Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #61

[LadyL]

The numbers are already horrifying in many places following mass re-openings and hundreds of thousands of protesters in the streets for weeks on end. This rally won’t help matters, but make no mistake, things are already completely out of control. As a healthcare worker, it’s infuriating to have to sit by and watch all that has been allowed in the last 3 weeks, and all that is being allowed as we move forward.

I get that we cannot stay closed down completely for months or years. But a free-for-all doesn’t seem like the answer either. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve heard justifying risky behavior “because if it’s ok to have all of these protests, it can’t be that bad for me to take my wife to dinner”, etc.

So we just take in the massive numbers of new cases and new hospitalizations, knowing the numbers are out of control and only getting worse by the day, and we pray a lot that we don’t get really sick taking care of all of these self centered people, or worse, get our families sick.

just wanted to say thank you for your service

 

[10ofRods]

The last 3 days have been weird for me in terms of necessary contact with people, beginning Thursday with a doctor appointment. I was so stressed after being out most of the day Friday that I just went to bed when I got home, after decontaminating.

Tonight I had just settled in with a DVD when I got a call about a vulnerable missing cat that needed to be trapped. It was storming but I went out. I had the address to this house and I expected to go around to the back with the trap and maybe have to speak to them from afar. I did bring my mask just in case, and I needed it. They actually said I needed to go through the house to get to the back deck. They were unmasked and unconcerned with 3 kids.

I ended up going back and forth through the house twice, touching their doors, kids almost running into me, guy getting close enough to hold doors open for me. It’s wild that they were not at all worried to have a stranger come through their house during a pandemic.

Thankfully I had brought a bunch of alcohol wipes because I knew I would get sardines on my hands while setting the trap. So at least I had more than just hand sanitizer after touching their doors.

I don’t know. There are a whole lot of younger people out there who are not at all worried. So it’s good to be overly prepared when you go out because anything can happen even if you don’t expect to encounter humans.

That said, I am grateful for kind people who are willing to let a stranger in to help a vulnerable creature.

Yes, we're finding the same thing and it's causing stress on all sides. I mean, understand why the young are less careful (although some of them are terrified, they say, but they still aren't all that careful compared to me and DH).

You are amazing to go out and do that. Kids are better to run into than adults. I had the same thing happen with a guy trying to be polite, made me so nervous, didn't make DH happy, the whole thing just sucks.

 

[Sundog]

I'm still a bit confused about plexiglass. I think it's a great idea. But in retail, the card reader is a straight shot to the cashier. Jmo

Our faculty want plexiglass installed in classrooms for the in-person classes that resume in August, but there is no budget allocated for that. Not sure how they will teach with the mandatory face mask policy in place for faculty and staff. It would be a good idea for everyone to invest in face shields, I guess.

 

[Sundog]

Now a White House official says that the President’s claim that he told his people to slow down testing was a joke! <modsnip>

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday told thousands of cheering supporters he had asked U.S. officials to slow down testing for the novel coronavirus, calling it a “double-edged sword” that led to more cases being discovered.

Trump said the United States had now tested 25 million people, far more than other countries.

“When you do testing to that extent, you’re gonna find more people you’re gonna find more cases. So I said to my people slow the testing down, please,” Trump told a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where many supporters were not wearing face masks.

A White House official said Trump was joking about his call for a slowdown in testing.

“He was obviously kidding. We are leading the world in testing and have conducted 25 million + in testing,” the official said.
BBM

Trump urges slowdown in COVID-19 testing, calling it a 'double-edge sword'

We watched it, and we both (DH and myself) thought that he was clearly joking with his audience.

 

[10ofRods]

I expect the 1 million estimate was just blather, and the 100,000 estimate was what was hoped for. How many seats does the stadium have?

19,000 plus floor space, so if packed, they could squeeze in 20,000. Then, they reserved a space down the street (convention center) for streaming and it holds an additional 10,000.

It looked to me like maybe 7000 showed up (maybe). It could have been 6000, but it also could have been 9000. The larger upper tier was empty by the time Trump came out, the lower tier was only about one-half to two-thirds full, and the floor only had a few hundred.

 

[LadyL]

We are seeing the same on the Patios. Crowded. No masks except the staff

we had to go to the vet today, who is still employing all the restrictions (we sit in car & phone them, we pay with credit card over the phone, they bring meds & foods out & set on table, we retrieve from table)
next door is a restaurant that had tables out in the parking lot as their 'patio' - I guess customers had to park on the side street ... anyway the waiter was wearing his mask underneath his nose and none of the patrons had a mask on
~sigh~

 

[SoCalDavidS]

19,000 plus floor space, so if packed, they could squeeze in 20,000. Then, they reserved a space down the street (convention center) for streaming and it holds an additional 10,000.

It looked to me like maybe 7000 showed up (maybe). It could have been 6000, but it also could have been 9000. The larger upper tier was empty by the time Trump came out, the lower tier was only about one-half to two-thirds full, and the floor only had a few hundred.

I saw a couple of estimates put it at between 9K & 10K.

 

[jjenny]

Well what you don't know can't hurt you as they say. The logic in his statement is sound though. Less tests less positives.

The same sound logic as burying your head in the sand when wanting to avoid danger.

 

[tmar]

Trump rally a ‘petri dish’ for spreading COVID-19

Trump rally a ‘petri dish’ for spreading COVID-19

Sky News Australia
1 hour ago
...
US President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is “one of the worst things that can be done” to spread COVID-19 with tens of thousands in close quarters and many more outside, Cypress College’s Professor Peter Mathews says.

“It’s just a petri dish,” he told Sky News.
“Not required to wear face masks, not required to social distance, but if you do get sick you can’t sue us.

“It’s just a horrible fiasco right now, and I think that it should’ve been stopped by a judge from taking place.”

His remarks come after six staffers working on Mr Trump’s rally tested positive for COVID-19.

“Many more will be carrying it to other parts of the country because these are not just Oklahoma, these are thousands from around the surrounding states who are coming to attend this rally,” Professor Mathews said.

“People with no masks required to be worn, just handing out masks to be voluntarily worn.

 

[Gardener1850]

So question for you all. I have just recently begun venturing out into stores. Prior it was all delivery, grocery included. I have now made three trips. Masked, of course. And hand sanitizer before entering the car after as well as wiping down my groceries. These are the only trips inside of places we have made and the only time I have been within 6 feet of another human. ( we did a driveway visit with the family but over 6 feet away) Anyways....each time I had a small panic attack, mostly due to being overwhelmed by actually being near someone and being inside. In MI we are asked to wear masks in grocery stores but there is always that one that does not and those are the ones that love to get close and show you just how NOT worried they are.
So on to my question: I wear a mask but what about the rest of my body? Do those of you that are very careful and worried about this virus cover the rest of your body and undress and shower after? Please don't call me paranoid! I honestly want to know as I am sure if the germs find their way to a mask then they must find there way to other areas. Say my elbow or knee? I get home and touch it with my clean hands.... What do you all think and how are you handling this? Its a new world this shopping thing and I am almost to the point of going back to grocery delivery...

I sanitize all my cold/perishable groceries first and put them on a clean counter to dry. Once I have the groceries sorted and wiped down I wash my hands and put the cold items away. Then I strip and put my clothes right into the washing machine and set it for a 1 hour delay so I can shower. I coat the glasses I wore to the store in hand sanitizer to clean them. Then I take a shower. I mostly focus on washing my hair, my face and any skin that was exposed in the store. Oh, and also my shoes are taken off in my garage and I don't wear the ones I wore to the store again for at least 3 days. I have a pair of slip-on shoes designated as grocery shopping shoes so that I don't have to touch them to take them on and off.

So, no, I wouldn't call you paranoid at all. I have the same problem as you where the unmasked people always seem to come really close to me and breath all over me unless I quickly move away or start coughing behind my mask (coughing makes them move away every time and they would probably claim I'm the paranoid one for wearing a mask, go figure ). Unfortunately we don't have any mask requirements here and since summer-like weather started I have been seeing fewer people with masks. The last trip to the store I would guesstimate it was only about 20% of us that were masked (including store employees) and 80% of customers were not. I'm in a Southern state where cases are growing rapidly. Cities and counties all around me are starting to talk about making masks mandatory because of the increase. I hope they do it soon because I think more people will wear masks here if required to. There may always be a few stubborn ones but I believe the majority of people will complain about it but comply.

My relatives in Michigan tell me that new case numbers are decreasing there and most people wear masks in the stores. If only we could get more people to wear masks and social distance, then maybe our cases would start to go down too.

MOO.

 

[Sundog]

Colleges and universities are lobbying Congress to pass a liability waiver so students can't sue when colleges reopen in 6 weeks
If they get covid-19 in their res hall or classroom, etc.

Replying to my own post:
Here is a link to the letter from colleges and universities sent to Congress and the reasons for their request of legislation for a liability shield for higher education.

https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Letter-Congress-pandemic-liability-052820.pdf

 

[Tillicum]

We watched it, and we both (DH and myself) thought that he was clearly joking with his audience.

Absolutely joking IMO.

 

[Rocco]

Trump rally a ‘petri dish’ for spreading COVID-19

Trump rally a ‘petri dish’ for spreading COVID-19

Sky News Australia
1 hour ago
...
US President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is “one of the worst things that can be done” to spread COVID-19 with tens of thousands in close quarters and many more outside, Cypress College’s Professor Peter Mathews says.

“It’s just a petri dish,” he told Sky News.
“Not required to wear face masks, not required to social distance, but if you do get sick you can’t sue us.

“It’s just a horrible fiasco right now, and I think that it should’ve been stopped by a judge from taking place.”

His remarks come after six staffers working on Mr Trump’s rally tested positive for COVID-19.

“Many more will be carrying it to other parts of the country because these are not just Oklahoma, these are thousands from around the surrounding states who are coming to attend this rally,” Professor Mathews said.

“People with no masks required to be worn, just handing out masks to be voluntarily worn.

''US President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is “one of the worst things that can be done” to spread COVID-19 with tens of thousands in close quarters and many more outside''

Tens of thousands?????

So either it's a horrible fiasco because these tens of thousands of people will be carrying the virus to other parts of the country......

OR

It was poorly attended with only 6 thousand or so people attending.

The media can't have it both ways. Which is it?

 

[Lilibet]

We watched it, and we both (DH and myself) thought that he was clearly joking with his audience.

Apparently some also saw it as a “quip.”

"Here’s the bad part," he continued. "When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people. You’re going to find more cases. So I said to my people, 'slow the testing down, please!’”

The president's remark appeared to be in jest and came during a lengthy riff on the coronavirus. But he has previously made similar remarks indicating he believes widespread testing, which is recommended by public health experts, can be problematic because it leads to higher case counts.

Trump quips that he told aides to 'slow the testing down' for coronavirus

I don’t see the humor (more like mockery) when the death toll is approaching 120,000. It’s really no joking matter, is it?

But the viewpoint about testing is nothing new.

May:
“And don’t forget, we have more cases than anybody in the world,” he added. “But why? Because we do more testing. When you test, you have a case. When you test, you find something is wrong with people. If we didn’t do any testing, we would have very few cases.”

Trump: Coronavirus testing may be ‘overrated’ and reason for high U.S. case count
Trump says testing may be 'frankly overrated'

June:
"If we stop testing right now, we’d have very few cases, if any,” Trump said during a White House event highlighting administration actions to help senior citizens.

"Our testing is so much bigger and more advanced than any other country (we have done a great job on this!) that it shows more cases. Without testing, or weak testing, we would be showing almost no cases. Testing is a double edged sword - Makes us look bad, but good to have!!!" Trump tweeted.

Trump on coronavirus: 'If we stop testing right now, we'd have very few cases, if any'

JMO

 

[Rocco]

Apparently some also saw it as a “quip.”

"Here’s the bad part," he continued. "When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people. You’re going to find more cases. So I said to my people, 'slow the testing down, please!’”

The president's remark appeared to be in jest and came during a lengthy riff on the coronavirus. But he has previously made similar remarks indicating he believes widespread testing, which is recommended by public health experts, can be problematic because it leads to higher case counts.

Trump quips that he told aides to 'slow the testing down' for coronavirus

I don’t see the humor (more like mockery) when the death toll is approaching 120,000. It’s really no joking matter, is it?

But the viewpoint about testing is nothing new.

May:
“And don’t forget, we have more cases than anybody in the world,” he added. “But why? Because we do more testing. When you test, you have a case. When you test, you find something is wrong with people. If we didn’t do any testing, we would have very few cases.”

Trump: Coronavirus testing may be ‘overrated’ and reason for high U.S. case count
Trump says testing may be 'frankly overrated'

June:
"If we stop testing right now, we’d have very few cases, if any,” Trump said during a White House event highlighting administration actions to help senior citizens.

"Our testing is so much bigger and more advanced than any other country (we have done a great job on this!) that it shows more cases. Without testing, or weak testing, we would be showing almost no cases. Testing is a double edged sword - Makes us look bad, but good to have!!!" Trump tweeted.

Trump on coronavirus: 'If we stop testing right now, we'd have very few cases, if any'

JMO

He explained what he meant and some people still don't get it. LOL

 

[Lilibet]

''US President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is “one of the worst things that can be done” to spread COVID-19 with tens of thousands in close quarters and many more outside''

Tens of thousands?????

So either it's a horrible fiasco because these tens of thousands of people will be carrying the virus to other parts of the country......

OR

It was poorly attended with only 6 thousand or so people attending.

The media can't have it both ways. Which is it?

The remarks quoted in the article (below) were made after six staffers tested positive, and discussed the rally that had not yet been held. So the professor was commenting on the number of attendees the Trump campaign expected to attend, not how many actually did.

His remarks come after six staffers working on Mr Trump’s rally tested positive for COVID-19.

“Many more will be carrying it to other parts of the country because these are not just Oklahoma, these are thousands from around the surrounding states who are coming to attend this rally,” Professor Mathews said.

 

[SoCalDavidS]

I love how the justification is that he wasn't serious, he was merely joking. Like that's a good thing. Joking about testing for a coronavirus that has already killed 120,000 Americans, Several Hundred Thousand more Worldwide, and is currently predicted to kill another 80K Americans by the end of September.

 

[LadyL]

WTH?! Sign a waiver? Yeah, I have made it a practice to never do any activities that require a waiver release prior to participating. This has been a good plan.

no ziplining for you! boooo

(joking)

 

[LadyL]

The last 3 days have been weird for me in terms of necessary contact with people, beginning Thursday with a doctor appointment. I was so stressed after being out most of the day Friday that I just went to bed when I got home, after decontaminating.

Tonight I had just settled in with a DVD when I got a call about a vulnerable missing cat that needed to be trapped. It was storming but I went out. I had the address to this house and I expected to go around to the back with the trap and maybe have to speak to them from afar. I did bring my mask just in case, and I needed it. They actually said I needed to go through the house to get to the back deck. They were unmasked and unconcerned with 3 kids.

I ended up going back and forth through the house twice, touching their doors, kids almost running into me, guy getting close enough to hold doors open for me. It’s wild that they were not at all worried to have a stranger come through their house during a pandemic.

Thankfully I had brought a bunch of alcohol wipes because I knew I would get sardines on my hands while setting the trap. So at least I had more than just hand sanitizer after touching their doors.

I don’t know. There are a whole lot of younger people out there who are not at all worried. So it’s good to be overly prepared when you go out because anything can happen even if you don’t expect to encounter humans.

That said, I am grateful for kind people who are willing to let a stranger in to help a vulnerable creature.

thank you fellow animal rescuer!

 

[LadyL]

He's a funny guy. I guess this was opening night of his Farewell Tour.