Coronavirus prep

RelCanonical wrote: »

earlnabby wrote: »

I just received an email from the center where I donate blood. They are starting to get critically low and are urging people to give. Many blood drives have been cancelled but one near me is still being held on Monday so I just made an appointment. Other than being around people, this is normally a sanitary environment anyway. They outlined their procedures to keep everyone safe:

Donor Health & Registration:

• All donor-facing staff will have their temperature taken prior to beginning their work day
• Donors temperatures will be taken at registration to ensure they are not elevated prior to entering donation areas
• Donors will be asked if they are currently experiencing coughing or shortness of breath
• Donors will be asked if they have recently traveled to high-risk countries as defined by the CDC
• If any of the above is true, donors will be asked to self-defer

Social Distancing:

• We encourage all donors to make an appointment to lessen the amount of people waiting at our blood drives
• Ensuring six feet of space between chairs in waiting areas and cafe
• Ensuring six feet of space between donation chairs and/or separation with medical screens
• If appointment registration congestion occurs, we will ask for your cell phone number and text when your appointment is ready

Cleaning:

• We clean all equipment, beds, and other surfaces after each donor finishes their donation
• Changing gloves frequently and between donors is part of our normal practice
• We will maintain sanitized pen bins, so donors are only using clean pens at sign-in

I think the only reason I'm not getting two calls a day is because I just gave blood.

Good for you. I realize many people cannot donate either for personal health reasons or restrictions but many can but don't and I am hoping more of them decide to try for the first time.

Regarding the restrictions: I realize some may seem unreasonable but I do understand the reason for them. A good friend of mine passed away from a disease picked up from tainted blood so I understand the caution. I just hope they figure out better testing/processing so they can lift some of the blanket ones.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

corinasue1143 wrote: »

lkpducky wrote: »

Some idiot on my local city bulletin board wanted to know the NAME of the person who tested positive in our city. I told her in no uncertain terms that that goes against privacy laws (HIPAA) as well as being rude.

Not rude. One person has tested positive in the county my daughter lives in, and I can get hold of her right now. Just tell me it isn’t her or her family and I won’t ask again.

Look up the population of the county. Count the number of people in her family. Calculate (number of people in county) divided by (number of people in family). It's a big number. That's how unlikely it is that it's your daughter or her family, in raw terms (i.e., that many to one, odds it isn't her/her family). It's even less likely, if you consider that probably some decent number of (people in county) are at higher risk of contagion (likely true even for individuals at fairly high risk).

Breathe. Wait. You'll hear from her.

Wishing you good news, soon!

It’s actually not my daughter or her family. When I couldn’t get hold of her, I called my son-in-law. They’re fine.
But I understand the reason why people want and deserve their privacy, but I also understand other people’s anxiety.
Just like we don’t always know why people are buying lots of groceries, tp, etc— maybe hoarding, maybe buying for parents, neighbors, etc—we don’t always know what others are thinking when they ask dumb questions.
Advocating patience in times when emotions may run high. There may be a reason for other people’s actions.

My order via Walmart Grocery didn't contain ½ of my items, thereby I ordered Domino's. Their pizza, was 50% off & I've been tipping extra, for both types of deliveries since their job puts them at risk of getting the virus, via whomever they deliver to {hopefully people that complain, that they don't deserve a living wage because they believe, that it's an unskilled teenage job & not an adult career, begin to realize the danger of their work regardless of their education or age & begin to, appreciate them}.

I plan to order, via a Mom & Pop shop but unlike with Domino's I won't be using a coupon, to help them stay within business.

I understand if it isn't affordable, to tip extra and/or to not use a coupon, even for a small business but if it's, please consider it. Thank you, immensely!

rheddmobile wrote: »

Psychgrrl wrote: »

snowflake954 wrote: »

jseams1234 wrote: »

snowflake954 wrote: »

extra_medium wrote: »

ekim2016 wrote: »

Italy in bad shape. Over 600 dead and over 10k active cases. Hospitals stopped all operations / procedures and overflowing caring for covid patients. Bad scene! We need to be vigilant and people need to stop poo pooing claiming it's just no worse than a regular flu blah blah it is killing people globally.

The regular flu kills people globally

We have the regular flu every year in Italy--it's not on this scale.

https://www.thelocal.it/20200123/flu-outbreak-in-italy-half-a-million-people-struck-down-in-a-week

This was 2019/2020. Almost 3 Million cases reported by Jan 19 and half a million additional in just one week. At the time of the report deaths were approaching 300. I'm not downplaying the dangers of COVID-19 but the only difference in scale (the flu was worse) is mostly in the response to the outbreak.

With this kind of logic don't you think it's strange that the country didn't go into quarantine in January? The Northern part of Italy is now begging the government to shut down public transportation and all shops and stores that are non-essential. I've seen doctors and nurses crying on TV and begging people to stay home and follow government guidelines. If you feel better believing that this is just a flu then good for you.

For people that want to slow the progression of the virus: no non-essential travel (yes, cancel those vacations), stay away from crowded places, if you go out, wash your hands as soon as you enter your home, keep a distance when meeting and greeting people, avoid touching people, be sensible, do what you need to and look around and see if you can help elderly or infirm by shopping for them and keeping in touch by phone so they don't feel abandoned.

This will pass, but please don't tell people that it's "just the flu" and go about business as usual. I've seen what happens when you do that. Stay safe people.

It's not "just the flu," however I am concerned the responses are promoting panic over preparedness.

In the US this so far this flu season:

• 34 million illnesses
• 350,000 hospitalizations
• 20,000 deaths

Realistically, we should (all) exercise more caution during flu season. And if this is how we get there, I am happy for the increased awareness of how easily viruses can be passed. However, where we should be promoting calm and rationality, as well as respect for our more vulnerable citizens, I instead see panic. Such as the doctors and nurses crying on TV mentioned above. How does health officials panic-sobbing help keep citizens calm and following procedures meant to help keep everyone safe? It seems akin to yelling fire in a crowded theater instead of asking folks to get up and quickly proceed to the nearest exit.

I feel like you don’t get what’s happening in Italy right now. Doctors are having to decide who lives and who to just let die because there isn’t enough equipment to go around. One specific example I was given - two otherwise healthy 40 year olds need to be on a respirator, only one respirator, so since one of the 40 year olds has two kids, he gets to keep breathing and the other guy doesn’t. Crying about having to watch people in your care die without helping them is not “panic sobbing,” it’s called grief.

I do, from the news. I read and watch probably more than I should for my own mental health. I feel terrible for what they, and others are going through with this virus. Just like I do for far too many bad things in this world over which I have no control. It hurts me to see other people's pain, even in the movies when it isn't real.

For me personally, as someone who provides leadership in a time of crisis like this (or other issues, like domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, attempted kidnapping, graphic and public suicide attempts, severe mental illness, sexual abuse of minors, floods/fires/tornadoes, threats of violence, one gang riot) the last thing people looking to me for guidance and how to act is for me to lose control. I do that later, out of sight. If I lose it, they lose it. I need to remain calm and caring and show people they matter in the middle of the mess. While keeping it together to get everyone through whatever it is; think clearly to develop the plan, and move it forward. Then I can have my breakdown (usually with yoga and wine). They don't need to see my grief when someone is hurt. They need to see me as someone who can help them, take care of the situation, and take care of them.

If I panic or breakdown, it can make the situation so much harder for those who depend on me (young college students and their families; half of my students are the first in their family to go to college so I am the first college administrator they know). It can shake their faith even further, cause hope to diminish more. And my job is to not make a bad situation worse. It's not easy, but it's what I signed up for. Showing up on scene, calling a student's family in the middle of the night to tell them bad news fills me with dread; standing beside them in the hospital or at the funeral home causes that aching/gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. And I don't show it, because I can't. It's not about me and what I'm feeling then, it's about the student and their family. And the joy from all the other parts helps me get through it.

Personally, I'm exhausted right now. Long days, no days off, constantly changing info to which we need to adapt again and again. Some people are working remotely, but most of us need to be on site. I need to be the stability and normalcy that helps everyone stay calm and keep serving our students and their families. And knowing I made someone smile or helped make one thing a little easier for them with everything going on is my happy place. All I can do in this craziness is what I can do. But I often find we have more impact than we think; that the little things aren't really that little.

The Governor of Pennsylvania has ordered all "non-life-sustaining" business to close as of 8 pm. No warning. Fines if you continue to operate. Suddenly the entire state is unemployed. It's not quite a shelter in place order, but not far from it. Still no cases in my county.

All of California is now "shelter in place".

whoami67 wrote: »

I'm all stocked up on food and supplies. I'm avoiding leaving my home whenever possible. I'm practicing social distancing when it isn't possible. I don't have any plans to go to work for a while...

...except, my company still hasn't cancelled a training course next week. So I have to get on a plane, fly to another state, stay in a hotel and then spend the day sharing CPR dummies and oxygen masks with 30 coworkers while trapped together in a small room. This does not seem wise nor does it seem in the spirit of no large gatherings. And I do not think they're going to like being there with me and my severe cough left over from the flu a few weeks ago.

I can’t believe they would keep something like that still on!! I work in health too (in Australia) and all education, seminars ect have been cancelled. I would be refusing, especially if I was unwell. Take care of yourself

Well this Corona Prep thing just got real for me. Murray KY is a small rural/college town and tonight on Facebook it was posted we have our first positive COVID-19 case.

https://wkms.org/post/murray-church-says-visitor-tested-positive-coronavirus#stream/0

Most churches where closed or had services by video but one of the larger ones, University Church of Christ met and this COVID-19 case attended a service there this past Sunday. So many people that I know go there. Basically much of the town will need to be tested. One of the local doctors is to hold a question and answer meeting at noon today (Friday). There are a lot of questions and hopefully we will get some answers soon.

The shelter at home is a good thing for those who want to come out on the other side of these times OK. I was not a fan when our governor shut things down this week. The more I learn about the infection rate and how many of us can have it yet will never know we have COVID-19 but will still spread it that was powerful info.

I understand how many are losing their jobs then house and car, etc. This is not just a KY or CA problem but world wide today. Below is a link with photos and stories from many nations of the world. The world is in a world of hurt.

https://aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/uk-schools-close-italy-covid-19-deaths-jump-live-updates-200318235116951.html

earlnabby wrote: »

I just received an email from the center where I donate blood. They are starting to get critically low and are urging people to give. Many blood drives have been cancelled but one near me is still being held on Monday so I just made an appointment. Other than being around people, this is normally a sanitary environment anyway. They outlined their procedures to keep everyone safe:

Donor Health & Registration:

• All donor-facing staff will have their temperature taken prior to beginning their work day
• Donors temperatures will be taken at registration to ensure they are not elevated prior to entering donation areas
• Donors will be asked if they are currently experiencing coughing or shortness of breath
• Donors will be asked if they have recently traveled to high-risk countries as defined by the CDC
• If any of the above is true, donors will be asked to self-defer

Social Distancing:

• We encourage all donors to make an appointment to lessen the amount of people waiting at our blood drives
• Ensuring six feet of space between chairs in waiting areas and cafe
• Ensuring six feet of space between donation chairs and/or separation with medical screens
• If appointment registration congestion occurs, we will ask for your cell phone number and text when your appointment is ready

Cleaning:

• We clean all equipment, beds, and other surfaces after each donor finishes their donation
• Changing gloves frequently and between donors is part of our normal practice
• We will maintain sanitized pen bins, so donors are only using clean pens at sign-in

I had heard appeals for donors on the local news today, so I went to the Red Cross site to look for locations and times to make an appointment, but even looking 10 days out, they only want AB plasma donors and platelet donors. No appointments available for whole blood donations, which is all I've ever done. I'm not AB, so I can't give AB plasma. Maybe the problem isn't lack of donors so much as lack of opportunities (blood drives, etc.) where people can donate.

I guess it bummed me out so much because after nearly a week of #StayingHome , just "not doing" (not going out, not meeting people for meals, not going to work, not going to church) doesn't feel like much of a contribution. I want to do something that helps the situation. I offered to get groceries for an older relative with underlying health issues who shouldn't be going out, but he's determined to keep going out anyway. The few neighbors who are older than me have networks of friends and families to help.

Good morning friends,
The roads are empty here in Maryland. Overnight the world death cost went from 9 to 10k the known infected rate is now 240k . I am worried. Those of you on this thread are keeping me sane regarding this so thank you.

Regarding the low death rate in Germany, I found an article this morning that says that they are testing 160,000 people a day. So it's more likely the fact that they are picking up most of the mildly symptomatic cases than that they have developed a miracle treatment regimen.

missysippy930 wrote: »

goldthistime wrote: »

Regarding the low death rate in Germany, I found an article this morning that says that they are testing 160,000 people a day. So it's more likely the fact that they are picking up most of the mildly symptomatic cases than that they have developed a miracle treatment regimen.

Any indication of how they got all the tests?
Do you know if they isolated quicker resulting in a lower amount of deaths. What’s the articles reasoning for the lower death rates? Detecting it alone shouldn’t be a reason for the lower death rate. How are they treating it? I would think that treatment would be a key factor in this.

Detecting mild cases will definitely lower the death rate. I posted an article earlier in the thread about Iceland, who is also testing a higher proportion of their population than most countries. The numbers were still limited, but at that time almost 50% of those who tested positive were asymptomatic. It won't change the total number of deaths, but catching and counting the milder cases in the denominator will drive the death rate percentage down.

Beka3695 wrote: »

My 71 year old mother with multiple health issues refuses to stay home. Even after I told her how serious this was to the point she was crying... still she will not stay at home.

Any advice?

I have this same problem with my elderly parents (late 70's) and mother in law (mid 80's). My husband and I ran the neighborhood yesterday and his mom was outside being lead by the arm by her neighbor back to her house. Seems she had to go visit them to take their mail instead of putting it back in the box. We couldn't get her to understand that the neighbors were being nice but now she has put them and herself at risk. My mother let her bowling league decide her fate. She said she wouldn't stop bowling until they closed the doors......which they finally did........