We're Moving!

Image
Click for more info.

COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Discuss anything that doesn't fit elsewhere on the site. As a reminder, religion, politics and weaponry are prohibited.
User avatar
Dub Rubb
MoT Member
Posts: 3916
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 7:15 pm
Has thanked: 24685 times
Been thanked: 10738 times

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by Dub Rubb »

I am gonna be the bad guy here. I AM taking my 5 days of yearly vacation. I effing need it. Prior to that, I have to go to So Cal in two weeks for work. Normally I would fly for convenience, but just feel driving the 6 1/2 hours each way is the safer route, since I can control my exposure.

But mid August, I am going back to Cape Cod to our family home. I haven't been back in 4 years since starting my business and getting married and whatnot took priority. Up until this 4 year span, I had only missed one year in my entire life. Needless to say, I am selfishly jonesing for what is such a special place to me.

On the plus side, the air travel is the only thing I'm worried about. Once my wife and I spend 6 hours in full paranoia/sanitization mode, we will be all alone on the cape. There are a couple beaches and ponds that only locals can go to(since we are part of the trust, we are locals) that are mostly empty during normal times. Hopefully that will be the same.

Anyways, sorry for the rant. I am gonna be as precautious and safe as I can, and almost feel bad for trying to get the eff away from everything for a week.

Also, the wife is getting tested the day we get back since she is a pre school/summer camp teacher and wants to know before she sees the kids again .

Sent from my LG-M322 using Tapatalk


User avatar
Bbrou33
MoT Member
Posts: 1320
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 3:51 pm
Location: NYC
Has thanked: 7765 times
Been thanked: 4186 times
Contact:

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by Bbrou33 »

Dub Rubb wrote:I am gonna be the bad guy here. I AM taking my 5 days of yearly vacation. I effing need it. Prior to that, I have to go to So Cal in two weeks for work. Normally I would fly for convenience, but just feel driving the 6 1/2 hours each way is the safer route, since I can control my exposure.

But mid August, I am going back to Cape Cod to our family home. I haven't been back in 4 years since starting my business and getting married and whatnot took priority. Up until this 4 year span, I had only missed one year in my entire life. Needless to say, I am selfishly jonesing for what is such a special place to me.

On the plus side, the air travel is the only thing I'm worried about. Once my wife and I spend 6 hours in full paranoia/sanitization mode, we will be all alone on the cape. There are a couple beaches and ponds that only locals can go to(since we are part of the trust, we are locals) that are mostly empty during normal times. Hopefully that will be the same.

Anyways, sorry for the rant. I am gonna be as precautious and safe as I can, and almost feel bad for trying to get the eff away from everything for a week.

Also, the wife is getting tested the day we get back since she is a pre school/summer camp teacher and wants to know before she sees the kids again .

Sent from my LG-M322 using Tapatalk
I still have my flight back home to Louisiana scheduled for end of the month. I honestly will probably cancel, but that has more to do with the 14 day quarantine I'll bed to do when I get back and my GF and I both work with patient's, hers immunocompromised, so it's just safer for everyone if we don't.
However, that'll free up some vacation time and I've never been to the cape before [emoji848]

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Insta me: bbrou33
User avatar
The Sultan of SoWhat
MoT Member
Posts: 5375
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2018 8:52 pm
Has thanked: 10981 times
Been thanked: 11313 times

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by The Sultan of SoWhat »

I've never been to the Cape either. I almost made it once, but there was a massive traffic jam, and so I said the hell with it. While sitting in the jam, I noticed that the odometer on my MGB read 22,222.

I pointed this out to my passenger friend, who went all W. C. Fields: "How fortuitous."

I replied: "No. How fivetuitous."
User avatar
tommy_boy
MoT Member
Posts: 1049
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 7:44 pm
Location: The Evergreen State
Has thanked: 3196 times
Been thanked: 4763 times

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by tommy_boy »

Image
Just my $0.02 USD as always.
User avatar
BostonCharlie
MoT Member
Posts: 3256
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 5:26 pm
Location: Texas
Has thanked: 20583 times
Been thanked: 12693 times

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by BostonCharlie »

Our local blood donation org is now testing all donations for the presence of COVID-19 antibodies for free.
What does the antibody test result mean?

The test is an indicator of someone’s exposure to coronavirus, but is not an indicator of immunity to COVID-19. When truly positive, but false positives can also occur, the test indicates it is likely you had COVID-19, even if you did not show symptoms. A truly negative test, and again, false negatives can occur, means it is unlikely you have had the COVID-19 infection.

This is not a COVID-19 test.

If you are feeling ill, do not attempt to give blood. Blood donors are required to feel healthy and well at the time of donation. If you do not feel well, please contact your health care provider.
User avatar
BostonCharlie
MoT Member
Posts: 3256
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 5:26 pm
Location: Texas
Has thanked: 20583 times
Been thanked: 12693 times

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by BostonCharlie »

Interesting fever factoids from the WSJ here (pay wall):
A U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention study of nearly 300 children with Covid-19 found that 56% had a fever.
While touchless thermometers are handy, the most accurate thermometers are oral ones, experts say, which should be used at home.
Dr. Beers [a pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital in Washington] says thermometers’ accuracy decreases with use and different thermometers have different lifespans. People should regularly check the accuracy of their thermometers and not assume they still work.
yinzburgher
MoT Member
Posts: 5191
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 11:52 pm
Has thanked: 21228 times
Been thanked: 23299 times
Contact:

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by yinzburgher »

I've been working with COVID patients since early March as an RN in ICUs. Working at least 48 hours every week. I've been at a very small hospital in SoCal since 4/22. So sometime in June I was hoping to take a week off. The boss approved it. I'll spare you the details but when I started to think about everything I would have needed to do to have a reasonable normal and enjoyable visit with my family, I got overwhelmed. Even if I could get everything taken care of, it would be rushed and stressful, which is not how time off is supposed to be. So it was actually less stressful for me to keep working.

I eventually got approved for two weeks off toward the end of July. My main goal was to be able to visit with my parents. So I flew back home to Pittsburgh on a weekend. Most, not all, passengers were pretty good about masks by that point. Paid the > $700 parking fee at the Pgh airport ( :shock: I had never thought I would be gone that long). Figured out when, where, and how to best get tested. Then went to get two PCR nasal swabs on that Monday. One covered by insurance and one free one I found. We've had false positives and false negatives at work so I liked the peace of mind that came with being tested twice. Results were not coming back quickly at that point. One came back negative that Thursday and one on Friday. It was nice to be off of work and back at home but that first week was a little boring and a little frustrating. Delayed test results. A lot of stuff was closed. No income. And I couldn't really go hang out with friends if I was gonna go see my parents.

My Dad is not obese or diabetic but he basically checks every other box as high risk for critical illness from COVID. And he had a somewhat risky invasive procedure scheduled. So my Mom's number one goal in life at that time was to keep my dad COVID-free until that procedure could be done. And they live in a PA county (about 3.5 hours drive from my place) with a very strange and unfortunate mix of demographics with regard to COVID. People that don't believe, don't know, don't care, or don't have options. Which means relatively high rates of COVID. So avoiding the virus wasn't the easiest task for my parents. I was prepared for the possibility of staying in a hotel and having more awkward visits than normal. But I talked to my parents about my two negative tests and the nature of this virus and its transmission/contagion. I even ran a couple work horror stories by them. They insisted I stay with them. It was informed consent, if you will.

My second week off was the time off I was hoping for.....a great time hanging out with my parents. Good food courtesy of my mom and some occasional take-out. Got some much needed exercise. Plenty of time in the pool. My dad likes to make drinks every afternoon which is perfect because I like to imbibe. I was able to give my parents a little break from running some of their errands out to public places. I'm really glad I got the time off and was able to stay with them. They continue to be some of the happiest people I know. I also went to visit my younger sister and her family and my older brother and his family. My nieces and nephews were terrible little social-distancers but it was great to see them. Unfortunately it didn't work out to see my youngest brother (1.5 hours away) or my oldest brother (Vermont). And I wish I got to see my friends in Pgh.....hopefully next time. But still a great week off and nice to be awake during the day and away from COVID for a bit.

On 8/1 I drove back home to Pgh. 8/2 I was back on a plane to SoCal. Back to 4 12-hour night shifts per week. I got a chance to get an antibody test recently and it was negative. I wouldn't have bothered but the testing was free and they came to us at work. It felt like confirmation that I'm properly protected. Part of the reason I keep extending my short-term contract in 3-4 week intervals at this hospital is because they let me wear a PAPR. I feel more comfortable and safer in the PAPR than I do in an N-95. I'm sure at another facility they would make me shave and get fitted for an N-95. There has been a decrease in COVID at the hospital. Although one coworker is currently out sick with COVID. It was probably acquired outside of work.

There are some rewarding aspects of my job, but that's not new (I'm basically doing the same thing I always did, just with this strange wrench in the works). But despite those rewarding aspects, it's not a particularly "fun" year for me so I'm largely viewing this time as "eating my peas"......delayed gratification. The pay is good right now so I'm trying to take advantage of that. My house needs some work, my wrist needs more fancy mechanical timepieces, and it can't hurt to fill the coffers. And as strange as this might sound, COVID is my ticket. But at the same time I'm trying not to burn myself out. I have to do this for the long-term. Being an ICU nurse is my career and it's the only thing I'm trained or qualified to do. So I'm trying to keep some balance and not go overboard picking up extra shifts.

I have a lot of thoughts (and predictions) about vaccines and therapies. Maybe I'll type some of them here at some point. For the people with school-age children.....I'm curious how are things going where you are?
User avatar
Split-Time
MoT Member
Posts: 2492
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 4:05 pm
Has thanked: 22315 times
Been thanked: 10865 times

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by Split-Time »

Wow [mention]yinzburgher[/mention]...thank you for what you are doing and thanks for the update. I think about you often. One of the many things that I worried about at the outset of the pandemic was burnout in the medical community.

I can only share my experience with school aged children. Our son just started kindergarten which is at a K-3 elementary school. Our school system was one of the only systems around here that started in-person mid August. A lot of the surrounding systems started with remote learning and were going to transition back to traditional over 6-9 weeks...but I suspected some of those may have stayed remote longer. Some started with staggered schedules so half of the students where in the school Monday and Tuesday and half Thursday and Friday. Wednesday was a cleaning day.

So far, so good in our school system. No outbreaks that I know of. I expected our son to have been sent home for remote learning at least once by now. They offered every parent, regardless of grade, the option of traditional or remote learning. They even offered the option to move to remote learning at any time, or back into the classroom at the end of any grading period. I think about 35% opted to begin with remote learning, but I may be off 5% either way. One of the county schools had to close for a week, then two weeks...but that was largely due to a shortage of substitute teachers.

They seem to be doing a very good job of keeping the little kids isolated from each other. They eat in the classroom, stagger when they are in the hall, the art teacher comes to the classroom, etc. We have never set foot inside his school and have never met his teacher. However, they seem to have a great experience and our son loves it. Little kids seem to adapt better than I ever would have expected. The middle and high school aged students that I know seem to as well, but I can see how it could be more difficult for them.
User avatar
cheesetime
MoT Member
Posts: 225
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2019 8:44 pm
Has thanked: 356 times
Been thanked: 1411 times

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by cheesetime »

Yes, thanks @yinzburgher for fighting the good fight.

Here in Wisconsin, our 5th grader and 1st grader have been attending school since 9/2. We also had the option for in person or remote learning. We opted for in person for a variety of reasons.

Back in the spring when everything shut down, the remote learning here was not up to snuff. Understandably so. Our boys were not learning what they needed to, and had no interest in learning from us, their parents.

My wife and I have been fortunate that we are still gainfully employed, but due to this, we are unable to provide the oversight needed to ensure our boys thrive in an online school environment.

We deliberated on whether to send them to in person or keep them home. First and foremost was their and our family's safety. We take the virus very seriously. My wife and I are both in our mid 30s, healthy, and have limited our exposure to our parents and other older folks. We are most concerned with contracting the virus and passing it on to those more vulnerable than us. But, to be honest, at times I struggle with anxiety (not to a level that is debilitating, but enough so that I get inside my head and playout worst case scenarios all day), and anxious tendencies do not play well in a pandemic. Despite the odds, early on, I was convinced that I would ultimately contract the virus and see a worst case outcome. Mentally, I have gotten better as the pandemic has played out.

In the spring and summer our kids struggled not being able to socialize with other kids. They were moody, sad at times and were really struggling.

We watched several school board meetings leading up to their decison to offer in person instruction and felt good about the protocols they have in place. Also, due to the option for remote learning, class sizes are greatly reduced. 13-15 kids per class, in a district that usually has 25 or more per class. This allows them to spread out, limit exposure, and have more intimate instruction.

The kids wear masks all day except for lunch, which they eat in their class rooms.

So far, so good. No known cases in their schools. It will be interesting to see how things progress as the weather changes.

On a broader scale, I am head of an HR team for a retailer here in the midwest. We operate a number of stores in 4 states, with a headcount of around 4.5k. With the onset of COVID, my team designed protocols and processes to mitigate the risk to our employees and customers. We were deemed essential and were able to remain open throughout.

My team manages the entire COVID protocol which includes triaging exposures, symptoms, and quarantines of our employees. From our small, but still statistically relevant sample size, we are seeing increased exposure to positive COVID cases since school started across our footprint. So, while my school district has dine well, others have not been so fortunate.

Since the beginning, we have seen the majority of our positive cases and exposure to a positive cases come from deliberate decisions people have made while not at work. Essentially, people have hung out with friends and family, not taken proper precautions, and find out days later that someone at their gathering had since tested positive. Time and time again.

This whole situation is difficult and what makes it more frustrating is that individuals are not taking the simple and pretty non invasive decisions to limit their exposure by taking the bare minimum of precautions.

Thank you so much for your dedication @yinzburgher, and to all those who are working tirelessly to help those inflicted by this virus.
User avatar
cortman
MoT Member
Posts: 1027
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 5:57 pm
Location: Missouri
Has thanked: 10052 times
Been thanked: 3892 times
Contact:

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by cortman »

Good to hear from you [mention]yinzburgher[/mention] and glad you're still doing well.

Covid has really hit my area in the last month and a half. Many people came down with it. The counties around where I live are like yinzburgher described in PA, a lot of people who unfortunately aren't very conscientious about social distancing, masks, what have you, and a lot don't believe the virus poses much risk even if caught.
We try to be as respectfully conscientious as reasonable. We always wear masks going out in public, etc. even amongst a lot of non-wearers. But with the amount of people we interface with we figured we were bound to get it.

Sure enough we did, at least we're pretty sure. My brother in law went to the trouble to get tested after feeling sick, and tested positive. Shortly thereafter my wife had mild to moderate flu symptoms and characteristically lost all sense of smell and taste. I had very, very mild flu symptoms and retained my smell and taste. Our children were fine.
We didn't get tested but assumed it was covid and isolated ourselves for two weeks after symptoms began. I was able to work remotely so that went well.
Now my co-manager at work has tested positive and is working from home. His symptoms have been very mild as well. Another co worker hasn't tested but shows all the telltale signs of it, and he's been home as well.
So far our direct experience with covid has thankfully been very mild, with the worst part being the annoyance of how slow regaining senses of smell and taste can be.
Hospitals around my area have also not been hit hard or overwhelmed with cases at all, so hopefully we have/will have achieved a bit of herd immunity by late fall.
Hope everyone else is doing well.
User avatar
The Sultan of SoWhat
MoT Member
Posts: 5375
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2018 8:52 pm
Has thanked: 10981 times
Been thanked: 11313 times

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by The Sultan of SoWhat »

cortman wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 8:40 pm Good to hear from you @yinzburgher and glad you're still doing well.

Covid has really hit my area in the last month and a half. Many people came down with it. The counties around where I live are like yinzburgher described in PA, a lot of people who unfortunately aren't very conscientious about social distancing, masks, what have you, and a lot don't believe the virus poses much risk even if caught.
We try to be as respectfully conscientious as reasonable. We always wear masks going out in public, etc. even amongst a lot of non-wearers. But with the amount of people we interface with we figured we were bound to get it.

Sure enough we did, at least we're pretty sure. My brother in law went to the trouble to get tested after feeling sick, and tested positive. Shortly thereafter my wife had mild to moderate flu symptoms and characteristically lost all sense of smell and taste. I had very, very mild flu symptoms and retained my smell and taste. Our children were fine.
We didn't get tested but assumed it was covid and isolated ourselves for two weeks after symptoms began. I was able to work remotely so that went well.
Now my co-manager at work has tested positive and is working from home. His symptoms have been very mild as well. Another co worker hasn't tested but shows all the telltale signs of it, and he's been home as well.
So far our direct experience with covid has thankfully been very mild, with the worst part being the annoyance of how slow regaining senses of smell and taste can be.
Hospitals around my area have also not been hit hard or overwhelmed with cases at all, so hopefully we have/will have achieved a bit of herd immunity by late fall.
Hope everyone else is doing well.
-------

Thinking of you, Cortman, and your family.

I hope you all get back to good health soon.
User avatar
MoT
Site Admin
Posts: 7092
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 11:27 am
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Has thanked: 13447 times
Been thanked: 30144 times
Contact:

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by MoT »

cortman wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 8:40 pm Good to hear from you @yinzburgher and glad you're still doing well.

Covid has really hit my area in the last month and a half. Many people came down with it. The counties around where I live are like yinzburgher described in PA, a lot of people who unfortunately aren't very conscientious about social distancing, masks, what have you, and a lot don't believe the virus poses much risk even if caught.
We try to be as respectfully conscientious as reasonable. We always wear masks going out in public, etc. even amongst a lot of non-wearers. But with the amount of people we interface with we figured we were bound to get it.

Sure enough we did, at least we're pretty sure. My brother in law went to the trouble to get tested after feeling sick, and tested positive. Shortly thereafter my wife had mild to moderate flu symptoms and characteristically lost all sense of smell and taste. I had very, very mild flu symptoms and retained my smell and taste. Our children were fine.
We didn't get tested but assumed it was covid and isolated ourselves for two weeks after symptoms began. I was able to work remotely so that went well.
Now my co-manager at work has tested positive and is working from home. His symptoms have been very mild as well. Another co worker hasn't tested but shows all the telltale signs of it, and he's been home as well.
So far our direct experience with covid has thankfully been very mild, with the worst part being the annoyance of how slow regaining senses of smell and taste can be.
Hospitals around my area have also not been hit hard or overwhelmed with cases at all, so hopefully we have/will have achieved a bit of herd immunity by late fall.
Hope everyone else is doing well.
I spend a lot of time thinking about my MoT family. This post both saddens and heartens me.

I'm happy to read that everyone close to you has so far made it through relatively easily.
Join us on Discord and interact live with your fellow members (click the icon):

Want to ensure your favorite watch site can keep the lights on? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/motswdf

Your friend in time,
Matt - MoT

Click Icon To Contact Me:


"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." - Ray Bradbury
"Remember no man is a failure who has friends." - Clarence Odbody
User avatar
cortman
MoT Member
Posts: 1027
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 5:57 pm
Location: Missouri
Has thanked: 10052 times
Been thanked: 3892 times
Contact:

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by cortman »

The Sultan of SoWhat wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:53 pm
Thinking of you, Cortman, and your family.

I hope you all get back to good health soon.
ManOnTime wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 5:27 pm
I spend a lot of time thinking about my MoT family. This post both saddens and heartens me.

I'm happy to read that everyone close to you has so far made it through relatively easily.
Oh my, thanks very much guys. I really appreciate it.

We've been very blessed. We're all pretty much back to normal health now, and it seems to have run its course through our friends at work, church and school. We'll still be cautious of course.
yinzburgher
MoT Member
Posts: 5191
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 11:52 pm
Has thanked: 21228 times
Been thanked: 23299 times
Contact:

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by yinzburgher »

Unfortunately I can't kick this notion that much of the United States could be in a pretty terrible situation 3-4 weeks from now. I think that healthcare systems in many areas could be overloaded and overwhelmed. And of course that will be right around the time of Thanksgiving, which certainly won't help suppress the prevalence of the virus in the weeks following the holiday. I imagine we will see some regional lockdowns in the worst areas. I don't even wanna think about Christmas yet. Of course, I hope I'm very wrong about all this.

One positive development is that we shouldn't see the high death rates like we saw in the early days in Wuhan, Milan, NYC and other hotspots. Unless, of course, healthcare systems are completely overwhelmed and don't have the resources and/or personnel to keep up with cases. But if nothing else, giving IV steroids to those with severe illness.....and keeping them off of ventilators until or unless absolutely necessary will keep the percentage of deaths lower than earlier this year. There are some other things we've learned and some other treatments with lesser degrees of efficacy but it's primarily those two thing driving better outcomes for the sickest patients.

Disclaimer: "Dammit Jim! I'm a nurse, not a virologist! If you want one thing to worry about a little less, worry less about contracting this coronavirus through touch/contact or surface transmission to mucous membranes. It has become more and more clear that the vast majority people that contract this virus do so by breathing in the air that has been exhaled by infected individuals.....inhaling the virus, which is contained in droplets and small aerosolized particles, directly into their lungs. Is it possible that some small percentage of people are getting infected through contact rather than inhalation? Yes, it's possible. And that is the reason that infectious disease specialists, doctors, virologists, epidemiologists, and public health officials (who have known for months that this virus' primary mode of transmission is via a respiratory pathway) have been slow or reluctant to tell people not to worry as much about it. Oddly, it's been science writers/reporters that have driven the conversation about the increasingly clear reality of transmission more than the aforementioned professionals. My point with all this isn't to lure you into a fall sense of security regarding dirty hands and dirty surfaces (in general I think it's good to keep yourselves and your surroundings clean). It's to say that I think people should be focusing on the more important precautionary measures that minimize exposure to other people's exhaled air. You guys already know all the things, you've been hearing them for months at this point.

Anyway, I hope everyone is well and that everyone here is thinking about what they can do and how they can act to actually enjoy their holidays this year.
Last edited by yinzburgher on Mon Nov 02, 2020 1:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Stretch44
MoT Member
Posts: 4213
Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2019 11:24 pm
Location: Monterey Bay
Has thanked: 16780 times
Been thanked: 20301 times

Re: COVID-19 Impacts- No Conspiracy Theories

Post by Stretch44 »

yinzburgher wrote: Mon Nov 02, 2020 1:05 pm Unfortunately I can't kick this notion that much of the United States could be in a pretty terrible situation 3-4 weeks from now. I think that healthcare systems in many areas could be overloaded and overwhelmed. And of course that will be right around the time of Thanksgiving, which certainly won't help suppress the prevalence of the virus in the weeks following the holiday. I imagine we will see some regional lockdowns in the worst areas. I don't even wanna think about Christmas yet. Of course, I hope I'm very wrong about all this.

One positive development is that we shouldn't see the high death rates like we saw in the early days in Wuhan, Milan, NYC and other hotspots. Unless, of course, healthcare systems are completely overwhelmed and don't have the resources and/or personnel to keep up with cases. But if nothing else, giving IV steroids to those with severe illness.....and keeping them off of ventilators until or unless absolutely necessary will keep the percentage of deaths lower than earlier this year. There are some other things we've learned and some other treatments with lesser degrees of efficacy but it's primarily those two thing driving better outcomes for the sickest patients.

Disclaimer: "Dammit Jim! I'm a nurse, not a virologist! If you want one thing to worry about a little less, worry less about contracting this coronavirus through touch/contact or surface transmission to mucous membranes. It has become more and more clear that the vast majority people that contract this virus do so by breathing in the air that has been exhaled by infected individuals.....inhaling the virus, which is contained in droplets and small aerosolized particles, directly into their lungs. Is it possible that some small percentage of people are getting infected through contact rather than inhalation? Yes, it's possible. And that is the reason that infectious disease specialists, doctors, virologists, epidemiologists, and public health officials (who have known for months that this virus' primary mode of transmission is via a respiratory pathway) have been slow or reluctant to tell people not to worry as much about it as much. Oddly, it's been science writers/reporters that have driven the conversation about the increasingly clear reality of transmission more than the aforementioned professionals. My point with all this isn't to lure you into a fall sense of security regarding dirty hands and dirty surfaces (in general I think it's good to keep yourselves and your surroundings clean). It's to say that I think people should be focusing on the more important precautionary measures that minimize exposure to other people's exhaled air. You guys already know all the things, you've been hearing them for months at this point.

Anyway, I hope everyone is well and that everyone here is thinking about what they can do and how they can act to actually enjoy their holidays this year.
[mention]yinzburgher[/mention], thanks for the update. I had been meaning to post something asking for your thoughts since you're on the front lines. Thanks being out there and putting yourself at risk for us not working in the hospitals.
Post Reply