Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #51

[10ofRods]

Dang, I need one of those. I’d like it to be a siren going off so people stay out of my space!

I was thinking about the medieval tradition of carrying a staff. It was a time rife with disease, and one could swing a staff in every direction. An 8 foot staff gives the user a good 2 foot grip for the swing of the thing.

Twirling with the staff would knock encroachers off their balance, I'd think. It could be lightweight, OTOH, if YOU are a lightweight, maybe you'll need a bigger stick.

There's some proverb about big sticks from that same period, but I can't recall it right now.

 

[jjenny]

Do you really think it was due to his mask? I'm curious, because so many woodland and fire employees here in California wear them for work all day long. I have asthma and can wear one for quite some time.

Surely there's some other thing going on?

I find masks very hard to breathe through, and this guy had an actual N95. Those are supposed to be sealed around mouth and nose, and all the air is filtered through the mask.

 

[KALI]

I so agree with you. This all is going to turn into a humungous poop storm financially.
Real estate bust is here. Texas (oil), Nevada, New York, California, Florida, Louisiana (tourism).
We're already seeing major breadlines, although, via cars in line, versus people standing.
It's going to be bad.
I actually think it's going to be the worst financial calamity we've ever seen in our lives.
The sooner we open up Carefully, the better we will all be.
Yes, I know, full well that people will die.
Hopefully, we've all learned ways to combat this virus and will keep on fighting it with distancing and heightened sanitation.
It's going to be hard and slow going.
For me. At this point, I honestly would keep China away from our borders until they PROVE that they have changed.
That may take a decade, which I am fine with.
Any country that continuously and historically releases viruses into our world needs to be shunned as much as possible.
This is So... my opinion.
My opinion is not going to change at this point via argumentative posts.
So, please don't. I do welcome other opinions.
I will certainly read them. But, I'm not up for an argument.
Sincerely, Kali, in California.

What a double-edged sword. Considering the population that lives paycheck to paycheck and have not worked for a month, they'll not be able to pay rent on May 1, car payments, insurance, etc.. Same for small businesses that didn't get in on the government PPP loans -- no business can survive without revenue and their recovery will not occur in 30 days.

It's now reported that mortgage lenders reacted last week by raising minimum credit scores and downpayment as they are fearful of the financially recovering borrowers after mandatory lock-down. Also suspended offering FHA (govt backed) mortgages.

Seems it's a disaster either way. Stay safe.

ETA: Add link about credit card debt
Credit Card Issuers Offer Customer Assistance In Response To Coronavirus | Bankrate

 

[Midwestmom2019]

Media reports are breaking all over the Netherlands of cases of Human to Animal transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Coronavirus vastgesteld bij nertsenfokkerijen in Noord-Brabant

Two separate mink farms reported cases of their animals developing breathing and gastrointestinal issues and veterinary experts decided to inform the authorities for further investigations.

The Ministry Of Farming and Agriculture later issued official announcements that the farm animals were indeed infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes the deadly COVID-19 disease.

The Ministry officials confirmed that it was most likely human-animal transmission as some of the workers at the farm had previously tested positive of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The animal infections were confirmed on Friday by researchers from the laboratory of Wageningen Bioveterinary Research in Lelystad.

The mink farm in Beek en Donk has 7,500 minks and the other in Milheeze has 13,000 animals. Both farms have imposed precautionary measures to prevent further spreading of the virus.

BREAKING! Netherlands Reports Cases Of Human To Animal Transmission Of COVID-19 In Mink Farms - Thailand Medical News

Like lab worker to bat....

 

[jjenny]

How do barbers and hairdressers work remotely? I saw one local woman give a little lesson on facebook on how to cut hair at home - is that what they're doing? If so, awesome.

No, they are allegedly doing it like it's normally done, thus the complains.

 

[jjenny]

At this point, China might want to keep us out. China managed to squash it, while we have almost a million of known cases.

 

[10ofRods]

I thought this was super interesting. I had no idea US life expectancy was so low just 100 years ago! So most people who are dying of covid would already have been dead if they'd been alive at the time of the Spanish flu

Life expectancy in the USA, 1900-98
men and women
1918 36.6 42.2
1919 53.5 56.0
1920 53.6 54.6
98 more rows

Life expectancy in the USA, 1900-98

https://u.demog.berkeley.edu/~andrew/1918/figure2.html

So glad you posted this! It's possible that those estimates are slightly low. HOWEVER, worldwide in 1900, it seems clear that world life expectancy in 1900 ranged from 35-60. Some estimates for the US put us ahead at 60, but little data was gathered from some large regions.

Population growth in the 20th century has a huge component related to people living longer (not just people reproducing). Nature has a way of figuring things out. I'm a little bummed, because I was thinking 75-80 was a natural LE, but not so sure now.

Anyway, WW1 really pulled it down from 1900 and then the Great Depression and then we got better...but now we're going back down. C'est la vie?

Keep in mind that the very low numbers also had a LOT to do with infant mortality. Someone who dies at birth or 5 minutes after really pulls down the averages. And there were tons of infants dead near birth, in part due to the nutrition of their mothers (soft bones != healthy babies).

 

[KALI]

Never. This new ugly virus is here to stay. Imo

How long do we suppose that it will take to get down to 10 cases a week in the US?

18 months or so?

 

[anneg]

We have my grandmother's journal, she passed away in her 90's in 1990, and she wrote down daily the things you mention above. It is a real treasure for us. The ordinary days of a well-lived life.

That's wonderful that you have and treasure her journal. I do have a strong interest in family history but I have never thought of my journals in that way. I think of them as being for me. Sometimes I pick up an old one and am fascinated to read about things I had forgotten about.

 

[Henry2326]

Like lab worker to bat....

New research says possibly dogs....not in a lab.....
‐---------------------------
Medical and genomic researchers have been for the last few months been trying to identify the species of origin to understand how the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus first leapt from its animal hosts to humans, causing the current pandemic infecting millions globally and causing almost 200,000 deaths so far.

Researchers have been looking for an intermediate animal host between bats, which are known to harbor many coronaviruses, and the first introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into humans.

Numerous animals, beginning with snakes and most recently, pangolins, have all been put forth as the likely intermediate, but the viruses isolated from them are too divergent from SARS-CoV-2, suggesting a common ancestor too far back in time living in the 1960s.

Now a new research published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution by University of Ottawa Biology Professor Dr Xuhua Xia, tracing coronavirus signatures across different species, has proposed that stray dogs, specifically dog intestines may have been the origin of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Extreme genomic CpG deficiency in SARS-CoV-2 and evasion of host antiviral defense

More at link....

Breaking! Research Indicates That Stray Dogs Could Be Possible Source Of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus - Thailand Medical News

 

[Midwestmom2019]

This is exactly what it’s about, IMO. You are on point.

Just don’t let the murderers out.

 

[Warwick1991]

I hope so. I'm making it my personal mission to holler about this.

It bugs me personally because my mom is sliding more rapidly into dementia the last few months than I was prepared for. I'm currently starting the assisted living search.

Right now I’m taking care of my 90 year old mother at home as we try and deal with staying indoors. Fortunately, she doesn’t have dementia, but she is legally blind and has physical issues.

At the beginning of the year, we toured several assisted living facilities in our area of South Florida. My mother had been planning to move to assisted living. She put a deposit on one, and was going to go, but as the virus emerged we agreed that it was not the right time. It was the right decision - 4 of the facilities we toured have the virus spreading among the staff and residents.

All of the buildings we toured had separate HVAC units for each resident’s room. This is fairly common in newer buildings. Public areas, such as dining rooms and corridors do have central systems. Recent HVAC design standards require more fresh air/air changes, and although it is hard to tell without looking at the equipment, systems with a high percentage of recycled air are less common.

The spread of the virus through nursing homes and assisted living facilities appears to be mainly from staff members, who are often contract employees who go from facility to facility. Most are not paid well, and access to testing and paid sick time is nonexistent. I think that is a greater problem than the HVAC systems.

Right now, one of my cousins, who was living in a nursing home in Massachusetts, has Covid-19 and is hospitalized. She’s had it for a little over 2 weeks, and although she’s stable she has preexisting conditions that, to say the least, pose a challenge to her recovery. Our family is naturally on edge about this.

Looking at emerging statistics, it is clear that nursing homes and assisted living facilities are extremely vulnerable to the virus, and anyone living or working in one is at great risk. I can understand the need to place an individual with dementia in a memory care facility, because it is a great challenge to care for a dementia patient. My father lived in a memory care near the end of his life because he needed the 24 hour care. He died a little over a year ago. The facility where he lived now has residents with the virus...

 

[katydid23]

You have to be careful while driving. Just read about a guy who passed out while wearing N95 mask and crushed his car. Those masks are hard to breathe in for a long time.

I don't wear N95 masks. I have surgical masks, and when driving, I pull it down an inch, just under my nose. So my breathing is very easy.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

I was thinking about the medieval tradition of carrying a staff. It was a time rife with disease, and one could swing a staff in every direction. An 8 foot staff gives the user a good 2 foot grip for the swing of the thing.

Twirling with the staff would knock encroachers off their balance, I'd think. It could be lightweight, OTOH, if YOU are a lightweight, maybe you'll need a bigger stick.

There's some proverb about big sticks from that same period, but I can't recall it right now.

Speak softly but carry a big stick. Teddy Roosevelt, I think.

 

[margarita25]

New research says possibly dogs....not in a lab.....
‐---------------------------
Medical and genomic researchers have been for the last few months been trying to identify the species of origin to understand how the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus first leapt from its animal hosts to humans, causing the current pandemic infecting millions globally and causing almost 200,000 deaths so far.

Researchers have been looking for an intermediate animal host between bats, which are known to harbor many coronaviruses, and the first introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into humans.

Numerous animals, beginning with snakes and most recently, pangolins, have all been put forth as the likely intermediate, but the viruses isolated from them are too divergent from SARS-CoV-2, suggesting a common ancestor too far back in time living in the 1960s.

Now a new research published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution by University of Ottawa Biology Professor Dr Xuhua Xia, tracing coronavirus signatures across different species, has proposed that stray dogs, specifically dog intestines may have been the origin of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Extreme genomic CpG deficiency in SARS-CoV-2 and evasion of host antiviral defense

More at link....

Breaking! Research Indicates That Stray Dogs Could Be Possible Source Of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus - Thailand Medical News

Has there ever been canine to human transmission recorded/confirmed previously with any other (eta: “respiratory”) pathogens, occurring from “zoonotic spillover”?

I’m very skeptical about this theory, but then again I’m just a peon with no medical training.

 

[Henry2326]

Has there ever been canine to human transmission recorded/confirmed previously with any other pathogens?

I’m very skeptical about this theory, but then again I’m just a peon with no medical training.

This is enlightening....

https://www.mdlinx.com/internal-medicine/article/3687

 

[katydid23]

The person who last did mine is in a self-contained "salon" in a larger commercial space shared by other similar professionsals. She has what amounts to a separate glassed-in room along a hall of more of the same. She has one chair, sink, etc. There would only ever be two people in the room. I have a tentative appointment for May 1 lol :::fingerscrossed:::

My friend went to her hair dressers 'new'salon set up. My friend works from home but does a lot of Zoom work meetings etc, and her hair was just out of control. She needed a cut and color desperately.

Her hairdresser set up her salon on her back patio. She has an outside sink, open air space, where she has her salon chair set up. She got a shampoo, color, cut and blow out, without coming into contact with anyone but her stylist---who was wearing a mask and gloves.

 

[jjenny]

Has there ever been canine to human transmission recorded/confirmed previously with any other pathogens?

I’m very skeptical about this theory, but then again I’m just a peon with no medical training.

Sure. Rabies.

 

[margarita25]

This is enlightening....

https://www.mdlinx.com/internal-medicine/article/3687

Well, I’m an idiot. At least I admitted I’m a peon with no medical training.

Review of bacterial and viral zoonotic infections transmitted by dogs

“Dogs are a major reservoir for zoonotic infections. Dogs transmit several viral and bacterial diseases to humans. Zoonotic diseases can be transmitted to human by infected saliva, aerosols, contaminated urine or feces and direct contact with the dog. Viral infections such as rabies and norovirus and bacterial infections including Pasteurella, Salmonella, Brucella, Yersinia enterocolitica, Campylobacter, Capnocytophaga, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Coxiella burnetii, Leptospira, Staphylococcus intermedius and Methicillin resistance staphylococcus aureus are the most common viral and bacterial zoonotic infections transmitted to humans by dogs. This review, focused on the mentioned infectious diseases by describing general information, signs and symptoms, transmission ways, prevention and treatment of the infection. As far as the infections are concerned, the increase of the knowledge and the awareness of dog owners and the general population regarding zoonotic infections could significantly mitigate zoonoses transmission and consequently their fatal complications.”

—-

Okay let me rephrase what I mean specifically, “respiratory pathogens occurring as a result of zoonotic spillover”?

—

Canine Respiratory Coronavirus FAQ

“There is no evidence that CRCoV can infect other animal species or people.”

—-

“No human infections with canine influenza have ever been reported.”

Key Facts about Canine Influenza (Dog Flu) | Seasonal Influenza (Flu) | CDC

—-

I realize the above articles are very general. Just thought I’d take a quick peek..

 

[katydid23]

The money will come from the government, which comes from taxes, just like where the money comes from for other programs. They'll be future taxes, just like existing debt (which most nations have).

I think countries can view debt the same way individuals are advised to: there's good debt and bad debt. Taking out student loans to become a doctor or similar is good debt, because you'll have decades of guaranteed high income, and will easily pay the debt off. Similarly, a mortgage is good debt if you have enough income to pay off a small amount each month, and end up with a paid-off home instead of being a renter.

Then there's credit card debt for frivolous purchases, which can undermine your ability to survive financially, especially if you have an emergency such as a need for dental work, but you can't afford it because you've used all your credit on a lexus and shoes to match.

What governments spend money on, what they'e willing to go into debt for, IMO reflects their values and priorities, just as personal finances do.

Taxes come from US citizens. The most taxes come from BUSINESSES.

If the businesses go bankrupt, there will be no taxes paid to the government. If the people are unemployed, and have no income, there will pay no taxes.

The government will not be collecting much tax revenue if the businesses are shutdown and people are not working.

Social Security relies upon income taxes too. Massive unemployment will result in massive underpayment to the Social Security fund.

It is a fantasy to assume that the government, in which 40% of the people already pay no taxes but do get many paid benefits from the government ---that the government will be able to continue to pay out cash dividends to large segments of an unemployed, bankrupt population. There is a tipping point.

Those who want to slowly reopen segments of the economy are trying to prevent us from reaching that tipping point.