COVID-19 Health and Preparedness - Strictly Moderated

[tmm99]

I know someone who works at a grocery store who stock groceries at night. He said orders only come in every other day for most things, and once they're out, they're out; they have to wait until the next shipment to arrive to stock the empty shelves. Even if they get the orders in every day, with the way things are going, they will be out in a day. You would need a huge storage in the back of the store for additional orders too. The supply chain may also already be hosed.

 

[tmm99]

In a lighter note, this is what Canada's Global News (online) said. This is not a joke. It's not about what is said, but how it was said that made me chuckle. (Bolded by me.)

https://globalnews.ca/news/6688468/coronavirus-state-of-emergency-beer-store-ontario-cannabis-store/

A state of emergency has been called in Ontario in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic, but premier Doug Ford says many places will remain open, including grocery stores, convenience stores, and for some, more importantly, the LCBO, the Beer Store and the Ontario Cannabis Store will be continuing operations.

Closing liquor stores may cause a riot, and without cannabis, there will be a whole lot of cranky people.

 

[Sunset]

Yes, I cancelled my checkup next week in order to avoid the exposure; I'm in very good shape and can wait 3 to 6 months or more. Not point in exposing myself to a lot of sick people, our county has the highest number of cases in our state.

I delayed my annual checkup by 2 months, for the same reason, no need to wait in a room full of flu or covid-19 people.

It would suck to go to the doctor, just to get sick.

 

[Sunset]

I have seen this type of picture many times, and I thought it's stupid, spraying the street, but maybe there is something not being told to folks ?
Previously I thought something outside, would be covid-19 free in a matter of hours as it's exposed to the sunlight ?

 

[gwraigty]

We were told by a friend of who is a part-timer working at our nearby Trader Joe's that there were 80 people waiting for the store to open yesterday morning. In less than an hour after the doors opened the store racked up $14K in sales and mostly empty shelves were left for those, like DW & I, who arrived later. She was appalled at the hoarding that was taking place.

The terrible irony in all this is twofold - all those people crowding together to rush the store, definitely not maintaining good distance between them - and causing the shelf stock to run so low that subsequent shoppers will have to get out and shop more often, which is the opposite of what high risk people want to have to do.

 

[skipro33]

I delayed my annual checkup by 2 months, for the same reason, no need to wait in a room full of flu or covid-19 people.

It would suck to go to the doctor, just to get sick.

I think your timing is off. In two months we'll still be riding the wave upward. There will be even more sick people; several times more than there are now or will be in only a couple weeks.

 

[gwraigty]

Anyone else cancelling non-urgent medical appts and considering virtual health?

Last week or so, I cancelled a teeth cleaning I was supposed to have this morning. If I hadn't, they should have called me yesterday to cancel, as they're now being asked not to do teeth cleanings, whitenings, non-essential stuff. In Ohio, all elective procedures, medical, dental, and veterinary, are supposed to stop due to the shortage of masks and other items more desperately needed for those health care workers trying to help out with the coronavirus. With all the drive up testing centers that are supposed to be opening up, that's more demand for them, too. So I suspect that if people don't cancel their appointments, eventually they will be cancelled by the providers themselves, once it's actually been made an order.

 

[Sunset]

I know someone who works at a grocery store who stock groceries at night. He said orders only come in every other day for most things, and once they're out, they're out; they have to wait until the next shipment to arrive to stock the empty shelves. Even if they get the orders in every day, with the way things are going, they will be out in a day. You would need a huge storage in the back of the store for additional orders too. The supply chain may also already be hosed.

We have always maintained quite a 'store' of food in the basement. Probably because I'm a pack rat in nature and due to my upbringing the country, where we would store bushels of vegetables and apples in the cold cellar over the winter. The smell of earthy delights when entering that cellar as a child was wonderful (we didn't have cable/color tv ... etc).

So the past couple of weeks we picked up some groceries, but no hoarding action needed.
But if I want to go out less, and have less exposure, I might have to double up and buy 2 gallons of milk instead of 1 next week. Same for meat, buy 10lbs instead of maybe 5lbs.
That way I can shop every 2 wks, instead of once per week.

If everyone does this, no wonder initially it clears out the shelves for the first few weeks..

 

[sengsational]

Anyone else cancelling non-urgent medical appts and considering virtual health?

We received an email from FloridaBlue strongly encouraging virtual visits, and saying that soon they will be making it a $0 co-pay for such Teladoc visits while coronavirus is an issue. We plan to take this route for a non-emergent issue DH has. And, he just cancelled an non-emergency follow-up visit for tomorrow, too.

My local healthcare monopoly sent me an email today suggesting I spend $149 to enable "virtual visits"

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I think your timing is off. In two months we'll still be riding the wave upward. There will be even more sick people; several times more than there are now or will be in only a couple weeks.

Well, Sunset can always reschedule again (re-reschedule?); I find his optimism uplifting...as long as he remains ready to postpone again if necessary!

I just cancelled, as I don't even like the hassle of scheduling in the first place, so this way I hope to reschedule only once the situation seems to be improving....but that's just me.

 

[gailwinters]

My husband and I were scheduled for teeth cleaning for next Monday and I was supposed to have an implant set. I cancelled both procedures. They are going to call me to reschedule when things have hopefully settled down a bit. Who knows when that will be?

 

[Ronstar]

Anyone else cancelling non-urgent medical appts and considering virtual health?

I have bunion surgery pre-op 4/2 and surgery 4/9. I want to postpone. DW wants me to keep the appts as is. Still a couple weeks away - I can wait to make a decision

 

[skipro33]

I do need a hair cut that I will postpone. US barber shops are fairly clean compared to Europe, but still don't like someone breathing down my neck during the procedure.

 

[MichaelB]

Well that's just as well, since you don't even seem to be reading the posts you are responding to.

That was unnecessary. I’ll not respond in kind. Walking away now ...

 

[capjak]

Not sure this meets the criteria but here are updates on Diagnostic Tests and Pharma/Vaccine:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkn...eutical-treatments-and-vaccines/#11b27f3f21db

Also:
March 12: Roche Diagnostic Corona Test:
The company expects to supply about 400,000 tests per week in the US and more than three million globally.
March 16: Thermo Fisher Diagnostic Corona Test:
"We have already about 1.5 million tests in stock. We began shipping them yesterday and today,” Thermo Fisher Scientific CEO Marc Casper said of the company’s coronavirus test production.
“But we’re ramping up to about 2 million tests in production a week, and then over the course of April we’ll be able to get that to about 5 million tests a week in terms of production,” he said in a “Mad Money” interview.

 

[Sunset]

Well, Sunset can always reschedule again (re-reschedule?); I find his optimism uplifting...as long as he remains ready to postpone again if necessary!

I just cancelled, as I don't even like the hassle of scheduling in the first place, so this way I hope to reschedule only once the situation seems to be improving....but that's just me.

Correct, if things are bad, I'll reschedule.

Why I didn't simply cancel, is because when I originally thought "I should see the doc". The appts were easily a month out.
So I figured resheduling for me, is best, or I'll end up with another case of wanting the appt and finding none for the next 3 weeks. .

It also made me think of my dentist, but he sent an email to say they are only doing emergency cases, no routine work for now.

 

[simple girl]

I had a visit via video conferencing with my Pulmonologist . I do have a check up with my primary doctor for thursday but I will cancel that one.

So thankful that they offered video conferencing! If anything good comes of all this, it will be an expansion of telehealth services.

 

[GenXguy]

Now I have to have my temperature taken with an oral thermometer before going into work. I don't mind though, might keep out someone with COVID-19.

 

[Corporateburnout]

I have bunion surgery pre-op 4/2 and surgery 4/9. I want to postpone. DW wants me to keep the appts as is. Still a couple weeks away - I can wait to make a decision

Our state mandated the cancellation of all non emergency surgeries.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have seen this type of picture many times, and I thought it's stupid, spraying the street, but maybe there is something not being told to folks ?
Previously I thought something outside, would be covid-19 free in a matter of hours as it's exposed to the sunlight ?

Only Asian countries do this. Besides China, I know at least South Korea, Singapore, and the Phillipines have done this. Have not seen Western countries do this.

I wonder if it works, or is just something to appease the populace that the government is doing something to protect people.

 

[JoeWras]

Only Asian countries do this. Besides China, I know at least South Korea, Singapore, and the Phillipines have done this. Have not seen Western countries do this.

I wonder if it works, or is just something to appease the populace that the government is doing something to protect people.

Do people do a lot of spitting there?

I had an interesting read about the 1918 flu epidemic, and Chicago's response. One thing they did was stop the spitting. Also closed theaters and dance halls. One little picture is still relevant today, although who has a handkerchief? And stop smoking!

 

[GenXguy]

Only Asian countries do this. Besides China, I know at least South Korea, Singapore, and the Phillipines have done this. Have not seen Western countries do this.

I wonder if it works, or is just something to appease the populace that the government is doing something to protect people.

Yeah, watching the news about 2 weeks ago, I remember seeing trucks side by side driving along spraying the street in South Korea and wondered how that was supposed to help. How many people would pick up SARS-Cov-2 from the surface of the street and would get infected with COVID-19 if they weren't spraying?

 

[cathy63]

Only Asian countries do this. Besides China, I know at least South Korea, Singapore, and the Phillipines have done this. Have not seen Western countries do this.

I wonder if it works, or is just something to appease the populace that the government is doing something to protect people.

I haven't seen it for Covid-19, but it happened here a couple of years ago when we had a hepatitis outbreak. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo...ts-with-bleach-to-combat-hepatitis-a-outbreak

 

[NW-Bound]

Yeah, watching the news about 2 weeks ago, I remember seeing trucks side by side driving along spraying the street in South Korea and wondered how that was supposed to help. How many people would pick up SARS-Cov-2 from the surface of the street and would get infected with COVID-19 if they weren't spraying?

I wonder about the same thing. Even with the streets getting infected somehow, does the virus become airborne with dust particles? Scary if that is true.

I haven't seen it for Covid-19, but it happened here a couple of years ago when we had a hepatitis outbreak. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo...ts-with-bleach-to-combat-hepatitis-a-outbreak

So, there's a precedent. "... hepatitis A is being spread though contact with a "fecally contaminated environment"". Yuck!

 

[candrew]

Now I have to have my temperature taken with an oral thermometer before going into work. I don't mind though, might keep out someone with COVID-19.

Thank goodness that your temperature isn't being taken at the other end!