Coronavirus prep

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  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    Things may tighten around here. We went from 4 cases 10 days ago to 62 positive cases today with 40+ from one nursing home.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    @galehawkins, had to look and see if you were from Oklahoma. We had numbers something like that. They tested people who had symptoms in one nursing home, 20 positive, so they tested everyone. Some of the results came in the next day, brought it to over 40. I forgot to check the next day for the total.
  • jo_nz
    jo_nz Posts: 548 Member
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    New Zealand had it's announcement on moving from Level 4 to Level 3 (which is a slight loosening of our quite strict lockdown rules) this afternoon. We were originally scheduled to come out of Level 4 this coming Thursday at the earliest. Level 3 comes in on Tuesday week, which gives an additional five days of hard core lockdown to really solidify the low transmission/new case numbers, and also means that those businesses that can resume are doing so at the start of the work week (Monday is a public holiday for ANZAC Day).

    People who are able to work from home must continue to do so, retail, bars, cafes, restaurants etc remain physically closed to the public, but any of them who can trade without physical interaction with the public are able to (so, all online shopping can resume - previously only essential goods were available/able to be delivered, restaurants can do delivery or contactless pick up, etc), early childhood centres and school for up to Year 10 is available for those who need it (ie parents going back to work with no other options for childcare), strict requirements for distancing and hygiene in place for any operational businesses, we can venture a little further afield for recreation/exercise but still expected to be at home the majority of the time if not working away from home.

    ETA: NZ is in really good shape, our number of new daily cases is down to single digits (actually oscillating between high single and low to mid teens), our number of recovered cases is nearly double the number of active (which sits at 454 as of this morning).

    I'd have liked to see Level 4 continued for an additional week longer (and coming out of it on May the 4th would have just been cool), but I think so long as people get the message that Level 3 is not a licence to go out and start socialising, we'll be fine.

    Will there be much difference for you at L3, Nony_Mouse?
    Personally, it will be more of the same here - working at home, kids schooling at home. Only going out for groceries and dog walks. I am missing my small gym, but it will be at least level 2 before that reopens.

    DH may be able to go back to some work, but not in a huge rush - will have to judge each job situation (he's a sparky, so "can" work at lvl 3). We do have a couple of jobs in hold that are perfect - eg empty floor of office building, would only be DH and one other co-worker on site.

    I was watching the start of today's announcement and was quite convinced it was going to be extended at least another week, not just a few days.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    jo_nz wrote: »
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    New Zealand had it's announcement on moving from Level 4 to Level 3 (which is a slight loosening of our quite strict lockdown rules) this afternoon. We were originally scheduled to come out of Level 4 this coming Thursday at the earliest. Level 3 comes in on Tuesday week, which gives an additional five days of hard core lockdown to really solidify the low transmission/new case numbers, and also means that those businesses that can resume are doing so at the start of the work week (Monday is a public holiday for ANZAC Day).

    People who are able to work from home must continue to do so, retail, bars, cafes, restaurants etc remain physically closed to the public, but any of them who can trade without physical interaction with the public are able to (so, all online shopping can resume - previously only essential goods were available/able to be delivered, restaurants can do delivery or contactless pick up, etc), early childhood centres and school for up to Year 10 is available for those who need it (ie parents going back to work with no other options for childcare), strict requirements for distancing and hygiene in place for any operational businesses, we can venture a little further afield for recreation/exercise but still expected to be at home the majority of the time if not working away from home.

    ETA: NZ is in really good shape, our number of new daily cases is down to single digits (actually oscillating between high single and low to mid teens), our number of recovered cases is nearly double the number of active (which sits at 454 as of this morning).

    I'd have liked to see Level 4 continued for an additional week longer (and coming out of it on May the 4th would have just been cool), but I think so long as people get the message that Level 3 is not a licence to go out and start socialising, we'll be fine.

    Will there be much difference for you at L3, Nony_Mouse?
    Personally, it will be more of the same here - working at home, kids schooling at home. Only going out for groceries and dog walks. I am missing my small gym, but it will be at least level 2 before that reopens.

    DH may be able to go back to some work, but not in a huge rush - will have to judge each job situation (he's a sparky, so "can" work at lvl 3). We do have a couple of jobs in hold that are perfect - eg empty floor of office building, would only be DH and one other co-worker on site.

    I was watching the start of today's announcement and was quite convinced it was going to be extended at least another week, not just a few days.

    Not really much different. I have been working from home, and could continue, but it's not ideal. The compound where my 'lab' is, is infrastructure construction-based (roading, etc) and will be operational, so I can slip in under that and go back to working there. It's very low risk, as not many people actually based there. I share my portacom office with one other, and we're at opposite ends (well over two metres apart!). May be some roadworks crew coming and going at breaks. I'm in a bubble of one, and due to illness spent much of last year in that bubble too, so some of going back is actually mental health.

    I figured we'd at least be extending to the Tuesday, because restarting so late in the week and right before a long weekend is a bit dumb, given that it makes crap all difference in economic terms, but potentially quite a lot in health terms.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    KrissCanDoThis wrote: »
    I heard that there was misinformation spread at first that toilet paper was made mostly in markets like China and that someone claimed that this would make toilet paper hard to obtain, so people went absolutely ballistic trying to buy as much as they could. =/

    It even happened here... and we make toilet paper here in this country, it doesnt even come from China lol

    Oh!! So it was driven by fake news.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    whoami67 wrote: »
    Has anyone been to Costco recently? I know when the Safer at Home order first came down, Costco was reportedly a nightmare. I'm thinking to go there next week, probably looking for canned tuna and a few other things I like to buy in bulk. Has anyone braved it lately? In your town, have the lines outside and the supplies inside normalized like they have at the grocery store?


    I've been to Costco a few times and had different experiences:

    The week before last, there were only a few people waiting in line outside. They had a white board at the door listing what was out of stock....a relatively short list, just disinfectants, gloves, hand sanitizer, and dried beans. They had toilet paper. Once inside, it was not crowded at all, and no other items were in short supply, other than what was listed on the board.

    I went again this week and it was different. Loooong line to get in (still only took me about 15 minutes). The white board noted that, in addition to the items from the previous week, they were currently out of toilet paper and rotisserie chicken. It seemed the store was way more crowded. I think they metered in too many people because of the long line outside. It was uncomfortably crowded.

    Both times, I went on a weekday afternoon (I had heard the mornings were more crowded).

    A few things to note: Don't be too intimidated by a long line outside. It looks worse than it is because people are standing 6 feet apart, and it moves quickly. Don't grab a cart in the parking lot...they are wiping down carts as they hand them to each individual entering customer. They are requesting that no more than 2 people per membership enter the store (leave the kids at home if you can). Checkout lanes were good...no lines as they had enough of them open. That's been my experience anyway...it might be different in other cities.

    Good to know. I haven't tried to do Costco (I find Costco overwhelming when there's not a novel virus), but I have been discouraged about dealing with the lines at other stores, and maybe I am being silly.
    This is me, especially since moving to our current area... the closest Costco, even though it’s not a major city or anything, is always a madhouse!! We ventured out for takeout this past Tuesday for my daughter’s bday and drove by on a whim, just to see. They are closing early (I thought 6, but actually 6:30) so I ran through the last 15 minutes they were open. The store was almost empty! They had the dry erase board with their list of unavailable items, but most everything I went in for I found. Even snagged the last gallon of milk and last pack of a particular cheese the kids were wanting. Check out had the partitions and marks on the floor for waiting in line. The lines are normally backed up the aisles so I can’t imagine what it looks like on a “normal” day right now...

  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    KrissCanDoThis wrote: »
    I heard that there was misinformation spread at first that toilet paper was made mostly in markets like China and that someone claimed that this would make toilet paper hard to obtain, so people went absolutely ballistic trying to buy as much as they could. =/

    It even happened here... and we make toilet paper here in this country, it doesnt even come from China lol

    Oh!! So it was driven by fake news.

    To be fair, PP didn't say where she "heard" it, could have just been so-and-so said they heard such-and-such. Also, I believe that kshama2000 said that the particular type of toilet paper she prefers is produced in China, or something along those lines, earlier in the thread - so something like that could easily become "toilet paper is going to be scarce because it's produced in China" via repeated communications about what people "heard."
  • Unicorn_Bacon
    Unicorn_Bacon Posts: 491 Member
    There has been so much covid stuff going around.. I have a hard time remembering where I heard what from to be honest with you.. but to be fair I wanna say, I heard it second hand from someone who paraphrased the info like i did and have no idea where it originally started.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,401 Member
    I think the Proctor and Gamble news release was the whole reason for this thread....look at the OP, "supply chain" problems etc.
  • Unicorn_Bacon
    Unicorn_Bacon Posts: 491 Member
    This is what they've started doing for the nursing home here that's being hit hard

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/nova-scotia-covid-19-update-sunday-april-19-1.5537729
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »
    missysippy930 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    KrissCanDoThis wrote: »
    I think people take out their thoughts on the wrong people.. which is unfortunate.

    In times like that people often hear bad news like that and are instantly overcome by the problems they have in their own lives, debt, cost of kids, insurance, etc.. it often leaves people thinking that the burden is solely put on them only and not anyone else in a higher position.

    The fear and anger and sudden-ness of the news doesnt leave much room for stopping and wondering if higher ups are also going to have to deal with the same thing.

    People also often think that because they make more money they would have it easier, but honestly, people often live on the edge of or outside their means.. and as upper management, Its often deemed inappropriate for them to discuss their pay, their Bill's, their home life with the people they are managing.. I know some do it, but it can often back fire on them also..

    So were blind to their struggles and consumed by the problem in front of us, that we criticize them for what's happening and are even more harsh behind their backs..

    I'm guilty of it too sometimes.. I'm sorry that you're having to deal with that.

    I'm mostly frustrated right now because my proposal has most employees missing the total of a pay check spread across the year, which sucks...but the alternative is just canning people. Do you want a job but you'll miss a paycheck over a year or have no job, no insurance, etc? But apparently that doesn't translate...I can only do one or the other. Hopefully it will all become clear for my peeps over the weekend. I'm quite literally trying to find a way not to have to fire you for something that's not your fault...

    I’m curious. Isn’t laying off, a better term? What are the grounds for firing?
    Back in 2008, we had to take a 20% pay cut, and a cut back of hours, and some people were laid off. Many people did. Through no fault of our own, because of mismanagement by businesses. Time will tell, but universal health care may become critical during this crisis. Affordable health care is a joke for most people in the US. A friend that has been furloughed during this, will have to pay just under $1600/month for Cobra starting in May. Not many people can afford that.

    Yes, I think terminology is important. Here, "fire" is different than "lay off." However "furlough" is often used regardless of fault. "Temporary lay off" is used exclusively in a no-fault situation, but many are using "furlough" in a no fault situation now also despite that furlough has a historical use that can also mean there is potential fault on the employee's side.

    I've not been given the option... some employees at my company were temporary layoff and the rest of us had temporary pay cuts. Originally when this was announced, I am losing 2 weeks of pay spread over 90 days. Compared to those laid off for 2 weeks, I am worse off because we lose the same amount of income from the company directly and yet the laid off employees can get some of that back through unemployment. Now, as lay off continues (as does my pay cut), the unemployment amount becomes more relevant. In my state, starting unemployment was so small that even adding $600 per week doesn't replace an entire paycheck for most workers. The extension causes many who were previously laid off the go from a better situation than my pay cut to a worse situation than mine when total situation is considered.

    Interesting. Pre coronavirus, I'd only heard furlough in the context of the gov't shut downs and furloughs of non essential gov't workers.

    Here's a good piece on it: https://www.thecut.com/2020/04/what-is-a-furlough.html

    In my field, one is either laid off (due to the economy being bad) or fired (usually because you were not sufficiently successful at your job, which doesn't actually mean for cause). However, usually they frame even firings as layoffs and give you time to find a new position unless you truly did something egregious.

    Looks like furloughs retain health insurance, which is pretty important.

    From the piece:

    "a furlough is an employer-mandated, temporary unpaid leave from work, which employers typically resort to as a cost-saving measure. Both public and private employees can be placed on furlough. (Government employees are often put on furlough during shutdowns.) But the specific terms of a furlough depend on where you work. You can be furloughed for as short a time as a few weeks, or as long as months. During this leave, you’ll likely retain your health-insurance benefits, though that’s not guaranteed.

    If you are furloughed, you technically retain your job, whereas if you’re laid off, you are no longer employed at your job. However, furloughed workers still typically qualify for unemployment benefits, which have expanded under the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package."

    So far my company has not laid off anyone. Most of the lawyers can work fully (or close to it) during the stay at home period, but the concern is that clients won't or will be unable to pay on time. Some support staff has been able to work, some has not (like the receptionist), but we are keeping them on the payroll with the hope that the Paycheck Protection Program will support that. The main concern is no layoffs if at all possible, and also keeping people working as much as possible.

    I have heard furlough in a no fault context in the past as well with government shut downs. But I have also heard "furlough" used in more individual cases where there is an investigation before a person will actually be fired if the investigation finds wrongdoing. Also, I have heard "administrative leave" is used in such scenario, though often that indicates they are still being paid until the investigation concludes whereas "furlough" would be unpaid during that same time.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    KrissCanDoThis wrote: »
    Congrats on snagging some toilet paper.

    What's the big deal with the toilet paper purchases?? I haven't been able to figure it out.

    Me neither, but there still isn't any where I live. Still as best as I can tell, stores will be able to get some in late May.

    Plenty where I live although amount one can purchase is limited.

    Last I bought any was more than a month ago. The limit then was 4 packages, but could be any size package. Since then, I have seen the limit decreased to 2 and the sign said 1 package limit when I was there on Sat. But there is none available anyway, so not sure why they bother to change the limit unless it is just so customers are used to seeing a 1 each limit when it is available again.

    I bought some on Thursday, and I went after 6 pm. The shelves weren't full, but there was plenty available of both 12 roll, 9 roll, and 6 roll sizes (this grocery store doesn't have the mega sizes even normally, and I may have had some 18, I didn't look that carefully as I was walking and wasn't going to carry anything huge). You were limited to 2 packages, which seemed reasonable to me.

    The last time I'd bought any at a grocery store was the weekend of March 14, and again while the supply was down it was available (this other time was at a WF). I have heard reports that during the first part of the stay at home (3/20 is when it was announced) and a few days leading up to it that many local grocery stores were out of TP or running out first thing in the morning, but based on my Nextdoor it has been available at my grocery store and some others pretty consistently since then.

    Even when it was hard to find in the grocery store I checked on it at my closest 7-11 and one other and they both had supplies. My guess is that it's been harder to find in the biggest supermarkets and bulk buy type places like Costco and Target than some other kinds of places.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    corinasue1143 wrote: »
    @galehawkins, had to look and see if you were from Oklahoma. We had numbers something like that. They tested people who had symptoms in one nursing home, 20 positive, so they tested everyone. Some of the results came in the next day, brought it to over 40. I forgot to check the next day for the total.

    With the number of people who never show any outward symptoms being in the 50-75% range and only testing people with clear symptoms means many of us can be spreaders I we leave the house without even knowing it. Sadly the nursing homes are really adding to the death count. Not sure what state but this morning a guy was telling about a rural nursing home case and one 98 year old lady recovered. The doctors know so much more about how to treat COVID-19 than they did 30 days ago and is why flatting the curve is working so well. Hopefully people will give us another 30 days.

    https://wpsdlocal6.com/news/12-new-covid-19-cases-related-to-nursing-home-in-graves-county/article_63f37f9e-8276-11ea-8992-cfa8f5aaadb3.html
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    KrissCanDoThis wrote: »
    I heard that there was misinformation spread at first that toilet paper was made mostly in markets like China and that someone claimed that this would make toilet paper hard to obtain, so people went absolutely ballistic trying to buy as much as they could. =/

    It even happened here... and we make toilet paper here in this country, it doesnt even come from China lol

    Oh!! So it was driven by fake news.

    Not really. From the beginning, what I heard on the major network news and local news was that if everyone would just stop hoarding the stores would be able to get stocked back up. I think the psychological explanation on why TP was an item people decided to stock up on, coupled with typical supply simply not being enough for every person in the country buying extra TP at the same time, coupled with rumors from my neighbor Bob whose wife works in the sheriff's office with a guy whose brother works for a local supermarket, coupled with people seeing other people with carts full of TP and getting FOMO, had far more to do with it.

    *
    *

    Central VA is still seeing reasonable increases in cases and my health district (which includes Charlottesville) is still under 10 deaths attributed. The last I heard the entire state is up to 300 deaths. It looks like case numbers/hospitalizations are starting to increase now in some of the more rural, sparsely populated states. :disappointed:

    It seems there are several drugs now being given to critical patients that are showing promise, and that they are focusing more on the inflammation now as the easiest means to medicate it. If they could at least come up with a handful of treatments that have a good chance of keeping people who become critical from needing a ventilator or dying, and we get over the peak, maybe everyone will have a little wiggle room. Won't help all the people who never make it to the hospital, but at least it's something.

    Or from needing dialysis or the in-patient equivalent, as apparently some places (e.g., New York) are seeing a lot of covid patients with kidney failure, and don't have enough equipment to go around for treating that.

    Yes, I just saw a story on that! There's still so much about this thing we have to figure out.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Interesting story: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/20/oil-barrel-below-zero/
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited April 2020
    IL hospitalizations up 7% over 5 days ago (total of 4,599 yesterday), which in context seems like pretty good news vs. possible alternatives. 1239 are in the ICU. Apparently projections in mid March said that absent the stay at home order we would have exceeded existing hospital capacity by 25,000 beds by April 6. (As of now the share of ICU beds occupied by COVID-19 patients has dropped from about 43% of 2,700 beds on April 6 to about 40% of 3,100 beds on Sunday (showing an increase in the number of beds, of course).) We've also started using the overflow beds at McCormick Place, as some hospitals are out of beds for non ICU patients, although many are not.

    We are at a total of 31,508 known infections, and 1,349 deaths (with Chicago at 13,013 and 514). Chicago may well jump up even more in known cases in the next few days or so, as they are trying to ramp up testing on the south and west sides, although deaths have disproportionately come from there, so that may actually improve the death % numbers.
  • Unicorn_Bacon
    Unicorn_Bacon Posts: 491 Member
    =/

    I just read on the news that "adult" street workers are mad because the government wont support them with the emergency relief money.

    I never thought this would be a news headline

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