It's getting real

[TEWKS]

Thanks! 

We now have wipes out there.  Had a suspect call this morn at 4am. Masks, Gloves, washed clothes when we got back but what sucks is, we really don't know how contagious this is. You have to assume very at this point but touching equipment, sitting in the rig, changing and washing clothes... WTF is carrying the CV is the nerve wracking part. 

[Selden]

Bored Panda to the rescue: https://www.boredpanda.com/coronavirus-wholesome-quarantine-good-news/

[ESokoloff]

1 hour ago, TEWKS said:

Thanks! 

We now have wipes out there.  Had a suspect call this morn at 4am. Masks, Gloves, washed clothes when we got back but what sucks is, we really don't know how contagious this is. You have to assume very at this point but touching equipment, sitting in the rig, changing and washing clothes... WTF is carrying the CV is the nerve wracking part. 

 

 

Dr. David Price of Weill Cornell Medicine addresses how to best prevent getting COVID-19 and to not let fear rule us as we grapple with COVID-19 as a society. 

This is a bit long but recommended re COVID-19. 

 

 

Here's the readers Digest Version 

 

https://youtu.be/Qwx3JMRTz8U

[TEWKS]

I saw that, very comforting actually.  Just hope he's right...There are a couple local hospital nurses that contracted it, long exposure probably. 

[Rougarou]

 

will this work??

[wbw6cos]

Pretty cool.  Put on some dark safety glasses and people will give you a second look.

[ltljohn]

The stay at home seems to be working here in Pennsylvania.  As of today we have 11,510 confirmed cases that is about 1.1% of the population of 12 million

There have been 150 fatalities which is about 1.3% of the confirmed cases.  So far that is 1% of 1% fatalities .  So as most of us have been doing stay at home unless absolutely necessary.  When you do go out take precautions.

 

I am in one of the three townships that have no reported cases in my county but I am surrounded.  It helps that this is very rural with no stores or any gathering places 48% of the township is owned by the state or county as park or game lands.

LINKY

[John Ranalletta]

1 hour ago, ltljohn said:

The stay at home seems to be working here in Pennsylvania.  As of today we have 11,510 confirmed cases that is about 1.1% of the population of 12 million

There have been 150 fatalities which is about 1.3% of the confirmed cases.  So far that is 1% of 1% fatalities .  So as most of us have been doing stay at home unless absolutely necessary.  When you do go out take precautions.

 

I am in one of the three townships that have no reported cases in my county but I am surrounded.  It helps that this is very rural with no stores or any gathering places 48% of the township is owned by the state or county as park or game lands.

LINKY

 

Where Americans didn't stay home...

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/02/us/coronavirus-social-distancing.html

 

 

 

 

[ESokoloff]

1 hour ago, John Ranalletta said:

 

Where Americans didn't stay home...

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/02/us/coronavirus-social-distancing.html

 

 

 

 

Offenders should know that Big Brother is or can be watching...... So just stay the **** at Home!!!!!  

https://www.govtech.com/analytics/Kansas-Uses-Cell-Phone-Location-Data-Tool-to-Track-Covid-19.html


 

[mickeym3]

Didn’t we all learn from watching CSI that we just need to remove our battery from our cell phones?  That’s really all we need to do, right?...right?

[Selden]

There is always the jock strap approach. https://twitter.com/i/status/1246206902469459973

 

[ESokoloff]

[Sonor]

Well we just had a virtual funeral for my father-in-law who died from covid-19 related symptoms. I doubt the family is really feeling the impact, but when the travel ban is lifted and a service will be held, it's going to hit at that time. 

Y'all be safe out there.  Protect yourself.

[John Ranalletta]

20 minutes ago, Sonor said:

Well we just had a virtual funeral for my father-in-law who died from covid-19 related symptoms. I doubt the family is really feeling the impact, but when the travel ban is lifted and a service will be held, it's going to hit at that time. 

Y'all be safe out there.  Protect yourself.

Sorry for your family's loss.

[John Ranalletta]

From a ER doc on the front line:  https://omny.fm/shows/tony-katz-and-the-morning-news/dr-louis-profeta-coronavirus-in-the-emergency-room

 

His remarks about JACO hit home.  My wife worked at the hospital where Profeta works.  I recall the panic a JACO visit instilled.  Staff spent lots of hours making sure stationery supply cabinets were in order.  On top of the stupidity, JACO never did surprise audits.  They were always pre-announced!!!.  Just another bureaucracy bent on insuring its own existence, like the AMA that only exists to sell medical coding and diagnoses manuals to doctors and hospitals.

 

[roadscholar]

In another thread BendBill linked an article by this guy David French. It was good enough to make me go back and find the most recent one he wrote a few days ago and thought it was pretty good too.

 

https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/walking-through-the-valley-of-the

[TEWKS]

A local Birthday Party COVID Style.

 

 

[Rinkydink]

In line at 9am opening time...from the back of Sam’s Club.  Letting 100 in at a time. I was # 96. I got there at 8:25. I got third to last TP. No paper towels to be found. Semi pulled in right after this pic to deliver and the driver got a hearty round of applause. 

[Rougarou]

Wow, we visited our Wal-mart for the first time in four/five weeks.  Some folks had masks, many didn't and most weren't too concerned about the six foot rule.  Our county currently has 8-10 cases depending on which media outlet you look at, and the county health dept states that six are recovered.

 

The walmart does have the entry blocked off, I'm guessing in anticipation of NCs limit restrictions starting Monday.  They also have the six foot decals on the sidewalks and in the stores at the checkouts.  None of the aisles are "one way" yet.  Anyway, we got everything we needed, and placed a call to our favorite Thai restaurant.   Those guys are doing ok, left them $100 for a $25 take away.

[TEWKS]

Very generous!  I did pay my monthly gym membership even know, well you know.  It’s a one girl operation and I’m sure her bills aren’t going to stop. Just want normal to be there when we get to the other side of this mess.  

[Rougarou]

11 minutes ago, TEWKS said:

Very generous!  I did pay my monthly gym membership even know, well you know.  It’s a one girl operation and I’m sure her bills aren’t going to stop. Just want normal to be there when we get to the other side of this mess.  

 

It's a hole in the wall Thai place run by two old Thai guys that have the best Thai food I've eaten since Thailand.  How they ended up in King, NC, I dunno, but they see us coming and by the time we sit already have our usual sweet teas on the table when we sit, which is also the same general tale.  We hit that place three-four times a month......it's the only little restaurant that we frequent that much. 

[Deadboy]

I am glad everyone is making do but I honestly cannot figure out the Walmart/Costco/Sam's club thing. I made one Costco run and after seeing the parking lot full of cars as I came off the freeway I got back on and drove to another one that was nowhere near as crowded. Likewise when I make grocery runs I start at my normal Safeway and if it looks busy I work my way home past two other options. The idea of standing in line just seems not only unacceptable from an exposure perspective but what the hell do they offer that I can't get somewhere else even if the price is a few pennies more?

[Rougarou]

9 hours ago, Deadboy said:

I am glad everyone is making do but I honestly cannot figure out the Walmart/Costco/Sam's club thing. I made one Costco run and after seeing the parking lot full of cars as I came off the freeway I got back on and drove to another one that was nowhere near as crowded. Likewise when I make grocery runs I start at my normal Safeway and if it looks busy I work my way home past two other options. The idea of standing in line just seems not only unacceptable from an exposure perspective but what the hell do they offer that I can't get somewhere else even if the price is a few pennies more?

 

I'm in a county of less than 50k people, while we do hit the standard grocery stores, walmart offers more variety than the local Food Lion and Ingles. 

 

When we moved up here five years ago, we swore off of Walmart as the one that we visited frequently felt like it was Christmas no matter which day of the week we went.  Crowded, out of items, inconsiderate shoppers that keep their carts in the middle of the aisle instead of the left/right, long lines at the checkout.  We went about two years without even going in a walmart, then, while out in the largest town in the county for other errands, we said "what the heck, let's give it a try".  This was on a Sunday afternoon.  We were floored.  This particular walmart was "peaceful".  We could go down several aisles and have the whole aisle to ourselves.  When encountering someone in an aisle, most would move to the left/right rather than keep the cart in the middle waiting for you to say "'scuse me", and checkouts, ha, we've only had to wait a minimal amount of time with most going right up to an open lane.  We were hooked again.  We do hit our standard grocery stores for items, but for the big haul, our walmart is where we'll go........larger town/city walmarts, we'll continue to avoid.

 

 

[Selden]

I am another who doesn't understand the benefit of making people stand in rope lines at my area at Walmart and Home Depot. On the other hand, in Cleveland, GA, which is about 20 miles away, the local Ingles supermarket has implemented 1-way traffic through the aisles, which makes a lot of sense, and is a minimally inconvenient way to improve social distancing. Except for emergencies, I've stopped going to Walmart, and now go to the Ingles in Cleveland.

They also had gas at $1.449 Friday, compared with $1.699 in Dahlonega. Plus, it's a nice drive/ride from here to Cleveland. 

[Rougarou]

40 minutes ago, Selden said:

I am another who doesn't understand the benefit of making people stand in rope lines at my area at Walmart and Home Depot.

 

Monitor amount of personnel entering the building?  The rope lines keep the entry point orderly.  The employee had a tablet, which I'm guessing, leads to some sort of "in store head count".  We walked up and were told when we could enter.  This also gives another employee time to wipe down the cart handles.  I do know that it cured my OCD thing of following the signs for "Enter" and "Exit" that the stores have as before someone monitoring, people would be going .  

 

 

[Deadboy]

2 hours ago, Rougarou said:

 

I'm in a county of less than 50k people, while we do hit the standard grocery stores, walmart offers more variety than the local Food Lion and Ingles. 

 

When we moved up here five years ago, we swore off of Walmart as the one that we visited frequently felt like it was Christmas no matter which day of the week we went.  Crowded, out of items, inconsiderate shoppers that keep their carts in the middle of the aisle instead of the left/right, long lines at the checkout.  We went about two years without even going in a walmart, then, while out in the largest town in the county for other errands, we said "what the heck, let's give it a try".  This was on a Sunday afternoon.  We were floored.  This particular walmart was "peaceful".  We could go down several aisles and have the whole aisle to ourselves.  When encountering someone in an aisle, most would move to the left/right rather than keep the cart in the middle waiting for you to say "'scuse me", and checkouts, ha, we've only had to wait a minimal amount of time with most going right up to an open lane.  We were hooked again.  We do hit our standard grocery stores for items, but for the big haul, our walmart is where we'll go........larger town/city walmarts, we'll continue to avoid.

 

 

Fair enough but many have extended hours (or did it has been a long time since I went to one). I have been shopping later in the day and that has helped also. Frankly the staff and the older, most sickly looking customers (pre existing whatever types on lark scooters) seem to be the least aware when it come to social distancing and wearing a mask for some reason. If you really need that exotic dorito flavor I guess Walmart is the place. I will keep hitting the local farmers stands for most things and venturing to Safeway when I need to.

 

Stay Safe!!

[mickeym3]

Was impressed by the Costco in Charleston SC, limited the number inside and those in line were respectful of distances. They obviously kept the number in the store low enough to easily avoid others.  Big plus were no checkout lines and they kept customers back while they wiped everything down after each customer went through. Like most stores still open large plexiglass panels at each register.  At the local grocery I’m going to suggest they adopt the one-way aisle approach, seems that would help but not sure the acceptance since some folks are shopping vs. getting what they need and get out of there. I’m doing the mask/glove thing...already dread going to Harbor Freight to replenish glove supply. 

[Selden]

55 minutes ago, Rougarou said:

 

Monitor amount of personnel entering the building?  The rope lines keep the entry point orderly.  The employee had a tablet, which I'm guessing, leads to some sort of "in store head count".  

 

I asked a Walmart employee about the tablet yesterday. He said they can't have more than 700 people in the building at a time. It's political theater, like much of what TSA does at airports.

[Selden]

53 minutes ago, Deadboy said:

I will keep hitting the local farmers stands for most things and venturing to Safeway when I need to.

Dahlonega has a farmers market that usually opens mid-May. I'm hoping it won't be shut down to enforce social distancing. It's outdoors, people need to get some sun, fresh air, and fresh fruits and vegetables. It's not hard to stay 6 feet apart except to exchange money for produce.

[ESokoloff]

According to Dr Cameron Kyle-Sidell (ICU Dr. in NYC)  present ventilator treatment protocol for severe cases MAY be wrong .

He sounds creditable. 
Hope this gets sorted fast as the cure might be worse then the cause

[Aum]

2 hours ago, Selden said:

Dahlonega has a farmers market that usually opens mid-May. I'm hoping it won't be shut down to enforce social distancing.

The Chapel Hill, NC farmers market has been great, and is doing a great job controlling max head count and promoting social distancing. It's one of the most comfortable shopping experience in the area during the pandemic. Whole Foods and Weaver Street Market are also doing a great job limiting head count in the store and promoting social distancing. The larger chains will have to do the same staring 5 pm Monday to comply with the Gov's latest executive order.

 

[John Ranalletta]

2 hours ago, ESokoloff said:

According to Dr Cameron Kyle-Sidell (ICU Dr. in NYC)  present ventilator treatment protocol for severe cases MAY be wrong .

He sounds creditable. 
Hope this gets sorted fast as the cure might be worse then the cause

 

Quote

The first responsibility is to do no harm. But the fact is that the moment a patient is placed on a ventilator, the likelihood of fatality may already exceed the hope for survival. At that point, given the existing research base implicating T-lymphocyte hyperactivation and cytokine storm, focusing on this pathway seems superior to ignoring it.

 

https://bit.ly/3cgELmX

 

SARSCoV2 (COVID-19) inflammatory pathway and potential for repurposed therapeutics

John P. Hussman, Ph.D., April 3, 2020

 

[ltljohn]

On 4/8/2020 at 11:12 AM, John Ranalletta said:

From a ER doc on the front line:  https://omny.fm/shows/tony-katz-and-the-morning-news/dr-louis-profeta-coronavirus-in-the-emergency-room

 

His remarks about JACO hit home.  My wife worked at the hospital where Profeta works.  I recall the panic a JACO visit instilled.  Staff spent lots of hours making sure stationery supply cabinets were in order.  On top of the stupidity, JACO never did surprise audits.  They were always pre-announced!!!.  Just another bureaucracy bent on insuring its own existence, like the AMA that only exists to sell medical coding and diagnoses manuals to doctors and hospitals.

 

JACO wikipedia entry   LINKY

[John Ranalletta]

1 minute ago, ltljohn said:

JACO wikipedia entry   LINKY

 

Follow the money - they're not going to penalize a paying member.

 

Criticisms[edit]

A Harvard-led research study published in the BMJ^[38] found that US hospital accreditation by independent organizations was not associated with lower mortality or with reduced readmission rates for common medical conditions. The authors concluded that there was no advantage for patients to choose a hospital accredited by the Joint Commission over a hospital accredited by another independent accrediting organization. The Wall Street Journal^[39] suggested that the underlying reasons for this is the failure of the Joint Commission to revoke or modify the accreditation status of hospitals with major infractions considered to be so significant they caused, or were likely to cause, a risk of serious injury or death to patients.

The nonprofit's revenue was $147M in 2013, and in that fiscal year,^[39] it paid its CEO more than $1M. Hospitals pay the Joint Commission up to $37,000 in fees annually to maintain their accreditation status. Inspections cost approximately $18,000 every three years.

See also

[RandyShields]

Cleaning up the yard this morning after some severe storms last night.  These all over the yard.  Maybe this is how the virus is spreading so easily.  A distant cousin?

 

[Selden]

On 4/12/2020 at 11:31 AM, ESokoloff said:

According to Dr Cameron Kyle-Sidell (ICU Dr. in NYC)  present ventilator treatment protocol for severe cases MAY be wrong .

 

 

My father had a stroke in May 1988, age 67, and was in a coma on a ventilator until August. Last week I sent my doctor an updated advance health care directive, and was very clear about my preference NOT to be placed on a ventilator. At one point I considered getting DNR tattooed on my left pec, but people told me that it would be a waste of money because EMTs would ignore it. 

 

While I am doing everything I can to avoid catching this disease, if I do come down with it, I would rather die at home, although my wife may have a different opinion.

 

Meanwhile, at least 3 months until safe and effective antivirals are available, and at least 12 months for vaccines. 

[Selden]

1 hour ago, RandyShields said:

Cleaning up the yard this morning after some severe storms last night.  These all over the yard.  Maybe this is how the virus is spreading so easily.  A distant cousin?

 

I figured you must live in the south. Those are sweet gum balls.

 

[Hank in WV]

Since you have touched those, are you now going to quarantine for 14 days?

[RPondaRoad]

Only a few weeks ago if I had walked into a bank with a mask on.....   

Now, I'm being told that I need a mask to go out anywhere.  It took awhile, but I got it figured out.

 

 

[TEWKS]

Looks like there's room for a friend. 

[Selden]

Forwarding a PSA from my daughter (who lives in a hot zone).

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/LateIndolentDodobird-size_restricted.gif

[John Ranalletta]

Stephen Diggle, in an interview with Grant Williams says given that it's primarily older people and retirees are dying from COVID, "we're shutting the world down to protect retirees".
 

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

On 4/3/2020 at 11:00 AM, Joe Frickin' Friday said:

 

The above was info that my sister got from the concierge at the facility last Thursday.  As it turns out, the new restrictions are not as severe as we were led to believe:

• Residents are having meals delivered to their apartments.  this eliminates the large groups that would otherwise gather in the dining room, but it also eliminates mealtime socializing.  In addition, the logistics of individual meal delivery like this mean that the timing of meals is rather variable, and of course quality suffers a bit.
• Residents are allowed out of their apartments, but they are not allowed to enter the apartments of other residents.  This is good news for my dad, as he can still go for his daily outdoor walks around the perimeter of the property.
• Pretty much all organized group activities are off the calendar.  Residents can spontaneously gather to socialize in public areas, but only in small groups and only with separation greater than six feet.  Given that most of these people have significant hearing loss and many of them speak at diminished volume, conversation is a good bit more difficult under these circumstances.
• As before, no outside visitors.  My sister can deliver items (snacks, etc.) to the concierge, who then hands them off to my dad.  But no direct contact.  This also eliminates visits from groups who normally  come by to entertain the residents, e.g. musical performers.

I've talked to my dad a couple of times in the past week, and he seems to be doing OK so far.  Have also sent him a couple of "hope this sh*t" is over soon" type of cards just to keep him entertained.  

 

There are 140 residential care facilities in Colorado.  As of last Monday 4/6, 37 of them had staff or residents diagnosed with COVID-19.

 

By Wednesday 4/8, the count had gone up to 44.

 

By Thursday 4/9, it was 54.

 

Friday 4/10, 64.

 

Today, 4/14, it was 78 facilities - and my dad's facility is now one of them.  Now the harsh lockdown I mentioned further upthread goes into effect: residents really will be restricted to their own tiny apartments, with no visitors except staff distributing meals and meds.  I talked to my dad today, told him to wash his hands more often, maybe leave the mail sit for a day before handling it.  But there's not much else any of us can do from the outside except hope.  And frankly, there doesn't seem to be a lot that.  Because there's no way it's going to be just one case there for long.  In fact, given the news coming out of New York, it's likely to get pretty bad.  

 

So yeah, it's getting real.

[chrisolson]

24 minutes ago, Joe Frickin' Friday said:

But there's not much else any of us can do from the outside except hope.  And frankly, there doesn't seem to be a lot that.

 

Not a lot, but some.  There are elderly survivors  ... here's hoping for the best for you and your family !