Help the Fight Against COVID-19

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So I had band rehearsal right after my last post.

Our bassist is a 30+ ER doctor at UC Davis and also (I just found out) the EMS Coordinator for the next county over.

He said California is now (under CDC guidelines) moving from quarantine mode to mitigation mode... County by county (some sooner than others depending on population density, etc).

He said basically that people just need to calm down.
 
unix-guy said:
So I had band rehearsal right after my last post.

Our bassist is a 30+ ER doctor at UC Davis and also (I just found out) the EMS Coordinator for the next county over.

He said California is now (under CDC guidelines) moving from quarantine mode to mitigation mode... County by county (some sooner than others depending on population density, etc).

He said basically that people just need to calm down.
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I wasn’t even aware that California was in quarantine mode...?
 
BBN said:
Was it COVID19??? Who knows since there are NO TEST KITS. We are amazingly unprepared for this.
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It's actually quite easy to test for the virus. In theory we could do that in our own lab, we have all the equipment.
 
unix-guy said:
So I had band rehearsal right after my last post.

Our bassist is a 30+ ER doctor at UC Davis and also (I just found out) the EMS Coordinator for the next county over.

He said California is now (under CDC guidelines) moving from quarantine mode to mitigation mode... County by county (some sooner than others depending on population density, etc).

He said basically that people just need to calm down.
Click to expand...

Yes, the CDC changed from containment to mitigation on sunday. This is basically an admission that testing efforts, which would inform the public about status, have failed. And an admission that containment efforts, which would slow the spread and ease the burden on the health care system, have been a failure. Every other country in the world is fighting this, but the US has squandered its opportunity to do so. Calm down? I take your point, but we should be angry at the federal government for being so incompetent.
 
I am wondering why here in Thailand the number of cases has been relatively low so far (50 cases, 30 recovered, one death - most of them at the beginning of the crisis in Wuhan) considering that Thailand is one of the main destinations of Chinese tourism, business and familiar links, while at Italy and other European cities the number of cases has grown and keeps growing exponentially.

Perhaps it has been contained because here they've recently had experiences with other outbreaks, like SARS, MERS or H5N1, that were more deadly than COVID-19. So everybody takes it more seriously, regardless of the government announcements and actions.

I have observed that a majority of people in the streets started wearing masks since the first day it was announced (many of us were already wearing masks, to protect against the PM2.5 pollution). Also, they avoid congregations, and they are used to little details like avoid talking close to the face of other person, wash hands regularly, be mindful of what you touch, etc.

At the building where I work and at the condo where I live they installed disinfectant gel dispensers at all the entries and at the lift lobby in all the floors since it was announced last January. Everybody uses them religiously after they touch the lift buttons. You can also find them at all restaurants and shops, even at the street food stalls. All hospitals, the main malls and commercial buildings have temperature check at the doors.

I haven't heard any Thai saying "this is just a flu" or "influenza kills many more people every year". On the other side, most people at these other countries didn't took it seriouslly and they didn't adopted all these little behavior changes when the outbreak was announced. My family and friends in Spain are starting to adopt these precautions now, but perhaps it is too late.

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They say that only a sick person or people taking care of a sick person should wear a mask. But, how do you know that you are not a carrier? The period of incubation is long, and you may not develop symptoms. So, I do really appreciate that people around me uses masks. Specially at places like the Bangkok Skytrain
 
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Pearl Jam cancelled some tour dates and had this to say - which I would 100% agree with -


"As residents of the city of Seattle, we’ve been hit hard and have witnessed firsthand how quickly these disastrous situations can escalate. Our kids’ schools have closed along with universities and businesses. It’s been brutal and it’s gonna get worse before it gets better,” the band wrote in a statement posted to its website Monday. “So we are being told that being part of large gatherings is high on the list of things to avoid as this global health crisis is now beginning to affect all of our lives

“It certainly hasn’t helped that there’s been no clear messages from our government regarding people’s safety and our ability to go to work. Having no examples of our national health department’s ability to get ahead of this, we have no reason to believe that it will be under control in the coming weeks ahead,” they wrote. “Again, here in Seattle what we are witnessing we would not wish for anyone. What we do wish for the rest of the country is that they can avoid the harsh negative effects of this and retain their sense of community and take care of one another"
 
Interesting read from Dr. Abdu Sharkawy, an infectious diseases specialist in Toronto.

https://ca.style.yahoo.com/doctors-facebook-post-coronavirus-150007495.html

Abdu Sharkawy
March 5 at 6:45 PM

"I'm a doctor and an Infectious Diseases Specialist. I've been at this for more than 20 years seeing sick patients on a daily basis. I have worked in inner city hospitals and in the poorest slums of Africa. HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis,TB, SARS, Measles, Shingles, Whooping cough, Diphtheria...there is little I haven't been exposed to in my profession. And with notable exception of SARS, very little has left me feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed or downright scared.

I am not scared of Covid-19. I am concerned about the implications of a novel infectious agent that has spread the world over and continues to find new footholds in different soil. I am rightly concerned for the welfare of those who are elderly, in frail health or disenfranchised who stand to suffer mostly, and disproportionately, at the hands of this new scourge. But I am not scared of Covid-19.

What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even more fear and suspicion of others. I am scared that our hospitals will be overwhelmed with anyone who thinks they " probably don't have it but may as well get checked out no matter what because you just never know..." and those with heart failure, emphysema, pneumonia and strokes will pay the price for overfilled ER waiting rooms with only so many doctors and nurses to assess.

I am scared that travel restrictions will become so far reaching that weddings will be canceled, graduations missed and family reunions will not materialize. And well, even that big party called the Olympic Games...that could be kyboshed too. Can you even imagine?

I'm scared those same epidemic fears will limit trade, harm partnerships in multiple sectors, business and otherwise and ultimately culminate in a global recession.

But mostly, I'm scared about what message we are telling our kids when faced with a threat. Instead of reason, rationality, openmindedness and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested.

Covid-19 is nowhere near over. It will be coming to a city, a hospital, a friend, even a family member near you at some point. Expect it. Stop waiting to be surprised further. The fact is the virus itself will not likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and "fight for yourself above all else" attitude could prove disastrous.

I implore you all. Temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great deal about health hygiene and limiting the spread of innumerable transmissible diseases in our society. Let's meet this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophizing.

Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts.
Our children will thank us for it."
 
Good article @Toopy14

I keep having long discussions with my girls on this. I want them to be aware, not afraid. I want them to understand that WHEN it comes close (it's inevitable), it's not a death sentence. Older people, those with compromised immune systems are at risk, but NOT automatically headed to a morgue.

I do this mainly because in this internet age...add middle school rumor mills and shared texting groups, and a sh!tload of misinformation, it makes for tense kids. Oddly that mirrors the most hysterical set of adults.
 
iaresee said:
I have no garuntee the board won't make them repeat the year for being truant. :( If I did, I'd pull them in a heartbeat. Since December we've been back to seriously considering home schooling...
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Given that California declared a state of emergency for this you'd think this would be a no brainer.
 
electronpirate said:
Good article @Toopy14

I keep having long discussions with my girls on this. I want them to be aware, not afraid. I want them to understand that WHEN it comes close (it's inevitable), it's not a death sentence. Older people, those with compromised immune systems are at risk, but NOT automatically headed to a morgue.

I do this mainly because in this internet age...add middle school rumor mills and shared texting groups, and a sh!tload of misinformation, it makes for tense kids. Oddly that mirrors the most hysterical set of adults.
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I completely agree with everything you said!

I remember those rumour mills, as a child, in grade school back in the 70's. Back then however, the rumours never really spread outside the school, unlike today.

Am I concerned, of course, who wouldn't be. However, I'm 55 and in good health, so odds are good I will recover if I do get sick. I haven't had a cold in at least a couple of years and I think the the last time I had the flu, was 20+ years ago. Can't say for sure it was the flu, but I was in bed for a few days. I worry more about my elderly parents (70+ & 80+), who have had their fair share of health issues.

I'm certain though, that my immune system will be tested given what I do....teach. I teach Embedded C Programming to international students, who culturally, don't understand the concept of personal space. The lab seats 20-25 comfortably, and each of the three sections I have, has about 30 students in it. It's also the first time these students are in a cold winter climate, so they don't dress appropriately and not a week goes by that someone isn't sick, sniffling and sneezing. I'm constantly using keyboards that are probably dirtier and germ infested than the most dangerous pathogen lab in the world! I had two labs on Friday and I washed my hands, no less than 20 times during those two lab periods.

So far, there are no cases in the college or in the city, however, a large number of these students live and work in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), where there have been several cases, so I'm sure it's just a matter of time before it finds its way here.
 
BBN said:
can you give more detail?
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You just need a microbiology lab with a pcr machine. When you got the virus, you can do the test. In theory.
But I think this corona virus is only allowed with biosafety level 3. In house we have only level 2, but we also have an external facility with level 3 and they're actually testing as far as I know.
 
electronpirate said:
Good article @Toopy14

I keep having long discussions with my girls on this. I want them to be aware, not afraid. I want them to understand that WHEN it comes close (it's inevitable), it's not a death sentence. Older people, those with compromised immune systems are at risk, but NOT automatically headed to a morgue.

I do this mainly because in this internet age...add middle school rumor mills and shared texting groups, and a sh!tload of misinformation, it makes for tense kids. Oddly that mirrors the most hysterical set of adults.
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There's an equivalent set that are mirroring the cavalier adults that are saying this is all a hoax and that it's just like the flu.
 
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