COVID-19

[PASabreFan]

1 minute ago, JohnC said:

I'm not sure how it applies in this mask scenario? As an example if you have children and the school system requires  you to have proof that they have the required vaccinations you have to provide the school with the medical documentation. 

Dunno. I just know I'm not telling the assistant assistant manager at Tops I have herpes.

[JohnC]

Just now, PASabreFan said:

Dunno. I just know I'm not telling the assistant assistant manager at Tops I have herpes.

I strongly recommend that you keep your pants on if asked for proof of your condition. This is a TMI situation. In this case public ignorance is very appropriate.  

[Eleven]

53 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Dunno. I just know I'm not telling the assistant assistant manager at Tops I have herpes.

She already knows.

[Ogre]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

The mask rule is actually simple to enforce if the rules are clear and unambiguous with few exceptions. And it needs to originate from the state government with the force of the law/regulations behind it. If you allow exceptions then you are sabotaging the efficacy of the law. If in the very rare case that there is a legitimate medical reason not to wear a mask then a doctor's note should be required. That would stop most of the fakers from trying to skirt the mask rule. 

 

56 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

They have HIPAA on their side.

There is a very simple solution. I’ve linked several times to OSHA guidelines on Covid so you can easily find it. The mask is preferred but if health issues prohibit the wearing of a mask then a face shield should be worn. You can buy them anywhere around here. Can’t wear a mask? No reason you can’t wear a face shield then.

The Dandy mart in Bristol has a policy that they follow and is prominently displayed in the entrance. “No shirt, no shoes, no face covering, no business”. They are some of the cutest old ladies you’ll ever meet too.

Cheap Charlie’s in Bloomfield is really going all out. I haven’t been in since reopening but he’s my FIL’s first cousin so I’ve heard all about it. They have plexiglass dividers on the booths, tables and even between the stools at the bar! He also has a strict no mask/no service policy. A few folks have threatened to not come back and he said “see ya ‘round!”.

I doesn’t matter about losing a customer when the no-maskers lead us into another shutdown. Some customers are better than no customers.

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

The Premiers of the four Atlantic Provinces have very quickly gone from doing a great job to ***** idiots.

On July 3rd they opened up the "Atlantic Bubble" and allowed residents of the four atlantic Canadian provinces to freely travel within them without self-isolating for 14 days.  

Since then all four provinces have gone from zero cases for at least 3 weeks to several new cases.  ***** brilliant.

On top of that our illustrious Premier of NS has said that border service agents will not be turning away cars with US plates on them.  

Like Dude, WTF!!  You just signed all of our death warrants.

I hear ya, and I pray they keep the U.S. border here in BC closed but the East Coast outbreak wasn't that bad in perspective. At the same time you got those 5+ new cases Florida had 11,000 new ones so no need to panic just yet.

2 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

Not to make light of this whole pandemic and all, but I must say that I find women wearing masks to be very mysterious and rather sexy, kind of like a veil.

Well, one woman anyway.

Lol, sounds like you should consider a move to a Muslim country. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

13 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I hear ya, and I pray they keep the U.S. border here in BC closed but the East Coast outbreak wasn't that bad in perspective. At the same time you got those 5+ new cases Florida had 11,000 new ones so no need to panic just yet.

Lol, sounds like you should consider a move to a Muslim country. 

Where are you in BC?  Did not realize you were one of us.  Welcome!!  You hoser!!

Funny you should say that about a Muslim country.  That one woman is in UAE right now.  Possibly the least "Muslim" (I don't think that is a real word) of all the so-called Muslim countries.

[Eleven]

3 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

I don't think that is a real word)

You used it twice without the quotes in that very post.  What is the preferred nomenclature?

[PerreaultForever]

8 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

Where are you in BC?  Did not realize you were one of us.  Welcome!!  You hoser!!

Funny you should say that about a Muslim country.  That one woman is in UAE right now.  Possibly the least "Muslim" (I don't think that is a real word) of all the so-called Muslim countries.

I grew up in Hamilton Ontario, which is why I'm a Sabres fan. Watching the old Sabres broadcasts on the Buffalo TV channels and loving the French Connection and all the rest of that era. I was in Nanaimo for over a decade but now live in Abbotsford. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

9 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I grew up in Hamilton Ontario, which is why I'm a Sabres fan. Watching the old Sabres broadcasts on the Buffalo TV channels and loving the French Connection and all the rest of that era. I was in Nanaimo for over a decade but now live in Abbotsford. 

Not a lot unlike my own story.  I grew up in Toronto and had family in Buffalo.  Grew up loving and watching the Sabres.  Moved to Halifax over 20 years ago and have not looked back.  I have not returned to The Great Satan since my escape and I will not even if forced at gun point.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

13 hours ago, Eleven said:

You used it twice without the quotes in that very post.  What is the preferred nomenclature?

The proper term would be Islamic, I think, but even Islamic countries refer to themselves as Muslim countries.  The quotes were mine for emphasis.  Islamic countries are the ones that have a majority Muslim population and are in some way following Sharia, which is just their interpretation of Sharia.  In other words ... they just make it up.

The most Islamic counties in the world are not the Muslim countries.  Turkey is pretty good and better remain a secular country that is majority Muslim.  Good examples of real Islamic societies are the Scandinavian countries and to a certain extent Canada.  We do not have a Muslim majority (yet), so we will never admit to it.

[Doohickie]

22 hours ago, spndnchz said:

One of the things I miss is seeing a person’s facial expression. Should take an eye translator class.  

One of the things I love is seeing a person’s facial expression through their eyes.  Eyes can be incredibly expressive.

[PASabreFan]

The eyes probably get too much credit for being expressive. What can they do other than constrict/dilate their pupils? The poor, unappreciated eyelids and muscles around the eyes...

(Prison optometrist 1955-58)

[Doohickie]

 

[North Buffalo]

Fla announced 56 of it hospitals have all icu beds full... but hey dont wear a mask... young people dont die.

[PASabreFan]

NYS Health Department has issued a report that concludes most disease entered NYS nursing homes through staff and visitors, not patients brought back into the facility.

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

8 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

NYS Health Department has issued a report that concludes most disease entered NYS nursing homes through staff and visitors, not patients brought back into the facility.

Don't believe that for one minute, maybe a real small percentage. Remember how families weren't being allowed to see dying or even dead relatives? Healthcare workers were constantly tested and temps taken before every entry into the building?

I know that up until recently at one nursing home that a visitor would sit outside and talk to a patient through an open window, that started in phase 3. Prior to that no visitors allowed.

[North Buffalo]

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/06/21/880832213/yes-wearing-masks-helps-heres-why

Interesting article

[PASabreFan]

1 hour ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said:

Don't believe that for one minute, maybe a real small percentage. Remember how families weren't being allowed to see dying or even dead relatives? Healthcare workers were constantly tested and temps taken before every entry into the building?

I know that up until recently at one nursing home that a visitor would sit outside and talk to a patient through an open window, that started in phase 3. Prior to that no visitors allowed.

Disclaimer: I didn't read the report. Why are you discounting the period before visitors were restricted (March 13) and staff was ordered to be tested twice a week (May 10)?

[LTS]

3 hours ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said:

Don't believe that for one minute, maybe a real small percentage. Remember how families weren't being allowed to see dying or even dead relatives? Healthcare workers were constantly tested and temps taken before every entry into the building?

I know that up until recently at one nursing home that a visitor would sit outside and talk to a patient through an open window, that started in phase 3. Prior to that no visitors allowed.

Well, talking to a friend yesterday.  His mother was just exposed because the hair dresser that came into the complex two weeks ago tested negative, passed the screen upon entry and then tested positive two days later.  Now they've had to quarantine and test everyone.

So, it's believable.  This indicates the problem with this virus.  You are clear one day and not the next but you can still pass it on.

 

[Taro T]

5 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

NYS Health Department has issued a report that concludes most disease entered NYS nursing homes through staff and visitors, not patients brought back into the facility.

That study, like so many others, has a bit of a political bent to it.  They're basing that determination of the origin of the virus in the nursing homes on the latency of the disease from a study of transmission within other nursing homes.  That study that the latency was based upon was published in a Lancet (IIRC) article and studied/ looked into the deaths of 24 people in nursing homes in China.

Sadly, as somebody said upthread, pretty much everything about this entire crisis has been politicized.  And darn near everybody putting out data has an agenda.

Edited July 8, 2020 by Taro T

[nfreeman]

Some positive news:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/german-biotech-sees-its-coronavirus-vaccine-ready-for-approval-by-december-11594373400
 

Quote

 

The German biotech firm that has partnered with Pfizer Inc. to develop a coronavirus vaccine is confident it will be ready to seek regulatory approval by the end of the year, according to its chief executive.

Several hundred million doses could be produced even before approval, and over 1 billion by the end of 2021, BioNTech BNTX 7.24% SE co-founder and CEO Dr. Ugur Sahin told The Wall Street Journal.

 

 

And some positive perspective:  https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/longevity/506241-stanford-expert-says-80-85-percent-of-texas-hospital
 

Quote

 

Scott Atlas, former chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center and a senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, said Monday that for people under 70, the death rate from COVID-19 is lower than or equal to the seasonal flu. 

Atlas said the rate at which high-risk people are being affected and whether the death rate from the virus is increasing is what matters. 

“I realize we have to wait to see the story play out here, but right now, the cases have been going up for three weeks and we have no increase, in fact, we have a decrease in death rates. It doesn’t matter if you get the illness if you’re going to fully recover and be fine from it — that is what people must understand. For younger healthier people, there’s not a high risk from this disease at all,” Atlas said. 

He said the median age of those infected in hotspots such as Florida and Texas varied from under 30 to about 40. 

...

Atlas commented on the issue of hospitalizations, saying the hospitalization data does not distinguish between patients who are hospitalized for reasons unrelated to the virus who test positive, and patients who are hospitalized specifically for COVID-19 complications. 

“When I looked at every single hospital area in Texas today, 15 to 20 percent of people in the hospital as inpatients are [COVID-19] positive patients. That means 80 to 85 percent have nothing to do with COVID-19. And the same thing goes with some of the other states. There are people hospitalized, a large number, because they are tested as [COVID-19] positive, somehow they’re categorized as [COVID-19] hospitalizations, that’s a problem,” he said. 

 

 

[North Buffalo]

40 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Some positive news:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/german-biotech-sees-its-coronavirus-vaccine-ready-for-approval-by-december-11594373400
 

 

And some positive perspective:  https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/longevity/506241-stanford-expert-says-80-85-percent-of-texas-hospital
 

 

The positive perspective has some flaws.  Yes elderly are more vulnerable... but covid is causing weird blood clots that cause heart attacks, PEs and brain aneurysms that result in long term care after covid symptoms are over.  These cases are even occurring in people that were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic so not sure I believe the analysis and these problems are occurring in younger people.  If what he says is true then why are these hospitals reaching capacity when then otherwise wouldnt?   

[ubkev]

On 7/6/2020 at 11:42 AM, PASabreFan said:

I'm envious. In PA, what I've heard is that the mask mandate is impossible to enforce. People can claim they have medical conditions that prevent them from wearing a mask, right down to mental illness, which could be something as common as anxiety about covering your mouth. And no documentation is needed. I'll say this. The mask wearing has picked up a lot as cases have spiked in the south and west. It's weird how we tie ourselves to what's happening in distant places, rather than maintaining a position of, "We don't have a lot of cases here, let's keep it that way."

Everyone in Luzerne County wears a mask. Anyone that comes into my establishment must have a mask and a temperature below 100.1 F. I give 1 reminder to any guest to have their mask cover both their mouth and nose and if they don't comply they are removed from the building. I ain't ***** around. My staff and myself shouldn't even be there, so I figure that's the least I can do for them. 

But I will say, everyone in the grocery stores round these parts has been very good with the whole mask thing over the last several months.

[Weave]

2 hours ago, nfreeman said:

Some positive news:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/german-biotech-sees-its-coronavirus-vaccine-ready-for-approval-by-december-11594373400
 

 

And some positive perspective:  https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/longevity/506241-stanford-expert-says-80-85-percent-of-texas-hospital
 

 

Yeah, as said already, the death rate is only a fraction of the story.  The long term issues look alot worse than what influenza is capable of.  We need that rate as well.

[Brawndo]

18 hours ago, nfreeman said:

Some positive news:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/german-biotech-sees-its-coronavirus-vaccine-ready-for-approval-by-december-11594373400
 

 

And some positive perspective:  https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/longevity/506241-stanford-expert-says-80-85-percent-of-texas-hospital
 

 

 

As NB mentioned the cases of hospitalization are dramatically increasing and the number of Covid Patient and Texas is doubling its number of hospitalizations every two weeks since Mid June. If this pattern holds Texas will run out of beds in the next 14 Days. And  Texas Seven Day Death Rate Average was 36, two weeks ago increased to An Average of 63 over next seven days and is now above 90 the past few days.

 

And Corpus Christi, Texas and a few municipalities in Arizona are beginning to ask for refrigerated morgue trailers to handle the overflow of bodies

With all due respect to Dr. Atlas he is a member of the Hoover Institute which is a conservative think tank has appeared on Fox News on a few occasions to talk about reopening the economy.  Also As I would not ask in infectious disease doctor or an epidemiologist to read an MRI when I was looking for GBM, A neuro radiologist would not be my first choice when seeking information about a pandemic caused by a virus.
 

Lung Dysfunction requiring oxygen, Embolic Strokes,  Pulmonary Embolisms And DVTs have been side effects as mentioned by Weave and NB, those have not exclusively affected the elderly population. 

Edited July 11, 2020 by Brawndo