What was your COVID news for the day?

[gwraigty]

Last evening we had to take our daughter to the ER for an unusual onset of severe pain. Long story short, everything's fine and she's even at work right now. I thought some of you might be interested in the experience with the new COVID-19 protocols in place.

First we went to the urgent care center. The revolving door was blocked off. There was only one entrance/exit. We went inside and a healthcare worker took DD's temperature right inside the entrance. It was normal. The worker said that DD could see a provider, but they didn't have the imaging equipment to look into the matter. She suggested we go right to the ER. We weren't there more than a minute or so right inside the entrance.

At the ER, they had healthcare workers stationed at a table right inside the entrance. I presume they took her temperature also, but I didn't see it because I was parking the car. Off to the right was a room with a huge vacuum hose that's been repurposed to be a COVID-19 negative pressure room. They asked her some COVID-19 screening questions. She was sent off to a room to the left and we were kindly directed to leave immediately. I was concerned about how we would hear news of her. She had her cell phone, but she hadn't checked the charge and hadn't thought to bring a charger. One of the healthcare workers took down our number and said she'd call, if DD couldn't. We probably weren't inside for more than a minute.

This was the first time neither of us was allowed to stay with one of our kids for an urgent medical need. My husband is usually more relaxed than I am, but I could tell he was worried, too. It's really different when you can stay with your loved one and know what's going on every step of the way. Because of the new COVID-19 protocols, when the patient is a competent adult, you're not allowed to be there right now. You're not allowed to even stay in the building. They shoo you away as nicely and compassionately as possible.

We knew she was in good hands. We didn't know if she'd be able to come home, or if they'd find something that would require her to be admitted, and when we'd find out one way or the other. I texted her 3 hours later and she was able to give me updates. Another hour went by and she texted me that she was being discharged. She said that all the staff was just fantastic with her, joking with her, and making her feel so much at ease.

While DD was in her ER bed, she overheard another patient's situation. The woman needed an immediate appendectomy and they tested her for COVID-19, which is now standard procedure before performing surgeries.

Bottom line, these medical facilities are doing what they're supposed to be doing to keep patients safe and they're doing it quite efficiently. If you can do this ahead of time, you can check the facility website for their protocols. There's signage with the new procedures posted at the entrances. If you don't have a mask, they'll provide you with one upon entering. Minors (and incompetent adults) can have one adult stay with them, provided the adult screens negative via questioning for COVID-19. Adults can have others enter with them, but then you're quickly separated for everyone's safety. If you're not allowed to stay, they don't let you further inside than a couple of feet from the entrance.

 

[cathy63]

Wow, that must have been scary! I'm very glad to hear your daughter is o.k. and I appreciate the description of your experiences.

 

[razztazz]

I can second that description. My recent kidney stone escapades had me in and out of doctor's offices and surgical centers several times. They were all "up tight and outta sight" with the prophylactic protocols. Nobody was taking chances and everybody seemed quite confident in their procedures.

 

[gwraigty]

Wow, that must have been scary! I'm very glad to hear your daughter is o.k. and I appreciate the description of your experiences.

Thank you. Yes, it was a bit scary to have to leave like that and feel so cut off from information, but it pales in comparison for family members with someone admitted to the hospital who may not be able to get timely info for an extended period of time. It is what it is right now.

I can second that description. My recent kidney stone escapades had me in and out of doctor's offices and surgical centers several times. They were all "up tight and outta sight" with the prophylactic protocols. Nobody was taking chances and everybody seemed quite confident in their procedures.

Glad to hear that! I trust you're feeling better now? I hope that my post and yours provide an added boost of confidence to people wondering what they might expect in a medical setting nowadays. It's not really something many of us are exposed to every day, but when you've got to go, you've got to go!

 

[Ronstar]

Illinois moved into "Phase 3" of the Restore Illinois Plan today. Lots of businesses reopening today in a limited fashion. Went by a local bar and grill. Patio area jam packed. Outdoor seating only is limited to 6 per table with tables separated by 6' per the state reg's. But it looked rather easy to socialize from table to table.

ETA - barber shops/hair salons are included in Phase 3 reopening. Good thing - my iPhone facial recognition no longer recognizes me.

 

[Gumby]

...
ETA - barber shops/hair salons are included in Phase 3 reopening. Good thing - my iPhone facial recognition no longer recognizes me.

We purchased clippers, and the young wife has cut my hair twice since we locked down. We're both pleased with the results. I may never go back to the barber.

 

[Oz investor]

throwing drugs at a patient on the verge of artificial ventilation .. is a farce ... they MIGHT work but so might prayer or the person's will to live ( but how do you document that )

various governments have had MONTHS to organize a preemptive pack or pill that supplements Vitamin C and D and zinc as a basic .. organize health checks that would include or exclude HCQ. as a safe option for THAT person as a preemptive or precautionary treatment .

seems to me many government medical authorities have been watching too much House MD and should be retired to the TV lounge and REAL management appointed

what a multi-national clown-show ( except for Singapore South Korea , Hong Kong .. and the jury is still out on Sweden )

if you overspend a few dollars on 95% on the population is that worse than most outcomes now

let's count the months for the excuse makers ... March ( if you hadn't worked out this was a problem by the start of March you should have been in a Hospice ) , April , and this is the end of May .
. now what IF there is a second wave ( i think it will be the third wave , but data collection and testing has been rubbish as well , so we might never know )

SECOND WAVE and you still don't have a plan ... someone needs to be replaced , in most nations ,
so lets try testing and tracing NOW ( months late to be useful ) .. how reliable are those test kits again ... sigh

BTW i probably had this virus Xmas Day and for 2 months after , if so it came from a guest who had flown in from Canada who had been working the Canadian Ski Resorts OR the local shopping mall

but of course i hadn't been to Wuhan or even knew where Wuhan was in December 2019 .. so don't test don't tell

i have never been so ashamed of so many top health official at one moment of time

meanwhile various platforms are working their butt off to limit citizen information and using the same fumbling officials as guidance

anyone one know the phone number of a witch-doctor .. at least you can hold him directly accountable for tragic outcomes

 

[Ronstar]

We purchased clippers, and the young wife has cut my hair twice since we locked down. We're both pleased with the results. I may never go back to the barber.

I’d go the home cut clipper route if DW would allow it. But she freaked out when I got an extremely short clipper job at a salon. But that was the fault of the guy doing the clipping, not the clipper.

 

[tmm99]

I don't think I have to go to a hair salon ever again. I shocked myself yesterday giving myself a haircut. I did such a great job, and I did it in 1/4 of the time a hairdresser would take. I haven't checked how the back of my head looks though, but my DH says it's layered nicely, so I'll go with that. I'm no longer coloring my hair at this point as I now wear a baseball cap when I go out, and I don't see anyone except my DH.

 

[Alan]

I’d go the home cut clipper route if DW would allow it. But she freaked out when I got an extremely short clipper job at a salon. But that was the fault of the guy doing the clipping, not the clipper.

My wife let me have a shot with the clippers on her day a couple of days ago. Worked out pretty well. I’m still alive.

 

[Dtail]

I haven't checked lately, but I thought the Wahl clippers were sold out everywhere.

 

[Gumby]

We got this Andis professional clipper and trimmer combo. https://www.amazon.com/Andis-Barber...d=1590835458&rnid=2941120011&s=beauty&sr=1-37

A quick look on Amazon shows three sellers who appear to have them. I ordered in early April and got them in 3 weeks. Expensive, but sturdy and they do a good job.

 

[harllee]

I don't think I have to go to a hair salon ever again. I shocked myself yesterday giving myself a haircut. I did such a great job, and I did it in 1/4 of the time a hairdresser would take. I haven't checked how the back of my head looks though, but my DH says it's layered nicely, so I'll go with that. I'm no longer coloring my hair at this point as I now wear a baseball cap when I go out, and I don't see anyone except my DH.

Same for me--I have a simple haircut, chin length, so have been trimming it myself every few weeks and I like the way it looks better than the hairdresser cut. The hairdresser always took too much off. So I doubt I ever go back, that saves some cash, aggravation and time. I am fortunate at age 68 to not have any gray hair!

 

[Alan]

I am fortunate at age 68 to not have any gray hair!

I wish I had some hair, don't care what color

 

[Amethyst]

Thick, unruly, wavy/curly hair is not amenable to self-cutting. I'm just letting mine grow and putting it up with a huge barrette for now. Neither of us likes me with short (or up) hair, but that's the way it's gonna be for a while.

 

[audreyh1]

Lucky that I have a cut that can grow long, and I just have to deal with my bangs.

Today I’m going to try to do DH’s hair. Wish me luck, I’ve been procrastinating for 2 weeks poor guy!

Coloring (highlights) I gave up years ago to disguise white steaks because we were full time RVers. Strangely the silver-white hair framing my face often looks more blond, and I still have lots of different shades of brown in the rest of my hair. I would occasionally get a compliment on my interesting hair coloring.

 

[MrLoco]

Received an update that this resident has tested negative for Covid after two tests. Still in hospital on a ventilator, and did have symptoms indicative of Covid. Understand they do not yet know what is causing his condition.

I'm curious how this information "got out." If the physician relayed this information to neighbors; this is a clear violation of HIPAA guidelines and could result in severe disciplinary action to the physician.

 

[gwraigty]

I just stumbled upon this article and I'm stunned at some of what is revealed about our situation here in Ohio. I've watched the state press conferences since March and read many state and local news reports. I can vouch that much of what is said in this article is true, but it reveals some things that I didn't know, as closely as I thought I was following the situation. Even if you're not in Ohio, it's worthwhile reading. It's quite a long article, but easy to read.

Governor DeWine Suppresses Data Disproving COVID-19 Policies

Some tidbits:

Ohio Governor DeWine, Director of Health Acton and Lt. Governor Husted started handling the Coronavirus outbreak with faulty modeling, while ignoring critical real-time data. Now the trio suppresses critical data.
...
Nearly a week before the stay-at-home order was issued, Imperial College epidemiologist Neil Ferguson modeled the COVID-19 outbreak. Ferguson’s model became the point of reference for leaders across the globe, influencing lockouts and sheltering policies.

Ferguson himself backtracked on his model’s accuracy just weeks later after the projections tanked. The swing and miss on COVID-19 is not Ferguson’s first projection whiff. Ferguson predicted 200 million would die from the bird flu in 2005--deaths totaled 455. In 2009 Ferguson predicted 65,000 people would die in the U.K. from swine flu—the death toll was 392.

[mod edit to ensure copyright compliance. See Gumby’s FAQ post here https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f32/copyright-the-dmca-and-cut-and-paste-62748.html ]

I'm no conspiracy theorist. I don't know if there's an underlying agenda in all of this. It may simply be that no one wants to admit they made decisions based on flawed data and that now we need to do something different to move forward. At least I could have some respect for an admission along those lines. Doing otherwise...

 

[rodi]

Just read that San Diego is going to open the beaches for sitting on Tuesday. It's been open for running/walking/swimming/surfing.... but no sitting, tanning, vegging in the sun.

Parking lots at the beach are still closed. So there might be more pressure on neighborhood street parking - which is what I've been doing for my morning beach walks. (Which are no longer daily beach walks since it's a hassle to park.)

Barbershops and salons are starting to open up in a very limited way.

Parking lots at local parks are now reopened... but, in theory and writing, no team sports allowed. That does not stop the basketball games I see when I'm walking locally (vs the beach.)

Restaurants can now do distanced out door dining and very distanced indoor dining. A local favorite Italian spot opened for onsite dining, then temporarily closed (even for take out) 4 days later. Hopefully they will reopen this coming week. If maintaining the dine-in protocols is too much - I hope it continues for take out. It's a neighborhood institution and was definitely popular for take out during this Covid stay at home thing. Physically distanced lines, every evening, were the norm for the past two months... My sons went to school and played baseball with the owners' sons... it's as local as you get.

I'm still staying home, washing my hands, wearing a mask when I go out, and treating it seriously. I'm hoping San Diego doesn't start having more cases as things open up.

 

[explanade]

I’d go the home cut clipper route if DW would allow it. But she freaked out when I got an extremely short clipper job at a salon. But that was the fault of the guy doing the clipping, not the clipper.

I don't think I have to go to a hair salon ever again. I shocked myself yesterday giving myself a haircut. I did such a great job, and I did it in 1/4 of the time a hairdresser would take. I haven't checked how the back of my head looks though, but my DH says it's layered nicely, so I'll go with that. I'm no longer coloring my hair at this point as I now wear a baseball cap when I go out, and I don't see anyone except my DH.

My wife let me have a shot with the clippers on her day a couple of days ago. Worked out pretty well. I’m still alive.

Anyone have luck keeping the hair clippings from going everywhere and cleaning up afterwards?

I used my Dyson and there are hairs caught in this fine filter between the dust receptacle and the motor.

 

[REWahoo]

Anyone have luck keeping the hair clippings from going everywhere and cleaning up afterwards?

We use our deck as a hair salon and clean up afterwards with the leaf blower.

 

[explanade]

Good idea, but if you're self cutting, you'd want to be in front of a mirror?

 

[Gumby]

Anyone have luck keeping the hair clippings from going everywhere and cleaning up afterwards?

I used my Dyson and there are hairs caught in this fine filter between the dust receptacle and the motor.

When the young wife cut my hair, we did it in the kitchen. I sat on my office swivel chair and we used an old tablecloth as a cape over both me and the chair. My hair fell on the floor and we just swept it up, same as they do in the barber shop. We shook out the cape outside and washed it. Easy peasy, lemon squeezee.

 

[travelover]

Good idea, but if you're self cutting, you'd want to be in front of a mirror?

Not if you just use a bowl and scissors.

 

[Ronstar]

Anyone have luck keeping the hair clippings from going everywhere and cleaning up afterwards?

This got me thinking. After reading the last several posts in this thread, I figured it was time for a haircut. I couldn’t wait any longer. The sides of my hair came to mid ear and wasn’t right wearing a hat. I needed to cut back to above ear.

Knowing the mess I made in the house last time, I decided to cut my hair in the driveway using my truck side mirror to see what I was doing. So I grabbed my workshop scissors and went at it. It’s a windy day, so hair was flying everywhere. Some stuck to my truck window, so I blew it off with a leaf blower.

I’ll touch it up later if need be, but I got the bulk of it off.