Coronavirus prep

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Replies

  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 3,096 Member
    SModa61 wrote: »
    I confused about all the discussion of water temp. Here are CDC's instructions for washing a mask. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wash-cloth-face-coverings.html

    Remember, when you are cleaning COVID from your hands, it is soap/detergent that matters. No one scalds there hands to remove the virus.

    I spray my cloth mask with a disinfectant and then wash. As for hands, alcohol (gel) immediately kills COVID, so some of that before handwashing will be safer.

    I have similarly disinfected my mask by spraying down with rubbing alcohol.
  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 3,096 Member
    @kshama2001 - Glad you are doing well. We are all shoveled out. There was a decent amount of heavy snow here and lots of smaller branches down throughout the yard, but doing fine. Did you see the Channel 5 Opps?

    harvreading.jpg?itok=h3smT0E2

    I'll give you three guesses what town I live in. :P
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    SModa61 wrote: »
    @kshama2001 - Glad you are doing well. We are all shoveled out. There was a decent amount of heavy snow here and lots of smaller branches down throughout the yard, but doing fine. Did you see the Channel 5 Opps?

    harvreading.jpg?itok=h3smT0E2

    I'll give you three guesses what town I live in. :P

    That's still a lot of snow even without the extra 0!

    Glad you are all shoveled out and presumably with power as you're online :)
  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 3,096 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    SModa61 wrote: »
    @kshama2001 - Glad you are doing well. We are all shoveled out. There was a decent amount of heavy snow here and lots of smaller branches down throughout the yard, but doing fine. Did you see the Channel 5 Opps?

    harvreading.jpg?itok=h3smT0E2

    I'll give you three guesses what town I live in. :P

    That's still a lot of snow even without the extra 0!

    Glad you are all shoveled out and presumably with power as you're online :)

    @kshama2001 I don't think the "0" was the issue at that point in time. I think is was a missing decimal point. Wilmington is next to us so I think we were 2.30". Snow was to the top of my boots so 12" total, maybe?
  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 3,096 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    Yeh, I've seen headlines that said school isn't a worrisome infection source. How can it not be?? That simply doesn't make sense to me.

    The numbers say that when communities reopen schools for in person classes, it doesn't cause a spike. There could be lots of reasons for that, like places that reopen schools already have high numbers from people not being careful, or the fact that just because schools are open doesn't mean a lot of parents aren't keeping their kids home anyway. I'd also bet schools that are able to reconfigure and supply their schools for safety "even out" the schools that can't and do in fact cause some spread.

    It seems that schools that can space kids and teachers out, provide everyone with PPE, and pay enough personnel to monitor children for safety compliance can keep everyone pretty safe. But as was mentioned lots of US school systems simply don't have the money for that.

    IMHO teachers should be prioritized for vaccination right behind healthcare workers, so 1b I guess. I'm not a parent, but every parent I know says getting kids back to regular school is super important and vaccinating teachers so they are protected when safety measures don't quite cut it is the best way to do that I think.

    I'm game for that. I know I am at towards the end of the line, and I am grateful that my health and my risks are such that I would be put there. My turn will come in time.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,102 Member
    edited February 2021
    Since Covid/schools is a current topic here, I'll mention that 1A (an NPR show) just did a segment today on the topic, interview/discussion with an epidemiologist/professor from Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, a school superintendent from Wisconsin (I think from the system where one of the CDC school studies was done), a high school teacher from the greater Detroit area (Wayne County), and NPR's education reporter.

    IMO, the level of insight represented by those people was really good, but in the time available (bit under an hour), they were only able to skim the surface. Still may be worth a listen, when the podcast comes out, for those interested.

    Overview here:
    https://the1a.org/segments/in-person-school-reopening-pandemic/

    Later, there should be a podcast here, or on Apple: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510316/1a

    (Oops, edited because accidentally clicked post before finishing typing)
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Yes, as I understand it, teachers would be non-healthcare frontline essential workers, so 1b.
  • lokihen
    lokihen Posts: 382 Member
    In January the schools in London were closed because they had 'reviewed' the school transmission rates. I haven't been able to find the data behind that decision but it did coincide with the sharp rise of the variant.

    Now that variant has been confirmed in Minnesota and Iowa, it is just a matter of time before it's here in S.D.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    Yeh, I've seen headlines that said school isn't a worrisome infection source. How can it not be?? That simply doesn't make sense to me.

    The numbers say that when communities reopen schools for in person classes, it doesn't cause a spike. There could be lots of reasons for that, like places that reopen schools already have high numbers from people not being careful, or the fact that just because schools are open doesn't mean a lot of parents aren't keeping their kids home anyway. I'd also bet schools that are able to reconfigure and supply their schools for safety "even out" the schools that can't and do in fact cause some spread.

    It seems that schools that can space kids and teachers out, provide everyone with PPE, and pay enough personnel to monitor children for safety compliance can keep everyone pretty safe. But as was mentioned lots of US school systems simply don't have the money for that.

    To be honest, schools aren't hiring extra people to monitor kids. Who is going to sign up for a job paying $10/hr to be around kids in an enclosed space transmitting Covid when one can make more stocking shelves off hours (or even when the store is closed) with minimal people around?

    I didn't really mean they'd be hiring extra staff. More like some systems are able to always have plenty of teachers and teaching assistants to give more personalized attn to students, while other systems are always barely able to staff enough teachers to handle classrooms overflowing with students.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    Yeh, I've seen headlines that said school isn't a worrisome infection source. How can it not be?? That simply doesn't make sense to me.

    The numbers say that when communities reopen schools for in person classes, it doesn't cause a spike. There could be lots of reasons for that, like places that reopen schools already have high numbers from people not being careful, or the fact that just because schools are open doesn't mean a lot of parents aren't keeping their kids home anyway. I'd also bet schools that are able to reconfigure and supply their schools for safety "even out" the schools that can't and do in fact cause some spread.

    It seems that schools that can space kids and teachers out, provide everyone with PPE, and pay enough personnel to monitor children for safety compliance can keep everyone pretty safe. But as was mentioned lots of US school systems simply don't have the money for that.

    IMHO teachers should be prioritized for vaccination right behind healthcare workers, so 1b I guess. I'm not a parent, but every parent I know says getting kids back to regular school is super important and vaccinating teachers so they are protected when safety measures don't quite cut it is the best way to do that I think.

    Not sure if this is universal across the country...probably not given that nothing is...but in NM teachers are in 1b as non healthcare essential frontline workers. We started vaccinating 1b a couple of weeks ago.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited February 2021
    I also can't see why schools are not considered to be a risk. My assumption is that it is because most children do not get severe illness. This idea ignores teachers and support staff, family members of those teachers and support staff, and family members of students who bring it home after catching from a fellow student. How is that not a concern?!

    I don't think it's so much that they are considered to be no risk or of no concern. Rather, where does that risk fall relative to essential function and relative to other behaviors and things people are doing and what things are open for business.

    In NM, it is difficult to quantify that risk as our public schools have for the most part been 100% on-line for almost a year now. The only real in state data we have to go off of is our private schools who have either been 100% in person or doing a hybrid model. That data shows no community spread within the schools...but it's also a pretty small sample size and not really representative of the NM population overall.

    Another matter that is driving the lower risk assessment here in NM is that most things are closed...there is literally almost nowhere to go and nothing to do...so the idea is basically that kids will be pretty much either at home or at school, and not doing much of anything else. If things were more open, it would likely result in a different risk assessment. My kids rarely leave the house except to go play outside or go on walks or bike rides with us. Anytime we take them somewhere, you'd think we were going to Disneyland...I mean, who knew going out to pick up carryout enchiladas could be so exciting.

    ETA: I'd actually be pretty upset if the governor decided to open anything else up before opening schools. I'd rather my kids be in person for school a couple of days per week than to be able to go eat indoors at a restaurant...as bad as I feel for those folks. There was already quite a bit of backlash when she decided to let gyms reopen in December and schools were still closed.

  • lokihen
    lokihen Posts: 382 Member
    The CDC has a page to track variants in US states.

    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant-cases.html
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    edited February 2021
    Restaurant workers are now considered priority for the vaccine since they are reopening indoor dining here in NYC on February 14th.

    Also taxi drivers are also considered priority.

    https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/537001-cuomo-adds-ny-restaurant-workers-to-vaccine-priority-list
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Psychgrrl wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    NM Governor just announced yesterday that public schools can resume in person learning on a hybrid schedule starting Feb 8. It will be up to individual districts as to whether or not they will. I'm in the largest school district in the state, so it'll be interesting to see what they do...hoping the kids will be able to go back though...a couple days out of the week is better than nothing.

    Not necessarily for the teachers and their families. Even if teachers are vaccinated (most aren’t right now) the best information says they can still take it home to their families. As can the kids.

    Some districts (Oklahoma) say the kids don’t have to wear masks indoors if they’re sitting six feet apart.

    I am so scared for my teacher friends and their families.

    I have a couple of friends who are teachers and I know quite a few teachers at my kids' school, and every single one of them is and has been ready to get back. The one's that don't want to can opt out. Masks are required in NM indoors and will also be required in school. They are also required outdoors in crowded public areas and any outdoor land/property maintained by a government entity.

    Group A will be Monday and Tuesday...Wednesday is a deep clean day...group B on Thursday and Friday. Smaller classes and more separation. All NM private schools have been doing this since the fall and it hasn't been an issue.

    From the sounds of things, most districts won't go back until the very end of February as they need time to ramp up. It is thought that by then, most teachers who want to be vaccinated will be. NM is 2nd in the nation in regards to per capita vaccine distribution and getting needles into arms. We've vaccinated roughly 10% of our population currently

    Sounds like your districts have more effective safety plans than the ones where my friends are working (Michigan, Oklahoma, Florida) where they’re not doing what they should to protect anyone, frankly. Especially people with pre-existing conditions which make them more vulnerable to serious health risks as a result of COVID.

    No one gets paid enough to literally die for their job.

    NM still has some of the most stringent restrictions in the US. We opened up a bit over the summer as our cases were pretty low...end of July had a 7 day rolling average of around 330 new cases per day. By early September we were down to a 7 day rolling average of around 88 new cases per day and there was a lot of pressure to open up further, including schools.

    This is about the time when individuals started to become much more lax in their precautions...a lot more people out and about doing "normal" things...more people dining out where earlier in the summer people were more apprehensive even though indoor dining was open...more parties and large gatherings at home and public places, etc. We started spiking again in October and by Thanksgiving our 7 day rolling average had jumped over 2,500 per day, with many days having numbers over 3K per day.

    We went into another stay at home "lockdown" about a week before Thanksgiving and have been in that position since. No indoor dining...limited outdoor patio dining...no bars are open...gyms open, but with substantial restrictions on occupancy as well as amenities that can be used, etc. The NM government is also trying their best to limit travel to NM for other states, which hurts as tourism is one of our largest industries. Of course, they can't straight up deny entry to the state...but there's nothing to do here, and the things that are open like the zoo, botanical gardens, state parks, etc are only open to NM residents and ID is required to enter these places.

    No idea how much longer this will go on...but our numbers have dropped to a 7 day rolling average of around 700 as of yesterday. There has been a big push to re-open schools on at least a hybrid basis, even if we need to keep other restrictions such as indoor dining in place. Mid year reports across most school districts show a high failure rate with distance learning as well as growing mental health issues with children across the state that simply didn't exist at this level before. As well as we've done as a state with this virus, unfortunately, we are also leading the nation in childhood suicide.

    Everything comes at a cost, right? Economic, educational, emotional ... The balance scales are continually shifting.

    It does sound like NM has a solid plan and data and are doing the best they can. Florida, for example, is tying state funding to in-person education for K-12. Not a solid plan for some areas of the state—the densely populated ones with high percentages of positive tests, hospitalizations, ICU beds occupied, etc.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    SModa61 wrote: »
    SModa61 wrote: »
    I confused about all the discussion of water temp. Here are CDC's instructions for washing a mask. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wash-cloth-face-coverings.html

    Remember, when you are cleaning COVID from your hands, it is soap/detergent that matters. No one scalds there hands to remove the virus.

    I spray my cloth mask with a disinfectant and then wash. As for hands, alcohol (gel) immediately kills COVID, so some of that before handwashing will be safer.

    I have similarly disinfected my mask by spraying down with rubbing alcohol.

    I bought this Tide antibacterial spray for fabric, I use that and then hand wash with detergent.