Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #77

[Deleted member 158085]

It is my view that within a couple of months this will be resolved with rollout of vaccines and the slow recovery of the economy. Things will return to almost normal by Christmas. There will be many reviews and analysis of the cases and death rates within care homes and certain age and racial groups and among those with underlying conditions. I don't believe there will be many long term changes to the economies but they will take 6 months to a year to recover.
AJMO.

Maybe in your country. But there’s no way the US will return almost to normal by Christmas, IMO. I sure hope nobody is hanging their hat on that idea here, because they will be deeply disappointed. Better to prepare for the worst until it’s is truly under control.

 

[Spider92]

Maybe in your country. But there’s no way the US will return almost to normal by Christmas, IMO. I sure hope nobody is hanging their hat on that idea here, because they will be deeply disappointed. Better to prepare for the worst until it’s is truly under control.

Yeah I think Christmas is more likely to be messy than normal. Flu season, cold weather, and college students home and mingling after Thanksgiving. I'm not getting a vaccine if it's rolled out in 2020. I'd rather self isolate than roll the dice with the fastest vaccine ever developed.

 

[anneg]

In an earlier post I had indicated that I had relatives of 4 friends die in long-care facilities from Covid. I now have 6. So this is personal to me....no articles or links are of any emotional value. But one of my friends shared her thoughts of losing her mother today. So I thought I would share. I imagine many may not want to read the whole thing, but because I know this woman, I know how important her daughter's words are.... I wish I could even post her picture...sitting on the beach here in Florida, with a huge smile on her face... but will not. I got an OK to post the words...and maybe they will provide a tender moment for some of you, who even can relate to the last moments of having a mother.

Moments of pain and indecision.
It should not have been a surprise to us that my mother would not survive coronavirus. But the reality of that does not hit home until it is time to make decisions about medical care that you know will ultimately lead to your mother’s death. We went from "no code and no intubation” to “comfort care”, then stopping the high flow oxygen and downgrading to just oxygen by nasal cannula. Next, a morphine drip to make her less fearful and pain free while she is passing. These are all decisions.
Every day a new decision. It is exhausting. And then you ask yourself, who am I to decide when my mother should die? How much time should I have given the medical team to get her better. Of course, they think it is hopeless. After all, she will be 89 in 2 months. But they don’t know how tough she is. What a fighter she is. After all she lived through WWII when the allies carpet bombed her home in Frankfurt ,Germany, and through many hardships as an adult. So maybe she can last long enough for her immune system to kill this virus.
But then she is on the phone, crying, “they tied down my arms, my throat is so dry, it’s impossible to rest with the oxygen in my nose forcing air in.” Then she calls and says there are constant blood tests and restarting IV’s that have infiltrated and she has no veins. I am too weak to endure it. I call the doctors and ask what are her chances of beating this virus and they say, as expected, none. So I ask why are we torturing this poor soul and they say, it is my choice. What would I have them do. First, I say, untie her hands! Then she will pull out her IVs and maybe her oxygen tubing, they say. I say, if she will die anyway, then why does that matter? So the tubes came out and the ties were taken off. She is better. Things are calmer and she is resting.
The next day the high flow oxygen mask was removed. We thought that would be the end. The family members had steeled themselves for the end. But she rallied once again. Since she seemed stable, there was a plan put into place to move her to a nearby hospice facility. She would be more comfortable there and get more personalized care. It sounded like a good plan. We were not allowed to see her anywhere, so it was all about decisions that were best for her.
Finally after a huge stack of paperwork was filled out, she was transferred by ambulance to the hospice facility. Her morphine drip kept her drowsy and comfortable. About 3 hours after her transfer, she stopped breathing and peacefully slipped away. I didn’t get the message until the next morning.
I was suddenly dazed and numb. I knew it was going to be soon, but still a shock. My mother was gone. My thorny, needy, and sometimes manipulative mother was gone. But still she was my mother. I had cared for her for years. I paid her bills, cleaned her house, bought her clothes, took her to appointments and found ways to entertain her. There were happy times, but less and less over the last few years. She blamed me for putting her into a nursing home. This was more or less true, but I never abandoned her. It was a decision forced on me. It was apparent to everyone, that she could not live alone.
She died on August 29, 2020 at 9:30pm. I will miss her and I will always worry that I did not give her a fighting chance against the virus, but instead took the cowards way out for her and me, by making the decision to withdraw care.
Those are the hard choices which we must make during this era of the coronavirus.

Thank you for sharing this moving account from your friend. She described this difficult situation very well. I went through it with both parents. My mother died first, and my father was able to help make decisions. But I was on my own (no siblings) to make decisions when my father died. Both spent their last weeks receiving hospice care at home.

I can't help feeling that I let both of them down somehow at the end of their long lives (92 and 97). It's hard to explain.

 

[SouthAussie]

Thank you for sharing this moving account from your friend. She described this difficult situation very well. I went through it with both parents. My mother died first, and my father was able to help make decisions. But I was on my own (no siblings) to make decisions when my father died. Both spent their last weeks receiving hospice care at home.

I can't help feeling that I let both of them down somehow at the end of their long lives (92 and 97). It's hard to explain.

And yet you didn't let them down ... not by even the smallest iota. You made the best difficult decisions that were available to you. And with their parental unconditional love, I am sure that they rest peacefully knowing that you did all that you could do to keep them as comfortable as possible as they transitioned into whatever is beyond.

Be in peace, it is what they both would want for you now. x

Just to add, gee they lived a good wicket. 92 and 97. Good genetics.

 

[10ofRods]

My daughter sent this article to me today
An interesting read
https://elemental.medium.com/a-supercomputer-analyzed-covid-19-and-an-interesting-new-theory-has-emerged-

Any thoughts on this?

Sorry I’m on my phone and not as easy for me to cut and paste as on laptop

“When Summit was done, researchers analyzed the results. It was, in the words of Dr. Daniel Jacobson, lead researcher and chief scientist for computational systems biology at Oak Ridge”
“bradykinin”The hypothesis provides a model that explains many aspects of Covid-19, including some of its most "
“ It also suggests 10-plus potential treatments, many of which are already FDA approved. Jacobson’s group published their results in a paper in the journal eLife in early July.”

I'd say it's a must-read. Very exciting data (and, well, it's also new).

 

[10ofRods]

Thank you for sharing this moving account from your friend. She described this difficult situation very well. I went through it with both parents. My mother died first, and my father was able to help make decisions. But I was on my own (no siblings) to make decisions when my father died. Both spent their last weeks receiving hospice care at home.

I can't help feeling that I let both of them down somehow at the end of their long lives (92 and 97). It's hard to explain.

How can a compassionate person not second guess their big decisions? I believe a lot of us feel that way. Plus, times are so different, in terms of medical and hospice care. You are a caring person.

 

[Clair Louise]

Thank you for sharing this moving account from your friend. She described this difficult situation very well. I went through it with both parents. My mother died first, and my father was able to help make decisions. But I was on my own (no siblings) to make decisions when my father died. Both spent their last weeks receiving hospice care at home.

I can't help feeling that I let both of them down somehow at the end of their long lives (92 and 97). It's hard to explain.

It is a shame that you did not have any siblings to support you in this. My sister had to make that decision about her husband, but her children gave her their support for her to know what her husband of 60 years would want. I had neither parent alive when I was 32. My parents both died in their late sixties and I was born in my mother's late thirties.
I was spared having to decide on anything like that, but I may have traded it to have them for even a bit longer.

 

[SouthAussie]

The young protest boys wont be happy, nor the covid deniers.


Melbourne will remain under stage four lockdown for at least a further two weeks, while restrictions ease across the rest of Victoria from next week.

Melbourne only:
... minor easing of some restrictions ... extending the curfew start time to 9pm and increasing the limit on exercise from one hour to two.
A so-called "singles bubble" system will also be created, allowing people who live alone to nominate one person to visit.

Restrictions for Melbourne will be further eased from September 28, so long as coronavirus infections have reduced to between 30 to 50 daily cases before then.

In contrast, regional Victoria will see a much faster return to a "COVID normal", Mr Andrews said, with a return to stage two restrictions from 11.59pm on Saturday, September 13.

Melbourne in stage four for further two weeks but regional Victorian restrictions to ease

 

[SouthAussie]

Daniel Andrews has again apologised for the state Victoria finds itself but says he also needs to focus on getting it to the other side of the second wave.

Masks are set to remain mandatory in Melbourne at least for the foreseeable future as Daniel Andrews warns he will likely remain "pretty conservative" about easing their use.

...businesses will reopen under the four-step road map today.
...most businesses won't be back to normal operations until the third step that starts on October 26.
...supermarkets will still be restricted and office workers will still be asked to work from home where they can. Hospitality will be open for outdoor dining with caps on patrons.
... last industries to be allowed to open from November 23 include cinemas, professional sport, gyms, night clubs, casinos and museums and galleries.

Victoria is now getting close to contacting almost 100 per cent of new cases within 48 hours of being notified of their infection.

Most businesses to stay closed until October 26

 

[mickey2942]

I am so sorry for your friend and mother. It's an impossible situation.

It is beyond impossible to make medical decisions for a family member when you cannot see the person. I understand the safety concerns regarding Covid and hospitalized patients.

But how can you make MEDICAL CARE DECISIONS when you cannot actually see the patient?!

I won't go into my personal week from Hell. Which, fortunately has a happy ending. But, something needs to change in the current hospital policies.

 

[SouthAussie]

Dozens of Australian companies fined for trying to unlawfully profit from Covid crisis

Therapeutic Goods Administration data provided to Guardian Australia shows it issued 81 infringement notices totalling $847,000 to dozens of companies since the start of the pandemic ...

.. the TGA commenced court action against Oxymed Australia after it advertised hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers as a treatment for Covid-19.

TGA also fined a company named Markson Sparks for pushing email advertising about its “bionic air plasma medical device”, something it claimed could prevent Covid-19. The advertising said the device was safe for the elderly, according to the TGA.

“Advertising targeting vulnerable groups, including seniors, is of particular concern to the TGA during these challenging times,” health department deputy secretary John Skerritt said.

Dozens of Australian companies fined for trying to unlawfully profit from Covid crisis

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Coronavirus: New restrictions for Bolton after infections soar

Bolton residents have been told not to mix with people from other households after the town's coronavirus infection rate became the highest in England.

The rules apply to meetings indoors and outdoors, unless a person is part of a support bubble, Bolton Council said.

To help slow the spread of COVID-19, the council has said public transport should only be used for essential travel, including getting to work, school, or a medical appointment.

Bolton is the worst-affected area in the country, with a weekly infection rate of 99 cases per 100,000 people, overtaking Pendle (71.1), Oldham (55.6) and Blackburn with Darwen (48.3).

 

[tresir2012]

Yeah I think Christmas is more likely to be messy than normal. Flu season, cold weather, and college students home and mingling after Thanksgiving. I'm not getting a vaccine if it's rolled out in 2020. I'd rather self isolate than roll the dice with the fastest vaccine ever developed.

I saw a small vote on a discussion group and it was 16 for getting the vax and 10 against. No link so MOO. If that was the feeling overall (ie two thirds for the vax ) that could be enough for herd immunity IMO.

 

[tresir2012]

Dozens of Australian companies fined for trying to unlawfully profit from Covid crisis

Therapeutic Goods Administration data provided to Guardian Australia shows it issued 81 infringement notices totalling $847,000 to dozens of companies since the start of the pandemic ...

.. the TGA commenced court action against Oxymed Australia after it advertised hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers as a treatment for Covid-19.

TGA also fined a company named Markson Sparks for pushing email advertising about its “bionic air plasma medical device”, something it claimed could prevent Covid-19. The advertising said the device was safe for the elderly, according to the TGA.

“Advertising targeting vulnerable groups, including seniors, is of particular concern to the TGA during these challenging times,” health department deputy secretary John Skerritt said.

Dozens of Australian companies fined for trying to unlawfully profit from Covid crisis

"Markson Sparks" is a cheeky name. These company directors should be prosecuted for fraud IMO.

 

[tresir2012]

I'd say it's a must-read. Very exciting data (and, well, it's also new).

Jacobson's results, linked in the post, date back to July. Very interesting as it mentions zinc, vitamin D and a reason why more men than woman are affected. Jacobson's results also list recommended drugs for trials. I'll copy the list into this post - see below.

Table 1

Potential therapeutic interventions, their targets, and predicted effect.
Drug Target Predicted Effect


Danazol, Stanozolol SERPING1 Reduce Bradykinin production
Icatibant BKB2R Reduce Bradykinin signaling
Ecallantide KLKB1 Reduce Bradykinin production
Berinert,Cinryze,Haegarda SERPING1 Reduce Bradykinin production
Vitamin D REN Reduce Renin production
Hymecromone HAS1,HAS2, HAS3 Reduce hyaluronan
Timbetasin TMSB4X Increase fibrinolysis


The testing of any of these pharmaceutical interventions should be done in well-designed clinical trials. Given the likely future outbreaks of zoonotic viruses with a similar outcome, it would be in the best interest long-term to invest in the development of small molecules that can inhibit the virus from replicating or suppressing the host immune system such as a 3CLpro inhibitor. However, to date, no large multi-centered, randomized, placebo controlled, blinded clinical trials have been done with 3CLproinhibitors (Sisay, 2020). In the meantime, our analyses suggest that prevention and treatment centered on vascular hyper-permeability and the suppression of hyaluronan may prove beneficial in fighting the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Given the fact that two recent studies have validated our model’s predictions of hypokalemia (Lippi et al., 2020) and Vitamin D deficiency (Alipio, 2020) in COVID-19 patients, we suggest that rapid testing of the pharmaceutical interventions discussed above is warranted.

 

[tresir2012]

Major incident declared in Birmingham. Hopefully nothing to do with Covid restrictions but posting link till we know more.

One dead, seven injured in Birmingham stabbings

"Witness Cara Curran, a club promoter working in the Arcadian Centre, said it had been busier during the evening than it had been at any time since the start of lockdown.

She said she had finished her shift at about 00:30 BST and was drinking with colleagues when she heard a "loud bang and quite a lot of commotion".

Image captionCara Curran was finishing work when witnessing what appeared to be a mass brawl
She added: "I found multiple people having fist fights... people from inside pubs and clubs came out and started to see what was going on.

"There were females, males, old people, young people, such a mix of people, it didn't seem real at the time.

"Working on the club scene for over two years, I've always seen quite a lot of fights but it was nothing like tonight. The body language and demeanour was quite different.

"The amount of things that I've heard have happened tonight in the space of three hours, with the stabbings that have happened, the car crashes and multiple other things, it's such a huge shock to me.

"For me to be an eyewitness to something that has happened, it's been quite an emotional night to the point where I'm actually still a bit shell-shocked."

The streets in the area have already been closed to traffic due to coronavirus restrictions.

Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionPolice say it is "not appropriate" to speculate on the motivation

Image copyrightPA MEDIA
Image captionPolice have cordoned off much of Hurst Street
Mayor Andy Street said he had been briefed by the chief constable.

He added: "The motivation is not yet understood. The area is calm and the public has been told to go about their business but remain vigilant."

Speaking on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "We know it's a very serious incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."

West Midlands police Twitter. There should be a PC shortly.

Twitter

More info at below updating link but still not much known. Appears random and the perp is male and still being sought.

Birmingham stabbings: Murder inquiry after man dies and seven injured - BBC News

Once more details are known I will self report to move to new thread if not Covid related.

The PCC is already blaming the pandemic.

"Rise in violence 'almost inevitable'


"The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Jamieson said police would be working with Birmingham City Council to see if there were "any further measures that need to be taken in the city centre", following the violent incidents.

A rise in violence was "almost inevitable" due to the pandemic, the Labour PCC added.

He told reporters: "I have been saying for some time, in the context of Covid-19, that a lot of the pent-up feelings people have, and not being able to get out, and combine that with people who are now unsure about their future and about their jobs; it was almost inevitable that we would see a growth in violence.

"I'm not saying that this is directly related to that, but nevertheless we are seeing now a growth of violence among younger people, particularly younger males, we're seeing that growing across the region.

"My fear is that if we don't address that and some of the underlying problems with some urgency, then we could see that grow." "

 

[Trino]

More pandemic unemployment...
Mall of America laying off 211 employees due to coronavirus. 178 employees still on temporary lay-off, which will continue. Wonder what Christmas shopping is going to look like this year.

Mall Of America Will Permanently Lay Off 211 Employees Sept. 30

 

[CSIDreamer]

It is beyond impossible to make medical decisions for a family member when you cannot see the person. I understand the safety concerns regarding Covid and hospitalized patients.

But how can you make MEDICAL CARE DECISIONS when you cannot actually see the patient?!

I won't go into my personal week from Hell. Which, fortunately has a happy ending. But, something needs to change in the current hospital policies.

I'm glad you had a happy ending.

I have a distant acquaintance whose spouse is hospitalized with Covid. Her remark was she felt if she could just visit it would help was sad. Jmo

 

[SouthAussie]

<snipped>

The PCC is already blaming the pandemic.

"Rise in violence 'almost inevitable'

He told reporters: "I have been saying for some time, in the context of Covid-19, that a lot of the pent-up feelings people have, and not being able to get out, and combine that with people who are now unsure about their future and about their jobs; it was almost inevitable that we would see a growth in violence.

"I'm not saying that this is directly related to that, but nevertheless we are seeing now a growth of violence among younger people, particularly younger males, we're seeing that growing across the region.

"My fear is that if we don't address that and some of the underlying problems with some urgency, then we could see that grow." "

I agree with that. The younger male group who are in their peak of hormonal fight or flight growth are the ones who seem to be unable to control themselves in many places at the moment. Obviously that doesn't apply to all of that demographic, but where there is trouble it seems to be primarily them. They do seem to be the ones who are having the greatest difficulty in adjusting to the new norm.

I don't know how we get them to control themselves. We certainly can't just cater to them and let this virus spread and infect the rest of the populations. I hope that someone can think of a way to deal with this worldwide problem.

 

[SA55]

It is beyond impossible to make medical decisions for a family member when you cannot see the person. I understand the safety concerns regarding Covid and hospitalized patients.

But how can you make MEDICAL CARE DECISIONS when you cannot actually see the patient?!

I won't go into my personal week from Hell. Which, fortunately has a happy ending. But, something needs to change in the current hospital policies.

Happy for you that the week had happy ending.

I can remember back a couple years and a situation with one of my daughters, cannot imagine having to make medical decisions without being able to be at the hospital, seeing her and all the in-person communication I had with the medical staff. Blessed beyond words that she made it out and is healthy today - it could have gone either way.
I worry about my mother mostly, she's in such denial and so angry about the pandemic. It really scares me that she'll have a medical emergency and I can't be there. I guess that's my big challenge at the moment, trying to not worry about the uncertainty of the next few months for my family.
I have made a collage of pictures of my girl's families and my Moma - have one taped to the inside of the front door and one over sun visor in the car. My reminder of why I must remain vigilant and healthy so I can help them if and when needed.