COVID-19

[Ariadne]

How is everyone?

What is the news where you are?

I haven't been online for the last two weeks because I've been ill with something else so I've already self isolated physically as well, but I can't help worry about the rest of you.


News wise locally we're working on preparations for COVID-19's arrival but the only ones who've caught it so far were on that cruise ship.

 

[Zorba]

First confirmed case in our county announced this PM.

 

[Joshua7]

I have a lot of time at home now because of the virus so I'm sitting here writing

 

[Tourbeau]

No cases in our immediate area yet, but our county is between a cluster of 6 cases and a cluster of 3 cases, each about an hour away in opposite directions, so it'll probably get here sooner or later.

I went to the store yesterday. No rice, sugar, flour, fresh chicken, or milk. No toilet paper, paper towels, or cleaning wipes. It's crazy.

 

[Zorba]

I'm just SICK of the Hysteria spin and hype machine that is our MSM. I can't believe a thing they tell me because there's no way I can tell where truth ends and fiction begins. I have somewhat more trust in the gov't - I confirm EVERYTHING on the CDC website and hope that it isn't too much of an exaggeration (as I've seen plenty of gov't exaggeration and overreacting in my time as well).

 

[Daimona]

In my neck of the woods, we're in lockdown right now.
I'm lucky that I have the possibility to work from home, because I still have a job. The past five days 85 000 new unemployed have registered because of the lockdown (and these numbers do not include self-employed workers and artists which also struggle as all concerts and evnts are shut down).

Myself, I got a (hopefully regular) flu (so far only a sore throat) some days ago and have decided to stay indoor all day until it is gone. I'm not in isolation or quaranteened, but I don't take any risks in case it is something else than the regular flu. I've sanitized my computer keyboard and mouse, my phone and and all other places my hands touch regularly such as door knobs and light switches several times.


You may think the society is overreacting, and we did so too but last week things accellerated quickly. Both numbers of infected persons and death tolls in general are insane. So far, most of the infected Norwegians have been travelling to infected areas, but numbers are increasing as the travellers get home and don't quaranteen themselves and the virus spread.

One of my colleagues and his wife have been confirmed being infected, and reports says he is having a really bad time atm.

I wouldn't worry about hoarding food, but if you still can get hold of hand sanitizer, please send some my way. It has been impossible to get hold of it around here for the past couple of weeks, as all there is produced now is reserved for hospitals and health institutions.


Stay safe, keep your hands clean and away from your face (particularly eyes, nose and mouth) and take the action needed to ensure that you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy as well. And please listen to the advices from WHO.

 

[Tourbeau]

I can't believe a thing they tell me because there's no way I can tell where truth ends and fiction begins.

I think there is also a component of "No way to tell where science ends and educated guessing begins."

Sure, some media outlets are goosing this story for ratings and attention, and definitely, the US has some issues of governmental competence, but as cynical as I am, I still believe when you see an interview with somebody like Anthony Fauci, he's not spinning stories out of narcissism or a pathological love of catastrophizing or an ulterior motive to calm the economy.

I think the scientists are genuinely trying to make their best guesses, despite not really having a good understanding of what is happening in real time, and despite the gap between what they think needs to happen and what the enormous machine of government will indulge.

How much panic is too much? Do you overestimate and make what could be unnecessarily conservative, inconvenient, and expensive choices, or underestimate and gamble that lots of people won't die if you guessed wrong?

 

[Ariadne]

I confirm EVERYTHING on the CDC website and hope that it isn't too much of an exaggeration (as I've seen plenty of gov't exaggeration and overreacting in my time as well).

Confirming news from original sources is never a bad idea.

Still no cases here yet but they've had a few upstate and the governor just shut down all eat in service for restaurants and bars. It's "curbside, drive-through, pick up and delivery options" only and "Where possible, online (e.g., Venmo, Squarecash, Google Pay, Apple Pay) and telephonic credit card transactions are strongly encouraged. " He's taking no chances. I would think he's overreacting but then I read news elsewhere like Diamona's and I start thinking that if it keeps it from spreading it's not a bad thing.

I think it's important not to panic though. We can get through this. Medical science has come a long way since the last Pandemic in 1918.

 

[Daimona]

Medical science has come a long way, but not long enough as there isn't really much hospitals can do about it if you get really ill. They may provide life support and pain killers, but it is your immune system that have to make you well. If you have an immune system that is not working 100% you should take extra care of yourself and do the necessary precautions.

 

[Zorba]

This apparently hit just today (paraphrased): WORLDWIDE VIRUS CASES OVER 200,000, DEATH TOLL TOPS 8,000. Probably true - but hype and spin, hype and spin. 8,000 deaths out of a worldwide population of over 7 BILLION. Color me entirely un-impressed - the MSM can go pound sand. Statistically insignificant.

I consider the BBC to be somewhat more reliable, I trust exactly NOBODY in this country.

 

[Ariadne]

It actually is significant seeing as 8,000 puts it on par with minor pandemics and it's not done yet. So yes, this is the next big one since the Spanish Influenza epidemic in 1918.

It would be nice if they could report it in a way that wasn't trying to sensationalize it. Help people prepare instead of trying to sell subscriptions.

Now I learned today that the other name for this is SARS-CoV-2 and it comes from the same source (horseshoe bats?) as the SARS-CoV back in the early 2000's. This time it got out of the country though. This is why countries control their borders and have response plans for disease. I love to study history and there was this point I was studying the wars in Europe during the 1600's and I started wondering where Spain was. They had been hip deep in international politics before then but then they just disappeared. So I went and looked up what was going on in Spain at that time and come to find out that there had been a series of Pandemics and Spain had refused to quarantine their infected areas so the other countries shut their borders to anyone from Spain. I think they were cut off for something like 10 years.

So basically we can thank the Chinese government for mishandling this from beginning to end. It's their people I feel the worst for though. Things were really bad for Spain back then and if it's this bad elsewhere (where we can get reliable reporting) I can't imagine what it has been like for them.

 

[Greek Bonfire]

There are at least 45 confirmed cases in Chicago but probably more. Today, there is one confirmed case in a town three miles away from me. So far, my employers have not shut down the office; however, some of the people here are staying home anyway. Since these employers believe we are still in the Stone Age, so far I am not set up to work from home, but they're trying to remedy that.

As far as the media goes, of course, they are going to use this to gain ratings. The media as a whole is a two edged sword - when they do their job right, they are a wonderful benefit, but I get tired of them even tabloiding the weather.

 

[Zorba]

I haven't seen them do their job right in decades. Hence, they are no longer a credible source of information whatsoever. Ignore.

 

[Ariadne]

There are at least 45 confirmed cases in Chicago but probably more. Today, there is one confirmed case in a town three miles away from me. So far, my employers have not shut down the office; however, some of the people here are staying home anyway. Since these employers believe we are still in the Stone Age, so far I am not set up to work from home, but they're trying to remedy that.
...

My brother has been trying to convince his office to let him telecommute for several years now and they just haven't been interested. They have several confirmed cases where he lives. Now he's telecommuting.

 

[Zorba]

There was a HUGE flap many years ago at my former employer over telecommuting. A bunch of people asked for it, what mgmt gave us instead was a horrid work schedule called "9/80" (which I was fortunately able to exempt myself from). Talked to my (former) boss just yesterday, EVERYBODY is telecommuting. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is going to be revisited when normalcy returns!

 

[Shanazel]

Spent four days this week traveling back and forth from area around the Great Bend of the Red River. Traffic was much lighter than usual in most places. Came home last night and read news of the first case in this county this morning. Haven't been to a store myself in a good ten days but my husband tells me he couldn't get potatoes or milk on his last trip. My daughter, son, and daughter-in-law have jobs that will keep them in contact with people (police officer, fire fighter, and ER tech) and I guess I'll count in that number, too, when I go on call early next month. The college where I work closed down the museums but we're going to use the time for deep cleaning exhibits and other museum chores. Went to a four day work week but so far the college is pledging to continue to pay employees, even the non-benefited workers who usually get screwed in these situations. Haven't checked college email lately, so will see if this continues. Classes cancelled for another week and will resume online. All programs and activities cancelled. Interesting time to be alive. All y'all stay alive and well, okay?

 

[Ariadne]

My husband is one of those non-benefited workers here and he’s looking for another job. His job can’t be taken online and they are NOT paying him. *sigh*

First confirmed case in the area was reported last night. Food we have, now whether we can pay the rent ...


How are you doing Diamona?

 

[Shanazel]

I'm so sorry, Ariadne. Here's hoping something wonderful will turn up for him. I expect part time college employees will get laid off after April 12 since the college has a good excuse to save money that way. Will knock a big hole in our monthly income, but we're still better off than a lot of folks since we own our house.

Went to the grocery store today and wandered around to see what people are snatching off the shelves. Apparently some folks expect to live on canned veggies, rice, and pasta for the foreseeable future since none of the same were available. No potatoes, no flour, but I did get milk and yellow onions. Also bought chilies and held my semi-monthly session of cleaning and grinding peppers for today's and future batches of green chili.

 

[Ariadne]

Thanks Shanazel. I'm sure it will work out somehow I just have no idea how at the moment.

Seeing what people have been buying has been kinda amusing. The fresh food is plentiful but the canned shelves are empty including things that people usually don't want. There is not a vienna sausage can to be found.

 

[Ælfscine]

I'm right in the thick of things working as I do at the WHO. I'm mostly doing lab analysis of swabs to check for the Covid-19 virus. I'm well used to handling viral material but, even dressed in the best of protective clothing and with all the precautions that are being taken to further protect us, this is a seriously scary situation. I pray that you are all safe and will remain safe for the duration of this pandemic. Follow the advice of your health professionals. Rest assured that there is an army of medical and other professionals working hard around the clock to find a way to beat this thing. I have confidence that we will win out in this battle.