Coronavirus 4

[Coconut Flan]

I think politely, delicately pushing back is the only way some of these people will see the light.  It isn't always easy to do.  I've become a commenter to people who aren't wearing masks or wearing them properly.  Most of them respond by fixing their masks and thanking me or apologizing.  Only one was actively rude so far.  She was so rude she was asked to leave the business so kind of a problem solved thing.  

I have an appointment to get the first round of Moderna tomorrow afternoon.  I hope it goes well.  I'm getting it at my regular doctor's office which is surprising almost everyone.

 

[church_of_dog]

2 hours ago, Alisamer said:

This morning it was how it couldn't possibly snow when the air temperature at the ground was slightly above freezing, so even the weather is "fake news". I tried to be polite pointing out that snow forms in clouds, which are way up high, where it is very freaking cold and therefore it can snow even if it's not quite freezing on the ground, it just won't stick. And immediately after I posted that there was sleet outside, despite it being above freezing. 

So sad it's almost funny -- I mean these are two attributes that can each be independently confirmed by each individual -- yes, the thermometer shows it's above freezing.  Yes, I can see and touch that is snow falling.  So which part do they think is "fake"?  I know, applying rational thinking is moot to these guys...
 

Also, a Murphy's Law update -- my mom's memory care facility is getting their first vaccine today.  Except my mom isn't there -- she went to the hospital last night for emergency surgery to fix an umbilical hernia that had captured a bit of her intestine.  Fortunately, the intestine didn't need to be resected and so they were able to do a laparoscopic hernia repair with only a few small incisions -- much easier to recover from than a long abdominal incision.

However, the hard part is the next few days as she recovers in hospital -- getting a dementia patient to be placid in a hospital room is a challenge when she doesn't understand where she is, and can barely hear what people tell her, and everyone is so bundled up in PPE that she can hardly see them anyway.  I will call her this afternoon to hopefully help reorient her and to encourage her to stop resisting the nurses and trying to pull out her naso-gastric tube, etc.

It seems to be going decently well so far, but I know there is still a chance something might go wrong and she might not make it.  I'm far away plus there's covid so all I can do talk to her on the phone and hope she pulls through without causing herself too much damage.

Assuming she does return to her memory care place in a few days, she will of course have missed the vaccine (I asked the hospital if they could just give it to her while she's there but they said no), so she'll get her first shot in a few weeks when everyone else is getting their second shot.

Considering that I probably won't be able to be fully vaccinated myself for a few months and that the soonest I can imagine being permitted to go visit her would be early summer, I guess in the long run it's ok.  But in the back of my mind I'm grumbling "bad timing, Ma!"

[CTRLZero]

A cousin recently died.  He was 87 and in declining health, so it wasn’t totally unexpected.  In his obituary, which was long since he was a very accomplished individual, it mentioned his official cause of death plus that he tested positive for Covid-19. I wonder if mentioning Covid-19 in obits will become common. (Just my usual musing.)  

@church_of_dog - I’m sorry about your mom.  It’s especially difficult to cope nowadays. I hope your phone call helps.  ❤️  

[Ozlsn]

A really hard read - a consultant anesthetist writing about covid patients.

Obviously they see the really severe cases, but even so it is heartbreaking, and makes me so angry at these morons out claiming it's a hoax. Poor terrified patients.

[church_of_dog]

Mom update -- when I spoke to her Monday afternoon she was alert, coherent, and even in a good mood.  She did so well that she was discharged back to her memory care place yesterday.  So, other than her vaccination being delayed a few weeks, all turned out well and now she no longer has the hernia to cause potential problems in the future.  Thanks for all the kind thoughts!

[Coconut Flan]

The most dangerous/deadly job in California during COVID is in some ways a little surprising:  line cook.

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/business/money-report/line-cooks-have-the-highest-risk-of-dying-during-pandemic-plus-other-riskiest-jobs-study/2509639/

[Kailash]

@Skyline How are your twins doing? I just caught up on this thread today and haven’t seen an update. I hope all is well.

[Skyline]

41 minutes ago, Kailash said:

@Skyline How are your twins doing? I just caught up on this thread today and haven’t seen an update. I hope all is well.

They tested negative, thank God. Took them a week to shake whatever it was though. The other daycare in my area has a Covid outbreak so I was understandably freaked out. 

[Kailash]

2 hours ago, Skyline said:

They tested negative, thank God. Took them a week to shake whatever it was though. The other daycare in my area has a Covid outbreak so I was understandably freaked out. 

I’m relieved to hear that! 

[SassyPants]

Today, I was able to get my parents the vaccine in Northen CA. They are 85+ and Kaiser patients. They did NOT get the vaccine at Kaiser. Kaiser has been particularly poor at handling this vaccine rollout...very poor communication. 

[church_of_dog]

1 hour ago, SassyPants said:

Today, I was able to get my parents the vaccine in Northen CA. They are 85+ and Kaiser patients. They did NOT get the vaccine at Kaiser. Kaiser has been particularly poor at handling this vaccine rollout...very poor communication. 

Good news!

Can you share how, if it's something that might work for others?

I have elderly friends in Martinez who have been unable to get it via Kaiser so far.

Edited February 4, 2021 by church_of_dog
riffle

[SassyPants]

I called 844 987-6115 and followed the instructions given. Appointments were given and confirmed, but my mom said that there was also a line of people who did not have appointments, and they also received the vaccine. The vaccine site was next to Cal Expo. My mom said it was very organized and thorough. Phone lines are open M-F 7A-6P, and weekends 8A-5P. Good Luck!

[Coconut Flan]

1 hour ago, SassyPants said:

Today, I was able to get my parents the vaccine in Northen CA. They are 85+ and Kaiser patients. They did NOT get the vaccine at Kaiser. Kaiser has been particularly poor at handling this vaccine rollout...very poor communication. 

Southern California Kaiser has defaulted to telling people to go to a vaccine super site if they can get an appointment.

I've heard that in our county there is always a line of people near the end of the day who don't have appointments.  They are hoping to get any vaccine that is leftover after the appointments are done.  Supposedly they take the oldest first and go in age order until they run out.

The mask PSA for today:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/02/03/962197192/5-hacks-to-make-your-face-mask-more-protective

Edited February 4, 2021 by Coconut Flan

[clueliss]

UK variant found in Ellis County, Kansas

 

[OHFL2009]

I used to have family in Ellis County, but they've all since moved. It would be very interesting to track the movement and mutation of a new strain in such a low population density area. I'm not a scientist but I feel like it would be easier to follow the path in an area with not a lot of people vs. a bigger city where one might interact with a lot of people they don't know over the course of the day.

[clueliss]

That's along I-70.  Wondering if interstate travel could be in play.  And I ask this since I live in Mid-Missouri and can see traffic on that same interstate moving from my WFH desk right now (through bare trees)

[OHFL2009]

That's possible. Hays is the most likely place for a trucker/through traveler to stop in that stretch of I-70.  There's also Ft. Hays State, but I don't know when their spring semester started or if they're online or in person. It could have been a student from one of the bigger cities brought it back from Christmas break. 

[Coconut Flan]

Today's mask news:  standards are being set for non-medical masks in the US.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/04/health/masks-coronavirus-standards-coming/index.html

This could lead to prohibiting the use of the mostly ineffectual masks and give people some idea of the protection they are really getting.  

[clueliss]

Spread of other viruses stopped/low amid Covid.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/pandemic-stopped-spread-nearly-every-010033265.html

 

Wait - you mean washing your hands, social distancing and mask wearing WORKS?  I know, I'm not shocked either (because 2 years ago when I started using Walmart Grocery pickup and reduced the amount of time in grocery stores etc during cold/flu season I stopped getting sick as much)

[Coconut Flan]

The doctor told me several years ago to stay out of church, Wal Mart, and Costco during cold and flu season.  

[ADoyle90815]

So far, I haven't had any luck trying to convince my dad to just skip Kaiser and go to a vaccine site since he's old enough to get the vaccine. He got tested last fall for Covid at one of those sites that's now a vaccine site, and he was negative. All I know is that when I'm able to get vaccinated, I'm going to one of those sites instead. My mom in Las Vegas is going to get her second dose of the Moderna sometime next week.

For me, I've only been to Costco once since this pandemic started, and that was just to renew my membership since it's a great place to buy paper towels and other products, even if paper towels are limited to 1 package per customer. I still have plenty of toilet paper, so I don't need to buy that at Costco at this time.

[Ozlsn]

It's kind of weird reading about vaccine distribution- Australia hasn't started rolling out yet, although I wish they would begin before the winter respiratory virus season starts to give the best chance of us not having another year of lock downs. The TGA (FDA equivalent) has approved one vaccine, and there are doses ordered - but we certainly haven't started with the queues. 

Meanwhile the states are taking it in turns to have cases originating in hotel quarantine - WA locked down for 5 days last week, Victoria has one local case related to the Australian Open tennis championship, where players have been in quarantine for two weeks. I was supposed to return to work on site today, but after the case was announced at a 10.30pm press conference on Wednesday my work halted all but necessary work on site, so I worked from home instead. 

Masks are back to being required in all indoor venues, but so far no more cases have been detected so they might relax again soon. At least here it is a wet La Niña year - Perth is in the unenviable position of also having uncontrolled bushfires and people having to evacuate to emergency centres, which of course is stressful enough at the best of times, but covid makes it worse.

We all know that we're fortunate, but I still wish they'd start the vaccine rollout.

[clueliss]

Funny, but I trust a Doctor's analysis of Missouri vaccine roll out over the Governor's.

April for 1B Tier 3.  They can hype how well they're doing but when I run local numbers it's going to be a long time.

 

[clueliss]

Bettering your masking.

And for me - ooooh that pantyhose hack

 

[Coconut Flan]

My thought since I saw those suggestions in a different article was if making a surgical mask a tighter fit is so easy, why don't they change the manufacture of them to come out that way from the factory?