Coronavirus - Health and preparedness aspects - II

[Kwirk]

My niece is an ER doc in Denver. She says patients and visitors are stealing masks and gloves leaving them under stocked.

She may want to consider staff as well.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Besides a lack of hospital beds, the U.S. likely has an under-reported count due to tests not being available.

"Speed is critical in the response to COVID-19. So why has the United States been so slow in its attempt to develop reliable diagnostic tests and use them widely?
The World Health Organization (WHO) has shipped testing kits to 57 countries. China had five commercial tests on the market 1 month ago and can now do up to 1.6 million tests a week; South Korea has tested 65,000 people so far. The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in contrast, has done only 459 tests since the epidemic began. The rollout of a CDC-designed test kit to state and local labs has become a fiasco because it contained a faulty reagent. Labs around the country eager to test more suspected cases—and test them faster—have been unable to do so. No commercial or state labs have the approval to use their own tests."

Source: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/united-states-badly-bungled-coronavirus-testing-things-may-soon-improve

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

I looked it up...bleach. Probably a rinse is required after using this? I have (for my brewing hobby) an acid based sanitizer (Star San), which is a no-rinse sanitizer. Needs 30 second contact time, but I'm not sure of its effectiveness on viruses. It's great for bacteria, but wouldn't trust it for anti viral.

I have about 3 quarters of a gallon of Star San. .2 ounces of star San yields one gallon of Sanitizer liquid. Items can be soaked in Star San or even just sprayed. So, I have enough for many many many many ... uses.

So I would love to know the effectiveness question in terms of viruses, especially as it is no-rinse.

I do know it can lose its effectiveness, so I just ordered a digital PH meter to test out some sample solution. (I'm sure I have a meter someplace, but who knows where it is.)

 

[gwraigty]

Besides a lack of hospital beds, the U.S. likely has an under-reported count due to tests not being available.

Absolutely. As tests become more widely available, those numbers will increase in a big way. The media and reporting agencies have their hands full right now trying to keep up with the numbers, as in this article:

Seattle-area officials report new coronavirus deaths, bringing US total to 6

Note the URL says 5, which is what it was about 10 minutes ago. So did the headline, until they changed it to 6.

At the press conference, Lofy originally announced five total deaths in the area until Dr. Ettore Palazzo, the chief medical and quality officer at EvergreenHealth where several patients are being treated, announced a sixth death in Snohomish County that state health officials didn’t know about.

“So six should be the correct number,” Lofy said. “We were, at the department, aware of the five deaths from King County. We had not received the report about the Snohomish County patient just yet ... apologize for that”

Johns Hopkins map says 86 cases in the US. Articles referencing Johns Hopkins puts the number at 91. Worldometer has 96.

More details:

Coronavirus: Deaths in Washington rise to 6

Four of five deaths in King County have been linked to a nursing facility in Kirkland. Fifty people at the facility with symptoms are being tested for coronavirus.

...

Seattle & King County reported four new cases in King County Monday morning. Of those four new cases, two people have died.

IMO, expect a continued lag in up-to-date info.

 

[Midpack]

I think "easily" may prove a bit optimistic. Less than 2% may die but significantly more may need hospital treatment.

I actually read “easily” in a recent article. I’ve seen the 2% death rate more than once, and those cases are usually older folks with comprised health. It appears most people in reasonable health can withstand COVID-19.

But by no means am I suggesting we should be “blasé” about this, but there’s no need to panic for most of us.

I’ve read several articles and although health officials and the public should take proactive precautions, this is not ebola with a death rate of 50-65% and we’ve been through that. OTOH, the death rate for flu is 0.8% which is still a lot of deaths, but the public is “blasé” about flu?

On COVID-19, WHO says:

If you are in an area where there is an outbreak of COVID-19 you need to take the risk of infection seriously. Follow the advice issued by national and local health authorities. Although for most people COVID-19 causes only mild illness, it can make some people very ill. More rarely, the disease can be fatal. Older people, and those with pre-existing medical conditions (such as high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes) appear to be more vulnerable.

https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses

 

[Nemo2]

From Quebec:

https://www.healthing.ca/news/rapid...uld-not-be-confused-with-severity-expert-says

At one point the Dr. mentions that the organisms are not 'alive', which prompted me to find this:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-viruses-alive-2004/

 

[Sunset]

IL now has 2 new cases, one in hospital (Algonquin) and the spouse is quarantined at home.
They are both in their 70's.
How they got it is unknown. (obviously there is someone else out there...)

The 2 previous folks had the situation where the husband brought it from China. They recovered and were released.

 

[SteveNU]

And here's what they are looking at doing in Seattle to deal with the quarantine issue:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/02/sea...oronavirus-deaths-bringing-us-total-to-5.html


"Seattle-area officials are setting up a coronavirus hotline and looking to buy a motel to convert into a quarantine facility. They are also placing modular housing previously used for oil workers in Texas at several locations around the area that can accommodate* at least 100 people, they said"

 

[Sunset]

IL now has 2 new cases, one in hospital (Algonquin) and the spouse is quarantined at home.
They are both in their 70's.
How they got it is unknown. (obviously there is someone else out there...)

The 2 previous folks had the situation where the husband brought it from China. They recovered and were released.

Wow....
IL governor and some heath big shot just announced a new aggressive policy:
They will test people for the Covid-19 who come to the hospital with flu symptoms and test negative for the flu, if the person agrees....

I guess before they just told them you don't have the flu, so you are ok

No wonder IL has some walking around with covid-19

 

[Kwirk]

No wonder IL has some walking around with covid-19

Our approach, so far, has been less than fully proactive. Let's hope for better going forward.

 

[MichaelB]

Just a reminder that the primary purpose of this thread is preparedness. Specific suggestions or recommendations are most helpful. There’s no need or benefit to just repeating what is being reported elsewhere.

 

[Dtail]

Well the first 2 cases are in FLA now. It appears in Mango and Sarasota.
We are in the midst of stocking up. We will see if there is a run on the stores.

 

[NW-Bound]

... note if you go out and east you must remove gloves. however I look at menu with gloves on and after ordering use a wipe on my glass, silverware and hands...I don't care if people think I'm nuts

Are you limiting your orders to hot foods?

How hot the food has to be before the virus is killed? Would the following Chinese hot wok work?

But then, if your plate is coughed on by either the staff or another restaurant customer, all bets are off.

 

[gwraigty]

Just a reminder that the primary purpose of this thread is preparedness. Specific suggestions or recommendations are most helpful. There’s no need or benefit to just repeating what is being reported elsewhere.

Apologies. Please feel free to delete any of my offending posts to reduce the clutter.

 

[MichaelB]

Apologies. Please feel free to delete any of my offending posts to reduce the clutter.

Please, it wasn't directed at you or anyone else. This is a good thread and it's worth an effort to keep it useful.

 

[Kwirk]

How hot the food has to be before the virus is killed?

I certainly don't know the answer. I'm sure that if we're eating in restaurants then there is no complete protection. I'm just trying to think through ways to minimize my risks. Off hours, hot foods, choosing restaurants that seem to "get it," not touching my face with possibly contaminated fingers, avoiding tight table arrangements. I'm wearing gloves and removing one if I eat finger foods. I carry spare gloves. I also try to open doors and such with my left hand so that my eating hand is less likely to be contaminated. Again, all of this is just to reduce risk with no hope of eliminating it.

 

[REWahoo]

Seems to me that would be even worse. They're still going to use a cart to get your groceries. You don't know how many people will have handled them. I'd rather do it all myself and manage the risk as best I can.

I guess the one positive , and maybe that outweighs the other parts, is you wouldn't have to enter the store .

+1

Avoiding direct contact with others is the primary benefit of curbside pickup of groceries.

A side benefit is bypassing the check out process (additional handling and exposure of your items) by virtue of the "order picker" totaling your purchases as they select them.

 

[travelover]

I was at Dollar Tree today (hoarding boxed milk) and they were all sold out of alcohol, wipes, hydrogen peroxide, hand cleanser and even cheesy face dust masks. This is just north of Portland.

 

[steelyman]

I had to do a few errands today that necessitated picking up some essentials at well-frequented stores. A recent article in the NY Times (don’t have a link) covered avoiding touching your face to minimize risk. In addition to frequent hand-washing and minimizing social contact.

With that in mind, I paid attention to how much I unconsciously tend to touch my face - it’s a lot!

 

[sengsational]

With that in mind, I paid attention to how much I unconsciously tend to touch my face - it’s a lot!

I joked with DW, but maybe this should be a serious thing...

Clicker training

You do with dogs when they do something right. But what if, each time you see your partner's hand go near or to the face, you click a clicker. It actually could be quite fun, if viewed in the proper light.

 

[TromboneAl]

Just a reminder that the primary purpose of this thread is preparedness. Specific suggestions or recommendations are most helpful. There’s no need or benefit to just repeating what is being reported elsewhere.

Here's something that I'd never heard about handwashing: Friction is important.

It's hard to feel much friction with all the soap, but I guess if you squeeze harder as you scrub, it's better.

 

[TromboneAl]

Clicker training

You do with dogs when they do something right. But what if, each time you see your partner's hand go near or to the face, you click a clicker. It actually could be quite fun, if viewed in the proper light.

Or could lead to death.

 

[REWahoo]

Or could lead to death.

+1

I was going to suggest that "proper light" seng referenced would need to be seen quickly, before my eyes had swollen shut.

 

[sengsational]

You guys!

 

[tmm99]

I was at Dollar Tree today (hoarding boxed milk) and they were all sold out of alcohol, wipes, hydrogen peroxide, hand cleanser and even cheesy face dust masks. This is just north of Portland.

Darn, it looks like I missed the window of opportunity myself. I just checked Walmart online and hand sanitizers are all out of stock in my local stores along with isopropyl alcohol, and I imagine elsewhere... I'm glad I bought several boxes of 90% alcohol and 3% hydrogen peroxide a few days back. I guess I can buy some aloe vera gel and make my own hand sanitizer...

I hope hospitals have a good inventory of hand sanitizers...