Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #57

[Chelly]

I need one too but have been nervous.

I’m guessing the staff also get temp readings every day?

If the hygienist is wearing a mask, unless they cough or sneeze it seems unlikely that anything could get into our airways. But being that close to their mouth with mine wide open scares me.

I’m hoping is safe because yeah, I don’t know what else they could do to make a person feel safer. Maybe wear a face shield? Could they even do the job wearing a face shield? Can they reach and stuff with that?

A dental cleaning is a darn scary thing. Right now, there are any number of body parts I'd be OK having a technician work on. But man, my open mouth is really the last place I'd want anyone messing with, face mask or not. Maybe in June....

 

[LadyL]

I need one too but have been nervous.

I’m guessing the staff also get temp readings every day?

If the hygienist is wearing a mask, unless they cough or sneeze it seems unlikely that anything could get into our airways. But being that close to their mouth with mine wide open scares me.

I’m hoping is safe because yeah, I don’t know what else they could do to make a person feel safer. Maybe wear a face shield? Could they even do the job wearing a face shield? Can they reach and stuff with that?

my dentist cancelled my cleaning next week

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I do believe synthetic antibodies will be the solution to CoVid. My colleagues keep sending me articles about them. They're called monoclonal antibodies and can be synthesized in a CRISPR machine. This technology is already in use for offbeat diseases, but is, IMO, the most promising method for treating CoVId. I would get them in a heartbeat.

They are biochemically identical to the antibodies in human plasma, but without the issues of having to derive them from plasma and without needing tons and tons of donors.

do you have any articles on this.... you know like the "for dummies" type of articles???

 

[mickey2942]

Can you link me? I would really like that info because it’s been a concern.

I based that statement on how kids don’t wash their hands, don’t understand social distancing, cough and sneeze without covering, pick their noses, touch dirty surfaces, put fingers in their mouths, share things that go in their mouths, etc.

I never got sick as often as when I taught preschool! Holy hell. And I was super young and very healthy!

My favorite all time quote ever from one of my students.

"Geez, Mrs. Mickey, how come we ALWAYS have to wash hands at school? Before lunch, after recess, in the bathroom...I NEVER have to wash hands at home.".

 

[CharlestonGal]

Maybe that’s why PreP may be working. Is it an anti-viral?

PreP compounds are antivirals, yes. They were developed to specifically to target retroviruses. As SARS-COV2 is not a retrovirus, no one knows yet if antiretroviral meds will work on RNA viruses. On the other hand, strangely enough, antiretrovirals used for HIV appear to be effective in hepatitis B (a DNA virus) control in co-infected patients. Another consideration is that PreP must be taken every single day along with periodic evaluation for renal toxicity. Even if it works I'm not sure how practical PreP would be on a large scale.

On top of that, the adoption of large scale usage of PreP would no doubt create serious supply issues for patients currently on PreP treatment.

The treatment of viruses is notoriously difficult and, in my personal opinion, we should tread very, very carefully in how we approach a completely novel virus in a population that is 100% naive.

 

[katydid23]

I am trying to figure out people who have parents, spouses, in Long Term Care facilities. They have not been able to visit their family since mid March.

Is this "lock down" just going to go on forever?

I was visiting my Mother in her Care facility on Mar 11th, when we were told that ALL visitors had to leave the next day.

Mom's been alone in her apartment since that day. She is 89. Although she insists she is 90 and we had the celebrate her last birthday as her 90th......even though her birth certificate says otherwise...lol

She told me yesterday that she was advised that there would be no guests permitted until Aug 1st. However she also was told that once they are able to get rid testing, they might allow family to visit one at a time, if they take a test on site and pass it.

My mom seemed fine about the lockdown being extended. She watches a lot of TV and knows what is up.

 

[Chelly]

my dentist cancelled my cleaning next week

Did you reschedule dental cleaning? I have a Do-list for AC (after covid). First is have plumber replace kitchen faucet and unstick garden hoses from outside faucets. Second is teeth-cleaning. Won't bore you with numbers 3-11, but the list is getting longer each month.

 

[tresir2012]

To protect teachers, is the main reason. While one kid may be a less likely transmitter, soon all the kids in the classroom will have CoVid and the viral load in the classroom will go up. That's why they're cutting class sizes in many places (entire states).

In the US and UK, the average age of death from CoVid is lower than in France, Spain, Italy and China. Diabetes and obesity rates are higher. Lots of teachers are in their 50's and early 60's. The liability to the school districts if just one teacher dies or has lifelong health consequences is enormous in the US.

Of course, kids with yet undiagnosed underlying conditions would also die or have serious consequences (more lawsuits).

Further, some people will homeschool their kids rather than have them get CoVid (which surely, many will do when schools open - we closed schools in California before the virus had really got a foothold in any of them, it was mostly L.A. Marathon runners who ended up spreading it in LA, but also LAX and hospitals themselves were a main vector).

I posted a link yesterday - 20% of hospitalized CoVid patients got a severe case from having been previously hospitalized. It's normal in infectious disease for hospitals and clinics to be vectors. But in a second wave, it will be the schools.

Up to 20% of hospital patients with Covid-19 caught it at hospital

(the link again)

While very few children will have serious consequences, the fate of teachers will not be free of CoVid. My granddaughter's teacher, for example, has a child who was born with cancer, has since developed another cancer, and is severely immune-compromised (but has reached her 5th birthday - her first year of life was entirely in a hospital, everyone had to be masked and gowned to visit her). That teacher is only 36. She's also the main breadwinner in her family.

So we better get crackin' with hiring new teachers to replace the ones who will have to quit (or go onto some sort of disability plan) when school starts. One of my colleagues has a wife who is severely immune-compromised. They don't want to homeschool their two children, at all, but that's what they'll have to do in August if kids go back without masks. Even with masks, it's going to be a worry.

At any rate, I think schools will end up closing their doors and consolidating - as yes, just that many people will homeschool. So many are already on the verge of doing it anyway. The collapse of public education has many longterm consequences, because the shared social values (and the need for self-control in public) will be impacted.

Interesting times, indeed.

That's not correct about the age regarding UK deaths. Most deaths are those above retirement age, see below.

The majority of deaths involving COVID-19 have been among people aged 65 years and over (33,098 out of 37,375), with 46% (15,079) of these occurring in the over-85 age group.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...articles/coronaviruscovid19roundup/2020-03-26
Coronavirus (COVID-19) roundup - Office for National Statistics

Also the UK number one and two underlying conditions were Alzheimers/Dementia and Heart Disease, not obesity or Diabetes. Have not seen the data for the US and the other Nations you mention though.

 

[tmar]

Before-and-after photos show the dramatic effect lockdowns are having on pollution around the world

• One-third of the world is under lockdown as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Air traffic is down, fewer cars are on the road, and factories are closed; this means that air pollution has drastically decreased in many parts of the world.
• Milan, Italy, which has historically struggled with smog, is even thinking about ways to reduce air pollution post-pandemic by introducing a plan to reduce car use.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

As humans hunker down indoors, the natural world is positively thriving. Wild animals roam empty streets, and nature is reclaiming urban areas.

In some places, air pollution has noticeably reduced, with pollution levels in China down an estimated 25%.

 

[mickey2942]

Trump tours Ford plant without mask after state attorney general's warnings

<modsnip>

 

[tmar]

Global report: don't count on vaccine, US scientist warns, as cases near 5 million

Global report: don't count on vaccine, US scientist warns, as cases near 5 million

Alison Rourke
16 hrs ago
A top US scientist has said governments should not count on a Covid-19 vaccine being developed any time soon, as global infections were set to pass 5 million after surges in Latin America, including Brazil, which has recorded nearly 20,000 new cases.

William Haseltine, the groundbreaking cancer, HIV/AIDS and human genome projects researcher, has said the best approach to the pandemic is to manage the disease through careful tracing of infections and strict isolation measures whenever it starts spreading.


He said that while a vaccine could be developed, “I wouldn’t count on it”, and urged people to wear masks, wash hands, clean surfaces and keep a distance. Vaccines developed previously for other types of coronavirus had failed to protect mucous membranes in the nose where the virus typically enters the body, he said.
...
The United States and other countries has not done enough to “forcibly isolate” people exposed to the virus, Haseltine said, but praised China, South Korea and Taiwan’s efforts to curb infections.

Haseltine said the US, Russia and Brazil – which rank first, second and third for infections – have done the worst.

 

[gitana1]

I am trying to figure out people who have parents, spouses, in Long Term Care facilities. They have not been able to visit their family since mid March.

Is this "lock down" just going to go on forever?

They’re not meant to. The south of Spain (Andalusia) has opened up. After six weeks of not leaving the house AT ALL except one person for an hour a week to get groceries, and then another couple weeks where kids could go out for an hour a day with their parents, my family are now able to reunite with each other at cafes and stuff. Ride bikes. I’m not sure about indoor restaurants and bars though.

But Andalusians really adhered strictly as a people to the lockdown and they successfully flattened the curve.

You know the people who kept railing against the shut down have continually stated that only the old, vulnerable and “scared” should isolate. But as I’ve stated, I don’t think that’s what they really mean. Because that’s a lot of people. I think they just want to get “back to normal” because things won’t if such a large segment of the population continues to isolate.

But the elderly are the most vulnerable. And since people are resisting even wearing a mask, grandma isn’t safe if nursing homes were to open up, especially in areas where the lockdowns end.

I don’t know the answer to when it will be safe to reopen old age homes. Maybe once the cases flatten to a trackable amount?

 

[tresir2012]

I was visiting my Mother in her Care facility on Mar 11th, when we were told that ALL visitors had to leave the next day.

Mom's been alone in her apartment since that day. She is 89. Although she insists she is 90 and we had the celebrate her last birthday as her 90th......even though her birth certificate says otherwise...lol

She told me yesterday that she was advised that there would be no guests permitted until Aug 1st. However she also was told that once they are able to get rid testing, they might allow family to visit one at a time, if they take a test on site and pass it.

My mom seemed fine about the lockdown being extended. She watches a lot of TV and knows what is up.

11th March was when WHO declared COVID was a pandemic. Wonder if that was the reason? I cannot remember the exact day the elderly care lockdown happened in the UK but it was at least by the 16th March and could have been before. I haven't seen my kids since Christmas. Why can't relatives visit if they mask up? I wonder about that. August 1st is ridiculous IMO. Hopefully our UK restrictions are slowly opening up.

 

[tmar]

Photo of the Day

Photo of the Day

1 day ago.
Note the wearing of masks, throughout the world.

 

[gitana1]

11th March was when WHO declared COVID was a pandemic. Wonder if that was the reason? I cannot remember the exact day the elderly care lockdown happened in the UK but it was at least by the 16th March and could have been before. I haven't seen my kids since Christmas. Why can't relatives visit if they mask up? I wonder about that. August 1st is ridiculous IMO. Hopefully our UK restrictions are slowly opening up.

Because we humans can’t be trusted. I don’t know about you guys but I see people wearing masks not covering their noses, regularly. I see people touching their faces after touching surfaces. I see people break social distancing rules daily. People make mistakes. I know I have.

 

[TMAN2014]

But he did wear a mask, just not in front of the cameras.

Trump tours Ford plant without mask after state attorney general's warnings


from above article
"A source familiar with the President's visit to a Ford plant said the President wore a mask out of sight of cameras during his visit.

He was just asked why he was not wearing a mask while on the tour in front of cameras.

"I had one on before in this back area. But I didn’t want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it," Trump said".

 

[tresir2012]

Global report: don't count on vaccine, US scientist warns, as cases near 5 million

Global report: don't count on vaccine, US scientist warns, as cases near 5 million

Alison Rourke
16 hrs ago
A top US scientist has said governments should not count on a Covid-19 vaccine being developed any time soon, as global infections were set to pass 5 million after surges in Latin America, including Brazil, which has recorded nearly 20,000 new cases.

William Haseltine, the groundbreaking cancer, HIV/AIDS and human genome projects researcher, has said the best approach to the pandemic is to manage the disease through careful tracing of infections and strict isolation measures whenever it starts spreading.


He said that while a vaccine could be developed, “I wouldn’t count on it”, and urged people to wear masks, wash hands, clean surfaces and keep a distance. Vaccines developed previously for other types of coronavirus had failed to protect mucous membranes in the nose where the virus typically enters the body, he said.
...
The United States and other countries has not done enough to “forcibly isolate” people exposed to the virus, Haseltine said, but praised China, South Korea and Taiwan’s efforts to curb infections.

Haseltine said the US, Russia and Brazil – which rank first, second and third for infections – have done the worst.

I could have done without reading that depressing article. It is great being wise after the event like Mr. H.

 

[tmar]

AP PHOTOS: Quarantine and a bracelet for Hong Kong returnees

AP PHOTOS: Quarantine and a bracelet for Hong Kong returnees

1 day ago
...
Hong Kong issued quarantine wristbands to monitor returning residents of the city while they serve their mandatory 14-day quarantine, in a bid to curb local transmissions of COVID-19 during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)
...

 

[BHughes]

I have been very confused lately. I had to go have a second COVID test which also turned out Neg. (Symptoms: headache, metallic taste in mouth, no appetite, abdominal pain, extreme fatigue/malaise)
About 5 days after the test, I had bad pain in my left calf, swelling, hardened vein, and feeling like there was a knot in it, also purplish discoloration around the spot. Pain got really bad so went to ER, where they did an ultrasound. It showed no large vein clots or DVT, but Dr. said "I bet you had COVID", you have a small blood clot and "thrombophlebitis" in leg and this is COVID-related.

Talked to nurse at my primary care Dr's offc today, she said radiology notes from ER showed no blood clots (which is technically true--they were looking for large vein clots) yet they want me to isolate AGAIN even after 2 Neg COVID tests. I am so very confused. Any advice from others who've had clots, are medical people, or just have some input? I'll see my dr. virtually tomorrow and don't even know where to begin. I am really frustrated and angry.

I know how that can be so frustrating not getting an answer and having to wait!!! I'm so sorry!!
Are you taking a vitamin D supplement? I think several of your symptoms you listed is a sign of too much, MOO. I'm no health professional, just thought I'd point that out! I hope you get some good news soon!!!

ETA: Vitamin D: Are Your Patients Getting Enough?

 

[tresir2012]

But he did wear a mask, just not in front of the cameras.

Trump tours Ford plant without mask after state attorney general's warnings


from above article
"A source familiar with the President's visit to a Ford plant said the President wore a mask out of sight of cameras during his visit.

He was just asked why he was not wearing a mask while on the tour in front of cameras.

"I had one on before in this back area. But I didn’t want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it," Trump said".

He really likes winding up the press, doesn't he. He makes me laugh though.