COVID-19

[Zamboni]

122 confirmed cases in Erie County ... ugh ...?

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Yea... "ways to go"... only need... checks math... 30k more within the next 2 weeks. Would be nice if those could be sent from somewhere. 

Has anyone said how many actually exist in the country? How long does it take to build the number that might be needed?

[Indabuff]

"Covidiot" in circulation for those who like to maintain a chic vocabulary.

[bunomatic]

Things that make you go mmmm.

[Eleven]

So I learned a few days ago that my cousin has it.  He's been discharged from hospital and is doing ok.  He had a lot of trouble breathing and was misdiagnosed when he first went to the doctor.

Edited March 25, 2020 by Eleven

[Taro T]

10 minutes ago, Eleven said:

So I learned a few days ago that my cousin has it.  He's been discharged from hospital and is doing ok.  He had a lot of trouble breathing and was misdiagnosed when he first went to the doctor.

Glad he's doing ok.

Hoping that now that medical personnel are much better versed with this after their baptism by fire that he'll be one of the last to be misdiagnosed.  Also, hoping he has a speedy complete recovery.

[Wyldnwoody44]

14 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Glad he's doing ok.

Hoping that now that medical personnel are much better versed with this after their baptism by fire that he'll be one of the last to be misdiagnosed.  Also, hoping he has a speedy complete recovery.

Sadly no, the symptoms of this mimic literally every other URI known to man, there are some subtle differences at times, and some lab tests may help differentiate, but we don't do blood work on every URI patient, if anything it's even harder as we can't even test for influenza/rsv due to the shortage of testing supplies. 

We have to assume everyone with any cough, fever, or other list of complaints has it, the trick of when to test, admit, etc is still an uphill battle with no real direction or guidelines from the top. 

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Sadly no, the symptoms of this mimic literally every other URI known to man, there are some subtle differences at times, and some lab tests may help differentiate, but we don't do blood work on every URI patient, if anything it's even harder as we can't even test for influenza/rsv due to the shortage of testing supplies. 

We have to assume everyone with any cough, fever, or other list of complaints has it, the trick of when to test, admit, etc is still an uphill battle with no real direction or guidelines from the top. 

Bummer.

But thank you for the info and for fighting the good fight.  You guys must be getting ####ing exhausted.

?

[Eleven]

5 minutes ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Sadly no, the symptoms of this mimic literally every other URI known to man, there are some subtle differences at times, and some lab tests may help differentiate, but we don't do blood work on every URI patient, if anything it's even harder as we can't even test for influenza/rsv due to the shortage of testing supplies. 

We have to assume everyone with any cough, fever, or other list of complaints has it, the trick of when to test, admit, etc is still an uphill battle with no real direction or guidelines from the top. 

I'm not sure what a URI is, but they initially tested him for a pneumothorax (obviously negative).  Since I've had one of those, that would have been my "jump to conclusion" as well.  But I'm not a medical professional.  I'm just a guy who blew a lung out 25 years ago.

 

He also is not in New York state, where we have better hospitals, better physicians, and overall better quality of care than some other places.

Edited March 25, 2020 by Eleven

[Curt]

9 minutes ago, Eleven said:

I'm not sure what a URI is, but they initially tested him for a pneumothorax (obviously negative).  Since I've had one of those, that would have been my "jump to conclusion" as well.  But I'm not a medical professional.  I'm just a guy who blew a lung out 25 years ago.

 

He also is not in New York state, where we have better hospitals, better physicians, and overall better quality of care than some other places.

URI - Upper Respiratory Infection

[Indabuff]

2 hours ago, Eleven said:

So I learned a few days ago that my cousin has it.  He's been discharged from hospital and is doing ok.  He had a lot of trouble breathing and was misdiagnosed when he first went to the doctor.

He's doing better so that's a positive to take from it.  Hope he gets plenty of rest.   

Which one of you dressed like this?

[Eleven]

11 minutes ago, Indabuff said:

He's doing better so that's a positive to take from it.  Hope he gets plenty of rest.   

Which one of you dressed like this?

That's me.  I was trying to be incognito.  Richie Incognito.

Edited March 25, 2020 by Eleven

[SwampD]

Two things I wonder about with all this.

First, right after the 9-11 attack all air traffic was halted. Without all the contrails left by planes, there was a greater swing in daytime and nighttime temps. That was only three days. I really wonder what all this fossil fuel that isn't being burned is going to do to the weather/climate.

Second, I wonder how all the sewage treatment plants are going to fare, having to deal with all the extra surfactants due to people washing their hands so often.

Just where my brain goes.

[nfreeman]

6 hours ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Sadly no, the symptoms of this mimic literally every other URI known to man, there are some subtle differences at times, and some lab tests may help differentiate, but we don't do blood work on every URI patient, if anything it's even harder as we can't even test for influenza/rsv due to the shortage of testing supplies. 

We have to assume everyone with any cough, fever, or other list of complaints has it, the trick of when to test, admit, etc is still an uphill battle with no real direction or guidelines from the top. 

Good man.  Thanks.  

[Zamboni]

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
 

latest info and interactive map from John Hopkins...

[FogBat]

One of my friends is in a very peculiar predicament. I hope his wife is handling this well.

 

https://www.wsfa.com/2020/03/26/montgomery-college-students-stuck-guatemala/

[North Buffalo]

13 hours ago, Eleven said:

I'm not sure what a URI is, but they initially tested him for a pneumothorax (obviously negative).  Since I've had one of those, that would have been my "jump to conclusion" as well.  But I'm not a medical professional.  I'm just a guy who blew a lung out 25 years ago.

 

He also is not in New York state, where we have better hospitals, better physicians, and overall better quality of care than some other places.

Upper Respiratory Infection.  

PS 2 deaths yesterday at one of the Hospitals I work at.  ?. As I left yesterday 91 pts in ER mostly Covid... normal amount between 30-40

Edited March 26, 2020 by North Buffalo

[North Buffalo]

12 hours ago, Eleven said:

That's me.  I was trying to be incognito.  Richie Incognito.

But his shield was open... cant teach stupid... granted outside

[Neo]

On 3/23/2020 at 7:54 PM, Neo said:

“Sometimes there is so much beauty in the world .. I feel like I can’t take it ...  and my heart is just .. going to cave in.”  Ricky Fitts.

Mrs. Neo is a public school Kindergarten teacher.  We have thirty years of memories of the goofy goober pants five year old she spends her day with. Oh, man, what a life.  What changes over thirty years!

Last week, her school district trained teachers to begin online lessons for stay at home students.  The teachers have IBM Think Pads, but almost none are remote presentation proficient.  For a week, she’s been learning how to source material, upload it, stage it, adjust screen shares, audio and video. She’s a boomer who uses our Mac for email, FaceBook and FaceTime.  In short, she’s a turn key end user, and not a tech savvy content provider.  COVID19 is here and the world is different, now.  Now!  Imagine the trepidation she felt going live, today.  No rehearsal, no practice.  Just her, a bunch of five year olds, and their helicopter parents.  Getting and keeping the attention of five year olds, in a goal oriented environment, is tough stuff even when the kids are in a familiar environment and you have the advantage of adult presence and room charisma.  Today was the web and she was a neophyte host.

One by one, little smiling faces popped up on her screen.  Wide excited eyes, giggles, dogs, brothers and sisters, and parents all appeared.  “Hi, Zack, Sarah.  Hello, Keri .. I love your bows!”. “Hi Mrs. Neo ... my cat got loose, I just had cereal, is this homeschooling, when are we coming back, is that your KITCHEN?”  Eighteen of twenty five students arrived.   It was time to start.  She said, “Okayyyyy ... let’s start our day, just like we always do.”

My wife picked up one of those $1.29 American Flags you buy at Walmart to take to the cemetery and stick in the ground on Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or the Fourth of July.  Holding it in her left hand, she placed her right hand over her heart.

”I pledge allegiance”, she said, alone.  “To the flag”, she continued, accompanied by five or six voices. “Of the United States of America,” the choir growing.

”AND TO THE REPUBLIC ...”

She stopped.  She had to.  Her lips quivered as she tried a few words until tears rolled down her cheeks.  Tears rolled down mine, too.  I took a deep breath.   The children went on, alone, and loud, “WITH LIBERTY, AND JUSTICE, FOR ALLLLLLLLL!”

She did it.  She grabbed them at the ten second mark.

I fear no virus.  Five year olds reminded me of family, community, country and God.

I can’t remember being prouder of her.

Well, that great success lasted three days.   Somehow, in my first post, I missed the menace to life, liberty and happiness posed by the version of community schooling I described.  I was blinded by tears and kindergarten shrieks of joy.

A parent pointed out to the school district that seeing into homes might lead to, well, something like inadvertently seeing other parents in pajamas, or something worse.   Who knows, a bad dad might moon the camera.   Thank HEAVENS someone stepped forward to identify a risk and alert the school district to a convolutedly imagined liability!  Phewwww, a parent (who shouldn't be) spoke up and pointed out that subtle concept I ignored.  That is ... "something could go wrong".   Hold on, I need a moment.  I'm shuddering.

So, a collection of really insightful bureaucrats got together, recognized there was an opportunity to further sanitize, protect, and shelter others from life, er, harm.   They passed on the opportunity to respond to the parent with something along the lines of "life happens, get over it".  Instead, they formulated rules and regulations.  They announced how important the new rules were.  They cascaded the new rules to teachers.

Virtual learning will now consist of my wife's camera being on, and no one else's camera being on.   Five year olds will now see her, only.   She'll see no one.  There will be no community, no eye contact, no gleeful talking and giggling with one another.

Of course, human engagement, perseverance, and resiliency go to hell.   The effectiveness of the education decreases immensely.  BUT, new rules are in place that protect us.  We are sanitized.   We are not advanced.

If only these bureaucrats had more resources.  They could identify every victim, spot any risk, and send out rules for ... well, I was going to say "living", but that doesn't seem like the right word.  I am hoping the PTA takes up "pajama parties", which seem to carry a similar risk.  Perhaps this is Town Board, and not PTA, jurisdiction.

Education doesn't need more resources.  It needs a great purging and an enema.

I have to go.   I'm boarding up my windows lest I see something offensive outside or lest someone outside sees something offensive inside.  The latter is more likely than the former. You see, I am handicapped.  I was born without an "easily offended" gland.  Sigh, if only ...

Edited March 26, 2020 by Neo

[Stoner]

54 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

Upper Respiratory Infection.  

PS 2 deaths yesterday at one of the Hospitals I work at.  ?. As I left yesterday 91 pts in ER mostly Covid... normal amount between 30-40

With flu season still around, how can you be sure they were mostly Covid?

I heard something last night that was fascinating. There's a "smart" thermometer that can upload your data. Looking at data from many users, health officials can see areas of the country where Covid might surreptitiously be spreading. Nice proxy for actually doing tests. Imagine if every smart phone could take your temp. Add that one to the list, neo.

[North Buffalo]

We are testing like crazy and yeh i guess could be some flu, but symptoms more align with covid including granular infiltrated on chest xrays and CT.  Also some we are seeing with dxs of multiple issues including the flu... wish I could post an example... hippa... 

PS this comedian is hysterical tell me to delete and ill move to political thread 

 

[dudacek]

55 minutes ago, Neo said:

Well, that great success lasted three days.   Somehow, in my first post, I missed the menace to life, liberty and happiness posed by the version of community schooling I described.  I was blinded by tears and kindergarten shrieks of joy.

A parent pointed out to the school district that seeing into homes might lead to, well, something like inadvertently seeing other parents in pajamas, or something worse.   Who knows, a bad dad might moon the camera.   Thank HEAVENS someone stepped forward to identify a risk and alert the school district to a convolutedly imagined liability!  Phewwww, a parent (who shouldn't be) spoke up and pointed out that subtle concept I ignored.  That is ... "something could go wrong".   Hold on, I need a moment.  I'm shuddering.

So, a collection of really insightful bureaucrats got together, recognized there was an opportunity to further sanitize, protect, and shelter others from life, er, harm.   They passed on the opportunity to respond to the parent with something along the lines of "life happens, get over it".  Instead, they formulated rules and regulations.  They announced how important the new rules were.  They cascaded the new rules to teachers.

Virtual learning will now consist of my wife's camera being on, and no one else's camera being on.   Five year olds will now see her, only.   She'll see no one.  There will be no community, no eye contact, no gleeful talking and giggling with one another.

Of course, human engagement, perseverance, and resiliency go to hell.   The effectiveness of the education decreases immensely.  BUT, new rules are in place that protect us.  We are sanitized.   We are not advanced.

If only these bureaucrats had more resources.  They could identify every victim, spot any risk, and send out rules for ... well, I was going to say "living", but that doesn't seem like the right word.  I am hoping the PTA takes up "pajama parties", which seem to carry a similar risk.  Perhaps this is Town Board, and not PTA, jurisdiction.

Education doesn't need more resources.  It needs a great purging and an enema.

I have to go.   I'm boarding up my windows lest I see something offensive outside or lest someone outside sees something offensive inside.  The latter is more likely than the former. You see, I am handicapped.  I was born without an "easily offended" gland.  Sigh, if only ...

This tendency of public education is not unique to your country.

It also makes me sad and angry.

[SwampD]

So, wait. We want cameras in our house now?

I can’t keep this stuff straight.

 

[Neo]

7 minutes ago, SwampD said:

So, wait. We want cameras in our house now?

I can’t keep this stuff straight.

 

I am agnostic regarding cameras.  They're pieces of plastic, metal and wiring.  I am not agnostic regarding their use.   That approach applies to any tool or implement I can think of.  I'm afraid that school administrators stopped their thinking after your first question.

[dudacek]

The simple solution is to allow parents to opt in to the video "at their own risk" (such as it is).