Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #87

[Steelhead]

Yes, I read that too that disinfecting groceries isn’t necessary. We skipped doing it one time, but decided “better safe than sorry” with all the conflicting information. And now this study from Spain! I do think having groceries delivered is less risky for us personally than going to the store and mingling with other people, regardless of this study. But what do I know LOL! We just assume that everyone is contagious and act accordingly, pretty much in voluntary lock down, hoping for the best.

We are also doing delivery and give a quick wipe down with rubbing alcohol. Even if COVID isn’t on them, just imagining what else could be on them, from who knows where people’s hands have been, is enough to rationalize the quick wipe down followed by a good hand wash. If anything, it’s mentally satisfying.

 

[IceIce9]

The test situation here in Indiana has become nearly impossible. All the state health department sites, CVS sites, Walgreens, etc. are already completely booked with appointments and are not taking any more at this time. A friend of mine told me yesterday she was trying to register on the state health department site, she would travel to any location, and she couldn’t even register as there were no appointments available.

All day long our clinic phone rings, everyone is asking if we are doing COVID testing, and when I tell them no, they are asking where they can go to get a test. They are all saying the same thing, all the test sites are completely booked, and not taking walk-ins.

 

[I'm Just Here]

Are test waiting lines and lists long because people want a test before a family Thanksgiving gathering?

 

[weepingangel]

Here it’s spikes AND thanks giving. A perfect combo
As Cases Spike and Thanksgiving Approaches, People Wait in Long Lines for COVID-19 Tests

Mass. COVID-19 testing sites see long lines as Thanksgiving approaches

 

[musicaljoke]

They have traced the virus from a pizza box to another person.

So they are trying to contact everyone who has used this one pizza place ... either in person, pickup, delivery, or Uber Eats.
This is our hotspot.

Oh wow. This is awful. I had been somewhat confident that pizza boxes would be safe. Sheesh ... what a dreadful thing, and what a good warning to all of us. When your numbers are down to nearly nothing, it gets a ton easier to track exactly where the virus was passed along. I wonder if that had happened here in Canada, would we be shrugging our shoulders and calling it an unknown community transmission?

 

[drama_farmer]

Rsbm


Twilight Zone!

(Like everything else wrt this pandemic)

Scammers are waiting in the wings here in the US, waiting for their opportunity to buy and sell vaccine certifications. I can imagine anti-vaxxers lining up to purchase fraudulent documents that will enable them to gain entry where "proof of vaccination" is required. IMO

 

[ilovewings]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...f079a8-2849-11eb-8fa2-06e7cbb145c0_story.html

Epidemiologists estimate there are THREE MILLION PEOPLE in our country who are contagious with this virus.

 

[sds71]

@conarck
Patients showing up for anything from a car accident to abdominal pain are testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 at Miami's public hospitals. Over the last week, those non-COVID positives are outpacing actual COVID admits. It's a sign of widespread transmission.

https://www.miamiherald.com/

 

[margarita25]

@conarck
Patients showing up for anything from a car accident to abdominal pain are testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 at Miami's public hospitals. Over the last week, those non-COVID positives are outpacing actual COVID admits. It's a sign of widespread transmission.

https://www.miamiherald.com/

This reminds me of something I posted a couple months back: There was a report how hospitals were doing mandatory covid screening on all their pre-operation patients, anyone going in for any type of surgery, and there was a high rate of positivity via these “incidental findings“.

Eta: I just went to google for link and it seems there are numerous links and reports if you type in “incidental findings covid”, etc.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Cuomo saying in a dangerous phase etc. For those that follow him since February...

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[margarita25]

Kansas:

Governor preparing to announce new COVID-19 measures

KSN will carry the news conference online and on Facebook.
—-

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly to announce new steps in state's battle with COVID-19
State has 5th-highest positivity rate in nation
—

Johnson County, Kansas may consider fines for not following COVID restrictions
—

‘COVID nightmare’: Topeka hospital boarding patients in hallways, waiting rooms

“A Topeka hospital is so full that its hallways and waiting rooms have been converted into overflow spaces for patients.“
—

Kansas says it can’t help half of firms seeking COVID-19 aid
Nov. 16, 2020

 

[sds71]

This reminds me of something I posted a couple months back: There was a report how hospitals were doing mandatory covid screening on all their pre-operation patients, anyone going in for any type of surgery, and there was a high rate of positivity via these “incidental findings“.

Eta: I just went to google for link and it seems there are numerous links and reports if you type in “incidental findings covid”, etc.

I'm in CT. and had emergency surgery in July and they did one on me.
My nose was not expecting that.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

6 lawmakers in 5 days: New COVID-19 infections put spotlight on Congress’ loose guidelines

'I don't need your instruction': Sens. Sherrod Brown and Dan Sullivan argue over wearing masks

Minnesota Senate GOP held large, in-person dinner party just before COVID outbreak

Wed, November 18th (Your tax $'s at work)

COVID-19 has loomed over Congress for much of the year yet lawmakers are still bickering over wearing face masks and not social distancing. And Congressional leaders have refused to make coronavirus testing mandatory for lawmakers traveling back and forth to their home states.

In less than a week six lawmakers announced they had tested positive for COVID-19 and sent several others into quarantine all while the U.S. Capitol welcomed back more than 500 legislators in the House and Senate this week. Sen. Chuck Grassley, one of the oldest members of the Senate, became the latest senator to announce a positive test Tuesday night.

He spent much of Monday on Capitol Hill. He casted votes, spoke on the Senate floor, and attended a meeting with Senate Republican leadership. Grassley announced his diagnosis the following day. Senators have been seen regularly on the chamber floor exchanging words in close contact.

@NBCNews correspondent @LACaldwellDC Tweeted:
"House Dem and GOP leaders are holding respective dinners for new members. Speaker Pelosi told me it’s safe. “It’s very spaced,” she said and there is enhanced ventilation and the Capitol physician signed off."


UPDATE:
House Democrat's change new-member dinner to grab-and-go after facing criticism

Jeez... I don't want to repeat, yet what is going to be done for the inauguration ceremony?

Can we hope for bragging rights vs. condemnation that it is the smallest ever?

How will it be done.?

 

[margarita25]

They are going virtual beginning Thursday. It goes through December 4.

I find it unlikely that in-person/on-site learning will resume any time soon. If anything, I expect all these virtual phases to be extended into next year, jmo.
Different strokes for different folks, obviously.

 

[SouthAussie]

Hmmmmm. Hmmmmm. Have y'all been here in the thread to remember months back, outbreak from Quarantine hotel due to the fact that a guard and a quarantined person of the opposite gender "got together" shall we say. IIRC @margarita25, you remember that?

We seem to be kind of damned if we do, damned if we don't.
Do we keep bringing Aussies home from infected areas around the world, and put ourselves under risk?
Do we stop bringing Aussies home from infected areas around the world, and have them crying all over the place?

Some people here want to stop bringing them home.
The govt says we need to deal with the occassional outbreak (through the lockdowns).

We have brought home over 425,000 so far, with only two incidents - thanks to the quarantine medi hotels. But those incidents have been scary and potentially not good for millions of other Australians. Thank goodness we have been able to get a handle on things. Although 800 people died because of one of those two incidents.

More and more Aussies are signing up to come home, as things get worse around the world. A couple of months ago we had 28,000 still to return (and we are bringing thousands home every week), now it is 35,000 who want to come home.

 

[Rose in SC]

Still going the wrong direction in South Carolina! 1,200+ new cases and percent positive back up to 17%!

This site says 1288 new cases: S.C. reports more than 1,200 new COVID-19 cases
This "marks the eighth time this month the number of confirmed cases in the Palmetto State exceeded 1,000. DHEC also reported 22 confirmed deaths, twice the number reported on Tuesday, and four probable deaths."

Other sites say 1226: DHEC: South Carolina’s daily percent positive rate jumps to 17%; 1,226 new cases | WBTW

187,774 confirmed positive cases (+1,226)
3,906 confirmed deaths (+22)

Total Tests Received - 2,392,558
Percent Positive - 17.0%

AND . . . we have our first official flu death of the season
First flu death of current season reported in South Carolina | wltx.com

 

[margarita25]

So I just saw a weird thing that felt “Twilight-Zony”...it was like a flashback into Pre-Covid days...

I live near a dog park and thankfully have the wonderful opportunity to watch from my residence dogs happily playing with each other, rolling around, running...

Well, there are two puppies playing with each other, and the two owners just walked up to each other and introduced themselves and shook hands.

While they aren’t standing very close to each other, the one lady now keeps touching her face. No mask in sight.

Idk, it feels so weird, like I’m the handshake police or something, God forbid, they just shook hands, omg, throw away the key...the point is that neither seems to be worried about covid. IF I absolutely had to shake hands with someone, I sure wouldn’t be touching my face, jmo.

Different strokes for different folks, obviously.

 

[neesaki]

So I just saw a weird thing that felt “Twilight-Zony”...it was like a flashback into Pre-Covid days...

I live near a dog park and thankfully have the wonderful opportunity to watch from my residence dogs happily playing with each other, rolling around, running...

Well, there are two puppies playing with each other, and the two owners just walked up to each other and introduced themselves and shook hands.

While they aren’t standing very close to each other, the one lady now keeps touching her face. No mask in sight.

Idk, it feels so weird, like I’m the handshake police or something, God forbid, they just shook hands, omg, throw away the key...the point is that neither seems to be worried about covid. IF I absolutely had to shake hands with someone, I sure wouldn’t be touching my face, jmo.

Different strokes for different folks, obviously.

I was never that big on handshaking anyway. Do you know how many people do not wash their hands after going to the bathroom?

So I will be downright neurotic about it from now on. Back in the spring after the lockdown, we had a salesman / service worker come to our house and offered to shake hands. Of course I declined, then he offered to do the “ elbow bump”. And I look at him like he’s nuts, how can you do that at least six feet away?!
Elbow bump? So silly anyway! IMO

 

[SouthAussie]

CDC removes guidance pushing for school reopenings saying there's ’new scientific information’
More at link
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed guidelines from its website that promoted in-person learning for schools.

The documents, which were written by political appointees outside of the CDC, were removed from the website in late October without a public announcement, the Hill reported.

“Some of the prior content was outdated and as new scientific information has emerged the site has been updated to reflect current knowledge about COVID-19 and schools," a spokesperson told the Hill.


Instead, the website now states that “the body of evidence is growing that children of all ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and contrary to early reports might play a role in transmission.”


It also lists in-person learning as a high risk.


The Trump administration pushed for reopening schools and experts criticized the CDC’s guidance, saying it appeared to be politically motivated and light on evidence, the news outlet reported.

Good to see that the CDC official advisements are now becoming more accurate due to "new scientific information".

 

[10ofRods]

@conarck
Patients showing up for anything from a car accident to abdominal pain are testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 at Miami's public hospitals. Over the last week, those non-COVID positives are outpacing actual COVID admits. It's a sign of widespread transmission.

https://www.miamiherald.com/

Since we know that Covid causes neuropsychiatric symptoms (such as paranoia, inattentiveness, fatigue, confusion) I wonder how many of these accidents are, in a way, related to COVID. There have been so many extra accidents here where I live, perhaps it's just everyone worrying and rushing around.

COVID can definitely cause abdominal pain (it's one of the pathways to diagnosis, it's atypical, but it's definitely a symptom).

At any rate, it's very scary in FL in terms of overall positivity rate (but so many other states are way up there too). I worry that we'll need federal response (field hospitals, military hospital ships, etc., etc) and aren't going to get that response.

On the bright side, it's clear that both the FDA and the CDC are operating a bit more scientifically and professionally since the election. They now have assurance that science will once again be at the core of their mission, as it should always have been. But it's going to take some time for both agencies to re-establish their credibility.