COVID-19 Coronavirus Information and Discussion

[Dana5140]

Mysterious Traveler- that was the first time my daughter-in-law has ever mentioned what happened in those final moments. We had just left the room moments before, after singing Twinkle Twinkle to Beatrix; I had literally just arrived at the hospital after a frantic drive from Dallas to Chicago, after a night when my son had called and told us she had rallied. As soon as we got there, the palliative care nurse told us to go say goodbye. I won't say more, but this is why it scares us so much. I cannot post a picture- cannot figure out how to do- of Alexis, who has her own struggles. Please God none of you every have to face this- and I know of some here who have. I would have given my heart to save her.

Beatrix could not cry. Her vocal cords were scarred from 4 mos of NICU intubation. My kids had to wake every 2 hours each night to check on her and feed her. She never stopped smiling and was incredibly observant. Sorry, I go on here.

But on topic, this paper by John Ionnidas, one of world's leading biostatisician epidemiologistshttps://www.statnews.com/2020/03/17/...reliable-data/ is so telling: we have no idea- despite the protestation of some here- about incidence and spread. None. I spoke to my son last night. The 1 case in the local nursing home overnight has risen to 22. I suggested he leave town- go to his brother's house 2.5 hours away in Iowa, or to my folks' house in Detroit, where they could be locked away and safe. He told me a student's parent (he teaches) had offered him the use of their rural cabin up in WI, but he was afraid to go because he would not be close enough to a hospital.

I am weary of the glut of information. The British data mentioned above- the scary data- is scary, but it is nothing more than a model that makes a lot of assumptions. It is worst case. But the crush of speculation- will we be isolated for 2 weeks, a month, 6 months, etc.? Who knows, but it raises angst and worry. Schools are closing- can my son keep his job, when his daughter requires so much medical intervention? Will I? My brother is in danger- his surplus store was always skinny, and now this? He may not be able to stay in business. I might get $1000, but yesterday I had to cancel out purchasing a new home- too much risk now, lost too much money, might not be able to move, etc. Life will not ever be the same for anyone, ever.

[Sputnik]

Interesting news about a drug that seems to have good results in treating some COVID-19 patients... https://tinyurl.com/u522z23

Bill

[Shadow]

Interesting read from one of many friends who used to post here when I first joined:

https://www.facebook.com/buster.harv...22376416539961

[Buddhabreath]

Some potentially important information on how the C19 virus can survive on some surfaces for up to 72 hours and does have an airborne vector (I've seen differing reports on this). This is nothing to panic about of course but forearmed is forewarned. I may consider, for example, wiping down packages etc. that may have been handled by others even at the grocery store perhaps.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/h...gtype=Homepage

[Shadow]

[Klonk]

My brother in law is getting tested at noon today. He's had a fever and found out that someone he was in contact with at work tested positive. My dad has picked up a fever as have I. Not worried about me or my bro in law, but definitely worried about Dad.

I'm wondering about pets. I read they can get viruses, but don't transmit them through licking. What I'm wondering about is their fur. Could it be passed along through petting? This is a concern because she needs to go out to walk, shit, play all that fun dog stuff. I don't want to put anyone at risk.

[Garyhead]

SeaProg 2020 in Seattle has been cancelled for June.

I took a 200 mile motorcycle ride yesterday through Southwest Washington State. (Lets cut the c**p, I was doing a booze run to Oregon) I rode I-5 south the first half. WOW.....traffic was like it was 30 years ago before Everyone moved here! I had forgot how enjoyable it was....BUT the Truck Traffic was Very 2020! Hey, gotta keep that toilet paper & bottled water moving. The restaurant & outlet mall parking lots were empty. I realized, if you are a trucker or traveling by car somewhere, where are you getting meals? The trip home I took the back roads. I wondered if the mom / pop stores & taverns were complying.....this rural part of the state is a bit cantankerous and there is only "one" political campaign sign / flag flying from yards and factories. I was surprised to see all the empty parking lots at the taverns....it looks like everyone is taking it seriously. But.....this part of the state is economically unstable....there are no Rainy Day Savings accounts....they live paycheck to paycheck even in the good times. In two weeks we'll see the real stress test....

Regarding the "pontificating geezers," I have seen this too. Could it be that Many folks have navigated a path through life by trial and error and are afraid to adapt to a new wrinkle? It may be education but I also have a very intelligent friend who commented on his upcoming insolvency: "I have trouble changing the course of my life."

I'm grateful to y'all that are digging up the Facts....and calling out the BS. PE is a place where we even call out people on Spelling!

Thanks again to the Moderators. You may think its a thankless job but I feel the majority of us here appreciate your efforts. Without you....we'd just be Twitter / Facebook!

[ronmac]

^^ From the CDC:

Animals and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Key Points
- Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some cause illness in people and others cause illness in certain types of animals.
- Coronaviruses that infect animals can become able to infect people, but this is rare.
- We do not know the exact source of the current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
- We do not have evidence that companion animals, including pets, can spread COVID-19.
- We do not have evidence to suggest that imported animals or animal products imported pose a risk for spreading the 2019 novel coronavirus in the United States.

[Buddhabreath]

^^^ Sorry to hear about this! Take care, best wishes and keep us posted.

Good question. At this point I'd say look at what the CDC is saying on the subject of pets, "We do not have evidence that companion animals, including pets, can spread COVID-19." https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...e/animals.html

As always, use your best judgement and err on the side of caution.

<edit> oops, beat me to the punch. :-)

[Zeuhlmate]

There was suspicion that a dog got it, but luckily not:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...-dead-12550982

[Top Cat]

My brother in law is getting tested at noon today. He's had a fever and found out that someone he was in contact with at work tested positive. My dad has picked up a fever as have I. Not worried about me or my bro in law, but definitely worried about Dad.

I'm wondering about pets. I read they can get viruses, but don't transmit them through licking. What I'm wondering about is their fur. Could it be passed along through petting? This is a concern because she needs to go out to walk, shit, play all that fun dog stuff. I don't want to put anyone at risk.

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/c/covid19

[Zeuhlmate]

Person Under Coronavirus Lockdown in Spain Tries to Leave House Dressed as T. Rex

https://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus...witter-1492654

[moecurlythanu]

Just overheard 2 geezers talking in the gas station / pizza joint: "It's no worse than the common cold."

Smh

[aith01]

https://medium.com/@Jason_Scott_Warn...c-2b0145881993

I confess, I didn't read past a few opening paragraphs. That guy sure expended a lot of energy explaining why he should be listened to. Not a helpful article, but definitely a clickbait-y title...

As has been pointed out elsewhere, we don't have enough data yet.

[Zeuhlmate]

Unless someone has a miracle cure, I think we have enough data.
I know what to do, and especially not.
Dont wait untill the shit hits the fan.
It will.

[moecurlythanu]

^ And then we'll have to retro-fit the fans with bidets.

[spellbound]

^ And then we'll have to retro-fit the fans with bidets.

American ingenuity. We can fix it in post (apocalypse).

[aith01]

Unless someone has a miracle cure, I think we have enough data.

No, we don't. Not when it comes to how many people are actually infected or how it spreads. That's why more testing needs to be done, in every country where there's a risk (which is what the WHO has been urging, in tandem with social distancing).

I know what to do, and especially not.
Dont wait

Don't assume.

I've been working from home this week and staying away from my friends/relatives, as well as avoiding public places or crowds. Hand-washing constantly too. I've got groceries to last for a while, and medicine in case I get sick. We've got several confirmed cases in my state (and at least one in my county), which means there's probably even more unconfirmed cases. I'm not taking any unnecessary risks.

Still no reason to panic. These think pieces about the "hard math" of COVID-19 are conjecture, based on a lot of assumptions about something we don't fully understand yet. The only thing they're doing is making some people more scared, IMO, which is not helping.

[Dana5140]

Unless someone has a miracle cure, I think we have enough data.

Let me once again quote Ionnidas:

"The data collected so far on how many people are infected and how the epidemic is evolving are utterly unreliable. Given the limited testing to date, some deaths and probably the vast majority of infections due to SARS-CoV-2 are being missed. We don’t know if we are failing to capture infections by a factor of three or 300. Three months after the outbreak emerged, most countries, including the U.S., lack the ability to test a large number of people and no countries have reliable data on the prevalence of the virus in a representative random sample of the general population."

And:

"The most valuable piece of information for answering those questions would be to know the current prevalence of the infection in a random sample of a population and to repeat this exercise at regular time intervals to estimate the incidence of new infections. Sadly, that’s information we don’t have.

In the absence of data, prepare-for-the-worst reasoning leads to extreme measures of social distancing and lockdowns. Unfortunately, we do not know if these measures work. School closures, for example, may reduce transmission rates. But they may also backfire if children socialize anyhow, if school closure leads children to spend more time with susceptible elderly family members, if children at home disrupt their parents ability to work, and more. School closures may also diminish the chances of developing herd immunity in an age group that is spared serious disease."

I should send you the mail my son sent me this morning. He details his sole visits off the home the last week- to get food and milk, to vote (at 7am with no one there) and to take a run. That's it. My other son sent me a note about how he has turned hand washing into a game for his 4yo and 2yo. How he put pepper in water to show how germs could get on your hands and how washing in clean and soapy water makes them go away.

[spellbound]

You can never have too much data. You can, however, be too slow to act.

[spellbound]

Had to go to the post office to mail some payments (at their outdoor drive thru box where you don't encounter any people). I was surprised at the number of people on the road, considering there is nowhere to go and nothing open. I went straight home.

[dropforge]

Had to go to the post office to mail some payments (at their outdoor drive thru box where you don't encounter any people). I was surprised at the number of people on the road, considering there is nowhere to go and nothing open. I went straight home.

This morning, I ran around for over an hour doing errands. Traffic has thinned, but not as much as one would think. Plenty of cars on the freeway that I noticed as I took the overpass. People are still hitting the stores and gas stations. I saw many a senior behind the wheel. Fast food's still operating. Construction and landscaping and plumbing is ongoing. Not everyone is working from home.

[battema]

As I understand it, some businesses are still taking a hard line regarding telework:

https://gizmodo.com/charter-employee...-se-1842382848

[Zeuhlmate]

No matter if there are 1000 or 10.000 infected in your town, you should do exactly same.

Make sure you dont get infected - stay at home.
Make sure you dont pass it on to someone - stay at home.

[PixelDelirium]

Big Big Train tour postponed:

https://www.loudersound.com/news/big...stpone-us-tour