The nursing home staff has been awesome, at first it was just a few nurses taking it upon themselves to use facetime so family members could see and talk to their loved ones. Now they have set up a system to make an appointment for a facetime chat so everyone can participate. It's sad that many of the patients do not understand why family is not visiting. Thank God for the people that care for our elders, especially now!

My whole clan lives minutes away, we’re visiting via FaceTime... remarkable times

Bob, those care givers and nurses Rule... :-)

My company decided early last week to stop all business related travel (us to customers, customers to us). I work in healthcare software so all our customers are healthcare organizations (hospitals, physician clinics, nursing homes, home care, etc..). We also made the decision to have all employees work remotely from their homes (just under 4k employees).

My oldest son is home from college (sophomore) and will be finishing this semester virtually from home.

My youngest son is off from school but expect there will be virtual plans announced soon.

My wife, teacher's aide, is also off from school until further word.

Wife working from home, and is crazy busy as Global travel mgr for a health insurance company. People are just plain stupid. Don't want to follow protocol for getting travel approvals. Or just this morning, she is getting calls from employees in an African nation who want out! And their line managers had pushed to keep them there. Without sounding like an awful human being, we do need some culling of the herd.... the ones who have to much stoopid in their dna
MIL is happy as long as we have somewhat recent Polish newspaper so she can better understand what is going on. My wife's Polish vocabulary is somewhat limited as she came to America at 13 years old, so not always easy to translate. And we are Slinging! Polish TV. But she is 85....
I am good, with the knee. Mobile. Trying to work but probably only at sites where people are in Florida or at a detached garage.
27 yo twins at their mother's house here in town. Son taking time, is very worked up about this whole thing. Daughter has made decision to stay here rather than return to her Miami base as a flight attendant. We will help her with bills and deal with the fallout, if that happens. At least here. she has a caretaker if necessary, and a house they can continue to provision. (Their mother came back from a Utah ski trip a couple days early when she and her husband finally realized the gravity of this pandemic. They have the stoopid gene too.) But both kids have had Lyme so I am happy both are here in town, where I can observe and at least make a difference, if not have them in my house.

Everything is focused on pushing the spike down to a hump so hospitals are not overwhelmed. I think Italy showed us that. Interesting that the mortality rate in South Korea is way lower than Italy. Might be an age of population thing. Italy is the second oldest country. Second only to Japan.

Age is definitely huge a factor but I think the willingness to change behavior is significant.
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There are some theories put forth in Science Magazine.

Thought to have a lot to do with prior experience with MERS, being very proactive, aggressively testing and tracking contacts.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020...et-its-success

Just because you’re in the dark on some things don’t come down on me.
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I included the wink while I was defending you, using sarcasm as the vessel. Twas Tongue in Cheek.

Maybe we can't all just get along, we will see.




I borrowed this rant since it is a good one



In the last couple of decades we've had..
Swine flu
Bird flu
H1N1
SARS
Mersa
Ebola

To the hospital administrators who didn't even have enough PPE on hand for their staff to even last a week, F*ck you.
You cheaped it out and left front line people hanging with their ass in the breeze while no doubt scoping out the new model year BMW.
Now you are screaming that the feds should be supplying stuff you should have had on your own in abundance is horse #^&#^&#^&#^&.
I would not expect a hospital to have 50 extra ventilators sitting in storage , but freaking gloves , masks and gowns ?
That's on your dumb ass and no one else's.

To the Governors who were TV this morning crying about Uncle Sugar not moving fast enough (Mostly D's) F*ck you too.
Where the hell have you been?
The same a-holes who scream about the feds staying out of their business want to defer it all to the feds now.
What did you do to prepare for this sort of thing?
Two things from what I can see , both jack and #^&#^&#^&#^&.
I bet some sweet pork money that could have been spent making sure there were strategic supplies in place found it's way into your buddies pockets though , didn't it ?
You wanted that big chair only till things got tough and now it's defer , defer , defer.
The sad part is , they won't learn a damn thing from it and it will be the same thing next time and the time after that.

The biggest F-you goes to the media though.
The panic business is booming.

I guess everyone has a different definition of a good rant. It clearly shows a complete ignorance of how the medical field works, what the immediate needs are and the uniqueness of the situation. Every medical facility screwed up? I will leave the rest alone cause this isn't a political forum thread
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Thanks, I was going to say the same thing. I’d mention that many if not most hospitals operate at a loss also.
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no it does not say every medical facility screwed up, I'm not sure where you read that from the criticism. It might be a little generalized but there are people out there who feel this way because they see it with their eyes.

pretty sure it was ranting about those in charge being only concerned with the dollar and keeping costs low and their own wallet. I am sure the pressure of insurance costs, the pressure of being sued causing excessive procedures to follow costing more and on and on. One point is to learn from the past and prepare for it to happen again. There just seems to be so many people with their hand out. It is about responsibility, and the need to be prepared for these things. There has to be a better way but right now we all need to work on problem solving because it seems to be getting worse and it's not just the medical field being overwhelmed or the restaurants losing business, but the media sure does put their 2 cents in to sensationalize that is for sure.
Hopefully we will be able to go fishing soon because the bass are showing up in the usual places.

The shortage is affecting practically every medical facility.I didn't take it that your post said every facility, but it is almost every facility. It isn't limited to facilities where the management cheaped out. They are going through masks, gloves and gowns rapidly and can't get more. Pinning it on the administrators dumb as#$@ is total incendiary nonsense. It is incorrect and it reinforces whatever trash information is flowing in the streams of too many people. Seeing it with their own eyes? I bet my left thumb the person who wrote that isn't seeing it with their own eyes, They are speculating based on bs that they get from loudmouths who consider themselves outside the inflammatory media. That schtuff helps no one in no way.

The medical facilities (and just about everyone) got too comfortable in ordering in Just In Time and a never ending supply chain.

Someone I know with a small Med practice had a month's supply on hand - should be enough, no? It wasn't. First the panic and real overseas stopped anything from coming in (China took products from US manufactures made there) and panic here striped the shelves.

We need to do better. Fortunately stateside manufacturers are ramping up.


We - All Of Us - Need to do a better job of being kind and understanding with each other. And stay the ()@*#$ indoors.

Thought this was spot on

The majority of people providing food service , gas , trashpick up , take out are in large the min wage wage workers who in this crisis are taking care of the people who dont think they deserve 15. Bucks an hour ,, ironic


But medical staff or 1st responder are not seeing no such bonus. Not sure why

I am still working until I am not . From What I am told I am in for the duration . Salary sucks in times like this but I am working .

I wash myself regurlarly .

Poor planning by some slow reaction by others. I’m stuck working if I want to get paid under the guise of defense manufacturing which we do but not essential in my opinion. Boss is choosing money over our safety and the possibility of infecting others. If I was doing something to help the cause I’d be honored but we are not. Foolishness. I’ll give it a few days if the numbers grow I’m out of there.
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Be safe Paul
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Stay home ! Build plugs and be healthy.... word

Just become a farmer. U my friend are very good at it and helping my household stay on an even keel through this. Thank you isn't enough
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PM don,t become a fisherman :fishin:

Yesterday I set up to finish a kichen install no one else on the job. Then a truck pulls up and two tile installers come in...within a few minutes i hear one of them sneezing and sniffling....and then see him grab a broom i had there. I was getting pissed off....and was ready to tell them so....
then another...obviosly uncovered sneeze. Thats when i decided to pack my tools and go.
I have plenty of work to do back at my shop...where i will be for the next week....alone.
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This is exploding. If we continue to practice Social Distancing (actually *#$$##$ing doing it not talking about it) we will be able to retard and mitigate the spread. New York, the most densely packed population in the US, currently has 2600 people in the Hospitals with Covid19. On growth of virus NY would be the third highest if just a country.

The amount of confirmed cases in the US jumped by 25% yesterday (much a result of improved testing)

This is not the normal flu.






Good call.

Sneezing and sniffling are not Covid-19 symptoms, but a good idea to leave those folks in dust anyways. Fever and dry cough only they say.

NYT has time/ramp up charts today. Looks like Spain is accelerating faster than Italy did. It will be interesting to see if US starts to taper off soon.

NYT site is available now for free with just an account set up. I was getting pretty tired of CNN lately.

Taper off?
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Your right ....not a symptom....but a way to infect others if they do have it.
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"...practice Social Distancing (actually *#$$##$ing doing it not talking about it)". Spot on, John! Those who aren't are uninformed or somehow think it won't affect them. We're in Central NJ, 50 miles or so from the epicenter and it boggles the mind. I do a lot of walking and see moms yapping and their kids on the playground equipment, at the local high school there were 4 half court pickup basketball games and groups of kids on the football field doing who knows what. The topper was Saturday when a neighbor organized a get out of the house gathering in the cul de sac we live on. 20 or so parents, kids and dogs hugging, shaking hands, close order not distancing...right at the end of my driveway.
I wish I could packup my wife and myself and the dogs and head up to my dad's on the Cape and distance myself by going clamming like some of you guys, but as soon as I leave NJ I don't have healthcare. A little too risky.
Like John said, practice Social Distancing (actually *#$$##$ing doing it not talking about it), and be smart.

Those that have it but aren’t symptomatic and just walking around like nothing is going on are selfish arrogant little turds.

looking and hoping for that "inflection point" I suppose, sooner is preferred

Well many out of staters are doing just that, coming to the Cape to their second homes like an invasion and bringing their germs with them, so. Just stay home to yourselves Jim. You are better off

I'm not sure this is good information or mis-information but thought I would post it here.
CoronaVirus, how to avoid getting it. Some of this is new to me.


From a young researcher who had been transferred from Shenzhen to Wuhan to collaborate with the task force that is fighting the coronavirus epidemic, we receive and willingly transmit to all of this clear, simple and accessible information, which describe exactly what it is: the virus, how it transfers from one person to another and how it can be neutralized in everyday life.

Corona virus infection does not cause a cold with a dripping nose or catarrhal cough, but a dry and dry cough: this is the easiest thing to know.

The virus does not resist heat and dies if exposed to temperatures of 26-27 degrees {that's 78-80 in F}: therefore often consume hot drinks such as tea, herbal tea and broth during the day, or simply hot water: hot liquids neutralize the virus and it is not difficult to drink them. Avoid drinking ice water or eating ice cubes or snow for those in the mountains (children)!
For those who can do it, expose yourself to the sun!

1. The virus crown is quite large (diameter about 400-500 nanometers), therefore any type of mask can stop it: in normal life, special masks are not needed.
On the other hand, the situation is different for doctors and health professionals who are exposed to heavy virus loads and have to use special equipment.
If an infected person sneezes in front of you, three meters away they will drop the virus on the ground and prevent it from landing on you.

2. When the virus is found on metal surfaces, it survives for about 12 hours. So when you touch metal surfaces such as handles, doors, appliances, supports on trams, etc., wash your hands well and disinfect them carefully.

3. The virus can live nested in clothes and fabrics for about 6/12 hours: normal detergents can kill it. For clothes that cannot be washed every day, if you can expose them to the sun and the virus will die.

How it manifests itself:
1. The virus first installs itself in the throat, causing inflammation and a dry throat sensation: this symptom can last for 3/4 days.

2. the virus travels through the humidity present in the airways, descends into the trachea and installs in the lung, causing pneumonia. This step takes about 5/6 days.

3. Pneumonia occurs with high fever and difficulty breathing, it is not accompanied by the classic cold. But you may have the feeling of drowning. In this case, contact your doctor immediately.

How can you avoid it:
1. Virus transmission occurs mostly by direct contact, touching tissues or materials on which the virus is present: washing hands frequently is essential.
The virus only survives on your hands for about ten minutes, but in ten minutes many things can happen: rub your eyes or scratch your nose for example, and allow the virus to enter your throat ...
So, for your own good and for the good of others, wash your hands very often and disinfect them!

2. You can gargle with a disinfectant solution that eliminates or minimizes the amount of virus that could enter your throat: in doing so, you eliminate it before it goes down into the trachea and then into the lungs.

3. disinfect the PC keyboard and mobile phones
The new coronavirus NCP * may not show signs of infection for many days, * before which it cannot be known if a person is infected. But by the time you have a fever and / or cough and go to the hospital, your lungs are usually already in 50% fibrosis and it's too late!

Taiwanese experts suggest doing a simple check that we can do on our own every morning:
Take a deep breath and hold your breath for more than 10 seconds. If you successfully complete it without coughing, without discomfort, a sense of oppression, etc., this shows that there is no fibrosis in the lungs, indicating essentially no infection.
In such critical times, do this check every morning in a clean air environment!

These are serious and excellent advice from Japanese doctors who treat COVID-19 cases. Everyone should make sure that their mouth and throat are moist, never DRY. Drink a few sips of water at least every 15 minutes. WHY? Even if the virus gets into your mouth ... water or other liquids will sweep it away through the esophagus and into the stomach. Once in the belly ... Gastric acid in the stomach will kill all the virus. If you don't drink enough water more regularly ... the virus can get into your lungs. It is very dangerous.

I will take the time to read the list, but one of the first things that stood out is that the internal body temp of humans is 20-30 deg. F higher than the temp it supposedly can't survive. Drinking warm beverages may raise your body temp briefly and slightly by a degree or two, but it is already well above those temps so that particularly advice seems very suspect
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Agree.

Sadly, it's fake news
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Help your friends.
Wash your hands.
Stay the hell away from anyone over 70.

Seems pretty simple to me.

That sounded confusing to me too but maybe they are referring to if the virus is in your throat and to keep your throat moist so it does not travel to your lungs??? I don’t know , and then the hot liquid can destroy it. As I understand it is very fragile outside the body yet it is extremely contagious and a virus’s only purpose is to reproduce itself. Or something like that. Maybe it is bull crap from China who knows
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I needed to go to Home Depot today for something. Man oh man. You wouldn’t believe how crowded that place was. And the roads are full of cars like nothing is going on... had I not known that there was a pandemic going on i would have had no idea
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I also went to Home Depot today and walked out because they had only 2 cash registers open and everybody in line was standing about three feet behind the person in front of them. I drove about 10 miles to a Lowe's and there were a lot fewer people in the store and they had more cash registers open. I did not get within 10 feet of anyone at Lowe's
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Be careful guys,act like everybody is infected. A trip to the store should be made only for essentials.
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