All things Corona Virus

[Nature Boy 2.0 8,370]

LOCAL

COVID-19 CASES, HOSPITALIZATIONS INCREASE ACROSS GEORGIA

 

https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/covid-19-cases-hospitalizations-increase-across-georgia/93-f099fd6c-cac8-47d1-869d-8336d81c7c6c

[Oliversmom 250]

They have made masks mandatory in my county.  There were a lot of angry people at the public meeting.  But they did make it mandatory and said police will be enforcing it by writing citations with fines.  

[laylalex 7,289]

I just saw a headline in my Google News feed that the Texas governor has urged residents to stay home.

Quote

 

Governor Greg Abbott urged people to stay inside their homes whenever possible and to wear a mask and keep a safe distance in public places.

“First, we want to make sure that everyone reinforces the best safe practices of wearing a mask, hand sanitization, maintaining safe distance, but importantly, because the spread is so rampant right now, there’s never a reason for you to have to leave your home. Unless you do need to go out, the safest place for you is at your home,” he said.

 

https://www.kbtx.com/2020/06/23/gov-abbott-the-safest-place-is-inside-your-home/

 

Stay safe, Texans!!

[Nature Boy 2.0 8,370]

1 hour ago, laylalex said:

I just saw a headline in my Google News feed that the Texas governor has urged residents to stay home.

https://www.kbtx.com/2020/06/23/gov-abbott-the-safest-place-is-inside-your-home/

 

Stay safe, Texans!!

We had 1700+ new cases today. The most ever. Also by far the biggest week. I just dont have a clue what the answer is. I agree we cant just shut down for ever. 

 

The purpose of the original quarantine was to flatten the curve to not overload the ICUs.

[OriZ 3,157]

12 hours ago, yuna628 said:

I think that people can live lives if they are willing to be responsible not only for their own lives but the actions they take that affects others around them. If we do that, it will make things much easier to actually open up. There are certainly times, that me with my ill health and risk factors, and caring for people with even worse risk factors am going stir crazy and would love love loveeeee to get out of the house and get relaxing somewhere wonderful for a few weeks. Are those risks worth it though? To me it's not, not right now. One of the biggest factors in that decision is how irresponsible and ignorant I see people being toward one another about everything. Everyone wants it to go back to 'normal' but we aren't there yet and we shouldn't be pretending and coddling ourselves that we are. There shouldn't be a debate on mask wearing, cleanliness, and staying a safe distance. It should have been a no-brainer all along. I don't think that everyone not wearing a mask is selfish and rude, but many are being so. They are deliberate, belligerent, and ignorant to all those around them. I've seen it too many times. Nor do I think that people wearing one look like clowns or are being 'sheep'. I don't wear a mask because i'm "told to" - I do it because I know it works, because it's responsible, and because I have a duty of care for myself and others that are vulnerable. Perhaps if we had followed other countries general respect for mask wearing and cleanliness we'd be a healthier society overall. Yes it's hot. Yes it itches. Boohoo. The amount of whining, lying, and delusion makes me think there are a bunch of Americans being complete babies that are regressing backwards. I can't make people care though - so I have to simply be responsible for myself and my space and those under my care.

I know you like to make jokes and such, but on this subject I really don't find it funny. Having people you know and love die from this virus kind of does things to a person. I don't mean to be a debbie downer and deprive you of your fun of course... its just something I take really seriously.

Unfortunately there are some caught in a time warp. Just try and say as safe as you can.

The whole point of what I wrote is that not wearing a mask doesn't automatically make one "irresponsible", "rude", or "selfish" and that kind of mindset is no more than a wrong, grave, generalization. There is no science that really points to one side being more right than the other.

[OriZ 3,157]

9 hours ago, Villanelle said:

Since Friday June 19th we have had 16 new cases!!!!

For the non mask wearers- do you understand wearing a mask is more about protecting others then protecting yourself?

I am posting the latest email from the county about the issue for context. Fourteen non residents on vacation have tested positive here in the last 4 days. I understand wanting things to get back to normal but seriously now- if you are going to go on vacation cant you quarantine at home for 10 days before traveling? 3 different families came here and either had symptoms or were notified once here they were a direct contact to someone back home with the virus. How is it right to come here and infect our community? If you are going to travel please be considerate and wear a mask less you bring the infection to others. 

 

The number of positive COVID-19 tests in Dare County is 60, 12 of which are considered active, with one individual remaining hospitalized and the other 11 in home isolation in Dare County.

Of the 60 cases, 29 are residents and 31 are non-residents. Since the last Dare County DHHS Update issued, Friday, June 19, 2020 there have been 16 new positive cases. Of these 16 cases, 2 are residents and 14 are non-residents.The Dare County website has already been updated to reflect all of these cases.

The 2 resident cases are not connected. They are both symptomatic and recovering in home isolation. It is believed these individuals acquired the virus through community spread as neither individual is aware how they contracted the virus.

Of the 14 nonresident cases:

5 are household contacts, two are symptomatic and three are asymptomatic, who acquired the virus by direct contact with another non-resident household member whose positive result was reported on 6/18.

Two are siblings, both symptomatic, and acquired the virus by direct contact with a positive case outside of Dare County

Three others are all symptomatic and acquired the virus through direct contact with individuals who tested positive outside of Dare County. None of these cases, however, are connected.

All 10 of these cases have been transferred to their home counties and are in isolation in those counties.

The remaining 4 of the 14 non-resident cases share a household. 2 individuals are symptomatic and 2 are asymptomatic. It is believed one of the individuals in the household acquired the virus through community spread or travel and then passed the virus to other 3 household members. These individuals are in home isolation in Dare County.

 

Non-Residents Testing and Contact Tracing

We are seeing a number of vacationers go to the area urgent care centers for COVID-19 testing while in Dare County because either they are symptomatic or they have been contacted by someone from back home who informed them they were a direct contact to a positive case.. When they are tested they immediately become classified as a PUI (person under investigation) and must quarantine for up to 14 days.

If the result comes back positive then we notify and inform them of the specific duration of their isolation period. We cannot force them to leave Dare County. Some choose to leave and some choose to stay. We call them every day while they remain in Dare County to check in on them and when they go home, we transfer their case to their home health department to finish out their isolation monitoring. 

The day we call them to give them their positive result we also immediately start work on contact tracing which includes everyone in their house at the present time as well as any other contacts they may have had while in Dare County prior to testing or onset of symptoms. All direct contacts are notified they are to quarantine for 14 days and encouraged to get testing - right away if they have symptoms, or if they are asymptomatic they are asked to wait 6 days from their first day of exposure to be sure they don't get a false negative.

Being in the same grocery store or at the same gas station as an individual who tests positive does not make you a direct contact. Being 6 ft or closer for 10 minutes or greater to an individual who tests positive makes you a direct contact. Since there are asymptomatic carriers of the virus we must all practice the 3Ws (wear, wait and wash) to protect ourselves and our families.

For the record, I definitely plan to wear one on vacation. My vacation is planned to be around 35 days and with many flights inbetween, even if it was for no other reason(and in a situation with many people around in relatively close contact, I'm not saying it can't be helpful - for both sides), I wouldn't want to jeopardize any leg due to getting even mildly sick. So I will definitely do the responsible thing when it's warranted(now, if I'm out in the open air with other people 6 feet or more away from me, it likely won't happen).

 

3 hours ago, Nature Boy 2.0 said:

We had 1700+ new cases today. The most ever. Also by far the biggest week. I just dont have a clue what the answer is. I agree we cant just shut down for ever. 

 

The purpose of the original quarantine was to flatten the curve to not overload the ICUs.

Exactly, and that was successful. The recent upticks are for the most part and in most places relatively mild.

[Dashinka 24,519]

18 hours ago, Oliversmom said:

They have made masks mandatory in my county.  There were a lot of angry people at the public meeting.  But they did make it mandatory and said police will be enforcing it by writing citations with fines.  

This county took the mask thing in a slightly different direction.

 

Who Would Have Thought? Masks Are Being Required But Only for Specific Races in One County.
 

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/bethbaumann/2020/06/23/county-officials-say-face-masks-are-exempt-for-some-as-long-as-theyre-not-white-n2571189

[yuna628 9,677]

10 hours ago, OriZ said:

The whole point of what I wrote is that not wearing a mask doesn't automatically make one "irresponsible", "rude", or "selfish" and that kind of mindset is no more than a wrong, grave, generalization. There is no science that really points to one side being more right than the other.

With the exception of not wearing one for a particular health reason of which there will be few (and I've seen people lying about that too) how is it not any of these exactly? Just curious. The studies are numerous now and show that mask wearing is an excellent solution when used with other practices. In countries that have majority mask wearers, infections went down significantly. In countries that regularly experience outbreaks of illness and mask wearing is considered responsible and healthy, illness is kept under control. Yes, a person needs to use their mask correctly, and I would also argue be wearing a good type of mask with proper materials (not just any old thing slapped on their face) helps too. There are companies that are helping to develop masks to further reduce any risk at all. My husband often gets very upset when he sees people not wearing a mask or a store not enforcing the clear order to do so. He's upset because he knows those individuals are putting me and others at risk. I told him that the only thing we can do at this point is to be cautious and be responsible for ourselves. There are laws to not drink and drive and to wear seat belts and to drive safely. We know these are things that work. Nevertheless there are tons of callously irresponsible individuals that do none of this.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

8 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

With the exception of not wearing one for a particular health reason of which there will be few (and I've seen people lying about that too) how is it not any of these exactly? Just curious. The studies are numerous now and show that mask wearing is an excellent solution when used with other practices. In countries that have majority mask wearers, infections went down significantly. In countries that regularly experience outbreaks of illness and mask wearing is considered responsible and healthy, illness is kept under control. Yes, a person needs to use their mask correctly, and I would also argue be wearing a good type of mask with proper materials (not just any old thing slapped on their face) helps too. There are companies that are helping to develop masks to further reduce any risk at all. My husband often gets very upset when he sees people not wearing a mask or a store not enforcing the clear order to do so. He's upset because he knows those individuals are putting me and others at risk. I told him that the only thing we can do at this point is to be cautious and be responsible for ourselves. There are laws to not drink and drive and to wear seat belts and to drive safely. We know these are things that work. Nevertheless there are tons of callously irresponsible individuals that do none of this.

 

  I would agree if there wasn't still a supply issue, but the problem is that many people are taking masks that are designed for single use and using them multiple times. They even asked us to do that at work. Mask use in general would decrease viral spread (to some extent), but the inherent issue is that if masks are not used appropriately, they can actually cause more harm.

 

  Our work policy going back years was never to put a mask back on once it's removed, because you risk contaminating yourself with everything that was previously in contact with the mask. Now all of a sudden, they are telling us to use 1 mask for up to 5 days. I agree it may help decrease the spread of Covid-19, but it puts people at risk for a whole lot of other respiratory diseases. Everything the mask has ever filtered remains in the mask. There have been no studies done on the safety of this, and if you were to call any manufacturer, they would recommend against using a mask more than once.

 

  It's less of an issue for casual use, where the masks are less likely to get contaminated with multiple pathogens, but it is still a risk. We shouldn't be reusing mask, but unfortunately the lack of availability necessitates either doing that or not wearing one. I try to conserve my non work masks for areas where there are the greatest risks.  

[yuna628 9,677]

13 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

  I would agree if there wasn't still a supply issue, but the problem is that many people are taking masks that are designed for single use and using them multiple times. They even asked us to do that at work. Mask use in general would decrease viral spread (to some extent), but the inherent issue is that if masks are not used appropriately, they can actually cause more harm.

 

  Our work policy going back years was never to put a mask back on once it's removed, because you risk contaminating yourself with everything that was previously in contact with the mask. Now all of a sudden, they are telling us to use 1 mask for up to 5 days. I agree it may help decrease the spread of Covid-19, but it puts people at risk for a whole lot of other respiratory diseases. Everything the mask has ever filtered remains in the mask. There have been no studies done on the safety of this, and if you were to call any manufacturer, they would recommend against using a mask more than once.

 

  It's less of an issue for casual use, where the masks are less likely to get contaminated with multiple pathogens, but it is still a risk. We shouldn't be reusing mask, but unfortunately the lack of availability necessitates either doing that or not wearing one. I try to conserve my non work masks for areas where there are the greatest risks.  

My sister and the rest of the hospital employees have had to reuse masks for months now. I am making her batches of masks today. I certainly agree a mask needs to be used properly to be effective, and if homemade, needs to use the right materials and be regularly cleaned. It is truly shocking that we are at a point in this country where frontline healthcare workers need to reuse critical supplies. I have seen some countries where every citizen was given a supply of masks per week. Of course that's simply too much to ask for this country.  It would be great to see states step up more in that regard, but I understand the supply chain is like... just gone.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

12 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

My sister and the rest of the hospital employees have had to reuse masks for months now. I am making her batches of masks today. I certainly agree a mask needs to be used properly to be effective, and if homemade, needs to use the right materials and be regularly cleaned. It is truly shocking that we are at a point in this country where frontline healthcare workers need to reuse critical supplies. I have seen some countries where every citizen was given a supply of masks per week. Of course that's simply too much to ask for this country.  It would be great to see states step up more in that regard, but I understand the supply chain is like... just gone.

 

   My understanding is many hospitals have adequate supply now, but they are rationing to conserve stock for future shortages. We are reusing masks for up to 5 days or disposing when visibly contaminated. I hate the "visibly" part, because we are dealing with bacteria and viruses. There is no reliable visible indicator of when a mask is contaminated.  Mine tend to last for 1 day.

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

2 hours ago, Dashinka said:

This county took the mask thing in a slightly different direction.

 

Who Would Have Thought? Masks Are Being Required But Only for Specific Races in One County.
 

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/bethbaumann/2020/06/23/county-officials-say-face-masks-are-exempt-for-some-as-long-as-theyre-not-white-n2571189

so quarantine karen can yell at them.

[Burnt Reynolds 5,058]

2 hours ago, Dashinka said:

This county took the mask thing in a slightly different direction.

 

Who Would Have Thought? Masks Are Being Required But Only for Specific Races in One County.
 

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/bethbaumann/2020/06/23/county-officials-say-face-masks-are-exempt-for-some-as-long-as-theyre-not-white-n2571189

All it takes is some pasty dudes to identify as a person of color, declare its to prevent racial profiling, and be persecuted anyways, for a massive lawsuit, and easy money grab, never mind having that "directive" tossed. 

 

Basically, unenforceable, and a potentially costly virtue signal, not to mention dumb and divisive.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Burnt Reynolds

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

[Nature Boy 2.0 8,370]

 I find this to be very true. People get very touchy about this subject, when it's just really statistics  and science. The local news reported on FB, that there was a sharp rise in noticeable rise in ventilator use in GA, although no record keeping identified reason. 80% percent of the posts called in fake news to suggest it could be tied to corona virus. Several suggested it could be due to the fact we are doing out patient surgery again.

 

Poll finds sharp partisan divide over coronavirus as cases spike

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/25/politics/pew-coronavirus-poll-partisan-divide/index.html

 

Updated 4:43 PM ET, Thu June 25, 2020

Edited June 25, 2020 by Nature Boy 2.0