Coronavirus prep

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  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited November 2020
    lokihen wrote: »
    Quote from a friend at a hospital: We're getting the first recovered nurses back from our big outbreak. They're worthless. 2 weeks out most of them aren't functional enough to work as a nurse. For example one today couldn't remember how to set up telemetry or keep train of thought long enough to accomplish a task. She couldn't even follow a TV show from scene to scene.

    This wouldn't be surprising in how it impacts the brain as well, but they will or should recover. It might take some time. I'm less worried about people's brains than their lungs and heart. The brain has so much unused that most will recover. The heart, not so much. Every part of the heart is used. Same with the lungs. Those with decent immune systems should recover eventually. Those that have compromised ones will require long term care or have long term health issues.

    @Gisel2015 - I do trust science will solve this eventually, but we're out time for this Fall and Winter. Even if they do have vaccines, only the first responders and most at risk should be able to get them now.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    SModa61 wrote: »
    Chiming in and some of my experiences are different from those mentioned above. Since March, I have lived in 3 states; began the shutdown in florida, and then spent from May - Oct in Mass and Maine. As for not enough essential businesses being shut down, in Florida and Mass, things were shut down tight IMO. The only category I found stupid were the "essential" liquor stores. But people have pointed out to me that alcoholics can die if forced to detox rapidly. I would not know as I have about 1 drink a month. In both Florida and Mass, there are businesses closed forever because they were not considered "essential". All those people are now unemployed. My sons company was literally cut in half - 1500 to 750 employees, and good luck getting a new job. My son has a friend who is literally phone-crying on his shoulder. She was in the process of divorcing her husband when she was laid off. She has no income, no savings, and now cannot leave her husband, and sees no end in sight and is trapped. As for compliance, the worst compliance I encountered was in the state with the most strict rules at the time, Maine. Residents were terrible. Compliance slowly improved later in the summer, but was a real joke preceding July 4th. They would blame any transmission on "out of state visitors" yet locals were not wear masks nor social distancing.

    As for our president ignoring cities, the Boston Major makes all kinds of rules and mandates and if he does not, our governor steps in. We just got new rules going into effect tomorrow night. It is all a tricky balance. There is finger pointing everywhere - lower government levels pointing up, and federal level pointing down.

    I will say that I honestly would not want to have the responsibility of dealing with the balance between shutting down to prevent viral spread, and the economic damage and destroyed lives that a shut down causes. I get to sit here and express my opinions with no repercussions for anyone.

    None of the new restrictions in MA affect me, as I'm in for the night well before 10 PM, and have been acting as if the only business open were still supermarkets, Home Depot, and garden centers.

    I wish the gathering restrictions had been in place this summer when four houses one street over were having very loud outdoor parties Every Freaking Weekend.

    https://thehill.com/homenews/news/524760-new-coronavirus-restrictions-take-effect-in-massachusetts
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    May be any mandate could not only demand mask wearing but specify the way in which they are worn with fines for those not complying. With information to emphasise the way the virus moves atmospherically and remains on hard surfaces, staying active there for how ever many hours the scientists have worked out now, best scientific understanding. Information/ expectation.

    My local authority UK had appointed marshals to work along side the police and other officials. My hope is they will not be over worked in this second lockdown.

    Wishing everyone all the very best and willing everyone to keep safe.
  • baconslave
    baconslave Posts: 7,018 Member
    zamphir66 wrote: »
    Also in KY, our hospitalization and ICU usage is going up at a pretty steady clip. Over 1000 hospitalized now.

    I lost a great uncle on Monday, not to COVID but to cancer. I don't know what impact if any the pandemic had on his level of care, but I know he was stressed about all the everything that's going on. And that couldn't have been good. A few weeks prior I lost a friend who as only a few years older than me, also to cancer. Geez, what a downer these days are.

    So sorry for your losses. :disappointed:
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    zamphir66 wrote: »
    So, one of my buddies I go out with every Friday tested positive this past week. Of course, he didn't go out last night. And I didn't either, because I was exposed to him last Friday. I'm thinking if I still feel OK this coming Friday (14 days), then I should be golden, right?

    Can you be tested for Covid? You may be spreading it around if you aren't isolating yourself of course.
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    My dd said she's been exposed at work and they all took tests; she's negative(praying it stays that way) but she said they were able to self-administer their Covid tests. Is that a thing; guess I didn't know? And I wonder how accurate it is vs. a pro doing it? She's going to take another test soon just for extra reassurance.
    Plus wondering how well the mouth swabs work vs. the brain scraping. If mouth swabs are just as good, why aren't those typical administered instead?
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,281 Member
    I believe nasal swabs are still the gold standard.

  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 3,098 Member
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    My dd said she's been exposed at work and they all took tests; she's negative(praying it stays that way) but she said they were able to self-administer their Covid tests. Is that a thing; guess I didn't know? And I wonder how accurate it is vs. a pro doing it? She's going to take another test soon just for extra reassurance.
    Plus wondering how well the mouth swabs work vs. the brain scraping. If mouth swabs are just as good, why aren't those typical administered instead?

    I recall seeing the newest rapid test demonstrated on the news about a month ago. Super easy instructions. No harder than a home pregnancy test, which are commonly used these days. I also recall reading way back how there were testing facilities that had the person doing their own swabbing.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    My dd said she's been exposed at work and they all took tests; she's negative(praying it stays that way) but she said they were able to self-administer their Covid tests. Is that a thing; guess I didn't know? And I wonder how accurate it is vs. a pro doing it? She's going to take another test soon just for extra reassurance.
    Plus wondering how well the mouth swabs work vs. the brain scraping. If mouth swabs are just as good, why aren't those typical administered instead?

    Yes, some places let people swab themselves. By BIL did that at a CVS and tested negative while several others in his house and his mom's house (where he visits often) were positive. I question whether he self-swabbed deeply enough. But he has also has a couple tests where others did the swab and he has come back negative those times also.

    He lives with a lot of people who are exposed often (a nurse and retail employees) and he is exposed often at work (meat packing plant, many factories have a constant stream of infections). How he hasn't been infected is surprising, as 3 others in his own household were positive plus risks at other places. He thinks he has a natural immunity. I think he has been lucky.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    SModa61 wrote: »
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    My dd said she's been exposed at work and they all took tests; she's negative(praying it stays that way) but she said they were able to self-administer their Covid tests. Is that a thing; guess I didn't know? And I wonder how accurate it is vs. a pro doing it? She's going to take another test soon just for extra reassurance.
    Plus wondering how well the mouth swabs work vs. the brain scraping. If mouth swabs are just as good, why aren't those typical administered instead?

    Yes, some places let people swab themselves. By BIL did that at a CVS and tested negative while several others in his house and his mom's house (where he visits often) were positive. I question whether he self-swabbed deeply enough. But he has also has a couple tests where others did the swab and he has come back negative those times also.

    He lives with a lot of people who are exposed often (a nurse and retail employees) and he is exposed often at work (meat packing plant, many factories have a constant stream of infections). How he hasn't been infected is surprising, as 3 others in his own household were positive plus risks at other places. He thinks he has a natural immunity. I think he has been lucky.

    A scenario I have always considered for those "lucky" ones is, could he have had it asymptomatically back when testing was nil, and now he is no catching it due to current immunity. I know plenty of people who have wondered if they might have had COVID in those early months when tests were only allowed if you fit all the parameters (we know a new york young man that was never sicker in his life, but was denied a test because he was too "young". This was back in March during the NY peak). One of these people has asked for an antibody test, because his wife had it and she tested positive, and he had had similar almost asymptomatic systems the week before her. He was denied. I think the antibody testing is a very important component that is not being focused on as much as I would like. It may be that many more people have had this disease than we realize, and I think that accurate data is important in understanding COVID.

    Where I live, anybody who donates blood gets the antibody test. It is free, of course. He might look into that.