Covid-19 Observations

[Randi]

A friend of mine sent me this, it sounds like good information. However, I believe there are differing opinions on whether face masks work or not.

Internal email for staff in St George’s Hospital
Virus Detection:
The simplest way to distinguish Coronavirus from a Common Cold is that the COVID-19 infection does not cause a cold nose or cough with cold, but it does create a dry and rough cough.
The virus is typically first installed in the throat causing inflammation and a feeling of dryness. This symptom can last between 3 and 4 days.
The virus typically then travels through the moisture present in the airways, goes down to the trachea and installs in the lungs, causing pneumonia that lasts about 5 or 6 days.
Pneumonia manifests with a high fever and difficulty breathing. The Common Cold is not accompanied, but there may be a choking sensation. In this case, the doctor should be called immediately.
Experts suggest doing this simple verification every morning: Breathe in deeply and hold your breath for 10 seconds. If this can be done without coughing, without difficulty, this shows that there is no fibrosis in the lungs, indicating the absence of infection. It is recommended to do this control every morning to help detect infection.

Prevention:
The virus hates heat and dies if it is exposed to temperatures greater than 80°F (27°C). Therefore hot drinks such as infusions, broths or simply hot water should be consumed abundantly during the day. These hot liquids kill the virus and are easy to ingest.
Avoid drinking ice water or drinks with ice cubes.
Ensure that your mouth and throat are always wet, never DRY. You should drink a sip of water at least every 15 minutes. WHY? Even when the virus enters water or other liquids through the mouth, it will get flushed through the oesophagus directly into the stomach where gastric acids destroy the virus. If there is not enough water, the virus can pass into the trachea and from there to the lungs, where it is very dangerous.
For those who can, sunbathe. The Sun's UV rays kill the virus and the vitamin D is good for you.
The Coronavirus has a large size (diameter of 400-500 nanometers) so face masks can stop it, no special face masks are needed in daily life.
If an infected person sneezes near us, stay 10 feet (3.3 meters) away to allow the virus fall to the ground and prevent it from falling on you.
When the virus is on hard surfaces, it survives about 12 hours, therefore when hard surfaces such as doors, appliances, railings, etc. are touched, hands should be washed thoroughly and/or disinfected with alcoholic gel
The virus can live nested in clothes and tissues between 6 and 12 hours. Common detergents can kill it. Things that cannot be washed should be exposed to the Sun and the virus will die.
The transmission of the virus usually occurs by direct infection, touching fabrics, tissues or materials on which the virus is present.
Washing your hands is essential.
The virus survives on our hands for only about 10 minutes. In that time many things can happen, rubbing the eyes, touching the nose or lips. This allows the virus to enter your throat. Therefore, for your good and the good of all, wash your hands very often and disinfect them.
You can gargle with disinfectant solutions (i.e. Listerine or Hydrogen Peroxide) that eliminate or minimize the amount of virus that can enter the throat. Doing so removes the virus before it goes down to the trachea and then to the lungs.
Disinfect things touched often: cellphone, keyboard, mouse, car steering wheel, door handles, etc

[Karen]

Experts suggest doing this simple verification every morning: Breathe in deeply and hold your breath for 10 seconds. If this can be done without coughing, without difficulty, this shows that there is no fibrosis in the lungs, indicating the absence of infection. It is recommended to do this control every morning to help detect infection.

I heard a radio piece saying this is false, you can have an infection and still hold your breathe for ten seconds, so don;t rely on this.

And drinking water does not flush the virus from your system.

[cats4ever]

I believe that the most accurate information comes from the CDC.
As of tomorrow, our hospital will only provide curbside service to pet owners. Our doors will be locked, the vet techs will go, in masks and gloves, to the car and bring the pet into the hospital for services. We will gather information at the car, and the reminder of communication will be done over the phone.

[Vette]

Running into much of the same here with lots of empty fruit an vegetable bins
no toilet paper; baby wipes etc
no Tylenol; Aspirin etc
even the pet food an treats are sparsely stocked here. i already had to buy a 50pound bag of dog kibble cuz it was only bag left of her brand. normally i get her a 3.5pound bag that lasts her around 3months or so. on a positive note i am not going to have any worry about buying dog kibble for quite a while now LOL

[Vette]

A friend of mine sent me this, it sounds like good information. However, I believe there are differing opinions on whether face masks work or not.

Internal email for staff in St George’s Hospital
Virus Detection:
The simplest way to distinguish Coronavirus from a Common Cold is that the COVID-19 infection does not cause a cold nose or cough with cold, but it does create a dry and rough cough.
The virus is typically first installed in the throat causing inflammation and a feeling of dryness. This symptom can last between 3 and 4 days.
The virus typically then travels through the moisture present in the airways, goes down to the trachea and installs in the lungs, causing pneumonia that lasts about 5 or 6 days.
Pneumonia manifests with a high fever and difficulty breathing. The Common Cold is not accompanied, but there may be a choking sensation. In this case, the doctor should be called immediately.
Experts suggest doing this simple verification every morning: Breathe in deeply and hold your breath for 10 seconds. If this can be done without coughing, without difficulty, this shows that there is no fibrosis in the lungs, indicating the absence of infection. It is recommended to do this control every morning to help detect infection.

Prevention:
The virus hates heat and dies if it is exposed to temperatures greater than 80°F (27°C). Therefore hot drinks such as infusions, broths or simply hot water should be consumed abundantly during the day. These hot liquids kill the virus and are easy to ingest.
Avoid drinking ice water or drinks with ice cubes.
Ensure that your mouth and throat are always wet, never DRY. You should drink a sip of water at least every 15 minutes. WHY? Even when the virus enters water or other liquids through the mouth, it will get flushed through the oesophagus directly into the stomach where gastric acids destroy the virus. If there is not enough water, the virus can pass into the trachea and from there to the lungs, where it is very dangerous.
For those who can, sunbathe. The Sun's UV rays kill the virus and the vitamin D is good for you.
The Coronavirus has a large size (diameter of 400-500 nanometers) so face masks can stop it, no special face masks are needed in daily life.
If an infected person sneezes near us, stay 10 feet (3.3 meters) away to allow the virus fall to the ground and prevent it from falling on you.
When the virus is on hard surfaces, it survives about 12 hours, therefore when hard surfaces such as doors, appliances, railings, etc. are touched, hands should be washed thoroughly and/or disinfected with alcoholic gel
The virus can live nested in clothes and tissues between 6 and 12 hours. Common detergents can kill it. Things that cannot be washed should be exposed to the Sun and the virus will die.
The transmission of the virus usually occurs by direct infection, touching fabrics, tissues or materials on which the virus is present.
Washing your hands is essential.
The virus survives on our hands for only about 10 minutes. In that time many things can happen, rubbing the eyes, touching the nose or lips. This allows the virus to enter your throat. Therefore, for your good and the good of all, wash your hands very often and disinfect them.
You can gargle with disinfectant solutions (i.e. Listerine or Hydrogen Peroxide) that eliminate or minimize the amount of virus that can enter the throat. Doing so removes the virus before it goes down to the trachea and then to the lungs.
Disinfect things touched often: cellphone, keyboard, mouse, car steering wheel, door handles, etc

Great list!

i love to add ice cubes to my glass of water. will not be doing that anymore anytime i am sick.

as for the etc part in the car make sure to wipe down the key/s too. my dad likes to grab the key from his pocket an as soon as he sets down he puts the key in the ignition before wiping anything down an totally forgets the keys along with the gear shift an turn signal knob. after reminding him however many times he does it by routine now

[Karen]

Covid-19-safe season Farmer's Market was yesterday. It was strange and sparsely populated, and not without stress.

I got everything set up, got all the Golden Cakes into "safe" ziplock bags, same for the tea cookies, and all the ceramic pieces out on display. There were ropes set up and all the "booths" had a booth worth of space between them. Then they put up another string 6 feet in front of my table, no one was allowed to touch anything, etc. But people - all masked and careful, touched things anyway (getting scolded by the market manager), and I sent two dragons onto their happy homes, as well as selling some golden cakes. But there were very few people, and folks were only supposed to walk in one direction around the rope-created loop. All the picnic tables were roped off as well, because we were not allowed to encourage people to linger.

Things keep changing, so hopefully it will go smoother next week.

[Karen]

From Sunday:
MemorialDay 2020 in one photo;

Respect, Sacrifice, Care and Mask. My niece and my Dad's marker

Also Paul

[RICHARD]

A few of my observations?

I worked in a hospital for a long time - around the ER and the OR for most of it.

I was there for ALL the big diseases. Legionnaires, HIV/AIDs, Hanta, Lyme and some others. I learned enough to fill a book and remember enough to fill a thimble. After a while I learned NOT to panic and to be aware of what I was doing.

When i heard about the CV and the experts talking about it, I laughed.

Not because of the illness itself, but of the dire predictions.

They were selling the story with predictions that it was as bad as the storyline in books like The Andromeda Strain, The Stand or The Hot Zone.

Namely that people were going to drop dead in the streets in minutes after being exposed? (I think we know now that take at least two weeks for it to show up after exposure?)

--------------

For the record?

A virus needs a warm or moist medium/area to thrive in/on. You can relate this to the 'fire triangle' they teach in a safety class. you need oxygen/fuel and heat to start a fire - except that the fuel is a moist environment for this disease to live on. If the chain is broken, the disease dies.

Not to say people should not be careful -its just that most of the time wiping stuff down is not really needed. its good to be careful, but not to panic or go crazy when thinking about it.

-----------------

I have a suspicion that this disease was here in the states as early as October of last year.

Why?

I was sick for all of nov/dec with something that I was told was 'nothing' (I think people thought I was losing my mind!)

I stopped eating (Not a great way to lose weight) I was down to a Cup-of-Noodles every two-three days, violent stomach upsets, a fever, labored breathing and lethargy.

I spent days in bed only getting up to go to the bathroom, getting a bite to eat and doing simple stuff around the house. I had to sleep sitting up because i could not catch my breath and something simple like taking out the trash and going to pick up the newspaper required me to think about if for a half hour beforehand, do it and spend 15 trying to get my wind back. one flight of stairs would almost make me pass out. Another weird effect was that I was seriously thinking that death was probably better than feeling the way I did.

That had me freaked out a little...more on that later?

I toughed it out and by the first of the year I was feeling a lot better.

-----------------

When the media picked up the story -this is where I laughed - they sold it like a walking dead episode. people dead in the streets and zombies strutting about asking for brains to eat.

Again, i was not laughing at the loss of life or the illnesses, it was the dire predictions of the eminent extinction of all man kind - the toilet paper shortage amused me.

The world would end and every one dying with a clean butt hole.....dark humor amuses me?

------------------

After a few weeks of the news reports i began to suspect that I was indeed sick with something kinda unusual, but it really hit home when a talking head on tv reported that 'his head was not right' while he was sick.

When Doris walked into the man cave and said "I think you had the CV" I felt kind of vindicated - Her and I had some moments because she would ask me what I wanted for dinner, she would cook it and I just did want to eat. Another by product of this illness was I just had to sit up in bed and that would make wretch -this was 5-15 minutes of wanting to throw up with nothing in me stomach.

One benefit? I got to work out my abs every time!

Do I know for sure?

No, but here is an interesting tidbit? I had scheduled a colonoscopy and got in the day before the hospitals closed down. I went in, got it done and awaited the results.

I got a phone call two weeks later and was told I was exposed to a worker who tested positive.

they gave the info to the health dept and I was to take the necessary precautions. I was irritated for about a minute and then called my doc who told me that I didn't need to be tested (this was when the testing was barely getting started).

And then?

nothing....no problems at all.

I am NOT saying to ignore what is happening outside your front door, common sense and keeping your wits about you will get everyone thru this.


Oh, and always buy you toilet paper in bulk......we had to buy the cheap stuff and it was like wiping yourself with wax paper.....

[phesina]

Good to "see" you again, Richard!

I'm so glad you made it through whatever-you-had there.

[RICHARD]

Good to "see" you again, Richard!

I'm so glad you made it through whatever-you-had there.

Thanks, it's been a while!

-----------------------------

hahaha,

I have a huge laundry list of some of the stupidity that I have heard in the media.


Like comparing this to the Spanish flu/pandemic of 1918.

I took some infectious disease classes and learned that numbers do not lie.

But........the numbers/figures this time around are very misleading in some ways.

For example?

Compare health care today against the HC in 1918.

Most diseases like measles, whooping cough - go down the list? - were not treatable at that time. Isolation was the rule of thumb. These days most diseases have been tamed or wiped out.

Now a doctor has the web at his finger tips and the ability to get info faster that the speed of light.

Imagine having to stop and got to the library with a list of symptoms in hand to make a diagnosis?

Look at the medical tech in use today?

When I worked they were still taking appendixes out by cutting slits into your belly and having you spend three days in the hospital, Now? It's done with a scope and you get to go home the next day.

--------------------

My biggest laugh is from the projection of a second wave this winter.

Back in 1918, to travel, you needed time and to get where you needed to be. These days you hop on a jet and get there the same day.

It does spread the disease faster, but it also removes all the people you would have to interact with on your trip.

These numbers and stats are being touted as 'truth' but they are based on a formula that only counts exponential growth - without looking at other factors. Like population density, food, previous health.... Look at the general health, longevity, well being of a person living in 1918 and compare it to today?

People are living longer, eat healthier and are not subjected to the type of planet we used to have..

Another example is the air quality and HVAC systems?

Most of us live in or visit buildings where the air is recycled in a system that filters and in some cases kills any pathogens in the air with UV light.

Going to the bank in 1918 could probably kill you it your cashier had a cold?

THese days the air inside a building is kept circulating and cleaned - as long as the electricity is going!

--------------------


My last complaint is about the numbers game the media plays with the public.

Every time i see a break down of the numbers involved? It really make me angry.

The true numbers won't be known for a while, but here is an example?

We know that X amount of tests are done, X people are positive and X died.


That is so misleading because without any other numbers you would think that getting the CV is going to kill you?

If you have a populated town that has 10,000 people in it and you test half? that is 5k tests.

Out of the 5k that are tested? 2000 are infected, of the 2k that are infected, 50 die.

Only recently they have started to add the number of recovered cases to the lists.

If you only test 100 cases and 50 die?

It makes the numbers sound way worse than they really are. When you look at the numbers that way it makes it look like 50% of all cases are terminal.

We do not have the numbers of people who have recovered or have been exposed and show no symptoms to make a real guess at the numbers. As those numbers come in, the morbidity rate will go down and we will have a better picture of what is going on.

------------------------------

I am not saying to ditch your masks or go to a bar tonight, But I am saying that people are freaking out way to quickly and not using common sense when it comes down to being smart about this situation.

I hope that everyone stays safe - things are not as bad as the media says the are.

if they were? You'd be fighting zombies on your front porch right about now and you would not be able to get your mail....


Hang tough, folks!

Someone has to.

[Karen]

I am in Vermont now - welcome back, Richard, we have missed you. And people are being very careful, being good about social distancing, etc. No one around here I know has had it, but several friends from high school days have lost parents or friends to Covid down in Massachusetts.

The media hype everything, it's their job, and social media siloing is a real thing!

[Karen]

June arrived after
A year-long, turned, broken May
A heart-worn world burns

Streets of broken glass
Shattered dreams, lives forever
Scarred, changed, burned, we cry

Yet somewhere a song
Ignites a shred of hope, of
Healing, moving on

Together even
As we keep distance, voices
Can rise, united

[sana]

June arrived after
A year-long, turned, broken May
A heart-worn world burns

Streets of broken glass
Shattered dreams, lives forever
Scarred, changed, burned, we cry

Yet somewhere a song
Ignites a shred of hope, of
Healing, moving on

Together even
As we keep distance, voices
Can rise, united

:'( ❤

How's everybody doing? It's been a while since I logged in. With the current situation, wanted to know you all are safe and healthy too.
Wishing best of health to you all.

[Karen]

:'( ❤

How's everybody doing? It's been a while since I logged in. With the current situation, wanted to know you all are safe and healthy too.
Wishing best of health to you all.

Sana! How are you? We are safe and healthy here, and have a new baby at the farm! Did you see Boo?

[mon]

I will stay strong
Use all of my smarts
Won't cave and hate
Gonna eat me buttertarts
I will wash my hands
Wear a mask
I will listen to peeps
Not a hard task
Need to listen
That's what Ellen say
I'll try to listen
No need to learn the hard way
Hate is a hopeless road
Let's be kind
I'd surely kiss a toad
Clearly rappin'
Isn't my best thing
You haven't been tortured
'Till you've heard me sing 🕊🌈