What was your COVID news for the day?

[REWahoo]

The article says the price of the helmet is $162. I don't think it includes the pump, or whatever the pneumatic machine that it is attached to.

Guess you missed this in the article I linked:

The original devices were made to run through ventilators. But working with Patel and her mentor, Dr. John Kress, Sea-Long has modified the helmets so they can be hooked up to a hospital's regular oxygen supply, keeping the ventilators free for those who need them most. They have also made another significant modification, adding a viral filter to prevent possible COVID-19 exposure to others.

 

[Alan]

Yesterday the mother of a good friend of my wife died. Stroke, not Covid, but with the current restrictions in place a funeral is restricted to a maximum of 10 mourners. The surviving children have decided to go for a “Direct Funeral”. We’d not heard this term before.

The following link is just an example of one of the companies that offer the service.

https://www.coop.co.uk/funeralcare/funeral-services/direct-cremation

What is Cremation Without Ceremony?

A Cremation Without Ceremony, sometimes known as a direct cremation, is for those who would prefer a simpler funeral. It's different to a traditional funeral as there is no funeral service and no one present at the cremation.

 

[JoeWras]

Yesterday the mother of a good friend of my wife died. Stroke, not Covid, but with the current restrictions in place a funeral is restricted to a maximum of 10 mourners. The surviving children have decided to go for a “Direct Funeral”. We’d not heard this term before.

That's an interesting term.

Most of our friends who have had family members cremated were not there for the actual cremation.

They get the ashes and this can be used as a focal point for a funeral later. It is becoming common at our church to have funerals weeks or months later. (It helps with travel.) This may become pretty standard now.

Of course, traditional burials are another matter.

 

[ncbill]

Funeral of a close relative from out-of-state is here later today...and I can't go.

Only her children (not even their spouses) are allowed to attend the graveside funeral.

There will be a memorial service at some later date...up near where she lived...not sure I'll be able to make it.

 

[garyt]

On our local news channel, they reported that there's no reason to be afraid of getting take out food.t (pun intended) for anyone on the fence about it. I'm not engaging in a debate about this. Continue to avoid all restaurant food, if you feel you must do that.

"Rasmussen adds if the virus is ingested, our stomach would actually get rid of the virus"


And yet they've found the virus in the stool of infected people, so how does that happen if stomach acid kills it?

 

[JoeWras]

"Rasmussen adds if the virus is ingested, our stomach would actually get rid of the virus"

And yet they've found the virus in the stool of infected people, so how does that happen if stomach acid kills it?

Virus is attacking the intestines? It gets to the intestines systemically, not through the gauntlet of the stomach? I don't know, just pondering.

This virus likes to chomp on a lot of body parts. Don't read too much, you may get very distressed to find what else it uses to replicate itself.

 

[FIREd_2015]

A doctor at Yale says "...Just because a coronavirus test says you don’t have the virus doesn’t mean you aren’t infected — or infectious...The problem may be with the test. Current coronavirus tests may have a particularly high rate of missing infections. The good news is that the tests appear to be highly specific: If your test comes back positive, it is almost certain you have the infection...Unfortunately, we have very little public data on the false-negative rate for these tests in clinical practice. Research coming out of China indicates that the false-negative rate may be around 30 percent...For now, we should assume that anyone could be carrying the virus. If you have had likely exposures and symptoms suggest Covid-19 infection, you probably have it — even if your test is negative..."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/01/...tion=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage

 

[harllee]

What customers see on tracking are logistical or derived scans not physical scans. Logistical time in transit starts when a label is created but the package could still be sitting, waiting to go out for a day or two. Similar to Christmas, delivery companies and shippers like Amazon are experiencing peak volumes (without all the extra employees) which leads to a less than seamless time in transit.

But I am getting an email each morning that says the package is on the Fed Ex truck and will be delivered today. Got the same email this morning, will see what happens. This is an item that I am really needing.

 

[NW-Bound]

Guess you missed this in the article I linked:

Yes, I did miss that.

The helmet provides a step between having the patient on a simple oxygen cannula to full-blown intubation with a ventilator. This intermediate step is traditionally done with a face mask.

The following article from the University of Chicago shows that the helmet is better than a face mask because it seals better against the patient's head or face. This allows a higher pressure being applied to the patient's lungs to inflate them.

For some reasons, European hospitals are using this helmet more than American hospitals.

Ref: https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/fo...e-mask-for-patients-with-respiratory-distress.

 

[mountainsoft]

Our town closed the parking lots to all of our city parks yesterday. The parks and trails are technically still open, you just can't go there by car. That's fine for people who live in town, but we're about ten miles from the closest park, so we're effectively banned.


Walking on our narrow mountain road isn't really an option. There's no shoulder and people drive too fast and reckless for that to be safe anymore.


It has been raining so much lately our yard is too mucky to even go walk around in our own yard. The only walking I'm getting now is up to the mailbox each day or shopping at the grocery store.

 

[JoeWras]

Our town closed the parking lots to all of our city parks yesterday. The parks and trails are technically still open, you just can't go there by car. That's fine for people who live in town, but we're about ten miles from the closest park, so we're effectively banned.


Walking on our narrow mountain road isn't really an option. There's no shoulder and people drive too fast and reckless for that to be safe anymore.


It has been raining so much lately our yard is too mucky to even go walk around in our own yard. The only walking I'm getting now is up to the mailbox each day or shopping at the grocery store.

This virus is going to have a secondary impact on us. Stress eating. Lack of exercise. Mental stress.

It adds up to a future bump in heart disease and stroke.

The exercise thing is killing me. My primary exercise is swimming. This is now impossible, maybe for a long time. Sure, I can walk and bike, but my knees are barking back at me quite loudly right now.

And as you mention, even walking is becoming difficult in many places.

 

[jollystomper]

An Australian astrophysicist tried to invent a bracelet that would buzz if the wearer moves his hand close to his face. The idea was that it would prevent the wearer from touching his face and getting infected with coronavirus.

His invention involved magnets. Playing with them, he ended up having 4 stuck together, inside his nose. It took a trip to the hospital to get the magnets removed.

See: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/a...?itm_source=parsely-api&mod=mw_more_headlines

I'm not attracted to that solution.

 

[MBAustin]

Got a call yesterday morning that DH's van was fixed so texted a friend to drive me to the shop to pick it up (I decided riding with someone I know who worked in healthcare was preferable to a random Uber driver.) Good timing as he decided his swollen lower leg needed to be checked out. He had no problem getting a GP appointment at the clinic. They had a nurse stationed outside to do a health check before allowing him in (I took a walk while he was inside). Doctor referred him to the local radiology lab for a Doppler study to make sure it wasn't a blood clot. That building has several medical offices so they had two different desks set up in the lobby to check people. (I took a walk again) The people at desk 1 sent him to desk 2 who sent him upstairs to a clinic office rather than to the radiology lab. The clinic didn't know why he was there. After some phone calls they realized it was just a mistake and sent him back to desk 1, where he lost his temper about the incompetence. Doppler showed nothing of concern and he apologized to the poor guy at desk 1 on the way out.

As it was 5:30 when we got home, DH agreed it was a good time for takeout, so I went back out and picked up some Thai food. We already decided that we'll get some good BBQ for Sunday lunch.

 

[garyt]

This virus is going to have a secondary impact on us. Stress eating. Lack of exercise. Mental stress.

It adds up to a future bump in heart disease and stroke.

The exercise thing is killing me. My primary exercise is swimming. This is now impossible, maybe for a long time. Sure, I can walk and bike, but my knees are barking back at me quite loudly right now.

And as you mention, even walking is becoming difficult in many places.

I'm actually losing weight, no desire to eat. I'm in a funk. I'm having a hard time exercising, too. I was working out in some form everyday before the virus, just can't get motivated now. My cardio was full court basketball, but that's gone. I've gone running a few times but that's like torture for me.

 

[NW-Bound]

I thought I have been eating normally, but lost some pounds. I even ate ice cream after dinner a couple of times lately. BMI down to 23 from 23.5. Will see if this helps my blood pressure.

I have a yard project to keep busy on. Don't want to work too hard on it, in order to make it last. Been reluctant to go to stores or stone yards if I start a new project and need material. Home Depot is probably on the essential list, but not sure about other stores, and they may be closed anyway.

 

[ivinsfan]

I thought I have been eating normally, but lost some pounds. I even ate ice cream after dinner a couple of times lately. BMI down to 23 from 23.5. Will see if this helps my blood pressure.

I have a yard project to keep busy on. Don't want to work too hard on it, in order to make it last. Been reluctant to go to stores or stone yards if I start a new project and need material. Home Depot is probably on the essential list, but not sure about other stores, and they may be closed anyway.

It's a trade off, if you make one trip and are very careful and then have something to do that keeps you active and happy and fit it could be worth it.

If you have a project, my advice would be to buy everything you think you might possibly need in a worse case project outcome. Our problem is we are always need to run back to HD for some missing minor part. You cant always return stuff you didn't need at a later date.

 

[W2R]

I'm actually losing weight, no desire to eat.

I thought I have been eating normally, but lost some pounds.

I'm not trying to lose weight right now, but I am pleased to have unintentionally lost about five pounds since going into semi-lockdown on the 14th. This is really weird, and I thought that like JoeWras I would have had a problem with stress eating, but that has not been my experience at all. Due to being stuck at home I am not on my usual daily schedule; I don't go to the gym any more, and I don't even remember what day it is sometimes. I am alternately horrified by news stories or transported to a wonderful stress free world in my video game. I guess these changes in daily life might explain why I am not getting hungry at mealtime, and forget to eat.

 

[Winemaker]

An Australian astrophysicist tried to invent a bracelet that would buzz if the wearer moves his hand close to his face. The idea was that it would prevent the wearer from touching his face and getting infected with coronavirus.

His invention involved magnets. Playing with them, he ended up having 4 stuck together, inside his nose. It took a trip to the hospital to get the magnets removed.

See: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/a...?itm_source=parsely-api&mod=mw_more_headlines

It doesn't pass the smell test to me!

 

[TrvlBug]

I'm not trying to lose weight right now, but I am pleased to have unintentionally lost about five pounds since going into semi-lockdown on the 14th. This is really weird, and I thought that like JoeWras I would have had a problem with stress eating, but that has not been my experience at all. Due to being stuck at home I am not on my usual daily schedule; I don't go to the gym any more, and I don't even remember what day it is sometimes. I am alternately horrified by news stories or transported to a wonderful stress free world in my video game. I guess these changes in daily life might explain why I am not getting hungry at mealtime, and forget to eat.

DH attributes his small weight loss of 2 lbs. to muscle turning to fat .

We are doing a lot of walking which includes some great inclines, but have not replaced gym weight training with at home weight training. As we have the weights, I attribute it to laziness . We really need to get moving on this.

 

[audreyh1]

"Rasmussen adds if the virus is ingested, our stomach would actually get rid of the virus"


And yet they've found the virus in the stool of infected people, so how does that happen if stomach acid kills it?

Virus in the stool is not from eating the virus, it’s from the person being infected.

 

[Retire2013]

I lost almost five pounds, probably from not eating out. I have been in self isolation for over 3 weeks.

 

[JoeWras]

I'm not trying to lose weight right now, but I am pleased to have unintentionally lost about five pounds since going into semi-lockdown on the 14th. This is really weird, and I thought that like JoeWras I would have had a problem with stress eating, but that has not been my experience at all. Due to being stuck at home I am not on my usual daily schedule; I don't go to the gym any more, and I don't even remember what day it is sometimes. I am alternately horrified by news stories or transported to a wonderful stress free world in my video game. I guess these changes in daily life might explain why I am not getting hungry at mealtime, and forget to eat.

I was speaking collectively, especially from many of my FB friends complaining of over eating.

DW and I are actually losing a little weight. I'm down 4 lbs since March 1. As I mentioned on the "Intermittent fasting" thread, we've somewhat unintentionally been doing that some days of the week.

We do not have a huge stock of supplies, and only got our first on-line order yesterday. It has been a good experiment, of sorts, forcing us to dust off some cans of stuff out of the cupboard. Not going to favorites means eating less. And for favorites, I've learned to ration. I only had 6 yogurts for 14 days, so I had to ration. Eating less. Not a bad thing.

 

[braumeister]

We had the first death from COVID-19 in my county, out of five confirmed cases. Someone in their 80s.

I'm hopeful the news will make people a little more cognizant of the problem, because I've been seeing a lot of them ignoring the social distance rules.

I've been trying to get out earlier in the morning for my daily run, and that seems to work since the earlier I go the fewer other pedestrians I see.

 

[KCGeezer]

For something CV related but not specifically about the disease. This article notes that seismic activity is measurably decreased due to the inactivity of humans. Didn’t see that one coming but it makes sense.


https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00965-x

 

[rodi]

Here's a random covid19 real world impact news. The University of California announced that they will not require SAT or ACT results for applicants for fall 2021.

My son is directly impacted by this decision. He's been working on an online SAT prep course - and was scheduled for the May 2nd SAT - until it was cancelled. He was VERY excited by this news. I am insisting he complete the SAT prep... He thinks I'm mean.

Also - the UC system is only one set of in state universities... there's still the CSUs. So I am still anticipating him having to take the SAT.

Also - semi-covid related... Older son is at a job interview at the local grocery store right now. We will have to come up with a disinfectant strip down process if he gets this job. I say it's semi-covid related because grocery store workers are in demand these days... and he's home from college because of covid.