Coronavirus prep

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Locally, shortly after the in-person dining/drinking limited reopening, photos were published of a crowd of young people, waiting to get in to a local restaurant/bar.



Now, at least 34 new cases of Covid, most in people 19-23, have been traced back to this restaurant. Anyone who went there between June 12 and June 20 is being asked to self-quarantine for 2 weeks, and get tested even if no symptoms. The health department thinks more cases linked to that location will be discovered.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2020/06/24/harpers-bar-east-lansing-covid-19-coronavirus-outbreak-msu-michigan-state-university/3250800001/

This is a very large jump in cases in this county (though I'm not sure all 34 count in this county - not sure if they do if the people live elsewhere). Before this started kicking in, the incidence curve had been rising, but before the last couple of days when these cases started rolling in, it was moving up a couple of cases per day since a low in mid June. Here's where we are now:

Updating as this is sort of a local Covid soap-opera now. The cases traced to this restaurant/bar have topped 85, with a satellite outbreak in Grosse Point (near Detroit, about 100 miles/90 minutes away from the restaurant). A People from there came to the restaurant, and one gave it to a person who hosted a big house party (while beginning to be symptomatic). Party was on Friday, host got sicker over the weekend, was tested positive on Monday, and didn't tell others who were at the party until Tuesday.

Either through the party or the people who went to the restaurant, a bonfire party also spread it there, resulting in further cases. The new case counts down in that area are now jumping dramatically, possibly their biggest one-day jump seen so far, and it follows a flat trend there of a couple of new cases a day for a while previous.

As of Friday, 80 people who were infected had direct contact with the location, and 5 were secondary. Of those, 23 are asymptomatic or presymptomatic. It's assumed more will be identified, I gather. Last I heard, all the direct infections were in the 18-28 age group. Given the percentage of pre- or asymptomatic people, I suspect we'll start seeing more secondary infections in older, potentially more vulnerable groups - parents, grandparents, etc.

I should point out tha I have a number of friends locally in the under-30 age group. They're all pretty much in "Those people were behaving like idiots! What were they thinking?!" mode. I'm not demonizing young people as a class, over this. Dumb behavior is the enemy here, not an age group.

“Give me liberty or give me Covid” ....ok...here’s some Covid

mockchoc wrote: »

lemurcat2 wrote: »

mockchoc wrote: »

What country are you in?

I'm in the US and would consider random tests beyond what was approved by me to be illegal, and of course charges for unapproved tests improper. But I understood the first question to be asking whether they would offer to do antibody tests (i.e, ask for approval), since they were desired.

Can I ask why you care? I wouldn't care less if more tests are done on me as long as it's not hurting me or my bank balance. Maybe I'm too easy going, not sure. As long as we get rid of the virus I don't mind what is done.

I'd approve it if asked -- indeed, I'd like antibody tests. But testing in a way not disclosed would strike me as a huge privacy violation and I'm sure it would be illegal here.

I'm sorry but I don't really care about privacy when it comes to me or my loved ones. Being alive means more. Why care about that? You think lives are less important than privacy? Oh come on. I will never agree to that. I almost died this month for real so yeah I know what is important. I was in hospital 3 days. My mouth and nose blue. They can test me all they want as long as we live.

That's a false choice.

Athijade wrote: »

In the US here btw.

Is anyone else planning on how they may stock up before Fall/Winter? While I know we are not even out of wave 1 in most places, I also know that a Fall/Winter with Covid plus flu plus the other normal illnesses for that time of the year is going to be a mess. I am figuring out how to eat through what I have in the freezer now so I can restock. Also taking notes of what I bought this last time and did not eat or what I struggled to get this last time around.

I'm not much worried about food. There was always food in the stores during the worst of shut downs and panic buying here, even if there wasn't always everything you wanted. And I'm pretty flexible about eating what's available.

I've made a list of non-food items that were in short supply for the first two to three months (hand sanitizer, various types of household disinfectant cleaning products, soap, toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissues, vitamin D) that I feel are important for health and hygiene, and every time I go to the store I buy something from the list, which I wouldn't normally have to do every shopping trip, so I'm gradually building up a little stockpile for when the next wave hits and the store shelves empty again.

Maybe I'll think about adding things like powdered milk, powdered eggs, flour, yeast, dried beans, rice, oats, and other grains to the list, but really, I didn't make that much of a dent in my regular stock of those things during the first wave, because, as I said, it was never as if there was no food at all available to buy. Even when there was no dairy milk available, there was soy and other nondairy milk available. And when there were no fresh eggs in the grocery stores, I was able to find them at a farm stand and at a Greek bakery that started selling them for pickup orders, along with lebneh, olives, and some pantry staples.

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

Athijade wrote: »

In the US here btw.

Is anyone else planning on how they may stock up before Fall/Winter? While I know we are not even out of wave 1 in most places, I also know that a Fall/Winter with Covid plus flu plus the other normal illnesses for that time of the year is going to be a mess. I am figuring out how to eat through what I have in the freezer now so I can restock. Also taking notes of what I bought this last time and did not eat or what I struggled to get this last time around.

I'm not much worried about food. There was always food in the stores during the worst of shut downs and panic buying here, even if there wasn't always everything you wanted. And I'm pretty flexible about eating what's available.

I've made a list of non-food items that were in short supply for the first two to three months (hand sanitizer, various types of household disinfectant cleaning products, soap, toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissues, vitamin D) that I feel are important for health and hygiene, and every time I go to the store I buy something from the list, which I wouldn't normally have to do every shopping trip, so I'm gradually building up a little stockpile for when the next wave hits and the store shelves empty again.

Maybe I'll think about adding things like powdered milk, powdered eggs, flour, yeast, dried beans, rice, oats, and other grains to the list, but really, I didn't make that much of a dent in my regular stock of those things during the first wave, because, as I said, it was never as if there was no food at all available to buy. Even when there was no dairy milk available, there was soy and other nondairy milk available. And when there were no fresh eggs in the grocery stores, I was able to find them at a farm stand and at a Greek bakery that started selling them for pickup orders, along with lebneh, olives, and some pantry staples.

We still can’t get the things you mentioned in stores. Hand wipes, disinfectant, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer (except dodgy stuff made in small batches with aloe which I am allergic to), vitamin D, haven’t seen any of these in stores since before March. TP, tissues, soap, and other cleaning products are hit and miss if we settle for brands we don’t ordinarily use.

Of course, we also had three new hundred cases in my city just yesterday.

Athijade wrote: »

In the US here btw.

Is anyone else planning on how they may stock up before Fall/Winter? While I know we are not even out of wave 1 in most places, I also know that a Fall/Winter with Covid plus flu plus the other normal illnesses for that time of the year is going to be a mess. I am figuring out how to eat through what I have in the freezer now so I can restock. Also taking notes of what I bought this last time and did not eat or what I struggled to get this last time around.

Our garage drink/beer refrigerator broke. Have been looking around for a Craigslist used one, have changed our minds and going to bite the bullet and get a new one for reliable extra storage of refrigerated/frozen items if needed.

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

Athijade wrote: »

In the US here btw.

Is anyone else planning on how they may stock up before Fall/Winter? While I know we are not even out of wave 1 in most places, I also know that a Fall/Winter with Covid plus flu plus the other normal illnesses for that time of the year is going to be a mess. I am figuring out how to eat through what I have in the freezer now so I can restock. Also taking notes of what I bought this last time and did not eat or what I struggled to get this last time around.

I'm not much worried about food. There was always food in the stores during the worst of shut downs and panic buying here, even if there wasn't always everything you wanted. And I'm pretty flexible about eating what's available.

I've made a list of non-food items that were in short supply for the first two to three months (hand sanitizer, various types of household disinfectant cleaning products, soap, toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissues, vitamin D) that I feel are important for health and hygiene, and every time I go to the store I buy something from the list, which I wouldn't normally have to do every shopping trip, so I'm gradually building up a little stockpile for when the next wave hits and the store shelves empty again.

Maybe I'll think about adding things like powdered milk, powdered eggs, flour, yeast, dried beans, rice, oats, and other grains to the list, but really, I didn't make that much of a dent in my regular stock of those things during the first wave, because, as I said, it was never as if there was no food at all available to buy. Even when there was no dairy milk available, there was soy and other nondairy milk available. And when there were no fresh eggs in the grocery stores, I was able to find them at a farm stand and at a Greek bakery that started selling them for pickup orders, along with lebneh, olives, and some pantry staples.

For me part of it is the fact that I do have a slightly increased risk and my issues with masks. So I want to be prepared so I am not having to go out as much. It will also help with my anxiety if things start picking up again.

Thank you for the reminder about supplements and facial tissues. I will add those to my list to start picking up over time.

As for food I was thinking about the stuff I eat ALL the time. Like chicken, asian noodles (udons, soba, ramen), rice, coconut aminos, broths/stocks, yeast, frozen broccoli, other frozen veggies (for like soups) etc. That sort of stuff. I won't worry about things I don't eat all that much or items that I didn't have a lot of trouble finding (fresh produce or fish for example). I also learned that I don't really eat canned veggies or canned soup since making them both fresh is just as easy. I'm not worried about bread as long as I have yeast and flour. Easier to make my own anyway due to food allergies and restrictions.

I know I may come across as a bit... crazy. I just want to feel prepared for what I KNOW is going to be a bad fall/winter.

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

mockchoc wrote: »

lemurcat2 wrote: »

mockchoc wrote: »

What country are you in?

I'm in the US and would consider random tests beyond what was approved by me to be illegal, and of course charges for unapproved tests improper. But I understood the first question to be asking whether they would offer to do antibody tests (i.e, ask for approval), since they were desired.

Can I ask why you care? I wouldn't care less if more tests are done on me as long as it's not hurting me or my bank balance. Maybe I'm too easy going, not sure. As long as we get rid of the virus I don't mind what is done.

I'd approve it if asked -- indeed, I'd like antibody tests. But testing in a way not disclosed would strike me as a huge privacy violation and I'm sure it would be illegal here.

I'm sorry but I don't really care about privacy when it comes to me or my loved ones. Being alive means more. Why care about that? You think lives are less important than privacy? Oh come on. I will never agree to that. I almost died this month for real so yeah I know what is important. I was in hospital 3 days. My mouth and nose blue. They can test me all they want as long as we live.

That's a false choice.

It really is. I find it extremely puzzling that pointing that out racks up the disagrees.

Again, the scenario: someone comes in to have a blood test for something else. Someone speculates that they might do a COVID antibodies test without asking (and then charge extra for it). I said that seemed unlikely, as it probably would not be legal, but that they would ask if you wanted the test or disclose they would include that test. The context of all this was that the original person HOPED they would do the test and that they would get the results.

Also, outside of a broad study to understand spread better, there's not really a therapeutic purpose for an antibodies test. That merely tells us if you've had the virus (maybe, they supposedly aren't that accurate yet). It doesn't tell you if you are immune or for how long, and it's not the same thing as a test to see if you currently have the virus. I'd like to have one and plan to give blood soon in part to get one, but I'm sure my insurance wouldn't cover it since my insurance covers only treatments relevant to health care, and that wouldn't be.

Therefore, I still find the jump from me saying "of course they would/should/must tell you that they are doing the test" to "expecting disclosure will lead to deaths so you don't care about more people dying!" extremely puzzling.