didn’t give a timeline for when COVID-19 antibody testing would be available.

Poland said it’s not yet known whether the presence of antibodies specific to COVID-19 means a person will never be reinfected.

Mayo Clinic said what is clear is that serology will contribute to wide-ranging areas of COVID-19 diagnosis, treatment and research.
Serology tests could be instrumental in stopping spread of coronavirus

 

[they'll get you]

I’m NOT happy with this bullshyte!


Wednesday, 8 April 2020
Sydney receives first flight from Wuhan after China lifts city’s lockdown laws

It will unload its cargo at Sydney’s freight terminal and its crew will be free to disembark under special dispensations that exempt pilots and aircraft crew from Australia’s mandatory 14-day quarantine laws

https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/heal...fter-china-lifts-citys-lockdown-laws-c-964409

The cargo plane that flew direct from Wuhan to Sydney on Wednesday has delivered 90 tonnes of critical medical supplies, including protective masks, gowns and respirators.

Thursday, 9 April 2020
News of the plane’s impending arrival sparked outrage on Wednesday, with many Australians suggesting it was too great a risk to be taking at this point - despite government assurances
https://7news.com.au/travel/coronav...stralia-to-help-in-coronavirus-fight-c-965946

 

[LadyL]

How to Tell Whether Expired Food Is Safe to Eat
Nonperishable items like grains and dried and canned goods can still be used well past their label dates, but with meat, dairy, and eggs, it's a different story. Although there are still no federally regulated expiration dates on those items, they obviously have shorter shelf lives. According to Sana Mujahid, Ph.D., manager of food-safety research at Consumer Reports, the best way to know whether a perishable food has spoiled is simply to “trust your taste buds and sense of smell.”

How to Tell Whether Expired Food Is Safe to Eat

yeah I've used items just a few days past (and I do trust my sense of smell) but I draw the line at an entire year lol

 

[margarita25]

So I’ve got a potato issue.

I’m grateful to have potatoes that the shopper was able to find but they’re not the “protected” kind in the non-net bag,

They’re sitting in the doorway in a closed box. I personally have avoided fresh produce bc it is exposed, moo. I’m buying frozen/jar and cleaning the packaging then transferring it to my own ziplocks, etc if I can. I learned that otherwise I still feel the need to watch my hands even after cleaning the packages, etc. because I feel grossed out or unsure that I got every inch of the surface (the doctor’s “glitter” analogy again comes to mind). Everyone might not go as overboard as me but like I said I’m about the “peace of mind”. I don’t want to have to wash my hands every time I touch something out of my fridge.

Yeah, so anyway, potatoes are sitting there in the doorway. How long does CV live on a potato? I’m not touching them for a while. I know they’ll be okay after boiling but still.
I don’t want to touch them to even clean them or bring them in my kitchen til I know the virus is dead. I’ll wait.

Can I wash the outsides with soap and water in a few days then cut the skin off? Will it soak up the soap? I will wear gloves.

I know I sound like a nutcase. I am.
—

ETA:

I disinfect items at the door before I bring them into the kitchen if they have to come in immediately.

I bring a small tub with bleach and hot water to the doorway (with gloves on).

First the items get wiped with the bleach water or “take a dip”, depending on the container.

Then they go into a different tub where I then bring them into the kitchen to wash with soap and water.

Then I change out the packaging if I can.

All to be sure not to cross contaminate anything while wearing/ switching out gloves.

Oh I also have a separate box outside the door where exterior packaging gets dumped, say the cardboard around a lunch meat packet.

Also, delivery boxes don’t come in. I open them at the doorway with gloves, then put the items like the sealed jars, cans, packages etc in the bleach tub.

Also, when I transfer certain things to the ziplocks, etc., I create small portions with rationing in mind.

If I hadn’t rationed so far I would’ve been in trouble because there was a very long delivery wait. Who knows how long we’ll be here...I am rationing. Logistics and delivery is obviously an issue.

 

[Reasonable & Just]

Gov. Cuomo announces order for businesses to provide face coverings to some employees, NY COVID-19 death toll nears 10,000

As the parent of one of these employees, I appreciated this so much when I heard the daily briefing.

 

[otto]

According to the Food and Drug Administration, “Serological tests measure the amount of antibodies or proteins present in the blood when the body is responding to a specific infection, like COVID-19. In other words, the test detects the body’s immune response to the infection caused by the virus rather than detecting the virus itself."

“It would be very useful, helpful, even reassuring to people to know, ‘Have I been infected, and I am potentially protected now?’ Imagine in the workplace,” Poland said. “It would be a great help to know if I had indeed been infected and now recovered from that and now able to take care of patients.”

“We think having the serology test, having access to that, will be really important because there may be people who had an illness in February or March and didn’t go to the doctor for it, and maybe they think, ‘Maybe I had it,’" DeSantis said. "And then you can also spot-check a representative sample to see how many people in our society have the antibodies.”

The governor didn’t give a timeline for when COVID-19 antibody testing would be available.

Poland said it’s not yet known whether the presence of antibodies specific to COVID-19 means a person will never be reinfected.

Mayo Clinic said what is clear is that serology will contribute to wide-ranging areas of COVID-19 diagnosis, treatment and research.
Serology tests could be instrumental in stopping spread of coronavirus

Canada developed and manufactures a blood test, but Canada has not approved the use of the blood test because normal protocols for evaluating medical products are still firmly in place.

"Health Canada says a rapid coronavirus blood test that's being manufactured in Canada and shipped to the United States is not ready for use here. CBC News has learned that tests such as the one made by Markham, Ont., company BTNX are on hold in this country, despite the fact that sales of the same test have been allowed to proceed in the U.S., the U.K. and Europe.
...

"I'm really disappointed that we have a test made in Canada by Canadians that can't be used on Canadians. ... noting that the company has been able to sell "tens of thousands" of the tests to the U.S. through an emergency program that exempts it from normal regulatory processes.
...

Unlike the traditional swabs that test for the presence of the virus, these rapid tests use just a couple of drops of blood from a pinprick on the finger to detect the presence of antibodies that fight the virus. With no trip to a laboratory required, results are available on the spot in 15 minutes. The tests cost around $10 each.

While they can't detect the virus in its early stages — as nasal swabs can — the rapid blood tests are effective at diagnosing people about five to seven days after symptoms show up, once the body has had a chance to produce antibodies.
...

Health Canada said it is following the advice of the World Health Organization, "which does not currently recommend serological [blood] tests for clinical diagnosis."​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/health-canada-rapid-blood-tests-under-review-1.5529590

 

[Reasonable & Just]

Looking well, and a bit different. Serious illness can do that, sometimes. Happy he pulled through.

Boris Johnson: 'It could have gone either way'

 

[otto]

So I’ve got a potato issue.

I’m grateful to have potatoes that the shopper was able to find but they’re not the “protected” kind in the non-net bag,

They’re sitting in the doorway. I personally have avoided fresh produce bc it is exposed, moo. I’m buying frozen/jar and cleaning the packaging then transferring it to my own ziplocks, etc if I can. I learned that otherwise I still feel the need to watch hands even after cleaning the packages, etc. Everyone might not go as overboard as me but like I said I’m about the “peace of mind”. I don’t have to wash my hands every time I touch something out of my fridge because I feel grossed out. etc.

Yeah, so anyway, potatoes are sitting there in the doorway.How long does CV live on a potato? I’m not touching them for a while. I know they’ll be okay after boiling but still.
I don’t want to touch them to even clean them or being them in my kitchen til I know the virus is dead. I’ll wait.

Can I wash the outsides with soap and water in a few days then cut the skin off? Will it soak up the soap? I will wear gloves.

I know I sound like a nutcase. I am.

Yes, that sounds completely nutty. Imagine you had written that a year ago. We'd be wrapping you into a tight white jacket and locking you in a padded room. However, today, I would say, they are probably fine after 3 days. Use rubber gloves to move them to the pantry if you're unsure. If you are very concerned, fill the sink with warm soapy water and wash them for a few minutes. I don't think the potatoes will absorb the soap.

I haven't read anything about how long the virus can last on glass - only paper, plastic and metal. I wash everything in a glass container in warm soapy water for several minutes. For example, I wash the bottle of wine before pulling the cork!

 

[Chelly]

Maybe or maybe not.

Kylie Jenner Says Her Natural Nails Might Be Here to Stay

"… currently painted a petal pink shade, with the caption: "never thought i'd say this but the natural nails might stay."

Plus this!
Kylie Jenner Is Going Extension-Free During Quarantine




BBM

 

[epiphany]

Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, China Bans Domestic Trade of Wild Animals, but Offers Tax Breaks for Exports
China disapproves of ‘recklessly eating wild animals’ as its Finance Ministry offers incentives to ship them abroad

<snip> Chinese authorities have shut down domestic wild animal traders on fears their goods sparked the coronavirus pandemic. Now officials are offering tax incentives to the multibillion-dollar animal-products industry to ship some of the creatures overseas, according to Chinese government documents.

WSJ News Exclusive | Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, China Bans Domestic Trade of Wild Animals, but Offers Tax Breaks for Exports


<snip> Chinese authorities are now offering a 9% rebate on the export of animal products, such as edible snakes and turtles, primate meat, beaver and civet musk, and rhino horns, despite banning their domestic trade, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Why it matters: Encouraging wild animal sales abroad "could spread the risk to global markets," according to a Congressional Research Service report cited by the WSJ.

"Recklessly eating": China encourages export of wild animals despite coronavirus ban

 

[Chelly]

Very interesting interview with a researcher working on the vaccine.

Peter Hotez, MD, PhD.

He says 18 months is very unreasonable. The fastest time to develop and get approval for a vaccine was for mumps and that took 4 years.

He has some good perspectives on viral diseases and some caution about unrealistic expectations.

Coronavirus expert Peter Hotez: ‘Now's the time when you're at greatest risk of contracting the virus by being in crowds.’

Mumps vaccine was developed in 1967, 53 years ago. Let's hope science and technology have advanced enough since then that discovery of covid vaccine takes half that time.

 

[they'll get you]

Published: 10:23pm, 26 Jan, 2020

5 million left Wuhan before lockdown
5 million left Wuhan before lockdown, 1,000 new virus cases expected

 

[otto]

Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, China Bans Domestic Trade of Wild Animals, but Offers Tax Breaks for Exports
China disapproves of ‘recklessly eating wild animals’ as its Finance Ministry offers incentives to ship them abroad

<snip> Chinese authorities have shut down domestic wild animal traders on fears their goods sparked the coronavirus pandemic. Now officials are offering tax incentives to the multibillion-dollar animal-products industry to ship some of the creatures overseas, according to Chinese government documents.

WSJ News Exclusive | Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, China Bans Domestic Trade of Wild Animals, but Offers Tax Breaks for Exports


<snip> Chinese authorities are now offering a 9% rebate on the export of animal products, such as edible snakes and turtles, primate meat, beaver and civet musk, and rhino horns, despite banning their domestic trade, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Why it matters: Encouraging wild animal sales abroad "could spread the risk to global markets," according to a Congressional Research Service report cited by the WSJ.

"Recklessly eating": China encourages export of wild animals despite coronavirus ban

The rest of the world should quietly ban all but necessary imports from China.

China banned all travel in China during the outbreak, but no problem for people to travel from China to other countries. The country seems to have an out of balance value system for them versus others.

 

[10ofRods]

So I’ve got a potato issue.

I’m grateful to have potatoes that the shopper was able to find but they’re not the “protected” kind in the non-net bag,

They’re sitting in the doorway. I personally have avoided fresh produce bc it is exposed, moo. I’m buying frozen/jar and cleaning the packaging then transferring it to my own ziplocks, etc if I can. I learned that otherwise I still feel the need to watch hands even after cleaning the packages, etc. Everyone might not go as overboard as me but like I said I’m about the “peace of mind”. I don’t have to wash my hands every time I touch something out of my fridge because I feel grossed out or unsure that I got every inch of the surface (the doctor’s “glitter” analogy again comes to mind).

Yeah, so anyway, potatoes are sitting there in the doorway. How long does CV live on a potato? I’m not touching them for a while. I know they’ll be okay after boiling but still.
I don’t want to touch them to even clean them or bring them in my kitchen til I know the virus is dead. I’ll wait.

Can I wash the outsides with soap and water in a few days then cut the skin off? Will it soak up the soap? I will wear gloves.

I know I sound like a nutcase. I am.

ETA: I disinfect items at the door before I bring them into the kitchen if they have to come in immediately. Small tub with bleach and water.

If you're really worried about the potatoes, dump them into a pot and rinse them, wash your hands as part of that process.

I wash my hands, grab the potatoes or lettuce, rinse them vigorously under running water, using my fingers to scrub (although you could use a brush like some people do). Then I put things in a colander and rinse again. I don't use soap on food but you could if you rinsed really well, I suppose.

The coronavirus is no match for plain, old soap — here’s the science behind it

I think using soap on food is overkill. While soap does more to disrupt the virus's structure, vigorous movement of water is enough, according to the CDC. The virus is already unhappy, being outside a host body. If it's sitting on a potato, vigorous rubbing with flowing water should be enough.

Still concerned? Wait a few days and then peel the potato or apple (to me, peeling apples destroys the health benefit of eating them).

I guess buying lettuce that's inside a plastic bag would help if you're super germophobic (wash hands, remove lettuce, toss plastic, wash hands, rinse lettuce). Lots of people are still afraid to buy bagged veggies and I understand why, but the departure from the packing plant was likely many days before you open the bag.

 

[SandyQLS]

I finally braved the grocery store again after 6 weeks. I live somewhere in flyover west of the Hudson River and east of Interstate 5. I wanted to post about what they did not have because it took some extra flexibility in selecting replacement products - definitely something to think about in advance.

This is a very large big box or bin grocery. It normally takes me 1.5-2 hours for once-a-month shopping. They have placed a whiteboard by the entrance listing what they don't have. It had about 20 items, but there were more things missing than listed. Some of what I saw:

Some of the NONE items:
paper towels
Hand sanitizer
Disinfectant wipes
Rubbing alcohol
Rice
Ramen
Noodles
Pasta (spaghetti, a little but no Barilla, etc)
Yams (canned)
Ritz crackers (regular)
Oatmeal (only a few of cheap brand)
Corn meal (I bought the last box)
Flour, includes Bisquick, etc
Pancake mix
Refrigerator dough like Pillsbury crescent rolls, biscuits
OreIda and other brands, no frozen potato anything except huge bags of hashbrowns

All bin bulk items were closed which includes a large variety of items. This store also normally has all the usual brand packages, but some bulk items are unique and not sold otherwise, and lots of people shop there because of the bulk items.

The store had PLENTY of food overall.... but maybe NOT the item you usually buy. For example they had lots of soup, but sporadic flavors. They had lots of packaged meats, but very little of specific things like bratwurst. No canned yams but I was able to buy them fresh and will have to cook them. Price of eggs was double normal. I paid more than double for nuts & dry fruit in the baking goods aisle instead of in bulk, and the shelves again almost picked clean; of course no figs, no dates, no raw peanuts, etc., very few dried fruit choices - it's all okay, but I bought more of replacement things to snack on like a box of brand name cranberry almond granola cereal LOL.

It was surreal seeing whole sections just completely empty like frozen potatoes or refrigerator dough or ramen. Somewhat Soviet.

Almost everyone wore a face mask, 9 of 10 people, and all employees did and also wore gloves.

Okay, Happy Shopping Flexibility is the key

 

[margarita25]

I finally braved the grocery store again after 6 weeks. I live somewhere in flyover west of the Hudson River and east of Interstate 5. I wanted to post about what they did not have because it took some extra flexibility in selecting replacement products - definitely something to think about in advance.

This is a very large big box or bin grocery. It normally takes me 1.5-2 hours for once-a-month shopping. They have placed a whiteboard by the entrance listing what they don't have. It had about 20 items, but there were more things missing than listed. Some of what I saw:

Some of the NONE items:
paper towels
Hand sanitizer
Disinfectant wipes
Rubbing alcohol
Rice
Ramen
Noodles
Pasta (spaghetti, a little but no Barilla, etc)
Yams (canned)
Ritz crackers (regular)
Oatmeal (only a few of cheap brand)
Corn meal (I bought the last box)
Flour, includes Bisquick, etc
Pancake mix
Refrigerator dough like Pillsbury crescent rolls, biscuits
OreIda and other brands, no frozen potato anything except huge bags of hashbrowns

All bin bulk items were closed which includes a large variety of items. This store also normally has all the usual brand packages, but some bulk items are unique and not sold otherwise, and lots of people shop there because of the bulk items.

The store had PLENTY of food overall.... but maybe NOT the item you usually buy. For example they had lots of soup, but sporadic flavors. They had lots of packaged meats, but very little of specific things like bratwurst. No canned yams but I was able to buy them fresh and will have to cook them. Price of eggs was double normal. I paid more than double for nuts & dry fruit in the baking goods aisle instead of in bulk, and the shelves again almost picked clean; of course no figs, no dates, no raw peanuts, etc., very few dried fruit choices - it's all okay, but I bought more of replacement things to snack on like a box of brand name cranberry almond granola cereal LOL.

It was surreal seeing whole sections just completely empty like frozen potatoes or refrigerator dough or ramen. Somewhat Soviet.

Almost everyone wore a face mask, 9 of 10 people, and all employees did and also wore gloves.

Okay, Happy Shopping Flexibility is the key

Yes flexibility IS the key! I’m actually excited to try out some new items and dishes. Sometimes there aren’t even the “replacements” you plan ahead for lol.

As a culinary enthusiast, I’m always thinking about “Chopped”, but it REALLY IS like Chopped now!

Thanks for the excellent report.

 

[10ofRods]

So I’ve got a potato issue.

I’m grateful to have potatoes that the shopper was able to find but they’re not the “protected” kind in the non-net bag,

They’re sitting in the doorway in a closed box. I personally have avoided fresh produce bc it is exposed, moo. I’m buying frozen/jar and cleaning the packaging then transferring it to my own ziplocks, etc if I can. I learned that otherwise I still feel the need to watch my hands even after cleaning the packages, etc. because I feel grossed out or unsure that I got every inch of the surface (the doctor’s “glitter” analogy again comes to mind). Everyone might not go as overboard as me but like I said I’m about the “peace of mind”. I don’t want to have to wash my hands every time I touch something out of my fridge.

Yeah, so anyway, potatoes are sitting there in the doorway. How long does CV live on a potato? I’m not touching them for a while. I know they’ll be okay after boiling but still.
I don’t want to touch them to even clean them or bring them in my kitchen til I know the virus is dead. I’ll wait.

Can I wash the outsides with soap and water in a few days then cut the skin off? Will it soak up the soap? I will wear gloves.

I know I sound like a nutcase. I am.

ETA: I disinfect items at the door before I bring them into the kitchen if they have to come in immediately. Small tub with bleach and hot water.
First they get wiped with the bleach water or “take a dip”, depending on the container in the doorway.

Then they go into a different tub where I the. bring them into the kitchen to wash with soap and water.

Then I change out the container if I can.

All to be sure not to cross contaminate anything while wearing/ switching out gloves.

Oh I also have a separate box outside the door where exterior packaging gets dumped. Delivery boxes don’t come in. I open them at the doorway with gloves, then put the items like the sealed jars, cans, packages etc in the bleach tub.

—

Also, when I transfer certain things to the ziplock, I have small portions for rationing.

Who knows how long we’ll be here.

PS - if you're going to peel them, don't worry about soap. No, it won't soak through the skin of the potato.

We don't allow boxes inside (much) either.

I don't wear gloves for all of this, but I do wash my hands several times during the unpacking and stocking process. I suppose if I lived somewhere with a higher rate of CoVid (like NYC), I might be a bit more paranoid.