Coronavirus ~ COVID-19

[nhplowboi]

Every day Bevi and I discuss daily what to do with our store. I pay cash on delivery so everything is owned that is stocked in the store. The building is owned. The only cost would be taxes, electricity, heat (but warm weather is kind of here), water and sewer. We have a tenant that would cover a good portion of that. We have cut our daily hours by 6 hours a day and are now pulling in way more than we did with regular hours. We are thinking of cutting hours even more or just shutting down entirely but the increased sales tells us that we are providing a service. We have expanded our grocery products/selection (look we are a convenience store) not a grocery store but because of the large amount off new customers we are trying to offer options. Look Wal-Mart is 3 miles from our store, I think locals are scared about going there because of the large amount of out of staters. I worry about our employees AND our customers. Banging my head on a daily basis. I am sorry this is so disjointed but that is just how I feel right now. We are just trying to do the right thing.

[FireSignFemme]

I recieved this today and thought it was worth a share.

Myth: This doesn’t really affect me because I’m young and healthy.
Fact: People of all ages can get and spread COVID-19. Older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease) appear to be more at risk for getting very sick from the virus. For your own health and the health of your community, you need to stay home away from people who don’t live in your house, wash your hands, and try not to touch your face.

Myth: You need a pass to travel to your essential job in Washington.
Fact: Essential workers are permitted to travel to and from work without a special permit. You can see the list for WA as of 4/4/20 at the following link https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/Guidance%20Bulletin%20-%20Proclamation%2020-25%2C%2003.31.2020.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Prepare to be patient because it's slow to load.

Myth: I should probably stock up on some more groceries.
Fact: There has been no disruption to the supply chain that delivers goods. If we all purchase what we need without hoarding, there will be enough for everyone. Reduce waste and help your neighbors by buying just what you need. And remember! You can increase your social distancing while grocery shopping by using a grocery delivery or pick-up service. And you can increase social connection by offering to pick up a bag of groceries for a friend or neighbor.

Myth: These wipes are flushable.
Fact: No, they are not, even if they are labeled that way. “Flushable” wipes, facial tissues, and paper towels were not designed to break down the same way as toilet paper, and they can cause blockages in treatment plants, plumbing, and septic systems. If you are out of toilet paper, use something else and then throw it in the trash. Please do not flush anything besides toilet paper and what came out of you.

Myth: Here’s a top secret way to protect yourself from COVID-19 that doctors don’t want you to know about!
Fact: Don’t believe everything you see on the internet. The best way to keep yourself and others from getting COVID-19 is to stay home as much as possible, wash your hands frequently, and not touch your face. There is nothing you can eat, bathe in, or inhale that will protect you from this virus. And some of the suggested “preventatives” on social media are downright dangerous. There is quite a bit of research going on into a vaccine or medications that may help, so hopefully there will be good news able to be shared soon but until then, just scroll past anything that sounds too good to be true.

Myth: The government called to ask for my private information.
Fact: That was not the government. The federal stimulus package included about $1,200 per person. This money has not been distributed yet, but some scammers are trying to take advantage of people. Remember—the government will not ask you to pay anything up front to get this money. No fees. No charges. No nothing. The government will not call to ask for your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers. Anyone who does is a scammer.

Myth: We’re going back to normal after this.
Fact: Eventually we will leave our homes again, see our friends, and go to restaurants and to work. But this is a life-changing experience. We won’t be “normal” again. Maybe we’ll hug our people tighter, maybe we’ll savor our time together more. Maybe we’ll help to keep the air clean by working at home more often. Maybe we’ll decide it’s important for everyone to be able to get health care when they need it. Maybe we’ll go for more walks. We will leave our houses again, but it won’t feel normal.

Myth: There’s nothing fun to do.
Fact: What? It’s Census Day! The census will determine how many congressional representatives each state gets. Census results have an impact on planning and funding for health clinics and highways, fire departments and disaster response, education programs such as Head Start and college tuition assistance, and so much more. It takes less than 10 minutes to fill in – complete the survey :)

Practice compassion. Help fight the most damaging myth of all—that Asian Americans are somehow more at risk of having or spreading COVID-19. The US now has more cases of COVID-19 than any other country, including China. We are all in this together.
Stay home and stay healthy!

[~ocean]

Every day Bevi and I discuss daily what to do with our store. I pay cash on delivery so everything is owned that is stocked in the store. The building is owned. The only cost would be taxes, electricity, heat (but warm weather is kind of here), water and sewer. We have a tenant that would cover a good portion of that. We have cut our daily hours by 6 hours a day and are now pulling in way more than we did with regular hours. We are thinking of cutting hours even more or just shutting down entirely but the increased sales tells us that we are providing a service. We have expanded our grocery products/selection (look we are a convenience store) not a grocery store but because of the large amount off new customers we are trying to offer options. Look Wal-Mart is 3 miles from our store, I think locals are scared about going there because of the large amount of out of staters. I worry about our employees AND our customers. Banging my head on a daily basis. I am sorry this is so disjointed but that is just how I feel right now. We are just trying to do the right thing.


((((( NH & bev ))))) stay safe Can u put a sign on the window NO mask NO entry add a buzz in door feature on your lock to the door ? w/ a cheap plastic table cloth at the discount stores u can do a disposable face mask at the door ppl can use and toss in trash . cash is another story ~ I would be too scared to handle cash . just don't forget to have a mask ~ those cheap table cloth masks can be used over a better mask for yourself. its a V - cut w. right & left ties around the back of your head. all one piece. keep us posted what u decided to do . GOOD LUCK !!

[~ocean]

OMG OMG OMG todays WH coronavirus briefing was hideous! TRUMP is such an ass.. I feel so bad for the scientists and doctors that have to deal with his lack of knowledge ~ I wish I knew the laws if he could be taken out of office … he needs to go. ~

[nhplowboi]

I watched it too and found him very subdued. Not his normally elevated self.

[Kätzchen]

OMG OMG OMG todays WH coronavirus briefing was hideous! TRUMP is such an ass.. I feel so bad for the scientists and doctors that have to deal with his lack of knowledge ~ I wish I knew the laws if he could be taken out of office … he needs to go. ~

Ocean? I thought I would leave a link for you tonight. This whole thing with 45 and his cronies making it nearly impossible for any headway made on getting the supplies that are needed? What a joke, sick joke, to subject and make states compete for supplies desperately needed to save the lives of people affected by Covid-19.

Anyway... I came across a news website that is covering Covid-19 and other political issues that not only mass media covers, but they also cover issues that don't get much coverage.

If you or other members here would like to supplement your reading materials with thought provoking news coverage, then you might want to check out this website:

TAP: The American Propect. Ideas, Politics and Power. (https://prospect.org/)

I find their perspective very helpful. :tea:

[homoe]

0T3vFCO1b3Y

[~ocean]

ty Katzchen ~ interesting reading :)

[nhplowboi]

Some Georgia beaches will reopen this weekend following an executive order issued by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) that overrode local shelter-in-place mandates from a number of cities.????!!!!!

[homoe]

Some Georgia beaches will reopen this weekend following an executive order issued by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) that overrode local shelter-in-place mandates from a number of cities.????!!!!!


Well what else would we expect from a idiot that says he didn't know asymptomatic people could spread the coronavirus....:seeingstars:

[nhplowboi]

LOL homoe....I am not good on correction but I have to tell you I also thought it was the same guy. The truth is this guy is the (R) governor of Georgia and that guy was the (R) governor of Tennessee. Gotta hand it to the Republicans though, they are "straight" down the line for being idiots.

[Jedi]

I have a friend sending us each a reusable mask to go out in. I'm relieved. We only had bandanas to cover our faces when we went out Friday. I felt so exposed to this pandemic with my bandit mask. We have to go out again this coming week. I did my usual monthly grocery order for delivery but they are now almost 2 weeks out. So an order placed on the 3rd will be delivered the 16th. I need to get things to get me through until then. Hopefully we get the masks by about Friday or so. I don't want to go to the grocery store without one. Or the pharmacy for that matter. I hope the mask helps me not to freak out too badly about catching this thing. Friday when we got home, I was a mess. While out I bought some really expensive beer (accidentally). So I cracked one and tried to chill. I mean I washed up and sterilized everything last thing. We are both "at risk" individuals. And we stay in as much as possible. But We aren't elite enough to just buy 3 months worth of groceries and supplies at a pop. I'm convinced the Republicans are trying to exterminate the poor. Kill of those on the fixed incomes so that money can be used to pad their wallets and portfolios even more. It's disgusting. Being "sold out" by your own government for the all mighty dollar. Now I consider myself pretty open minded, but......how does one wrap their head around making states compete in a bidding war for medical supplies and PPE during a pandemic? Why are we taking supplies meant for other countries? I mean dirty pool is not how this should be played. This is Global. I don't think any one country by itself is going to solve this. I think we all need to put our best people on it and do this as a global team. But......how is the World going to come together when we can't even get our whole country to come together? I felt more US unity during 9/11 than I'm feeling now. Is it going to take the numbers skyrocketing before more people put down the kool aid and wake up?

[GeorgiaMa'am]

What do we think about doing something like going for a bike ride alone? I want to ride my bike but don't know how socially responsible that is? It's not like I'd be interacting with anyone...

I have heard different takes on this. Some say it's impossible to maintain 6 feet of social distancing on a bike. I think I've heard more people say they thought it was okay, though. I know in some locations you can't go more than a certain distance from your home. Personally, it seems like it would be fine.

[homoe]

LOL homoe....I am not good on correction but I have to tell you I also thought it was the same guy. The truth is this guy is the (R) governor of Georgia and that guy was the (R) governor of Tennessee. Gotta hand it to the Republicans though, they are "straight" down the line for being idiots.

No worries. Some of these Governors don't use the brain they were born with!

[homoe]

So far I have not been too worried, but this coming week I need to go and have my INR level read because of being on a blood thinner. And I wouldn't be worried even about this EXCEPT a pharmacy ,with a high level of traffic, is located in the same area....:worried:

[Kelt]

http://petslady.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/masked-chocolate-easter-bunnies-1.jpg

In Switzerland they are now making the chocolate Easter bunnies with little sugar masks. :cheesy:

[~ocean]

did anyone read about the Bronx zoo has a 4 yr old lion w/ coronavirus?

[~ocean]

I personally think Trump doesn't give a hoot about any of us. He knew since Dec. 2019, he let the virus grow.. as the stocks plummet they can be bought at very low prices ~ he's been socializing w/ the enemies of the world. Maybe their shopping ? and the hackers that have taken over our SS numbers to get the "stimulus" checks ~ they give and then take it back. ops steal it back ~ I will never believe that it was from a bat !! I said it b4 my OWN belief is that it's chemical war ~ Trump knows this ~ btw mental picture of all Trump's cronnies wearing cheerleader costumes... when he is guilty ~ he brings it up ~ having idiots say he's been on top of everything and and and..... he controls everyone he knows if not your bullied ~ friggen physcopath ~

I stand corrected ~ Dr. Fauci said today TRUMP and his administration was informed early 2017 about this virus.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

did anyone read about the Bronx zoo has a 4 yr old lion w/ coronavirus?

I just heard about it on the BBC World News. "A tiger at a zoo in New York has tested positive for COVID-19. The four-year-old female named Nadia is thought to have contracted the virus from a keeper at Bronx Zoo who didn't have any symptoms. Several big cats there have recently developed a dry cough, including three other tigers and three African lions. Nadia is thought to be the first animal to test positive for the corona virus in the U.S."

So is someone working on a vaccine or a cure for cats? Probably not. What will we do if domestic cats can catch COVID-19? The possibilities are horrible. :bigcry: <freaking out>

[~ocean]

I just heard about it on the BBC World News. "A tiger at a zoo in New York has tested positive for COVID-19. The four-year-old female named Nadia is thought to have contracted the virus from a keeper at Bronx Zoo who didn't have any symptoms. Several big cats there have recently developed a dry cough, including three other tigers and three African lions. Nadia is thought to be the first animal to test positive for the corona virus in the U.S."

So is someone working on a vaccine or a cure for cats? Probably not. What will we do if domestic cats can catch COVID-19? The possibilities are horrible. :bigcry: <freaking out>

Georgia , I just got chills up my spine on the thought of domestic animals coming down w/ this virus ~ I honestly don't think my heart can take losing our animals like this ~ I have a strong heart but this would bring me to my knees.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Georgia , I just got chills up my spine on the thought of domestic animals coming down w/ this virus ~ I honestly don't think my heart can take losing our animals like this ~ I have a strong heart but this would bring me to my knees.

It would kill me.

[JDeere]

All these different stories make me wonder.

First they say no masks then masks but n95 masks then homemade ones are fine.

Smacks forehead...make up your mind.

Other conflicting stories in the media that don't add up.

Let's face it we will never know the real truth about anything because every story gets twisted to suit its audience.

Smh

[Bèsame*]

In a pinch this could work ..

dnBqwowZi5w

[Lyte]

A few weeks ago I got a newsletter from PetPlan that said there was no evidence that domestic animals can catch or spread C19. Relief! Then, I googled and there's some "read between the lines" needed with the CDC's position on the subject.

On the one hand, they say there's no evidence that pets can catch it. On the other hand, they say if your sick, stay away from your pets. The latter seems the most logical course of action since both cats and dogs can suffer from upper respiratory illnesses. Probably the best course of action to keep our pets safe is to not catch it ourselves. :blink:

CDC link...

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/animals.html


I just heard about it on the BBC World News. "A tiger at a zoo in New York has tested positive for COVID-19. The four-year-old female named Nadia is thought to have contracted the virus from a keeper at Bronx Zoo who didn't have any symptoms. Several big cats there have recently developed a dry cough, including three other tigers and three African lions. Nadia is thought to be the first animal to test positive for the corona virus in the U.S."

So is someone working on a vaccine or a cure for cats? Probably not. What will we do if domestic cats can catch COVID-19? The possibilities are horrible. :bigcry: <freaking out>

[Kelt]

I just heard about it on the BBC World News. "A tiger at a zoo in New York has tested positive for COVID-19. The four-year-old female named Nadia is thought to have contracted the virus from a keeper at Bronx Zoo who didn't have any symptoms. Several big cats there have recently developed a dry cough, including three other tigers and three African lions. Nadia is thought to be the first animal to test positive for the corona virus in the U.S."

So is someone working on a vaccine or a cure for cats? Probably not. What will we do if domestic cats can catch COVID-19? The possibilities are horrible. :bigcry: <freaking out>

Georgia , I just got chills up my spine on the thought of domestic animals coming down w/ this virus ~ I honestly don't think my heart can take losing our animals like this ~ I have a strong heart but this would bring me to my knees.

This afternoon when I was watching our county health officer give a daily update the subject came up. She indicated that she had just seen a report yesterday about the possibility of domestic and feral cats getting a coronavirus, the findings are preliminary but they are now advising us that if you are symptomatic and need to isolate from your family you also stay away from pets.

I just did a quick search for “cats with coronavirus“ and there is scant information and I don’t think anyone knows which variety of coronavirus may or may not be showing up. I think it’s a good idea for us to keep an eye out for emerging information and share it here when more is known.

This would be truly horrible so let’s not jump the gun. We do need to find out given that it jumped from animal to human is it preposterous to think that it couldn’t jump back?

[Kelt]

All these different stories make me wonder.

First they say no masks then masks but n95 masks then homemade ones are fine.

Smacks forehead...make up your mind.

Other conflicting stories in the media that don't add up.

Let's face it we will never know the real truth about anything because every story gets twisted to suit its audience.

Smh

Maybe that’s because we are being systematically lied to.

N95 masks have been a good idea for everyone from the get go. Viruses are half the size of bacteria so medical filtering should be the standard. There was no supply to be had and medically advocating for something unavailable would cause public panic.

When it became clear that community spread is such that it is highly likely that fine suspended aerosols would be a contributing cause something had to be recommended. A cloth covering cannot hurt (If properly used and not just causing excess face touching) and may do some small percentage of good. If nothing else it will be a good visual cue so all the idiots out there who think they can pretend this is not actually happening will wake up.

We are being given a pacifier until supplies can be restored.

Disclaimer: This is just my opinion.

[PlatinumPearl]

I came across this article which I'm sure you probably already know about but just in case you didn't I thought I would share it with you....

White House COVID-19 Coordinator: Don’t Go To Grocery Store Or Pharmacy Unless Essential

https://deadline.com/2020/04/white-house-covid-19-coordinator-dont-go-to-grocery-store-or-pharmacy-unless-essential-1202900889/

[homoe]

I came across this article which I'm sure you probably already know about but just in case you didn't I thought I would share it with you....

White House COVID-19 Coordinator: Don’t Go To Grocery Store Or Pharmacy Unless Essential

https://deadline.com/2020/04/white-house-covid-19-coordinator-dont-go-to-grocery-store-or-pharmacy-unless-essential-1202900889/

This makes me even more apprehensive about my up coming appointment on Tuesday....

[charley]

In the past century, people have been travelling now all over the world, and they are in contact with all sorts of things - bugs, viruses - and then they go home.

Swine flu, bird flu, even going back to the bubonic plague (rats) idk...

I am not surprised that the poor tiger has been tested positive for this awful and deadly virus.

Last month, when I first read of Wuhan online (!), while sitting on a bench and people-watching outside, I saw someone walking with a very friendly looking dog [a kind of ... doodle dog :) ], my first instinct was to motion the woman to come over so I could pet her dog, and THEN, and before I could motion to her, I had a instantaneous mind/heart reflection: "NO" !

For me, this was a stop-and-whoa flash moment, since I really am a dog person; I really love dogs, all dogs. Even though I don't own a dog, I could have gotten one, since we are allowed to have pets in our building. And, in the past, I smile at the fact that I have usually managed to pet some dog or other several times a week, even to the point of carrying some Dog Bone biscuits in my safari vest pocket for my favourite dog (and cute owner, who would always hug me).

I think and feel that all these viruses originally came from our contact with some very strange animals (bats, and other strange species), and they have been harmless to and in such animals, but because of their contact with us humans, they have mutated into what we are stuck with now. And if they have mutated in such a way, they can certainly mutate back and go to our beloved animals - whether pets or domestic animals in general. Even, I think, to those beautiful gorillas in the wild. I would - if I had a pet - be very careful about who touched my pet, and going about touching others' pets.

There are quite a few people walking their dogs in my area, and I now (and for the past month) have given both owner and pet a wide berth. :(

Obviously, I am not an expert, but it appears to me that we are not being told the whole story.

[Kätzchen]

I am up early, so I can catch Governor Cuomo's press conference on CBSN.

The East Coast is three hours ahead of Pacific Coast time, so I just watch his press conferences because I think he gives us the best picture of what is happening and the incredibly hard choices that Team Cuomo is making as each day goes by.

[Lyte]

How quickly shit changes. Just a few mins ago, on my drive to work, the BBC says it's confirmed that domestic cats can get C19. So, I guess what remains the same is that WE had better not get it. Fortunately, my cats are strictly indoors, so no cha ce of catching it from anyone else.

[PlatinumPearl]

So far I have not been too worried, but this coming week I need to go and have my INR level read because of being on a blood thinner. And I wouldn't be worried even about this EXCEPT a pharmacy ,with a high level of traffic, is located in the same area....:worried:


Do they take appointments? You can book an appointment during their down time if that's even a thing right now...or be there first thing in the morning when they open.

If you go to your appointment just go and then leave right away. They are saying that the safest place for people to be right now is at home. The military is out in certain states and it's been said that they are stopping people and asking where they are going. They are trying to keep people off the streets so go where you need to go and then go back home.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Boris Johnson, the U.K.'s PM, is now in the ICU with worsening COVID-19 symptoms. (He has asked the Foreign Secretary to "fill in for him where needs be", but apparently Johnson is still in charge.) He is not yet on a ventilator.

This is the same genius who was shaking hands with coronavirus patients in the hospital just a few weeks ago, and proud of it. His pregnant partner got the symptoms about a week ago. Just imagine all the people he has infected!

[Kelt]

Boris Johnson, the U.K.'s PM, is now in the ICU with worsening COVID-19 symptoms. (He has asked the Foreign Secretary to "fill in for him where needs be", but apparently Johnson is still in charge.) He is not yet on a ventilator.

This is the same genius who was shaking hands with coronavirus patients in the hospital just a few weeks ago, and proud of it. His pregnant partner got the symptoms about a week ago. Just imagine all the people he has infected!

Just hearing about this now… I believe he is the first “world leader“ to be stricken this hard.

[charley]

After my little grocery shopping nearby and several chats (6' apart) with peeps I know in the neighbourhood... boy, did it feel good to go out, would have stayed out longer, but my buggy had ice cream - Black Cherry :) ... but anyways, apparently, in Hong Kong, there have been several cases of dogs being tested and found positive for covid-19 (one died).

[Kelt]

I know this is a long post but it is thus far the most credible information I have found.

American veterinary medical Association information (https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/covid-19)

While two dogs (Hong Kong) and two cats (one in Belgium and one in Hong Kong) living with people diagnosed with COVID-19 have been reported to have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, other dogs and cats also living with infected people remain uninfected. New research articles have been posted to open-access sites on an almost daily basis that describe preliminary results suggesting some domestic animals can be experimentally infected with SARS-CoV-2 and may transmit the virus to other animals in an experimental setting or mount a viral-specific immune response when exposed to SARS-CoV-2. However, caution should be taken to not overinterpret results described in such articles, some of which may report on data from a very small number of animals or provide only preliminary results, and not extrapolate those results to the potential for SARS-CoV-2 to naturally infect or be transmitted by companion animals kept as pets. To date the CDC has not received any reports of pets becoming sick with COVID-19 in the United States. Infectious disease experts and multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations continue to agree there is no evidence at this point to indicate that, under natural conditions, pets spread COVID-19 to people.

The USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories has also confirmed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in one tiger at a zoo in New York. This is the first instance of a tiger being infected with COVID-19. Several lions and tigers at the zoo showed clinical signs of respiratory illness and this tiger was tested accordingly. Public health employees believe the large cats became ill after being exposed to a zoo employee who was actively shedding virus. All of the large cats are expected to recover. No other animals in other areas of the zoo are exhibiting similar clinical signs. USDA and CDC are monitoring this situation and the OIE will be notified of the finding.

If you are not ill with COVID-19, you can interact with your animals as you normally would, including feeding and otherwise caring for them. You should continue to practice good hygiene during those interactions (e.g., wash hands before and after interacting with your animals, including handling of food, supplies, and waste; keep feed, water, and any supplies used to deliver them clean; remove soiled bedding and replace as appropriate).

Out of an abundance of caution and until more is known about this virus, if you are ill with COVID-19 you should restrict contact with pets and other animals, just as you would restrict your contact with other people. When possible, have another member of your household or business take care of feeding and otherwise caring for any animals, including pets. If you have a service animal or you must care for your animals, including pets, wear a cloth facemask; don’t share food, kiss, or hug them; and wash your hands before and after any contact with them.

There have been no reports of pets or livestock becoming ill with COVID-19 in the United States. At this point in time, there is also no evidence that domestic animals, including pets and livestock, can spread COVID-19 to people.

[Kelt]

Egyptian pyramid lit up in message of solidarity

https://nervana1dotorg.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/pyramids-corona.jpg

[Bèsame*]

This is cute and and also works as an earworm...just for you. Lol, your welcome.

MMBh-eo3tvE

[easygoingfemme]

One of my co-workers has been out for a week while waiting for Covid test results. She was supposed to come back to work today if she was feeling better even without the results, which I argued was extremely irresponsible. Yesterday we got word that she will be out all week. I found out today that she was actually never tested. She went back to the hospital on Friday because she spiked a fever (along with the cough, shortness of breath) and she was told that she was not going to get tested but she has all of the symptoms so she should go quarantine for two weeks.

Without her getting tested we don't know how many of our residents she could have exposed- and this is a very vulnerable population of adults. Staff also doesn't know who has been exposed. Let alone anyone she may have come in contact with outside of work.

I am furious. I worked with her every day for a week before she got sick and should probably be on quarantine but without an order from public health I still need to report to work as essential staff every day.

[~ocean]

One of my co-workers has been out for a week while waiting for Covid test results. She was supposed to come back to work today if she was feeling better even without the results, which I argued was extremely irresponsible. Yesterday we got word that she will be out all week. I found out today that she was actually never tested. She went back to the hospital on Friday because she spiked a fever (along with the cough, shortness of breath) and she was told that she was not going to get tested but she has all of the symptoms so she should go quarantine for two weeks.

Without her getting tested we don't know how many of our residents she could have exposed- and this is a very vulnerable population of adults. Staff also doesn't know who has been exposed. Let alone anyone she may have come in contact with outside of work.

I am furious. I worked with her every day for a week before she got sick and should probably be on quarantine but without an order from public health I still need to report to work as essential staff every day.

((((( femme )))))) so sorry you have been exposed. Seems like either she was scared to face it or just ignorant to the seriousness of the virus ~ to me either way it's selfish not to consider everyone. Facing anything like this is hard , but to me I would tell everyone so we got the right help. It's not a death sentence but for your clients it very well could be. dam you all have a lot to deal with ~ we're all here while you go threw this ~

[firegal]

I recieved this today and thought it was worth a share.

Myth: This doesn’t really affect me because I’m young and healthy.
Fact: People of all ages can get and spread COVID-19. Older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease) appear to be more at risk for getting very sick from the virus. For your own health and the health of your community, you need to stay home away from people who don’t live in your house, wash your hands, and try not to touch your face.

Myth: You need a pass to travel to your essential job in Washington.
Fact: Essential workers are permitted to travel to and from work without a special permit. You can see the list for WA as of 4/4/20 at the following link https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/Guidance%20Bulletin%20-%20Proclamation%2020-25%2C%2003.31.2020.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Prepare to be patient because it's slow to load.

Myth: I should probably stock up on some more groceries.
Fact: There has been no disruption to the supply chain that delivers goods. If we all purchase what we need without hoarding, there will be enough for everyone. Reduce waste and help your neighbors by buying just what you need. And remember! You can increase your social distancing while grocery shopping by using a grocery delivery or pick-up service. And you can increase social connection by offering to pick up a bag of groceries for a friend or neighbor.

Myth: These wipes are flushable.
Fact: No, they are not, even if they are labeled that way. “Flushable” wipes, facial tissues, and paper towels were not designed to break down the same way as toilet paper, and they can cause blockages in treatment plants, plumbing, and septic systems. If you are out of toilet paper, use something else and then throw it in the trash. Please do not flush anything besides toilet paper and what came out of you.

Myth: Here’s a top secret way to protect yourself from COVID-19 that doctors don’t want you to know about!
Fact: Don’t believe everything you see on the internet. The best way to keep yourself and others from getting COVID-19 is to stay home as much as possible, wash your hands frequently, and not touch your face. There is nothing you can eat, bathe in, or inhale that will protect you from this virus. And some of the suggested “preventatives” on social media are downright dangerous. There is quite a bit of research going on into a vaccine or medications that may help, so hopefully there will be good news able to be shared soon but until then, just scroll past anything that sounds too good to be true.

Myth: The government called to ask for my private information.
Fact: That was not the government. The federal stimulus package included about $1,200 per person. This money has not been distributed yet, but some scammers are trying to take advantage of people. Remember—the government will not ask you to pay anything up front to get this money. No fees. No charges. No nothing. The government will not call to ask for your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers. Anyone who does is a scammer.

Myth: We’re going back to normal after this.
Fact: Eventually we will leave our homes again, see our friends, and go to restaurants and to work. But this is a life-changing experience. We won’t be “normal” again. Maybe we’ll hug our people tighter, maybe we’ll savor our time together more. Maybe we’ll help to keep the air clean by working at home more often. Maybe we’ll decide it’s important for everyone to be able to get health care when they need it. Maybe we’ll go for more walks. We will leave our houses again, but it won’t feel normal.

Myth: There’s nothing fun to do.
Fact: What? It’s Census Day! The census will determine how many congressional representatives each state gets. Census results have an impact on planning and funding for health clinics and highways, fire departments and disaster response, education programs such as Head Start and college tuition assistance, and so much more. It takes less than 10 minutes to fill in – complete the survey :)

Practice compassion. Help fight the most damaging myth of all—that Asian Americans are somehow more at risk of having or spreading COVID-19. The US now has more cases of COVID-19 than any other country, including China. We are all in this together.
Stay home and stay healthy!

How you doing thru all this?Gov just closed down the schools for this school year. My sis was quarantined as she developed cough and works in ER in federal way. She was tested and doesn't have it.I knew it was bad when It first came here to pacific NW as 15 died in 4 weeks at same nursing home.Stay safe folks.

[firegal]

One of my co-workers has been out for a week while waiting for Covid test results. She was supposed to come back to work today if she was feeling better even without the results, which I argued was extremely irresponsible. Yesterday we got word that she will be out all week. I found out today that she was actually never tested. She went back to the hospital on Friday because she spiked a fever (along with the cough, shortness of breath) and she was told that she was not going to get tested but she has all of the symptoms so she should go quarantine for two weeks.

Without her getting tested we don't know how many of our residents she could have exposed- and this is a very vulnerable population of adults. Staff also doesn't know who has been exposed. Let alone anyone she may have come in contact with outside of work.

I am furious. I worked with her every day for a week before she got sick and should probably be on quarantine but without an order from public health I still need to report to work as essential staff every day.
I,m still involved with firefighters/wash State Council of Firefighters.We have 2 conference calls a week with State wide FF,s Reps.The don't have enough test. They are not consistant and its a uphill battle to get tested. My sister was tested 1 week after they sent her home.A firefighter in eastern Wash got it as did his wife. They got very sick but are still at home doing much better and are recoverying. They need much more tests and protective equiptment here in the NW for sure.May 4.... I pray things are better and its safe for businesses to open.

[nhplowboi]

OMG.....Why in hell do I listen to this idiot's nightly briefing?!

[firegal]

OMG.....Why in hell do I listen to this idiot's nightly briefing?!I always wait [and not patiently] for the folks to talk that are behind him.The more factual folks.

[Kelt]

OMG.....Why in hell do I listen to this idiot's nightly briefing?!

I just skip the Trumpet, too much having to read between the lines, and keep up with Cuomo and Newsom instead. Gets both coasts and cuts the nonsense. That said I find that I am getting update fatigue, I know it's bad, that the coasts are trying, and what I need to do. I may got to every other or third day. It's pretty taxing mentally and I can only affect my own actions.

[Kätzchen]

We had really nice weather today, so I took my bicycle for another spin.

Except once I stopped at the end of my ride to rest, my legs were jelly and my lower back was on fire, so I decided to board a bus to come back home. My bus pass expired and I didn't realize it until I needed to get home by bus. The bus operator let me on anyway, but the bus agency has limited service and has taken strides to limit ridership during this public health crisis. I was so glad I was their only rider and that they could let me ride with my bike on board.

So, interesting thing: Because most doctor's offices and clinics are temporarily closed, making it hard for your physician to sign off on a document for "honored citizen" status (lower fare to ride the bus), the bus agency has people contact their unemployment office (only three offices in the tri-county area will be doing it). After answering a staff member's questions, by phone, they mail you a copy of a document you can take in to the bus agency office, by special appointment, so you can get your bus pass renewed.

I thought that was a great way to handle bus pass renewals for those of us who renew our passes on a yearly basis.

[homoe]

OMG.....Why in hell do I listen to this idiot's nightly briefing?!



I ask myself the same question plowboi!


I tape them now on C-Span so I can at least scan thru..:hangloose:

[Kelt]

China Ends Wuhan Lockdown, but Normal Life Is a Distant Dream (https://apple.news/AHglO5RcwQyWkwGFuYRC12w)

In the city where the coronavirus outbreak was first reported, the reopening of outbound travel won’t end hard times, wariness or confinement.

* If the link doesn’t work it’s from today’s New York Times

If we are following Wuhan’s lead in the development of this virus it’s possible at the end of it could also look very similar. If indeed it is the end.

[A. Spectre]

Hundreds of airline employees are testing positive for the covid-19.

Hundreds of airlines employees have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days and that number is expected to continue rising, according to information released by multiple unions.

https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/hundreds-of-american-southwest-airlines-employees-test-positive-for-covid-19/522-f23b904a-60d0-49f5-8c45-30137c1e2891


I have been checking my wifes' temperature twice a day, her chest has been heavy in recent days so I am concerned. Our flight crew returning from the Virgin Islands on the 28th were based out of NYC.

[Stone-Butch]

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that 3M has been asked to stop supplying N95 respirators to Canada.

U.S.-based company 3M said Friday that it has been asked by the Trump administration not to supply N95 respirators to Canada amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the Minnesota-based company to produce and sell as many medical-grade masks as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says it needs. He invoked the Defence Production Act in order to speed up the distribution of masks.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

3M refused to do this and needed respirators and supplies has been shipped to Canada. Trump, remember 911 and Canada...... ty.

[JDeere]

Texas is so ass backwards!

Oklahoma is smart enough to do what they are doing.

[Kätzchen]

Here's an update about the Bus Pass renewal:

I received an email from the Bus Agency, alerting me that they got the Unemployment office document yesterday. So I went down to their office and showed them the email; handed over my expired card, then they transferred the funds I had on my expired card to the new card, plus I handed over my debit card to add more funds on top of what I had already. Now I'm good to go, next time I need to catch a bus or train or trolley.

That was a very quick turnaround, handling my expired bus pass issue. Ordinarily, it can be an arduous and time consuming process.

So I view my bus pass issue as one positive outcome during this public health crisis. When I went downtown, I noticed that most major building projects were making good use of ample parking to get their projects completed before due dates.

I noticed hardly any traffic, but State Patrol and County Sheriffs were out in force, policing roads and drivers who think they won't get caught breaking the speed limit, etc. I passed three State Troopers on my way back home and they had individuals pulled over. They were masked and gloved and even had emergency cones out, redirecting traffic to other lanes, so they could implement the 6-foot distance rule.

When they say, Keep Your Distance: they're not joking around.

I'm guessing some drivers got some hefty fines today, maybe even their license to drive revoked.

[A. Spectre]

The orange menace claims the impeachment hearings prevented him from getting a handle on the pandemic.

I call BULLSHIT!

The fucker wasn't distracted, he simply does not care!

For the sake of all things good, this evil bastard needs to be frog marched out of the W.H. He is getting rid of any and all oversight of the 2T bucks stimulus package. If you are not extremely pissed off, you are NOT paying attention.

[homoe]

Hundreds of airline employees are testing positive for the covid-19.

Hundreds of airlines employees have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days and that number is expected to continue rising, according to information released by multiple unions.

https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/hundreds-of-american-southwest-airlines-employees-test-positive-for-covid-19/522-f23b904a-60d0-49f5-8c45-30137c1e2891


I have been checking my wifes' temperature twice a day, her chest has been heavy in recent days so I am concerned. Our flight crew returning from the Virgin Islands on the 28th were based out of NYC.

May I ask if your departing flight to the Virgin Islands was out of either airports in Chicago?

I have a friend that flew out and she's since learned her flight crew too was out of NYC!

[Kätzchen]

The orange menace claims the impeachment hearings prevented him from getting a handle on the pandemic.

I call BULLSHIT!

The fucker wasn't distracted, he simply does not care!

For the sake of all things good, this evil bastard needs to be frog marched out of the W.H. He is getting rid of any and all oversight of the 2T bucks stimulus package. If you are not extremely pissed off, you are NOT paying attention.

I would say that this is an anchor problem with disturbed personalities: that they "don't care". Documented narcissists exhibit that particular item of interest, that they don't and can't care about anything. Literally.

The fact that T^^^p has been shredding American democracy for his brand of rule is exactly what dictators in the past and present have done before. They distract, smoke and mirrors when they're called out on their brand of horse shit, then they go about appointing 'key' people who will do what they are told to do or they find a way to get rid of them. Their ruling party varies from society to society, but in America - it's the GOP and their broken party infiltrated with corruption and neo-fascists that are destroying American institutions and upending American society so they can "rule the world".

Pissed off, stressed out, worried beyond worried and sick of their so-called politics cannot be stated loudly enough.

The proverbial Alarm Bells have been ringing since that horrible monster and his ruling party (the GOP) took over American institutions, back in 2016.

[Bèsame*]

This is a great movement gaining momentum..love the fact people are coming together!

l7Eisidk31o


Stay safe💝💝💝

[GeorgiaMa'am]

I know that whether or not to get take-out has been discussed several times in this thread. I had decided not to risk it (although I fell off the wagon once). But last night I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Science Vs (versus). They fact-check various rumors, and cover what Science has to say about it. They also include documented sources on their web page for every episode.

Last night's episode just happened to be "Coronavirus: Should I Disinfect EVERYTHING?" and one of their main examples was take-out pizza. I won't go into the details, they do that much better in the show than I could here. But basically, I was convinced that if I order and pay for the pizza online, and then put the pizza directly into a 160*F oven for 5 minutes and get rid of the packaging, and wash my hands before taking the pizza out of the oven, there is virtually no chance that I will get coronavirus from the pizza.

It was a good episode and included some things that have not been brought up in this thread. I recommend all of the Science Vs episodes. They're not all about coronavirus, although that's what they've been talking about this season.

Additionally, I saw a TV commercial for Little Caesar's pizza, in which they state that their normal production process for pizza does not call for any handling of the pizza by a person once it is put in the oven. Apparently, it goes straight from the oven into a box.

So I will be calling up Little Caesar's for dinner. Oh, who am I kidding, I already ordered a pizza and they will be here in 26 minutes.

[A. Spectre]

May I ask if your departing flight to the Virgin Islands was out of either airports in Chicago?

I have a friend that flew out and she's since learned her flight crew too was out of NYC!

We departed out of O'hare, non stop to St. Thomas, we spent more money for 2 non-stops but our return was cancelled and rescheduled several times. Ended up leaving St. Thomas to O'hare with a stop via Miami! So pissed, our flight crew was based out of NYC, both legs. Very few passengers, like a ghost vessel.

[Bèsame*]

Score! Sirius radio offered me a deal so I could stay connected in my car to get the latest info. $2 for 4 months. Awesome.

I was able to download the home version. Today turned off the chatter and listened to fun uplifting music.

#stayhome station💝💝💝

Stay safe💝💝💝

[nycfem]

Ugh, BB and I live right in NYC and I'd say about 1 out of every 20 people we know has COVID-19 or has had it. NY has 160,000 registered cases, the vast majority in NYC. NJ has about 50,000 cases, then 9 states have over 10K cases, and the rest are under 10K. So, it's a really devastating situation here.

Also, at least in NYC, people who go to get tested are almost always turned away unless they present as truly needing to be hospitalized (e.g. delirious with fevers or having much difficulty breathing). Furthermore, since now in NYC most of us know many people who have experienced COVID, it's become standard protocol not to even attempt testing unless hospitalization is needed because of all the exposure hospitalization involves and because there's nothing a hospital can do for COVID unless you need hospitalization.

About 4 weeks ago, when it was starting to become rampant, NYC schools just continued, for at least 2 weeks too long. By the last week, just in my department (all on the same floor) one colleague, who I'd been in meetings with, was hospitalized on a ventilator with a positive diagnosis of COVID. Another had symptoms and went to the ER but was refused testing and returned back to work. Another was exposed to a next door neighbor with COVID and had symptoms and went to the ER and was refused testing and returned to work. One of my students across the hall from me had a parent hospitalized and dying with a collapsed lung from COVID. It was alarming that we were still in school. It was terrifying. Luckily I did not get it.

Then we started working completely remotely. After over two weeks of being 100% indoors one of my friends got it and she was in bed nearly comatose with a fever for twelve days and is now starting to improve. She did not go to the hospital or get tested. Another friend acquired presumed COVID after having spent time at her son's babysitter's house who tested positive. She also never got tested or went to the hospital. Another friend (and everyone I mention is in NYC) tested positive when she was hospitalized for bilateral pneumonia. A number of my students and their families have COVID, including a student's sibling who is only two years old and hospitalized with pneumonia, fever, and difficulty breathing. About once a week I get an email from our synagogue about a zoom funeral service because the member has died of coronavirus. I could go on and on. BB and I don't ever leave home and are constantly cleaning and sterilizing everything. Every day that we wake up without symptoms I'm so relieved. Hearing the sirens day and night is a constant reminder as well. One man in a luxury apartment in NYC who was not sick jumped off his balcony and left a note saying, "Who wants to live this way?" While I would never do that, I can certainly relate to the sense of doom and darkness here. It's silent except for the sirens and every night at 7pm when people across the city all have a moment of drumming and banging on pots and pans and half screaming half hooting from their windows and balconies to cheer on the essential workers and, imo, as a way to come together while grieving and fighting for a better tomorrow that doesn't feel like it's in sight right now.

[clay]

I know that whether or not to get take-out has been discussed several times in this thread. I had decided not to risk it (although I fell off the wagon once). But last night I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Science Vs (versus). They fact-check various rumors, and cover what Science has to say about it. They also include documented sources on their web page for every episode.

Last night's episode just happened to be "Coronavirus: Should I Disinfect EVERYTHING?" and one of their main examples was take-out pizza. I won't go into the details, they do that much better in the show than I could here. But basically, I was convinced that if I order and pay for the pizza online, and then put the pizza directly into a 160*F oven for 5 minutes and get rid of the packaging, and wash my hands before taking the pizza out of the oven, there is virtually no chance that I will get coronavirus from the pizza.

It was a good episode and included some things that have not been brought up in this thread. I recommend all of the Science Vs episodes. They're not all about coronavirus, although that's what they've been talking about this season.

Additionally, I saw a TV commercial for Little Caesar's pizza, in which they state that their normal production process for pizza does not call for any handling of the pizza by a person once it is put in the oven. Apparently, it goes straight from the oven into a box.

So I will be calling up Little Caesar's for dinner. Oh, who am I kidding, I already ordered a pizza and they will be here in 26 minutes.

Papa John's has a security seal put onto their boxes, once cooked then boxed..... and human hands never touch it from oven to box to you.

Georgia Maam, I also heard that nuking food in the microwave and doing all you said does have good odds....:).

[homoe]

~~
In the State of Kansas, 263 people have been hospitalized due to COVID-19, with 42 virus related deaths. That’s according to the Kansas Department of Health & Environment as they released the official numbers at 11 a.m. Thursday. The KDHE says that 1,106 people have contracted the virus across 57 Kansas counties, including eight cases locally in Saline County–a new case was discovered on Wednesday–and one death with 159 people tested as of 11 a.m. Thursday. Elsewhere, McPherson County now has 13 cases, while Marion and Ottawa counties have three cases each. Still, Dickinson, Ellsworth, Lincoln and Rice counties do not yet have a case of COVID-19 as of the latest KDHE update.

[Bèsame*]

Why do people go to the store for one thing? Quit putting everyone in jeopardy. #stayhome

lNm31rnJauU

[Stone-Butch]

Why do our police have to waste valuable time moving and keeping idiots from gathering in our parks. Some people must be brain dead with their bodies to soon follow if they don't start taking precautions.

[firegal]

The mayor of seattle closed all the major city parks starting tonite due to folks having gatherings.....like BBQ,s :police:lock em up!

[jools66]

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to ask if all of you are safe and sound.
Here in the uk today we have had our highest death rate figures in one day. Over 980 people.
I hope that all of you are staying as safe as you possibly can.
Like other countries we have had some idiots who have thought they can just go about without a care in the world as normal.
Please stay at home if you can, because this isn't going away for a very long time.
Let me know how you are, especially the people i have chatted to on here.
Love to you all xx

[Kelt]

Apple and Google are building a coronavirus tracking system into iOS and Android (https://apple.news/AsePa4c9NRN2fA6lcKU1jVA)

Potentially a huge step forward in the fight against COVID-19

*If the link doesn’t work this article is from The Verge. Similar story also on Bloomberg.

While I understand the reasoning and logic (probable necessity) behind this, the privacy advocate within me is squirming.

[~ocean]

hi everyone :) humans can be very ignorant ~ being on the coast people think they can flood our beaches and its distance enough from each other. Till they go back to their cars . The parking lots and side streets had become full by 9 AM ~ 2 weeks ago they blocked the parking lots and mounted police ~ had to be enforced breaking up gatherings on the beaches, and side street parking are getting ticketed. They closed up all parks and tied off basketball hoops ~ people were not listening. the traffic is busy on nice days because people need to get out ~ that's understandable but no gatherings permitted. The restaurants are still doing a lot of take out business , there is always main roads u can stop and eat by the water . They also enforced discarding's of gloves and masks on the side of the road, and in parking lots, the fines are huge ! hopefully with these rules they have set people will learn how to act . I don't agree with re-opening the workforce . There is too much disease out there . In my own personal opinion no bat caused this virus I will always believe it is chemical warfare. Trump is one of a few very evil leaders. His behavior prior to this pandemic and the warnings that were made , that HE knew of , weren't of a diseased bat. Like I said it's my own personal belief.

[Kätzchen]

Just got back from my day of errands and exercise. I picked up not only the stuff I needed at the grocery store, but picked up items for four other tenants in our building who are elderly and handicapped and dropped by the pharmacy for all of us.

So far, out here where I live, people are staying home, limiting our social activities to coordinated efforts to do everything in one fell swoop (for as many people as we can - not everybody here drives a car or has a way to take the bus). So I feel good about doing my part to not only help ensure safety for others but for myself too.

I'd LOVE to go visit my favorite place on the beach (just got an email from them) and my heart goes out to the owners of the condos where I love to stay.

Thankfully, we get it, out here in our tiny small community.




PS/ That is super worrisome Kelt, the covid tracking app for iOS and android phones.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Apple and Google are building a coronavirus tracking system into iOS and Android (https://apple.news/AsePa4c9NRN2fA6lcKU1jVA)

Potentially a huge step forward in the fight against COVID-19

*If the link doesn’t work this article is from The Verge. Similar story also on Bloomberg.

While I understand the reasoning and logic (probable necessity) behind this, the privacy advocate within me is squirming.

It worries me too, but it will probably do more good than harm. I don't really care if the government knows how many times a week I go to the grocery store. And if I ever join the Young Communist Witches for Saving The Whales, I will leave my phone at home when I go to meetings.

Plus, it won't take long after it comes out for somebody to hack it.

[ksrainbow]

https://www.unacast.com/covid19/social-distancing-scoreboard

The state I reside uses their "statistics" to send reprimands.

ks-

[homoe]

The mayor of seattle closed all the major city parks starting tonite due to folks having gatherings.....like BBQ,s :police:lock em up!

Fire, I don't get she wasn't more proactive! Hell she knew warm weather was coming DAYS ago! AND then to add insult to injury, she puts it in effect starting tonight at 11 pm when all the idiots will have spent the day congregating either in the parks on down on Alki....

[ksrainbow]

https://www.unacast.com/covid19/social-distancing-scoreboard

The state I reside uses their "statistics" to send reprimands.

ks-

This app is interactive: find your state and then your county. What *grade* is acceptable?

ks-

[Bèsame*]

https://i.etsystatic.com/9132772/r/il/fe7bd2/2251394054/il_794xN.2251394054_fm3y.jpg

[BullDog]

I just heard 25% of positive COVID-19 cases in New Mexico are Native Americans (6% of the population). The virus is definitely hitting communities of color all across the country disproportionately hard.

[homoe]

SEATTLE -- Picture perfect weather this Easter holiday weekend could drive more people outside and to local parks and beaches. Local leaders say many people have not been listening to social distancing guidelines and still have been gathering recently in groups at parks. To slow the possible spread of COVID-19, city leaders shut down 15 major beaches and city parks in Seattle until Monday morning.

Well this didn't work out so well now did it!

On the news they showed people still gathering around Green Lake, Gas Works, and of course on Alki! Now why on earth is the Mayor willing to lift the ban come Monday morning when this weeks temps are forecasted for more high 60's and Thursday and Friday possibly reaching 70!

[FireSignFemme]

Benton and Franklin Counties
Confirmed 259
Probable 119
Deaths 27
https://www.bfhd.wa.gov/programs_services/investigations___outbreaks/covid-19_case_count

[homoe]

SEATTLE -- Picture perfect weather this Easter holiday weekend could drive more people outside and to local parks and beaches. Local leaders say many people have not been listening to social distancing guidelines and still have been gathering recently in groups at parks. To slow the possible spread of COVID-19, city leaders shut down 15 major beaches and city parks in Seattle until Monday morning.

Well this didn't work out so well now did it!

On the news they showed people still gathering around Green Lake, Gas Works, and of course on Alki! Now why on earth is the Mayor willing to lift the ban come Monday morning when this weeks temps are forecasted for more high 60's and Thursday and Friday possibly reaching 70!

On Saturday at Alki Beach Park, several Parks employees gently and sporadically encouraged people to leave the beach. But during the late afternoon, there were more than two dozen violators on the long, sandy stretch. By Sunday afternoon, there were about 60 people in clusters no larger than four along the half-mile sandy stretch northeast of the Alki Beach Bathhouse. A few placards planted in the sand directed people not to gather in groups, but there were no obvious signs that the park was closed. A couple of police officers stood by the bike path in case they were needed, but no one appeared to be enforcing the city’s order by directing people to leave the park. Some people interviewed at closed parks said they knew the parks were closed and broke the rules anyway.

What good is having a ban or rule if nobody is enforcing it...:seeingstars:

[homoe]

(CNN)The sun could be piercing the clouds in the United States' coronavirus fight, as the number of new cases declined over two consecutive days, but experts warn different states will see different peaks. More than 22,000 people have died from Covid-19 since the virus arrived on American shores, according to Johns Hopkins University's numbers, but the daily tally of deaths dropped Saturday and Sunday, which could be a sign for optimism.

The number of infections -- which stood at more than 557,000 on Monday morning -- were also down Saturday and Sunday. This comes as US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams says cases in some of the country's hotspots -- New York, New Jersey, Detroit and New Orleans -- appear to be "leveling off" or even declining. The situations in California and Washington, meanwhile, remain stable.

"In the midst of tragedy, there IS hope," Adams tweeted Monday. "Social distancing and mitigation IS working. There is a light at the end of this dark tunnel, so keep at it."

[homoe]

SEATTLE -- Picture perfect weather this Easter holiday weekend could drive more people outside and to local parks and beaches. Local leaders say many people have not been listening to social distancing guidelines and still have been gathering recently in groups at parks. To slow the possible spread of COVID-19, city leaders shut down 15 major beaches and city parks in Seattle until Monday morning.

Well this didn't work out so well now did it!

On the news they showed people still gathering around Green Lake, Gas Works, and of course on Alki! Now why on earth is the Mayor willing to lift the ban come Monday morning when this weeks temps are forecasted for more high 60's and Thursday and Friday possibly reaching 70!

No word yet if the Mayor is going to continue the ban seeing there is nothing but picture perfect weather forcasted for the entire week ahead.IF she does, lets hope her and her team have up with a few ideas on how to enforce it!

[Jedi]

We went out shopping Saturday late afternoon/early evening. A good friend of our sent us a care package with 2 reusable N95 masks. I felt much more protected shopping with that on. The grocery store was seriously bare everywhere. Meat was in good shape. Cheese was picked clean. Pasta was picked clean. Frozen was empty. I was able to get what I needed. I just had to be a little less frugal. My allergies are hitting me and every sneeze makes me want to take my temperature. I worry for CCB because she's at high risk. I'm a moderate risk with my breathing issues though. It's scary to go out. And we have to take ubers and cabs. We have no idea who has been in these vehicles. It can be unnerving. I really would have thought the panic buying would be over by now. Again, the store wasn't very crowded and everyone was really good about keeping 6 ft away. Just about everyone was masked. I just wish they would close the place long enough to really restock. As it was, I spent quite a bit in the store. I have a big grocery delivery coming as well on Thursday. I'm hoping that keeps us in everything for a while and we can supplement with take out here and there. As far as our lock down festivities are going...... I have bought us an old Wii. I need to order an HDMI converter to hook it up. I got a bunch of fitness stuff and the Wii fit balance board. We have a few workout games and a virtual personal trainer one as well. Now all we need are some dumbells and we're set. I ordered a bowling game. I figured bowling night at our place might be fun thing to do once we can have company again. I'm not finding the online Dungeons and Dragons games like I was hoping. CCB has been creating and working on her Etsy shop which she has put on hold until this lock down is done. It seems this lock down is really rough on us here in the USA. South Korea seemed to have no problem. Although, they are seeing some reinfections. All conspiracy theories aside......I'm still convinced the GOP wants the poor and elderly dead. They have been dying to get their hands on our Soc. Sec. Money for ages. This all really needs to be remembered by everyone come election time.....just sayin'

[Stone-Butch]

As of right now I heard 700 people died in Canada.

Highest yet in Britain with 20,000 I have prayed daily our Queen does not get it.

(This info. is as far as I have gotten from my last news broadcast in case anyone disagrees with the statistics.)

[~ocean]

The city where I live is under 9:00 PM lock down since last night. our county ( Essex ) 3.413 and 101 deaths. Massachusetts 26,867 cases 844 deaths . the east and west are engulfed with corona.

[~ocean]

in tonight's WHO briefing TRUMP thanked Russia and Saudi Arabia ? why ? he didn't explain why ~ unless I missed it . I smell something trumpish ops fishy ~~ no I mean trumpish ~

[Kätzchen]

in tonight's WHO briefing TRUMP thanked Russia and Saudi Arabia ? why ? he didn't explain why ~ unless I missed it . I smell something trumpish ops fishy ~~ no I mean trumpish ~

I couldn't read the full accounts provided over at CNN, but omG, that mad man is threatening to fire Dr. Fauci. WHY? There's no good reason to fire all the people that JacKA$$ has fired during the past few years.

The only person who deserves to be fired, flogged, sent to another galaxy far, far away is that monster in the WH and everybody else who helped him do it to our country.

Very upsetting, each day this SH*T Show goes on without any repercussions being administered to the person who is ruining people's lives and our country.

:firetruck: <<<<<<<~~ 10 alarm fire is what's going down in our country.

:bigcry:

[Jedi]

I couldn't read the full accounts provided over at CNN, but omG, that mad man is threatening to fire Dr. Fauci. WHY? There's no good reason to fire all the people that JacKA$$ has fired during the past few years.

The only person who deserves to be fired, flogged, sent to another galaxy far, far away is that monster in the WH and everybody else who helped him do it to our country.

Very upsetting, each day this SH*T Show goes on without any repercussions being administered to the person who is ruining people's lives and our country.

:firetruck: <<<<<<<~~ 10 alarm fire is what's going down in our country.

:bigcry:

Luckily Fauci doesn't work for tRump. He can't fire him.

[A. Spectre]

All hail Paula Reid @CBS for putting the Liar-in-Thief's balls to the wall yesterday at the trumps news farce! He acted surprised by her frankness, and seemed taken aback by her questions. Didn't even have enough wits about him to call her NASTY, using B-list adjectives instead.

Wish no female journalists would even attend these trump allies not so thinly veiled as a press conference! His hatred of women drive some of his cruel policies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHF_7Idvkyc

[Stone-Butch]

Some states have more deaths than all of Canadas provinces together. This is a terrible tragedy. There is a strict law against gatherings and invading park areas. Hundreds of tickets have been given to people breaking the rules and continue to keep it until things improve. Some folks are saying, "try to collect", law is saying any debt to the gov. can be forcefully paid by refusing drivers licence renewals, the same as they do for unpaid tickets. I think it is a great idea to try to protect those who follow the rules as most of us are doing.

[homoe]

No word yet if the Mayor is going to continue the ban seeing there is nothing but picture perfect weather forcasted for the entire week ahead.IF she does, lets hope her and her team have up with a few ideas on how to enforce it!

Haven't heard anything to the contrary so I assume Mayor Jenny Durkan lifted the ban Monday morning on gathering in Seattle parks :|

[Kätzchen]

Luckily Fauci doesn't work for tRump. He can't fire him.

Thanks Jedi, that's a huge relief to know since that person seems to be the king of all misinformation, being the dictator-wannabe he has always been.

All hail Paula Reid @CBS for putting the Liar-in-Thief's balls to the wall yesterday at the trumps news farce! He acted surprised by her frankness, and seemed taken aback by her questions. Didn't even have enough wits about him to call her NASTY, using B-list adjectives instead.

Wish no female journalists would even attend these trump allies not so thinly veiled as a press conference! His hatred of women drive some of his cruel policies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHF_7Idvkyc

Ha! Your video didn't load but I giggled when I saw inside the video: Stats for nerds. LOLOL :jester:

but Ja, I totally agree with you about all the B-list adjectives that creepy monster uses (with no tan line around his un-muzzled mouth because he hasn't been wearing a mask). Go Paula Reid, right??? Do you know if Paula Reid is related to Democratic senator Harry Reid?

Say, do either of you guys know what has become of the SDNY's case progress against 45 and his corrupt family (concerning Tax Evasion, et al)?

I keep looking for any progress on that front, hoping that the current Covid19 crisis has not prevented the SDNY from working on that front (I guess it's a behind-the-scenes investigation still).

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Say, do either of you guys know what has become of the SDNY's case progress against 45 and his corrupt family (concerning Tax Evasion, et al)?

I keep looking for any progress on that front, hoping that the current Covid19 crisis has not prevented the SDNY from working on that front (I guess it's a behind-the-scenes investigation still).

Unfortunately, I think it was settled out of court.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

in tonight's WHO briefing TRUMP thanked Russia and Saudi Arabia ? why ? he didn't explain why ~ unless I missed it . I smell something trumpish ops fishy ~~ no I mean trumpish ~

I think he was probably thanking them for finally agreeing on a schedule for pumping oil, thus regulating the price of oil.

[Jedi]

I start feeling ok and like I can handle this staying in until June thing then I read things like this...... https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/13/832981899/emergency-declared-in-japanese-prefecture-hit-by-2nd-wave-of-coronavirus-infecti?utm_campaign=npr&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&fbclid=IwAR1Ua0qgBbKaWNf6MpEwcDelLE8Kf9aoVnMcqdCzg SpIinUUOgr-Rbx2KGc&fbclid=IwAR3uU8_wQFr7yRmqgn9HhZvcZnkJgNzZiYHXEXQIH VFo-Y2iVAjj4Y7n-fA&fbclid=IwAR3OPe4z1U5E90xz7GHQicM9ugYhBNvn_92lN_LLl VF2u06PfHdtUfwspWg

[~ocean]

I think he was probably thanking them for finally agreeing on a schedule for pumping oil, thus regulating the price of oil.

ty Georgia :) I didn't see that part :)

[easygoingfemme]

Sometimes I think it's crazy how we have acclimated to so many huge changes and are just like... here is the new normal... and go.

We got our thermal gun thermometers in at work yesterday. We will now use them on individuals coming into shelter, including children. I have to point this gun like thing at their head to take their temperature after giving them a face mask. I wish there was a better way but we have to keep some distance and have a way to have a thermometer that we can use on countless people in the coming months. I think with the kids I'll take my temperature with it first so they see it's not going to hurt. This is a very far cry from how I usually bring children in. The little ones especially that need snuggles get carried around by me, if they want, fed yummy snacks, read stories. None of that now. Yesterday I lined up four siblings to the bathroom to scrub before being able to pass them a box of apples and crackers.

[Kelt]

I know that whether or not to get take-out has been discussed several times in this thread. I had decided not to risk it (although I fell off the wagon once). But last night I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Science Vs (versus). They fact-check various rumors, and cover what Science has to say about it. They also include documented sources on their web page for every episode.


-snip-

I have been trying to work out my own takeout dilemma as I have three restaurants in town that I absolutely love, miss like crazy, and really want to support. These are places that just have two or three outlets and they’re not part of any chain. They need local support.

In the last month I have only been out twice to buy groceries and didn’t think that getting takeout was a good idea especially since these places do fresh whole mostly raw foods. I ventured out yesterday mostly just to get out of the house and drive around and check on various spots around town and some of the access for beaches and trails. I swung by my favorite eateries and I found two of them to be closed (I hope not forever), and the third, my absolute favorite was open for takeout. I decided to go in and see how they were handling all of the fresh ingredients. They have always worn gloves for everything and now have face coverings as well. When I was there was a gigantic order was being assembled on some of the tables and a van pulled up to start loading it out, when I asked the owner how they were doing she said that they weren’t profitable but they were staying afloat thanks to some of the locals and this new very large patron. It turns out that two of the good size hospital organizations, including Scripps, are getting food from them to feed their staff.

The way I see it avoiding some of the freshest most healthy food because of mis-trust and spotty supply at the grocery is doing me more harm than the very tiny risk I would take having it very carefully and cleanly prepared at this place that the hospitals are trusting with their own people.

I ordered takeout lunch and dinner there yesterday, and I’m about to go get my dinner for tonight. My body is thanking me and my mind just feels better supporting a local business that I care about.

I feel safe and healthy and best of all got to speak face-to-face, although covered, with an actual human being!! :cheesy:

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Trump is trying to avoid blame for not jumping on the COVID-19 pandemic fast enough.

He's stopped sending funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) because he says they didn't do their job in getting involved in China fast enough when the pandemic first broke out. "Had the WHO done its job to get medical experts into China to objectively assess the situation on the ground and to call out China's lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained at its source with very little death," said Trump at today's daily briefing.

In light of China's lack of transparency, how exactly was the WHO to know what was going on? Also, Trump is no statistician - how did he arrive at this idea? Trump is just trying to foist his clear irresponsibility off on someone else (the WHO).

[~ocean]

Trump is trying to avoid blame for not jumping on the COVID-19 pandemic fast enough.

He's stopped sending funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) because he says they didn't do their job in getting involved in China fast enough when the pandemic first broke out. "Had the WHO done its job to get medical experts into China to objectively assess the situation on the ground and to call out China's lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained at its source with very little death," said Trump at today's daily briefing.

In light of China's lack of transparency, how exactly was the WHO to know what was going on? Also, Trump is no statistician - how did he arrive at this idea? Trump is just trying to foist his clear irresponsibility off on someone else (the WHO).

^ 5 Georgia I totally agree w/ u ~ trump was told back in 2019 about the virus ~ what he did today was so typical for a narcissus when caught in a lie. blame others. then taking credit for planning to stock pile venilator's ~ Biden & Obama already had a program in place and detailed for PPE ~

[charley]

I just checked totals for Canada of Covid-19 on the John Hopkins site that I had already mentioned earlier:

Total number of cases: 27,063
Deaths: 903

[To get a perspective of this for my neighbour down south, the population of Canada is 37.59 million, while the population of the state of New York is about 19.45 million.]

The gruesome facts are that "More than half of COVID-19 deaths in Canada have been seniors' home residents".

There is a dreadful scandal (particularly) going on in Quebec and in Ontario. (BC also had a smaller version of this.)

Doug Ford, the Ontario Premier (a fiscal Conservative), had stopped inspections in such homes going all the way back to 2017. So, most of these people who run these places have hired only part-time people (at a minimum wage, with no benefits) and such people have had to work in more than one place just to get by, and god only knows what was really going on in these places.

A similar situation has existed in Quebec. In one place run by a company called Maison Herron (who has, if I remember correctly, about 6 or 7 (?) other places), seniors had died and Herron had not let anyone know, and most of the staff had not even shown up for a long time, leaving seniors suffering and dying in their beds without any care whatsoever. (I won't go into the details, which were horrific.) The premier of Quebec, François Legault, expressed "shock" at what was going on in them, and said that the govt had requested access to info and entry into places and Herron had refused, so police had to get a court order to go in and find out what was going on. So, there is now a criminal investigation going on there. Legault's "shock" sounded "sincere"; but, the same situation of part-time low-paid employees working several places was standard practice that his govt was/should have known about. Moreover, Herron had a history of negligence, which had been ignored to begin with. There is now pressure to make these care employees only work in one place, and all of these employees must now wear masks. I don't know exactly where all that will lead.

All these places take most (if not all) of the Old Age Pensions (OAS) of these seniors as the price for the "privilege" of living in such hell holes.

Like cruise ships, these places are what I will do everything to avoid. But then again, :), I know someone connected with the "Health Authority" where I live and he said, laughing, that I wasn't the kind of person who would end up in such a place.

It's 7:00 here, bells are ringing, people applauding (me too), cars honking their horns, various noise makers... shift change for hospital workers.

[FireSignFemme]

Coronavirus Misinformation Tracking Center
https://www.newsguardtech.com/coronavirus-misinformation-tracking-center/

Sources for COVID-19 Info
https://www.cedars-sinai.org/newsroom/reliable-sources-for-coronavirus-info/


World Health Organization -
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters


Our World in Data - daily updated research and data on the coronavirus pandemic
https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus

[GeorgiaMa'am]

According to the BBC, the worldwide number of confirmed coronavirus cases has passed 2 million.

Meanwhile, Bill Gates, who contributes substantially to the WHO, is totally p.o.ed at Trump over his defunding of the WHO.

[nycfem]

NYC is still off the charts high with COVID, now over 200K tested positive in NY with 11K deaths. NJ right by us has 69K positive, and to give perspective, every other state has less than 30K tested positive. We haven't left our apartment building in a month, and even inside here we utilize gloves, masks, wipes, etc. Everything takes extra long because we do it so carefully. And yet... people in NYC who we know who are being careful are still getting sick which I think points to how prevalent it is here as well as how easy it is to get in an area with such a high prevalence of the virus. Every day without getting sick feels like a success!

Our hospitals are a mess. If you google "nurse Elmhurst hospital video" you can get a sense of what the hospital scene is like here. Collectively in NYC everyone is avoiding hospitals unless they are at the point of almost dying. A few blocks from me in Central Park there is a huge makeshift tent "hospital" that takes spillover since all the hospitals are full. Many nurses and doctors are not skilled in the areas that they are working in out of the desperation for anybody to help. And lack of protective gear is a huge issue.

Over 50 people from my school system have died. Thanks Cuomo and Diblasio for pushing to keep schools open for an extra two weeks when we all already had active positive cases in our school buildings. My friend who works for the subway / MTA had 80 of her colleagues die. Lack of space for bodies is leading to temporary park burial, which is very unsettling. I had my friend in Ohio send me toilet paper because there is often no way to get the basics of things locally- online and deliveries to this area are just depleted. Groceries are just whatever one can get delivered, with several weeks wait, and often are not even available. Amazon cup of noodle soups work well for us.

We are still busy working remotely though it's hard to focus when we keep learning people around us are sick. My student population is especially hard hit (East Harlem) because so many are living in small spaces with many people and in shelters. NYC living, in general, is not ideal for such an easily contagious virus. Still, BB and I are grateful to have jobs that allow us to work remotely and to have our small, cozy apartment with our three cats to love up.

[RockOn]

Oh, oh, oh ... it is so HEARTBREAKING what people are experiencing in NYC and other extreme hot spots.

nycfem & BB... continue with every precaution just like you are doing and if you can think of more, do them! I am certain everyone here agrees with me when I say we all want you two to continue to be here with us.

Thanks for posting. NYC is one place I think of every day!

[nycfem]

Oh, oh, oh ... it is so HEARTBREAKING what people are experiencing in NYC and other extreme hot spots.

nycfem & BB... continue with every precaution just like you are doing and if you can think of more, do them! I am certain everyone here agrees with me when I say we all want you two to continue to be here with us.

Thanks for posting. NYC is one place I think of every day!

Thank you. I'm very grateful for the community on this site. It's my "Cheers" :).

[FireSignFemme]

Today I received a notice informing Harvard School of Public Health has found air pollution is making it harder for people to recover from COVID-19. Health officials are reminding citizens who live where burn bans are already in place to of course not burn things against the law. They're also asking those living in areas where burn bans are not in effect to find other means of disposal whenever possible.

[A. Spectre]

What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders


Looking for examples of true leadership in a crisis? From Iceland to Taiwan and from Germany to New Zealand, women are stepping up to show the world how to manage a messy patch for our human family. Add in Finland, Iceland and Denmark, and this pandemic is revealing that women have what it takes when the heat rises in our Houses of State. Many will say these are small countries, or islands, or other exceptions. But Germany is large and leading, and the UK is an island with very different outcomes. These leaders are gifting us an attractive alternative way of wielding power. What are they teaching us?

Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, stood up early and calmly told her countrymen that this was a serious bug that would infect up to 70% of the population. “It’s serious,” she said, “take it seriously.” She did, so they did too. Testing began right from the get-go. Germany jumped right over the phases of denial, anger and disingenuousness we’ve seen elsewhere. The country’s numbers are far below its European neighbors, and there are signs it may be able to start loosening restrictions relatively soon.

List of Countries with Female Leaders and Coronavirus death rates
Data from the European Centre for Disease Control as of April 12, 2020 20-FIRST
Among the first and the fastest responses was from Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan. Back in January, at the first sign of a new illness, she introduced 124 measures to block the spread without having to resort to the lockdowns that have become common elsewhere. She is now sending 10 million face masks to the U.S. and Europe. Tsai managed what CNN has called “among the world’s best” responses, keeping the epidemic under control, still reporting only six deaths.

Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand was early to lockdown and crystal clear on the maximum level of alert she was putting the country under – and why. She imposed self-isolation on people entering New Zealand astonishingly early, when there were just 6 cases in the whole country, and banned foreigners entirely from entering soon after. Clarity and decisiveness are saving New Zealand from the storm. As of mid-April they have suffered only four deaths, and where other countries talk of lifting restrictions, Ardern is adding to them, making all returning New Zealanders quarantine in designated locations for 14 days.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/2020/04/13/what-do-countries-with-the-best-coronavirus-reponses-have-in-common-women-leaders/#1a5ed0963dec

[FireSignFemme]

Oh my head, I looked for toilet paper for hours. I know there are many ways of doing without it. I've done it before and if I have to, we'll you've got to do what you've got to do, but if there's any way possible I can avoid it, I'm prepared to work very, very hard to scrounge up toilet paper for sale at a reasonable price. I haven't shopped for it in quite awhile.

My son hit a sale at an office supply store back in December and brought me cases of it. The last lot I bought myself, it was so long ago I have no idea how much I paid for it. I'm wondering what the situation is around the country, if others are having as much difficulty as I am, first even finding it in stock, and then at an affordable price?

Well I finally found some and after all the work it took I don't think warning people not to hoard is working at all. I wonder if we'll ever see ration cards again or if that only happens when there's a depression going on or to aid in a war effort. I won't hoard now but when this thing ends boy am I ever going to stockpile and stockpile and stockpile.

[Kätzchen]

I think it's incredibly stressful, the crushing stress, people face in NYC. Just reading Nycfem's personal account of what is transpiring in her NYC neighborhood and the loss of life, the ongoing crisis of not being able to find food or the basic necessities one needs for life everyday? It crushes my heart.


I think it is difficult for people to wrap their arms around the magnitude and consequences that comes with a medical crisis, like this. I know, right here at home in my own metro area, which is no where near as big as other mega-metropolitan areas in the US, people seem to know how serious this is, but I see other signs in the environment that tell me otherwise: People not really staying 6 feet away in distance from others, people not wearing any gloves or homemade mask out in public or at the grocery store or post office, etc. Before our metro area got on board with the severity of this crisis, I was using gloves and my scarf to protect myself while on the job. I can't help but think of how people don't practice good hygiene etiquette. For example, people who won't cover their mouth when they cough or carry tissues to cover their nose when they sneeze, much less go wash their hands after coughing or sneezing. I was in the ladies restroom, weeks ago, when I watched another woman leave the toilet and not wash her hands and touched surfaces with her hands after using the restroom. How many times have we seen that, in day to day life examples? I'm betting it's common place to see people not practice cleanliness. I think the COVID pandemic crisis not only provides people with a crystal clear picture of what needs to change dramatically, as far as taking ownership of their own hygiene practices, but it is also a gigantic wakeup call to reexamine the flawed ways that our country addresses critical issues in day to day life, at every level of any institution, as we go forward in using this situation to rectify issues that have never really been rectified suitably for the well being for everybody who lives in America.

Sending wellness wishes to all,
~K. :bunchflowers:

[charley]

Oh my head, I looked for toilet paper for hours. I know there are many ways of doing without it. I've done it before and if I have to, we'll you've got to do what you've got to do, but if there's any way possible I can avoid it, I'm prepared to work very, very hard to scrounge up toilet paper for sale at a reasonable price. I haven't shopped for it in quite awhile.

My son hit a sale at an office supply store back in December and brought me cases of it. The last lot I bought myself, it was so long ago I have no idea how much I paid for it. I'm wondering what the situation is around the country, if others are having as much difficulty as I am, first even finding it in stock, and then at an affordable price?

Well I finally found some and after all the work it took I don't think warning people not to hoard is working at all. I wonder if we'll ever see ration cards again or if that only happens when there's a depression going on or to aid in a war effort. I won't hoard now but when this thing ends boy am I ever going to stockpile and stockpile and stockpile.

I couldn't take not having some of my fav things (food), so I took the bus to my fav large supermarket.

Toilet Paper: only one per customer, I have stockpiled, so didn't get any.

The bus: only 2 people going, 3 people on the bus returning!

It is the first time in a month that I have used the bus (which is now free), and I had to get on using the back door. I wore gloves and my bandanna. I had taken my buggy and they wouldn't let me bring my buggy into the store. So I left it at the entry (no one touched it, lol) and used their own cart, which they were cleaning one at a time. Btw, I was looked at suspiciously and treated like garbage (for the first time ever in that store!) - since I ain't rich and look gay... butch, and I guess it showed! Covid-19 is making all prejudices and fears and hatreds come out. Canada has systemic racism, and oh yeah ... homophobia!!! I got everything I wanted and left the store with a full load. I tried to talk with someone waiting for the bus (more than 20' apart) and said lucky you... surgical mask; she was wearing a surgical mask and I only had my bandanna. She said sorry and turned her head away from me. So now I have to deal with prejudices of those who were lucky enough to get surgical masks and the fact that I only have a bandanna! Coming home, I talked with the bus driver. Apparently, quite a few of the bus drivers are staying home (underlying medical conditions/fear), and some have come down with Covid-19. I was seated in the middle of the bus, and the other two were sitting way in the back. Also, the bus driver said that besides regular ridership being down, she hadn't seen the usual mentally disabled riders on for weeks - apparently - and I didn't know this, but she told me that many of these peeps would just get on the bus and would just go for rides and wouldn't usually get off. Won't be going back to this supermarket until this is mainly over, whatever & whenever that means. So, I am now stuck with the local yuppie supermarket, and paying exorbitant prices for groceries, etc. :(

Depression: Economically speaking - and I know very little about such matters, but CBC News Network in Canada has used the phrase 'double depression' yesterday.

The whole situation sucks and I blame all the men in power, globally.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

For fans of Dr. Anthony Fauci (and I know there are some here) - NPR's Fresh Air podcast today was about him. They interviewed a reporter who has followed him for many years, not Dr. Fauci himself. It was very interesting. Not only did they discuss COVID-19 and Dr. Fauci's talent for getting along with people in power while telling them the truth, they went back to the early days of HIV and how Dr. Fauci was an advocate for HIV positive gay men. Apparently, he's been offered the job as head of NIH three times, and he's turned it down every time, for various reasons.

Available wherever you find your podcasts.

[Bèsame*]

Interesting read..

Coronavirus clue? Most cases aboard U.S. aircraft carrier are symptom-free

DISCONCERTING’ DATA FOR PENTAGON
Defense Secretary Mark Esper, speaking in a television interview on Thursday, said the number of asymptomatic cases from the carrier was “disconcerting.”

“It has revealed a new dynamic of this virus: that it can be carried by normal, healthy people who have no idea whatsoever that they are carrying it,” Esper told NBC’s “Today” morning show.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-military-sympt-idUSKCN21Y2GB

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Interesting read..

Coronavirus clue? Most cases aboard U.S. aircraft carrier are symptom-free

DISCONCERTING’ DATA FOR PENTAGON
Defense Secretary Mark Esper, speaking in a television interview on Thursday, said the number of asymptomatic cases from the carrier was “disconcerting.”

“It has revealed a new dynamic of this virus: that it can be carried by normal, healthy people who have no idea whatsoever that they are carrying it,” Esper told NBC’s “Today” morning show.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-military-sympt-idUSKCN21Y2GB

Doesn't everyone know this by now? What are these government people doing for their jobs? Don't they read anything?

[easygoingfemme]

NYC is still off the charts high with COVID, now over 200K tested positive in NY with 11K deaths. NJ right by us has 69K positive, and to give perspective, every other state has less than 30K tested positive. We haven't left our apartment building in a month, and even inside here we utilize gloves, masks, wipes, etc. Everything takes extra long because we do it so carefully. And yet... people in NYC who we know who are being careful are still getting sick which I think points to how prevalent it is here as well as how easy it is to get in an area with such a high prevalence of the virus. Every day without getting sick feels like a success!

Our hospitals are a mess. If you google "nurse Elmhurst hospital video" you can get a sense of what the hospital scene is like here. Collectively in NYC everyone is avoiding hospitals unless they are at the point of almost dying. A few blocks from me in Central Park there is a huge makeshift tent "hospital" that takes spillover since all the hospitals are full. Many nurses and doctors are not skilled in the areas that they are working in out of the desperation for anybody to help. And lack of protective gear is a huge issue.

Over 50 people from my school system have died. Thanks Cuomo and Diblasio for pushing to keep schools open for an extra two weeks when we all already had active positive cases in our school buildings. My friend who works for the subway / MTA had 80 of her colleagues die. Lack of space for bodies is leading to temporary park burial, which is very unsettling. I had my friend in Ohio send me toilet paper because there is often no way to get the basics of things locally- online and deliveries to this area are just depleted. Groceries are just whatever one can get delivered, with several weeks wait, and often are not even available. Amazon cup of noodle soups work well for us.

We are still busy working remotely though it's hard to focus when we keep learning people around us are sick. My student population is especially hard hit (East Harlem) because so many are living in small spaces with many people and in shelters. NYC living, in general, is not ideal for such an easily contagious virus. Still, BB and I are grateful to have jobs that allow us to work remotely and to have our small, cozy apartment with our three cats to love up.

I don't even know what to say. I'm just a couple of hours drive from you but, while it's bad here, it's not that bad. I'm thinking about you both and sending my very best. I'm so glad you are able to keep your jobs and stay safe at home. Shelves are bare here too and it's hard to get out. My parents have not left their house in two months. Well my mom tried to go to our little local coop the other day and it was so different from when she last left the house two months ago she freaked and left empty handed. I work. go home. Scrub, change, sleep, work, go home, scrub, change, sleep, work. Groceries every other week for us and my parents. I'm grateful for my job and my home and being able to have my daughter home from college and going to work with me and my Daddy who is leading the field planting a big garden for us to have fresh vegetables.

[Kätzchen]

For fans of Dr. Anthony Fauci (and I know there are some here) - NPR's Fresh Air podcast today was about him. They interviewed a reporter who has followed him for many years, not Dr. Fauci himself. It was very interesting. Not only did they discuss COVID-19 and Dr. Fauci's talent for getting along with people in power while telling them the truth, they went back to the early days of HIV and how Dr. Fauci was an advocate for HIV positive gay men. Apparently, he's been offered the job as head of NIH three times, and he's turned it down every time, for various reasons.

Available wherever you find your podcasts.

I've sort of followed him over the years, mainly because back in the day, way back when AIDS was surging across the country, my folks were diehard Republicans and bought every short sighted agenda pushed by that political party and because my mother spent years and years in the field of Nursing, often times our dinner time conversation revolved around the latest nursing and doctor profession issues. I remember how he spearheaded the idea that treatment for HIV/AIDS needed to consider the patient first, not the other away around, concerning clinical trials. Quoting from the NPR coverage: "This new system [for AIDS treatment] basically forced people to realize that you can't run drug trials and decide what to do with patients without ever consulting patients," Specter says. "I think it changed medicine in America forever."

As it was, my youngest brother, a big gay bear but never out to my family during the 1980s, eventually came out to my family during his medical crisis where he discovered he had AIDS/HIV during the early 1990s.

Anyway, for those of you looking for that podcast and article, here is the link below:

NPR: Long Before COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci 'Changed Medicine in America Forever.' (https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/16/834873162/long-before-covid-19-dr-tony-fauci-changed-medicine-in-america-forever)

[FireSignFemme]

5 Reasons Why You Might Not Have Gotten Your Stimulus Check Yet -

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/politics/why-didnt-i-get-my-stimulus-money/index.html

https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here

[A. Spectre]

Israel Is Reporting That The Trump Admin Reached Out To Them Back In November To Warn about pandemic



Israel Is Now Reporting That The Trump Administration Reached Out To Them Back In November To Warn Them About Impending The Times of Israel claims Israeli television reported tonight that US intelligence agencies warned the country of an impending pandemic with coronavirus, gaining speed in China, a startling five months ago.

“The US intelligence community became aware of the emerging disease in Wuhan in the second week of that month and drew up a classified document,” the report alleged.


https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-alerted-israel-nato-to-disease-outbreak-in-china-in-november-report/

*This intentional death and chaos was imo done intentionally, maybe they didn't invent the virus but they are stealing billions that goes directly into the pockets of their already sickening wealthy friends and family. Firing the IG's, first saying he is a DICKtator by telling Governors what and when to close or open, then doing a 180 the very next day. His admin is purposely keeping our heads spinning with the madness of king mango.

Watch what they are doing while all of the attention is on c-19. A federal judge just recently blocked the opening of new pristine land for drilling for the Keystone pipeline. THIS is why down ballot voting is so important! As well as voting the death cult that IS the GOP out of office.

[FireSignFemme]

Even though they are extremely scare, near next to impossible to get hands on right now, here is a good FAQ put out by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention concerning respirators.

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/respsource3healthcare.html#e

[Lyte]

Not sure if I should be worried or grateful or a bit of both. I need new reading glasses and turns out that my Doc is going to open up next week sometime. I don't think I can hold my breath through the reading of an eye chart! :| lol But I really need to update my prescription!

Thoughts?

[Baby_Yoda]

Not sure if I should be worried or grateful or a bit of both. I need new reading glasses and turns out that my Doc is going to open up next week sometime. I don't think I can hold my breath through the reading of an eye chart! :| lol But I really need to update my prescription!

Thoughts?

I personally get the ones you can pick up just about anywhere but then my prescription is almost non-existent according to my last eye exam so some 1.5 work well for me. Other than that... I personally would put it off. There has not been a 14 day streak of fewer cases each day as recommended to reopen.

[Kätzchen]

Anybody experiencing trouble with receiving Unemployment? And, likewise, is anybody experiencing trouble with getting COVID 19 CARES act financial assistance to survive since shuttering your small business venture?

I'm curious, because for me it has been three weeks since I was furloughed and in my state, they just processed the first week of benefits I am eligible for last Thursday, but the first benefit check comes in paper form and there is no telling how many days before it comes. In our metro area? There is only a couple of county Work Source Offices (read: unemployment field office) that are fully staffed. In the largest county of our metro area, most of those field offices are not fully staffed, nor do Unemployment case workers take a phone call. The state hot-line number is imploded and does not work, and the state knows it. And, on top of it all, each week as millions of people in our state file for Unemployment benefits, the website is blown up, sometimes on an hourly basis, which I am sure is driving the state IT team crazy and is terribly stressful.

If you're self employed in our state, there is no help and there's no one to process your claim. If you're a small business owner? Same story. You're out of 'luck' because there is no staff to process your claim or to help you secure CARES ACT funding to save you from falling off the social grid.

I took an emergency loan out, shortly after I was laid off, because thankfully our credit union helpful like that. If I am fortunate enough to have those Unemployment benefit claim checks show up in paper form or direct deposited *BEFORE* May 1st, then I'm returning the full amount of the emergency loan, so I don't have to worry about huge monthly payments over a 12 month span of time. Of course, I have another back up plan to activate should my Unemployment funds never show up.

So.... I worry about relatives (my own family) who live in another state because while some states actively care about small business owners, apparently my home state cares nothing for small business owners and in similar ways, it's looking like small business owners and those who are self employed in my state are perilously close to financial ruin.

I personally don't see how the economy can reopen in timely ways but I did have a sneak preview of how long the current funding for people who are approved for Unemployment benefits in my state. And that deadline is July 25th, the anticipated time line for when the current CARES ACT funding is depleted. At least, this is what my physical copies of documents say that were mailed to me from my state UI (Unemployment Insurance) Office.

Super scary right now for everyone. Thankfully I still experience no virus impacts but that's because I abide by social distancing policy and I stay home (for the most part, except for necessity runs to the pharmacy) and when I do go out for a walk or a bike ride, I wear a mask, scarf, gloves and I am super careful.

Just yesterday, I had to go pick up medications and I overheard, while waiting in the waiting 'lounge' nearby, that staffers at my pharmacy location were exposed to COVID-19 (asymptomatically exposed) and now half of their 6 member staff are out on quarantine. They have plexi-glass barriers installed, but the weird part and most telling sign of all, is that none of them were mandated to wear masks or gloves, as an added safety barrier for not only Pharmacy employees, but for the general public who show up to get meds.

So here, again, even in the face of how serious this health crisis is, trained professionals at a pharmacy still do not display a "Safety First" type of mindset and because Safety First is not a core governing principle in their daily lives (personal or public), they've risked their own health and not taken this health crisis seriously, which in turn, has now cost them time off work, and possibly the risk of exposure will lead to consequences that upend their lives in terms of life or death.

I'm continuing to place a high priority for my own safety and I hope you all continue to do the same.

~K. :vigil: :vigil: :vigil:

[Kelt]

Something I did about a month ago out of an abundance of caution was to get a pulse oximeter for the fist aid kit at the same time as replacing my dead thermometer.

In light of this article today, I'd say it's a no-brainer for everyone at this point. I hope they are still available, I got mine on Amazon I think it was about $30.

The Infection That’s Silently Killing Coronavirus Patients (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/opinion/coronavirus-testing-pneumonia.html)

[Kelt]

Things you can't buy now (other than TP)

Home fitness equipment
When this whole thing started I was having my garage finished in anticipation of setting up some home fitness and physical therapy space. It got finished right on time...for everyone and their brother to have the same idea. I am now on a couple of waitlists. I gather that even Joe's old barbell set from the basement will fetch top, gouge, price on Craigslist.

Pets
When I moved I knew I wanted to get a dog either this spring or next. I decided that this would be the perfect time to invest the time into training and learning with a new buddy. Sadly, I was the last one to act on this, the shelters are empty (WIN!) and there is nary a pup to be found.

Freezer
Well duh. I didn't really see an immediate need for this and thought I would get around to it, again, after finishing garage. With some of the projected shortages coming up, I though it would be an ideal now. Nope.

What I am stocking up on
Spices and interesting international sauces and things to brighten my world if things get tougher.

This is coming from someone who rarely opens the wallet for the moths to breathe. Who knew I'd ever be a frustrated shopper?

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Something I did about a month ago out of an abundance of caution was to get a pulse oximeter for the fist aid kit at the same time as replacing my dead thermometer.

In light of this article today, I'd say it's a no-brainer for everyone at this point. I hope they are still available, I got mine on Amazon I think it was about $30.

The Infection That’s Silently Killing Coronavirus Patients (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/opinion/coronavirus-testing-pneumonia.html)

Very informative opinion on the COVID-19 relationship to pneumonia. I just had pneumonia at the beginning of November, and it makes me wonder: did I actually have an early case of COVID-19 somehow? (probably not, but there are people who say it started in the U.S. Also, I was at Disney World and took two flights the week before, I could easily have shared respiratory spray with someone from China.) It progressed exactly as described in the article - by the time I knew it was serious, it was _very_ serious, my lungs filled with blood and I was straining with every muscle to breathe.

So does this mean I'm immune? Does it mean I'm a carrier? I had a pneumonia vaccine around the beginning of December, does that mean I'm safe? Should I or should I not do those exercises they show you in the hospital to keep you from getting pneumonia? Should I be monitoring my oxygen levels, because I have noticed that I am breathing deeper (I had thought that was probably an after-effect of my case of pneumonia - I'm still coughing stuff up out of my lungs. They say it can take up to a year to get it all out.)

These are questions for my doctor - maybe I can get a tele-appointment. Anyway, thank you very much for the interesting article and the tip on the the pulse oximeter.

[Kelt]

Very informative opinion on the COVID-19 relationship to pneumonia. I just had pneumonia at the beginning of November, and it makes me wonder: did I actually have an early case of COVID-19 somehow? (probably not, but there are people who say it started in the U.S. Also, I was at Disney World and took two flights the week before, I could easily have shared respiratory spray with someone from China.) It progressed exactly as described in the article - by the time I knew it was serious, it was _very_ serious, my lungs filled with blood and I was straining with every muscle to breathe.

So does this mean I'm immune? Does it mean I'm a carrier? I had a pneumonia vaccine around the beginning of December, does that mean I'm safe? Should I or should I not do those exercises they show you in the hospital to keep you from getting pneumonia? Should I be monitoring my oxygen levels, because I have noticed that I am breathing deeper (I had thought that was probably an after-effect of my case of pneumonia - I'm still coughing stuff up out of my lungs. They say it can take up to a year to get it all out.)

These are questions for my doctor - maybe I can get a tele-appointment. Anyway, thank you very much for the interesting article and the tip on the the pulse oximeter.

I have wondered the same about your pneumonia for a while now. You could ask for an antibody test if they are available in your area. It could shed some light on the situation. The jury is still out on whether or not antibodies would confer any immunity, but it would be interesting to know and maybe grant some peace of mind anyway.

I will be interested to see if anything like this comes out in a medical journal. As you rightly point out it is an opinion piece.

[Lyte]

Responding in general...

From one too many microbiology classes, but not an expert on coronaviruses, you'll have antibodies related to the virus (the strain) that made a home in your body. Like most viruses, like the flu, the lil fuckers change, mutate, a lot. A while back, I heard/read somewhere that there were already three different strains found in Washington state. Are they similar enough to each other that they will be killed off by your new antibodies? I don't think anyone knows yet.

A few weeks ago I heard reporters, and I think one doctor say YES, you will have immunity. I was immediately, WTF?!

Since then... I've been avoiding anything on TV. For the most part, I'm reading what WHO releases and the John Hopkins newsletter.

Has anyone else heard of any other strains of this coronavirus popping up?

[charley]

The CDC has issued a warning that the 2nd wave will probably occur during this winter in the U.S., and will most likely be “even more difficult” coinciding with seasonal flu). Obviously, by that time, people will be travelling again between the U.S. and Canada, etc., and it will affect us Canadians as well. :(

"And in a double blow for the prospect of ending the coronavirus pandemic, a US trial of the controversial treatment Donald Trump has referred to as “like a miracle” has produced poor results." ... "Also on Tuesday, a malaria drug frequently touted by Trump for treating Covid-19 showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in US veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine than those given standard care, researchers reported."

The CDC "was also asked about increasing protests in a number of US states against stay-at-home orders from governors, with demonstrations coordinated on social media and evidence of backing by rightwing figures and powerful Trump allies. And about calls for states to be “liberated” from restrictions, which Donald Trump has himself echoed, Redfield said in the interview: “It’s not helpful.” "

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/21/coronavirus-second-wave-hydroxychloroquine-trial

[nhplowboi]

Something I did about a month ago out of an abundance of caution was to get a pulse oximeter for the fist aid kit at the same time as replacing my dead thermometer.

In light of this article today, I'd say it's a no-brainer for everyone at this point. I hope they are still available, I got mine on Amazon I think it was about $30.

The Infection That’s Silently Killing Coronavirus Patients (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/opinion/coronavirus-testing-pneumonia.html)

Yes Kelt, a must have in your med kit at this point in time. Bevi tried to get one yesterday. Every place was out of stock. She had just read how the virus does not manifest in some people until about 24 hours before you pass. The key to prevent that from happening was to monitor your oxygen levels.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Something I did about a month ago out of an abundance of caution was to get a pulse oximeter for the fist aid kit at the same time as replacing my dead thermometer.

In light of this article today, I'd say it's a no-brainer for everyone at this point. I hope they are still available, I got mine on Amazon I think it was about $30.

The Infection That’s Silently Killing Coronavirus Patients (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/opinion/coronavirus-testing-pneumonia.html)

Yes Kelt, a must have in your med kit at this point in time. Bevi tried to get one yesterday. Every place was out of stock. She had just read how the virus does not manifest in some people until about 24 hours before you pass. The key to prevent that from happening was to monitor your oxygen levels.

I ordered a pulse oximeter on Amazon last night. They were out of the ones available through Amazon Prime, so I'm assuming mine will come from somewhere overseas. After eliminating the ones that seemed like they were probably junk (1-star ratings and such), I ended up paying $60 for one.

Oh, in my research I found out that some of the newer Fitbits will give you an oxygen reading. Unfortunately, not the model I have.

[Jedi]

Responding in general...

From one too many microbiology classes, but not an expert on coronaviruses, you'll have antibodies related to the virus (the strain) that made a home in your body. Like most viruses, like the flu, the lil fuckers change, mutate, a lot. A while back, I heard/read somewhere that there were already three different strains found in Washington state. Are they similar enough to each other that they will be killed off by your new antibodies? I don't think anyone knows yet.

A few weeks ago I heard reporters, and I think one doctor say YES, you will have immunity. I was immediately, WTF?!

Since then... I've been avoiding anything on TV. For the most part, I'm reading what WHO releases and the John Hopkins newsletter.

Has anyone else heard of any other strains of this coronavirus popping up?

AS far as I know there was L strain and S strain of Covid-19. The thing about this coronavirus is that it mutates. One being more aggressive than the other. Not one news source has spoken much about the strains since then.

[~ocean]

the heck w/ where's WALDO ~~ I want to know where is Dr. Fauci ?

[Orema]

the heck w/ where's WALDO ~~ I want to know where is Dr. Fauci ?

Trump has shut him down. I’m watching Trump’s daily briefing and am not sure if Fauci is in the room. Trump probably has him in the corner if he is in the room.

The shills, Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr Robert Redfield, can’t even keep a steady eye as they try to sell Trump’s bullshit.

And the press needs to step up their game and question Trump harder. At the very least, they need to follow up on a colleague’s question when Trump rudely refuses to answer.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

From the BBC World News:

BBC Announcer: "The top infectious disease expert in America, Anthony Fauci, has urged a careful and measured approach to re-opening the economy, to avoid a resurgence of the coronavirus."

Dr. Fauci: "The urge we all have to get out there and get it over with, let's get back to normal, for a lot of good reasons because there's a lot of suffering economic and otherwise in this country because of that. I plead with the American public, with the governors, with the mayors, with the people with responsibility. Although I know one has the need to leapfrog over things, don't do that. Do it in a measured way."

BBC Announcer: "Dr. Fauci said there was no doubt coronavirus would return later in the year but the country would be much better prepared. After the same news conference, President Trump insisted that if coronavirus came back, it would be in smaller outbreaks that could be contained."

[nycfem]

It has been a hard week here in the NY/NJ area. Two longtime members of the Butch Femme community passed away: GreyingButch and LeftWriteFemme. I had just had a very special zoom seder for Passover with LeftWriteFemme, and she was so happy and talkative. I'm glad we stayed on so long. I never thought it would be the last time I interacted with her.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

The BBC World News story in the above post was transcribed from the BBC World News which aired at 9:00 PM EDT on BBC Radio World Service UK.

- - -

Transcribed from the BBC World News which aired at 10:00 PM EDT on BBC Radio World Service UK.

BBC Announcer: "President Trump has played down the dangers of a second wave of coronavirus cases later in the year. He was contradicted by his top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, who said there was no doubt the virus would return but the country would be much better prepared. Dr. Fauci said the program of people physically distancing should be the basis of any plan to re-open the economy."

Dr. Fauci: "The program is not one that is gonna be 'Turn the lights on in America, we're finished.' We're not. We have to proceed in a very careful, measured way. And if you look at the guidelines, they are careful, and they are measured."

[Lyte]

Indeed. I find the lack of coverage re multiple strains surprising, and a bit suspicious. Why news outlets aren't mentioning it, I don't know but it's so odd that it adds to my concern.

AS far as I know there was L strain and S strain of Covid-19. The thing about this coronavirus is that it mutates. One being more aggressive than the other. Not one news source has spoken much about the strains since then.

[Teddybear]

It has been a hard week here in the NY/NJ area. Two longtime members of the Butch Femme community passed away: GreyingButch and LeftWriteFemme. I had just had a very special zoom seder for Passover with LeftWriteFemme, and she was so happy and talkative. I'm glad we stayed on so long. I never thought it would be the last time I interacted with her.


She was such an awesome person that will be missed. She and I spoke every month. I was just thinking today it was getting close to she and I to have our talk.

Covid-19 is such a bastard stealing the best of us.

[charley]

Indeed. I find the lack of coverage re multiple strains surprising, and a bit suspicious. Why news outlets aren't mentioning it, I don't know but it's so odd that it adds to my concern.

I have no background in microbiology, so I googled and found a fairly decent & helpful explanation of "strains/mutations" of Covid-19 in this interview by a CTV news reporter with Jonathan Jarry of the McGill Office for Science and Society: (particular question re: "strains" begins at @ 1:25)

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1933809

[Tommi]

It has been a hard week here in the NY/NJ area. Two longtime members of the Butch Femme community passed away: GreyingButch and LeftWriteFemme. I had just had a very special zoom seder for Passover with LeftWriteFemme, and she was so happy and talkative. I'm glad we stayed on so long. I never thought it would be the last time I interacted with her.

This doesn’t seem real. Glad to know Sherrie was with you virtually for Seder. That would have meant a lot to her.

Get in touch with those you think about. You just never know.
Sad day for so many.

[Orema]

dRFbwjwQ4VE

[Zimmeh]

How very sad! I remember reading some of her works in this group. May she Rest In Peace and her family find peace.

From my family to hers,

Zimmeh

It has been a hard week here in the NY/NJ area. Two longtime members of the Butch Femme community passed away: GreyingButch and LeftWriteFemme. I had just had a very special zoom seder for Passover with LeftWriteFemme, and she was so happy and talkative. I'm glad we stayed on so long. I never thought it would be the last time I interacted with her.

[homoe]

It has been a hard week here in the NY/NJ area. Two longtime members of the Butch Femme community passed away: GreyingButch and LeftWriteFemme. I had just had a very special zoom seder for Passover with LeftWriteFemme, and she was so happy and talkative. I'm glad we stayed on so long. I never thought it would be the last time I interacted with her.

So very sorry to hear about GreyingButch and LeftWriteFemme.

I didn't really know either, but I always enjoyed LeftWrite's postings.

[~ocean]

LOLOL take 2 swigs of Clorox, Lysol, any disinfectant you have ~ stand under a UV light ~ You will be fine << Donald Trump

The BABOON struck again !! lol

[charley]

Dr. Jane Goodall, 86, British primatologist, ethologist and anthropologist, says we are to blame for this pandemic.

"Hopefully there will be more understanding of the fact that it's our messing with nature, cutting down forests, bringing people and animals close together, hunting animals and eating them, and selling them that's led to these viruses spreading from animals to people..."

She "argued that destroying habitats has forced animals into closer proximity, spreading diseases — and ultimately infecting humans."

She said the deadly crisis also highlights the dangers of “meat markets for wild animals in Asia, especially China, and our intensive farms where we cruelly crowd together billions of animals around the world.”

“These are the conditions that create an opportunity for the viruses to jump from animals across the species barrier to humans,” she told AFP.

"If these conditions, and especially the cruelty of the meat markets where wild animals are forced into tiny cages and sold for food or pets, that's happening in many different countries around the world and it's those conditions that have led to viruses jumping from an animal species to a human. There's a lot known about this now, how it happens, and of course, in some cases, it's led to something like COVID-19. SARS is another example of a virus that began in a wet market in China," Goodall said in a telephonic interview to IANSLife, while she is sheltering in England.

All of the above from various sources online, and all of what she has said echoes my own view on the origin of this virus.

https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article21856523.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Best-Brands-Award-2020-In-Munich.jpg

[Kelt]

:yeahthat: :goodpost:

I agree 100% with everything she says.

[A. Spectre]

CALM DOWN EVERYBODY!


MF45 just suggested injecting people with bleach, it's not like he said anything REALLY dangerous like when Michelle Obama suggested that kids eat more vegetables.

[homoe]

LOLOL take 2 swigs of Clorox, Lysol, any disinfectant you have ~ stand under a UV light ~ You will be fine << Donald Trump

The BABOON struck again !! lol

Priceless............

[nycfem]

Currently 1 out of 5 people tested randomly in NYC have coronavirus antibodies. 88% of people who go on ventilators in NYC die. Half of people who have shortness of breath as a symptom end up needing ventilators. NYC is thought to have a strain of COVID more similar to European countries than other parts of the U.S. and more fatal. Needless to say BB and I have been sealed inside our apartment for 5 weeks with no plans of setting foot outside our apartment building. It's hard to imagine that elsewhere, in other parts of the U.S., people are denying the virus can become a problem for them. NYC has turned into what feels more like a third-world country. People who can't care for themselves but aren't about to die are being discharged from hospitals to nursing homes and sent with a body bag, so everyone else in the nursing homes are dying but they don't know what to do with them. Up the street from me Central Park has turned into a tent hospital. Multiple notices come per week of people at my synagogue who have died of COVID. Greyingbutch was symptomatic for weeks and then died shortly after arriving at the hospital before any intervention could be attempted. Leftwritefemme died at the hospital within six days of having symptoms of COVID. I'm beyond words but wanted to check in and share. I feel more comfortable sharing with my community here than in larger social media settings. I'm grateful for all of you.

[nycfem]

Here's a copy-paste for Greyingbutch: https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2020/04/vittoria-repetto/

and one for LeftWriteFemme:

https://www.facebook.com/SerendipitousGallery

It's so very sad to lose members of our community.

[A. Spectre]

The REAL reason why he wants everyone to drink bleach is to turn more people white.



For the love of god people, DON'T drink the bleach!


Tennessee Poison Center sees more calls, hospitalizations over disinfectants amid COVID-19

The Tennessee Poison Center has seen an increase in calls related to cleaning supply overexposure as well as a jump in people hospitalized after ingesting hydrogen peroxide as Tennesseans try to ward off the coronavirus.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2020/04/25/tennesseans-being-overexposed-disinfectants-they-ward-off-covid-19/3013177001/

[Bèsame*]

Currently 1 out of 5 people tested randomly in NYC have coronavirus antibodies. 88% of people who go on ventilators in NYC die. Half of people who have shortness of breath as a symptom end up needing ventilators. NYC is thought to have a strain of COVID more similar to European countries than other parts of the U.S. and more fatal. Needless to say BB and I have been sealed inside our apartment for 5 weeks with no plans of setting foot outside our apartment building. It's hard to imagine that elsewhere, in other parts of the U.S., people are denying the virus can become a problem for them. NYC has turned into what feels more like a third-world country. People who can't care for themselves but aren't about to die are being discharged from hospitals to nursing homes and sent with a body bag, so everyone else in the nursing homes are dying but they don't know what to do with them. Up the street from me Central Park has turned into a tent hospital. Multiple notices come per week of people at my synagogue who have died of COVID. Greyingbutch was symptomatic for weeks and then died shortly after arriving at the hospital before any intervention could be attempted. Leftwritefemme died at the hospital within six days of having symptoms of COVID. I'm beyond words but wanted to check in and share. I feel more comfortable sharing with my community here than in larger social media settings. I'm grateful for all of you.

Thank you for sharing. I use your situation as a point of reference when ever I speak to anyone being careless. I see so much denial it's scary. Really, go to a beauty shop so you can be in close proximity of your hairdresser and everyone else she has seen during the day?

I think of you and your quarantine status often. I'm here for you💚💙💜😷

[Cin]

This is certainly disturbing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/24/strokes-coronavirus-young-patients/

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Transcribed from the BBC World News which aired at 9:00 PM EDT on BBC Radio World Service UK.

"President Trump has not held his daily coronavirus briefing at the White House, tweeting that it was not worth his time or effort. His absence after weeks of attendance comes two days after he provoked outrage and ridicule by suggesting that COVID-19 patients could be treated with disinfectant."

I guess 45's widdle feelings got hurt.

[~ocean]

The REAL reason why he wants everyone to drink bleach is to turn more people white.



For the love of god people, DON'T drink the bleach!


Tennessee Poison Center sees more calls, hospitalizations over disinfectants amid COVID-19

The Tennessee Poison Center has seen an increase in calls related to cleaning supply overexposure as well as a jump in people hospitalized after ingesting hydrogen peroxide as Tennesseans try to ward off the coronavirus.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2020/04/25/tennesseans-being-overexposed-disinfectants-they-ward-off-covid-19/3013177001/


It's so true ~ when I read your post I started singing ~ "Drink , Drink , Bleach Everybody ~ lolol

[Tommi]

Currently 1 out of 5 people tested randomly in NYC have coronavirus antibodies. 88% of people who go on ventilators in NYC die. Half of people who have shortness of breath as a symptom end up needing ventilators. NYC is thought to have a strain of COVID more similar to European countries than other parts of the U.S. and more fatal. Needless to say BB and I have been sealed inside our apartment for 5 weeks with no plans of setting foot outside our apartment building. It's hard to imagine that elsewhere, in other parts of the U.S., people are denying the virus can become a problem for them. NYC has turned into what feels more like a third-world country. People who can't care for themselves but aren't about to die are being discharged from hospitals to nursing homes and sent with a body bag, so everyone else in the nursing homes are dying but they don't know what to do with them. Up the street from me Central Park has turned into a tent hospital. Multiple notices come per week of people at my synagogue who have died of COVID. Greyingbutch was symptomatic for weeks and then died shortly after arriving at the hospital before any intervention could be attempted. Leftwritefemme died at the hospital within six days of having symptoms of COVID. I'm beyond words but wanted to check in and share. I feel more comfortable sharing with my community here than in larger social media settings. I'm grateful for all of you.


We have participated in Southern California Shelter in place since March 5. See the chaos around the country. The shocking, horrible news about Sherrie smacks you awake as you know it just makes this craziness so real. The awful things seem to hit so hard. My father in-law passed away April 7, in Michigan. , Family didn’t have a chance to fly to be with him. when told he was sick, He had been isolated for 3 weeks, and became despondent and quit eating. He passed within 3 days of getting ill, in an assisted living facility that didn’t allow visitors. No funeral, memorial service later , Neptune Society took care of everything. Yesterday a priority mail package was left on the front porch, big red letters reading “Contains Cremains” . Stark reality visits without an invitation. It’s been a rough time. Be safe folks .

[Orema]

uW56CL0pk0g

So glad Lorne Michaels was able to make this happen since it was a (bucket-list?) request from Dr. Fauci, but it may be the last we see of Dr. Fauci because this will get on Trump’s most insecure nerves.

[homoe]

uW56CL0pk0g

So glad Lorne Michaels was able to make this happen since it was a (bucket-list?) request from Dr. Fauci, but it may be the last we see of Dr. Fauci because this will get on Trump’s most insecure nerves.


So true! Trump will be seething after seeing this..

[A. Spectre]

The best and sure cure for Covid-19? Getting rid of MF45!


That is if mainlining Lysol and sticking a tactical flashlight up your ass doesn't work.

[charley]

Here in Canada, the federal govt has been dispensing masks and PPEs (as much as they have been able to acquire from a ludicrously competitive marketplace) to the various parts of the country most affected by Covid-19.

Haven't really watched American TV in a while, so took a gander at Morning Joe this morning, and was horrified to learn that poorer hospitals in NYC had to get a GoFundMe page going so as to get money to purchase PPEs and masks, while the richer NYC hospitals aren't caught with this problem. Why on earth don't those richer hospitals help the poorer hospitals? Eh? I mean, all those doctors in the rich hospitals take this oath to "help" people, right? Oh my god, my deepest sympathies to all those who don't have the money to actually get decent medical help! This situation is so unconscionable.

In March, the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the decision to “go hard and go early,” locking down the country after around 100 residents tested positive for COVID-19. "By next week, businesses, kindergarten and elementary schools that teach ages 1 to 10 will reopen." "The country has done better than flatten its coronavirus curve, public health experts say — it has crushed it."

American political scientist Van Jackson, who lectures at New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington, says communicating is Ardern's "superpower." Jackson says "social solidarity" has been the lesson from New Zealand: "If we're all in this together, then we're actually going to get through it better and faster." Jackson also has said that "collectivist societies" are faring better and more efficiently "than fractured, individualist societies."

Unlike Canada, New Zealand stopped community transmission in its tracks. WTG Jacinda Ardern !!! We in Canada are still limping along (I blame Trudeau for this btw, who shirked declaring a national emergency), but the risk where I am is so much lower than in a place like NYC... I can't imagine the stress of people there, like some from this site... may god help them.

[nhplowboi]

I may be married but I definitely crush on PM Jacinda Ardern.

[~ocean]

The best and sure cure for Covid-19? Getting rid of MF45!


That is if mainlining Lysol and sticking a tactical flashlight up your ass doesn't work.


^5 ^5 ^5 ~~ shakes booty ~~ ^5 ^5 ^5

[nhplowboi]

We got home late this afternoon from running errands to find a friend (Johnny) had called. Johnny noticed, as he drove by the home of an elderly neighbor (Buzz), that the window was down on his pickup truck. The call had come in at 11AM and it was now 4PM. It was raining out pretty good and this man is fastidious. He is a hard core bachelor and we keep an eye out on him. Bevi was just about in tears as we jumped in the van and sped to his house. When we got there I checked the truck (the window was still down)and bevi ran to his house. As she reached for his front door....there he stood. "Oh Buzz, I am so glad you are not dead!" was her response. After that we explained the window situation and proceeded to have a neighborly talk. I think this incident will be a little comforting to him to know he might be a bachelor but he is not alone. Oh and Buzz was home and not on the road because he called in with a sore throat.

[~ocean]

I woke up this morning a pissed off American ~ I wish I could remember my dreams cause I always wake up in a good mood ~ I even sing a good morning song to our animals but this morning I wasn't myself. I called our Gov.'s office Gov. Charles Baker of Massachusetts. I wanted to talk to his office , which I did. I expressed my concerns about early reopening's for the people of this ctry., not having any protection ( masks) for our own safety, esp. someone like myself w/ a pre existing disease . Facial coverings aren't enough if I have to be in a hosp. or medical ctr. for tests. there should be masks available to purchase and prescription masks from our doctors. With a few more comments about life we have been forced to live , I ended the call. Personally I don't know if he will ever get the message or not and if it will matter. It matters to me every time my daughter has to leave our home to purchase what we need taking care of us. I did say that as an American if they think we buy the story it was China they are mistaken ~ I told them I feel it's an act of terrorism where it hit so many parts of the world at the same time as it grew into a pandemic. no one seen this happening but the person who committed this horrific crime. I have listened to them explaining a pandemic and it's impact , and it reassures my OWN theory of terrorism.
Anywayss, Good Morning ~ ty for this space so I could vent.

[Cin]

I found this article useful and thought maybe someone else might as well. It actually made me feel more comfortable with the choices my wife and I make to keep ourselves safe and I found the break down and scoring of exposure scenarios stress relieving. I felt better after reading it. Maybe we really can keep ourselves safe until this is over. Who doesn't want to believe that?

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/masks-gloves-hand-sanitizer-and-more-simple-guidelines-for-day-to-day-living-amid-the-covid-19-pandemic-1.4914955?cid=sm%3Atrueanthem%3Actvmontreal%3Apost&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0zGewJFyKKUU2hSJ1yQNoKEZ4NdwsiB0Uf12MU8 q5ZTwN6_Fyyt1Oakx8

[theoddz]

For folks who might be looking for masks that might offer some sort of protection from COVID-19, I have a couple of web sites that offer medical (PPE) masks to the general public in smaller batches (25-50 disposable masks). Compared to some of the price gouging I've seen from some sellers, these 2 sites don't seem to be too bad, costwise.

www.Banggood.com

and

www.masksbywhizley.com/


A word about these masks, though. Keep in mind that I've been a Registered Respiratory Therapist (now retired) for nearly 30 years, and my specialty has always been in the field of Adult Critical Care (ICU). It's from this perspective that I'm going to say a couple of things about these masks.

In the hospital environment, for "general"/Universal Precautions personal protection equipment, we use the thin, paperlike (usually they are a light blue in color, but can also be white or a pale yellow color) masks with the slim elastic ear loops. Sometimes these masks come with an attached plastic face mask, and sometimes not, but they are suitable for protecting against simple splashes and the like. They don't really do a whole lot for small particle (less than 3 microns in size, which is SMALL), as in bacterial or viral, protection. Sometimes, these masks are offered in health care environments, doctors' offices and the like, to patients who have an active cough, for the purpose of protecting others who might be around them.

Now, that being said, the masks that we use for what we've always called "Respiratory Isolation" or "Droplet/Airborne Isolation" (this would be COVID-19), we use what is called an N95, or NP95 Protective Mask. These masks are made much more durably, consisting of a thicker structure and a higher degree of protection, effectively blocking the inhalation of particles/virus/bacteria that are less than 3 microns in size. The important thing that you need to consider here before one goes rushing out to try to buy one or more of these N(P)95 masks is this: In order for these masks to guarantee that they will work effectively and perform to the standards that they are designed for, they must first be FIT TESTED, to ensure that they will fit the wearer correctly. These masks are disposable, and tend to be much more expensive and, in these days and times, harder to find. These are the masks that the authorities were first urging people NOT to buy, to ensure that there would be enough of them available for health professionals. I'm not telling anyone to either buy or not buy these masks. That's up to you. I'm not your conscience, nor am I your moral compass. If you want to buy one of these N95 masks, in particular, buy one, but be aware of what you're getting, what it's intended for and who it is intended for. In the hospital, we have special Infection Control teams who are constantly and periodically fit testing us, in order to ensure that we are protected by these masks.

There are also masks being sold on Amazon and Etsy that are made of various materials and are not considered to be "medical grade". These can be hand made and consist of any number of fabrics and materials. I've seen a few neoprene masks that are suitable for sports activities and some that are designed to protect against dust and pollution. I'm not thinking that these would be very effective, in reality, but I guess they'd be better than nothing, if nothing else were available. They are inexpensive and I've heard that, for someone with any kind of sewing ability, relatively easy to make.

Either way, I hope this information might serve to provide information to the folks who'd like to know this sort of thing. I hope everyone is staying safe, washing your hands and practicing the advised social distancing.

~Theo~ :bouquet:

[Kätzchen]

I don't know if anyone has posted about complications to ones health by improperly using disinfectants but as a former hairdresser and because of built in knowledge about chemicals (in general), I wonder if people realize that another consequence or health liability is the over use of disinfectants or the mishandling of disinfectants or improper mixing of disinfectants.

For example, how many people actually put on gloves first before using a Clorox disinfectant wipe? I see people readily pulling out sheet after sheet of those cleaning wipes with no gloves over their hands to protect them from being over-exposed to common place disinfection methods.

I think it's wise to put on a pair of gloves because anything your unprotected body touches, even if it is only for a brief time or for extended time periods, your body absorbs the disinfectant which could lead to other unintended consequences (health wise).

If anyone is interested in reading an article about it, I will include a worth while read in the title of the scientific article below.

Health Problems and Disinfectant Product Exposure at a Large Multi-specialty Hospital (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019665531730295X)
(American Journal of Infection Control; Vol. 45, Issue 10, published October 1st, 2017, pp. 1133=1138. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.).

[Jedi]

https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2020/04/27/mass-general-coronavirus-simulator?event=event51&fbclid=IwAR0paayHzxI3eH4UHXM2Cvsq_R8OTlxFxS-8N87LqV0SdtjBuQczeroxXbw

I found this in my travels on the interwebs and it's what I have been saying all along. I really think the fucking CEOs and the damn 1% need to fucking suck it up. I'm not killing myself for your comfort. What have you done for me? What are you doing now for your fellow man? Not a damn thing. True colors right there.

[Gemme]

I don't know if someone's mentioned this already but animals are now showing up with COVID-19. Dogs and cats in the US and Hong Kong plus lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo have tested positive.

[Orema]

I don't know if someone's mentioned this already but animals are now showing up with COVID-19. Dogs and cats in the US and Hong Kong plus lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo have tested positive.

And with people going to the beach makes me wonder how this can or will affect sea life.

[~ocean]

And with people going to the beach makes me wonder how this can or will affect sea life.

good point Orema ~ pray that won't happen ~ I know from where I live in a city close by they have detected the Covid-19 in the sewerage .

[Kätzchen]

Sociology and Epidemiology studies can be very helpful in mapping how COVID 19 is transmitted via various other host processes (for example: water waste management processes, and the possibility that water resources can be compromised).


Here's a news article I found which was published a few weeks ago at the top of April (link provided below):

New research examines wastewater to detect community spread of Covid-19 (https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/07/new-research-wastewater-community-spread-covid-19/)

[Jedi]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/28/us/coronavirus-death-toll-total.html
Found this little tidbit. Give it a gander.

[Vincent]

I may be married but I definitely crush on PM Jacinda Ardern.

I think the world has a crush on Jancinda Ardern
My G Grandmother was Maori,I was hoping I could migrate,but it has to be grandmother.

Although ATM Aust has been doing ok,mainly coz we ignore our pentacostal moron and follow NZ and was self isolating when dumb dumb "our PM" was off to the footy,"football"
I also live in a low density pop with minimal infections.
My heart goes out to my US friends,I have visited twice and hung out with the community,so some folks Ive met IRL,my thoughts are with everyone over there,it feels sureal here,as the numbers are low,and having universal healthcare,we are a reasonably healthy society,this is for now anyway.stay safe Y'all,"see I can talk American"solidarity from Aust.xxx

[~ocean]

Sociology and Epidemiology studies can be very helpful in mapping how COVID 19 is transmitted via various other host processes (for example: water waste management processes, and the possibility that water resources can be compromised).


Here's a news article I found which was published a few weeks ago at the top of April (link provided below):

New research examines wastewater to detect community spread of Covid-19 (https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/07/new-research-wastewater-community-spread-covid-19/)


the city I live in had a report that our sewer waste is showing the Covid-19 ~ their using it as a tracking source , this was back the first week of April.

[Baby_Yoda]

Generally speaking I am perhaps overly optimistic on outcomes. However, my view on the country reopening is less than optimistic at this point. There are still too many new cases being diagnosed daily and there is no real downward trend that we can call a downward trend. The numbers are still in the plataeu range. I expect to see cases begin to rise substantially again as many people will view this as the all clear signal. To date around one third of all cases reported have been here in the states. I can't believe so many people feel the president did and continues to manage this appropriately.

[Kätzchen]

I have no idea if any of you will find the following Op-Ed as interesting as I did, but it drives home a salient point about what most of us know, since the inception of the Sh*t-Show Circus that occupies the WH and other arms of their administration (GOP senate, other executive branch agencies manned with ineptitude by those hired or appointed by the current T---P admin).

Link to CNN Op-Ed (https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/30/opinions/the-problem-with-covid-19-death-numbers-sutter/index.html)

I have faith in the wider voter base that people will remember how important it is to oust these corrupt individuals from American society.

The Op-Ed author speaks to the lack of organizational ability to collect enough data on the COVID 19 data in terms of exposure index, response rates, and other index fields of interest to include fatality index counts. For anyone with experience constructing unbiased, scientific studies, one knows there is an +/- margin of error based on any number of factors. I like the salient points driven home by this author and I hope his message is taken seriously by people across the country. Whether the crisis is an social impact caused by hurricanes or health pandemics, we need exceptionally astute people at the helm of important organizations. I can think of no one in the current administration who is smart enough to be in charge of organizations, much less the WH.

Please, please, for the love of humanity and the safety of everyone left on earth, please vote to oust the occupants destroying our world and our society, when the next election occurs.

:vigil: :vigil: :vigil:

[charley]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ODNI News Release No. 11-20

April 30, 2020
Intelligence Community Statement on Origins of COVID-19

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of the Director of National Intelligence today issued the following Intelligence Community (IC) statement:

“The entire Intelligence Community has been consistently providing critical support to U.S. policymakers and those responding to the COVID-19 virus, which originated in China. The Intelligence Community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified.

“As we do in all crises, the Community’s experts respond by surging resources and producing critical intelligence on issues vital to U.S. national security. The IC will continue to rigorously examine emerging information and intelligence to determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.”

Personally, as I don't like speculation, I will not repeat any theories or b/s originating from MF-45...

[A. Spectre]

Pence's outraged after reporter leaks off-the-record memo revealing they lied to the public.

I should fix the title to say: Pence's outraged after reporter spoke the truth.


Pence and his wife outraged after reporter leaks off-the-record memo revealing they lied to the public

Vice President Mike Pence showed up to the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday not wearing a face mask even though it was the organization's policy that everyone in attendance do so. After the incident caught major media attention, Pence's wife took to the airwaves to defend him, claiming he just simply didn't know.

"It was actually after he left Mayo Clinic that he found out that they had a policy of asking everyone to wear a mask," Karen Pence said Wednesday morning on Fox News.

Even though Pence was ridiculed for the event, that was pretty much all there was to the story. But, it's not.

Steve Herman, who covers the White House for Voice of America, spilled the beans about a memo that Vice President Pence's office sent to reporters BEFORE their trip to the Mayo Clinic.

“All of us who traveled with [Pence] were notified by the office of VP the day before the trip that wearing of masks was required by the Mayo Clinic and to prepare accordingly."

The tweet enraged Pence's staff who claimed he violated the off-the-record terms of a planning memo that had been sent to him and other reporters before the Vice President's trip. It's important to note that they're not claiming Herman is a liar. No, not at all. They're claiming he shouldn't have spilled the beans to the world on this which is only embarrassing Vice President Pence and his wife for denying they knew of the face mask policy.

https://sourcepolitics.com/vp-pence-and-his-wife-outraged-after-reporter-leaks-off-the-record-memo-revealing-they-lied-to-the-public/?fbclid=IwAR1lmi7BGn-lxOS6uzidb-EzLaEZG25gtHg5A_PV6ZAWYA9tOUi00QPfqj8

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next, he and mother will be outraged at Moses about penning that little thing about not bearing false witness just to embarrass them. We all know the tangerine menace ordered pence to not be photographed with a mask in public. They're just pissed because they were caught.

Don't go away mad you grifters! Just go away!

[cathexis]

According to the Cuban newspaper, Gramna, there are no "Diagnosed COVID-19 cases in Cuba."

I believe a lot that comes out on Granma, but there must be some error or caveat here.

[charley]

According to the Cuban newspaper, Gramna, there are no "Diagnosed COVID-19 cases in Cuba."

I believe a lot that comes out on Granma, but there must be some error or caveat here.

According to the John Hopkins dashboard link which I provided earlier, Cuba has 1,537 cases, 64 deaths.

Again,

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

[Baby_Yoda]

Hmmm... So the US has six times more daily cases of Covid than the UK but only 4 times more people and 40 times more room making social distancing physically easier.... Is this some kind of new math?

[RebelDyke]

Hmmm... So the US has six times more daily cases of Covid than the UK but only 4 times more people and 40 times more room making social distancing physically easier.... Is this some kind of new math?

YES! it's called common core... ever try it?!?!?? :blink:

[Jedi]

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/02/who-us-just-reported-deadliest-day-for-coronavirus.html?fbclid=IwAR2rF8tlC1PlEScx5pnkTVxS gCrI0wk0bVmorUnZRzZUG1Tit_qqdmTI4Eo
Another interesting read as the country lifts lock downs........something to think about.

[JDeere]

YES! it's called common core... ever try it?!?!?? :blink:

:jester:common core math is BULLSHIT!!!

us old folks cant deal with that common core crap!!!

LMFAO

[charley]

idk why MF-45 keeps insisting on his b/s, apart from it being politically expedient for his base: a distraction from his inability to address the problem and reality of all those people in the States dying, the lack of proper PPE's, etc., his failure at "keeping America great/great" financially, so as to still garner/maintain some support in the upcoming election

The facts are that scientists are gaining momentum as to what the origin isn't - i.e. a creation of something in a lab...

"This follows reports that the White House had been pressuring US intelligence community on the claim, recalling the Bush administration’s pressure to “stove pipe” the intelligence before the war in Iraq."

If this is true, it may be just another strategy by MF-45 to continue and justify his economic war with China.

The Guardian has published a fairly comprehensive explanation of why it is unlikely that MF-45's suggestion isn't really plausible, using even more technical scientific info to eventually conclude (at least, provisionally) that this virus "simply spread to humans via a natural event".

What is truly distressing are the poor saps and idiots who continue to believe in conspiracy theories regarding the virus by maintaining and posting their beliefs online, because such postings are inadvertently helping MF-45. Even this morning, Trudeau has to respond to a question re: the possibility of Covid-19 originating in a lab in China... (smh)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/01/could-covid-19-be-manmade-what-we-know-about-origins-trump-chinese-lab-coronavirus

[PlatinumPearl]

Article published April 22, 2020


Germany and U.K. Ready to Start Human Trials for Coronavirus Vaccine

The Oxford trial, run by the university's Jenner Institute, will involve 510 volunteers aged between 18 and 55 in the first phase.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/germany-and-u-k-ready-to-start-human-trials-for-coronavirus-vaccine-1.4907294

[charley]

CBC News network has announced that there is a 58% increase in hospitalizations as a result of poisoning through the use of disinfectants.

"From people experiencing burning eyes and trouble breathing to children drinking hand sanitizer, there's been a jump in the number of cleaner and disinfectant-related accidental poisonings since the COVID-19 pandemic began, as Canadians try to keep themselves and their homes virus-free.

"According to Health Canada, February and March combined showed a 58 per cent increase from the same period a year earlier in reported exposures related to cleaning products, bleaches, disinfectants, hand sanitizers, and chlorine and chloramine gases.

"Poisonings involving bleach are most common, making up 38 per cent of all calls to poison centres in March."

Personally, I have always been careful about not using too much bleach, as I recall how my mom bleached my fridge (I was 21) while I was at work at my first apartment, and how I developed a wicked headache that night 'cause of the bleach.

The annoying thing is that usually after I have sprayed and cleaned with stuff in the past is that I took off and left my apartment with the window open; and now being stuck in the same apartment (staying-at-home), I have to be a bit more careful and keep the patio door open when I clean, keeping the oven fan on... etc. While the chemicals in some of these products work real well, I have never liked them, as they aren't natural.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/covid-19-accidental-poisoning-cleaning-products-1.5552779

[A. Spectre]

Three people charged in killing of Family Dollar security guard over mask policy.


A Family Dollar store security guard was fatally shot in Flint, Mich., on Friday after telling a customer her child had to wear a face mask to enter the store, the prosecutor’s office said.

The argument began when the security guard, Calvin Munerlyn, 43, told Sharmel Lashe Teague, 45, that customers needed to wear face masks in the store, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said at a news conference Monday. She yelled at him, spit on him and drove off, Leyton said. About 20 minutes later, her car returned to the store, and her husband and her son, Larry Edward Teague, 44, and Ramonyea Travon Bishop, 23, stepped out and confronted Munerlyn, according to investigators who spoke to witnesses in the store and reviewed surveillance video. Bishop pulled out a gun and shot Munerlyn, Leyton said.

Leyton said Munerlyn was doing his job, protecting others and enforcing a statewide executive order. In Michigan, people are required to wear face coverings in grocery stores. Stores can refuse service to anyone who isn’t wearing a mask.

“We simply can’t devolve into an ‘us versus them’ mentality,” he said. “We need to make a commitment as a community to do the things necessary to allow us to stay healthy and turn a page on this crisis together. Not for ourselves but for Calvin Munerlyn, who lost his life needlessly and senselessly.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/04/security-guards-death-might-have-been-because-he-wouldnt-let-woman-store-without-mask/


*There are 18, 18! Republican radio stations that headline Rush Limbaugh in Michigan. They are hearing him each and every day lying about the pandemic, that it's a hoax from the Democrats, the libtards wanting to take your guns and other Tooth Fairy shenanigans. They will NEVER be held accountable, they all need to be sued to kingdom come!

[Kelt]

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS (https://apple.news/A1QiKoVKhRBWJfp_wVsXtXA)
Respiratory symptoms may be the hallmark of COVID-19, but the disease is affecting patients in other ways that we still don’t understand.

I found this article to be a good layperson overview of what we know so far. Explores some of the different physical systems being affected. My take away is that it’s a good idea for several reasons to monitor oxygen saturation.

If there’s any issue with the link it’s from the New Yorker. 4/29

[theoddz]

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS (https://apple.news/A1QiKoVKhRBWJfp_wVsXtXA)
Respiratory symptoms may be the hallmark of COVID-19, but the disease is affecting patients in other ways that we still don’t understand.

I found this article to be a good layperson overview of what we know so far. Explores some of the different physical systems being affected. My take away is that it’s a good idea for several reasons to monitor oxygen saturation.

If there’s any issue with the link it’s from the New Yorker. 4/29

Thanks, Kelt, for this. It's one of the better explanations (layman's terms) for what happens in the lungs during the COVID 19 disease process and clearly explains the methods and rationale we use to treat the insufficiencies that kill.

This is really, really scary, in that there is just so much physiological and medicinal options we, as providers, can offer to try to offset the damaging effects of hypoxia and hyporespiration (low oxygen/CO2 exchange in the blood and lungs). Nothing can make you feel more helpless, or hopeless for a physician, nurse or RT than having nothing more to offer.

It might be a good idea for those who are concerned about their possible exposure to COVID-19 to try to purchase a good pulse oximeter, a dependable thermometer and a battery operated blood pressure cuff. I keep these items here at home with me and have found them to be indispensable on more than one occasion. A pulse oximeter usually (before the pandemic) costs about $40 - $50 or more, depending on the brand and can be bought online or at places like WalMart, CVS, Walgreens, Target in the pharmacy departments. They are getting a bit harder to find, though, so you might want to stake out a number of outlets for periodic replenishing of these items.

~Theo~ :bouquet:

[Jedi]

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/05/the-coronavirus-mutated-and-appears-to-be-more-contagious-now-new-study-finds.html
The virus has mutated. This is some scary shit. Stay safe.

[Jedi]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/07/europe/angela-merkel-coronavirus-legacy-grm-intl/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3mSaF3xyyZifVPZxA0oloIqRnddn omLBpEZqtj1ooj8_H0oAa4E4wBL-o
Give it a look see....

[~ocean]

Yikes ! I just read that 11 of Trumps secret service men have the virus ~ 1 of Pence's does too ! They followed TRUMPS arrogance and now look ~ their all getting sick.

[Kelt]

Yikes ! I just read that 11 of Trumps secret service men have the virus ~ 1 of Pence's does too ! They followed TRUMPS arrogance and now look ~ their all getting sick.

Maybe we’ll get lucky…

[~ocean]

RIP Roy Horn ~ of Siegfried & Roy dies of the Covid-19 virus . today. May 8/ 2020

[~ocean]

this beast of a virus struck my extended family ~ my grandsons ( Jonathan's ) aunt, uncle and their new born baby and 3 yr old daughter, plus Jonathan's grandfather they all live together. today they all tested positive for covid 19 my grandson got the call today from his father that family members are sick and in quarantine , except the new born that's in the hospital ~ say a prayer if u can for this family to survive this virus.

[dark_crystal]

I got tested yesterday (no results yet) via nasal swab and i came here to tell ya'll IT HUUUURTS
i cried

:(

[firegal]

this beast of a virus struck my extended family ~ my grandsons ( Jonathan's ) aunt, uncle and their new born baby and 3 yr old daughter, plus Jonathan's grandfather they all live together. today they all tested positive for covid 19 my grandson got the call today from his father that family members are sick and in quarantine , except the new born that's in the hospital ~ say a prayer if u can for this family to survive this virus.

:praying::praying: Done

[clay]

this beast of a virus struck my extended family ~ my grandsons ( Jonathan's ) aunt, uncle and their new born baby and 3 yr old daughter, plus Jonathan's grandfather they all live together. today they all tested positive for covid 19 my grandson got the call today from his father that family members are sick and in quarantine , except the new born that's in the hospital ~ say a prayer if u can for this family to survive this virus.

DID!!!!:praying::praying::praying::

[nhplowboi]

Really McConnell?! We have had to hear repeatedly the President's BS about empty shelves. I think I have previously posted that it seems to me in 3 years Trump could/should have filled them, if that was really the case. Next Trump goes on and on about how Obama's COVID-19 testing was junk. Um news alert!!! There was no COVID-19 around during Obama's terms. Now YOU are going to claim, on the Trump propaganda network, that President Obama's administration did not leave you a pandemic game plan. So a 69 page pandemic play book, offices in place around the world to watch for signs of a pandemic (75% which you closed up in 2018) and pandemic exercises for the government to perform in order to be ready for said pandemic was an inadequate game plan?! You are an evil man (actually both of you) and have blood on your hands. Spinning your endless lies as the country looks for leadership and lifesaving help. How in hell has our country sunk to this level?

[Bèsame*]

Oh yeah, that would be my county.

Fort Bend County is among the 10 top locations to watch according to a new White House Coronavirus Task Force report, NBC News reports.

According to the report, Fort Bend County is on the “locations to watch” list because it has recorded a 64.8 percent increase in numbers of cases.

[~ocean]

Really McConnell?! We have had to hear repeatedly the President's BS about empty shelves. I think I have previously posted that it seems to me in 3 years Trump could/should have filled them, if that was really the case. Next Trump goes on and on about how Obama's COVID-19 testing was junk. Um news alert!!! There was no COVID-19 around during Obama's terms. Now YOU are going to claim, on the Trump propaganda network, that President Obama's administration did not leave you a pandemic game plan. So a 69 page pandemic play book, offices in place around the world to watch for signs of a pandemic (75% which you closed up in 2018) and pandemic exercises for the government to perform in order to be ready for said pandemic was an inadequate game plan?! You are an evil man (actually both of you) and have blood on your hands. Spinning your endless lies as the country looks for leadership and lifesaving help. How in hell has our country sunk to this level?



^5 my brother :) They have no regard for human lives. I said it before and I'll say it again . TRUMP HATES US. He loves himself and money. His recent treatment of a first class SCIENTIST Dr. Fauci has made the world sick. The whole world respects Dr. Fauci . Trump is making this pandemic political and its science.

[FireSignFemme]

I live in WA state and hadn't heard anything about it until today but in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Inslee has declared a state of emergency for all counties in Washington state. This allows DSHS to issue benefits under the Disaster Cash Assistance Program to families and individuals who wouldn’t normally be eligible for cash benefits. This link leads to a page giving more information about the program -

https://www.dshs.wa.gov/sites/default/files/English-DisasterCashAssistanceProgramFAQ.pdf

Also a link to the new statewide COVID-19 for WA state website -

https://www.dshs.wa.gov/alert/covid-19-information

[PlatinumPearl]

Surgeon General Doubles Down: Masks Increase Virus Risk

Surgeon General Jerome Adams Tuesday doubled down on his advice against healthy people wearing face masks to protect themselves from coronavirus, saying that wearing one improperly can "actually increase your risk" of getting the disease.

"What the World Health Organization and the CDC have reaffirmed in the last few days is that they do not recommend the general public wear masks," Adams told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "There was a study in 2015 looking at medical students. And medical students wearing surgical masks touch their faces on average 23 times. We know a major way that you can get respiratory diseases like coronavirus is by touching a surface and then touching your face."

Masks also can give the wearer a "false sense of security" and can encourage people to be too close to each other, said Adams, and further, there are still mask shortages nationwide.

People who are sick should wear masks, said Adams, but acknowledged that if healthy people feel better by wearing a mask, "by all means, wear it" but they should not touch their faces.

He also insisted the general public should not wear medical-style N95 masks, because they must be fitted properly to avoid infection.

"There may be a day where we change our recommendation, particularly for areas that have large spread going on, about wearing cotton masks but again the data is not there yet," said Adams.

Source: newsmax.com (https://nws.mx/3cyYBKK)
Date: Thursday May 14, 2020

[dark_crystal]

I got tested yesterday (no results yet) via nasal swab and i came here to tell ya'll IT HUUUURTS
i cried

:(

Negative! Who wants to shake hands real quick

[~ocean]

Negative! Who wants to shake hands real quick

^ 5 sister girl ~ YEAH !!!

[~ocean]

Surgeon General Doubles Down: Masks Increase Virus Risk

Surgeon General Jerome Adams Tuesday doubled down on his advice against healthy people wearing face masks to protect themselves from coronavirus, saying that wearing one improperly can "actually increase your risk" of getting the disease.

"What the World Health Organization and the CDC have reaffirmed in the last few days is that they do not recommend the general public wear masks," Adams told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "There was a study in 2015 looking at medical students. And medical students wearing surgical masks touch their faces on average 23 times. We know a major way that you can get respiratory diseases like coronavirus is by touching a surface and then touching your face."

Masks also can give the wearer a "false sense of security" and can encourage people to be too close to each other, said Adams, and further, there are still mask shortages nationwide.

People who are sick should wear masks, said Adams, but acknowledged that if healthy people feel better by wearing a mask, "by all means, wear it" but they should not touch their faces.

He also insisted the general public should not wear medical-style N95 masks, because they must be fitted properly to avoid infection.

"There may be a day where we change our recommendation, particularly for areas that have large spread going on, about wearing cotton masks but again the data is not there yet," said Adams.

Source: newsmax.com (https://nws.mx/3cyYBKK)
Date: Thursday May 14, 2020

new findings that the spread goes even further ~ WASH your masks ! as individuals we need to have several masks if and when you go out. CNN today had a lot of very important NEW distance measures we need to abide by. we can't depend on the WH for help we need to help ourselves.

[~ocean]

president bleach and v.p. Lysol said if there are spikes when the open schools NO PROBLEM we can put them out ~ does he think he has a majic hose ? when you hear republican senators saying they are embarrassed for the first time in their lives ~ it's sad ..

[nhplowboi]

I live in WA state and hadn't heard anything about it until today but in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Inslee has declared a state of emergency for all counties in Washington state. This allows DSHS to issue benefits under the Disaster Cash Assistance Program to families and individuals who wouldn’t normally be eligible for cash benefits. This link leads to a page giving more information about the program -

https://www.dshs.wa.gov/sites/default/files/English-DisasterCashAssistanceProgramFAQ.pdf

Also a link to the new statewide COVID-19 for WA state website -

https://www.dshs.wa.gov/alert/covid-19-information

I have to say FSF that anytime I see your governor on TV, I am impressed. He seems to be doing everything he can to help his citizens. He is smart and articulate and does not bow down to Trump and his idiots.... :jester: "Hi, I'm Mike Pence! :jester: "Hi, I'm Mike Pompeo! :jester: Hi, I'm Jared Kushner!

[tantalizingfemme]

Surgeon General Doubles Down: Masks Increase Virus Risk

Surgeon General Jerome Adams Tuesday doubled down on his advice against healthy people wearing face masks to protect themselves from coronavirus, saying that wearing one improperly can "actually increase your risk" of getting the disease.

"What the World Health Organization and the CDC have reaffirmed in the last few days is that they do not recommend the general public wear masks," Adams told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "There was a study in 2015 looking at medical students. And medical students wearing surgical masks touch their faces on average 23 times. We know a major way that you can get respiratory diseases like coronavirus is by touching a surface and then touching your face."

Masks also can give the wearer a "false sense of security" and can encourage people to be too close to each other, said Adams, and further, there are still mask shortages nationwide.

People who are sick should wear masks, said Adams, but acknowledged that if healthy people feel better by wearing a mask, "by all means, wear it" but they should not touch their faces.

He also insisted the general public should not wear medical-style N95 masks, because they must be fitted properly to avoid infection.

"There may be a day where we change our recommendation, particularly for areas that have large spread going on, about wearing cotton masks but again the data is not there yet," said Adams.

Source: newsmax.com (https://nws.mx/3cyYBKK)
Date: Thursday May 14, 2020


He changed his stance in April.

This is from snopes:
Mixture
About this rating
What's True

In public statements in early 2020, the surgeon general had recommended against the general public buying or wearing masks.
What's False

However, in light of new evidence from the CDC, he changed his views and has since argued in favor of people wearing cloth facial coverings in public settings.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/surgeon-general-against-masks/

Video of him explaining the evolution of his stance:

https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/surgeon-general-explains-evolution-of-cdc-face-mask-guidance-81619013687

[Kätzchen]

So, back last winter in February, I was due to have my Rx prescription of Vit D renewed and the pharmacist could not renew my prescription because there was a shortage of my specific prescription strength of Vit D. The pharmacy call me yesterday, to let me know I finally had my prescription filled.

But, interestingly, I came across an article today, which speaks about the little known fact that Vit D (not the kind you ordinarily get by exposure to the sun or consumption of vegetables or other foods enriched with Vit D) is sort of known for its elemental ability to assist the body's immune system. Which scientists in Ireland, just recently released a study which took data from a wide span of years, from different health data bases, and discovered that Vit D is a critical player in not only boosting your bodies' immune system, but helps in critical ways if by fending off viruses, such as the Sars-2-Covid 19 virus.

I found the article very interesting and will leave a link below, for those of you interested in learning what these scientists learned about Vit D. The study was published... Yesterday, on May 13th, 2020.

From SciTech.com:

Vitamin D Determines Severity in Covid-19:
Researchers Urge Government To Change Advice (https://scitechdaily.com/vitamin-d-determines-severity-in-covid-19-researchers-urge-government-to-change-advice/)

[FireSignFemme]

Oh I think I need to slow down I read that as VD and how it helps your immune system. What the...? Well that doesn't make any sense. So a little less quickly I read it again. Oh now that does make sense. Then it occured to me, wait they don't even call it VD anymore. Damn I'm old. Okay that's it, back to speed reading for me.

[A. Spectre]

Donald Trump Promises Caution For His, Pence's Health So Nancy Pelosi Doesn't Serve As President


Donald Trump has reportedly implemented some additional precautions in the White House, including asking staffers to start wearing masks. Now he says that he and Vice President Mike Pence will take extra care not to catch the virus, after seeing a tweet explaining that Nancy Pelosi would be third in line to serve as President in the event that COVID-19 (or anything else) forced a succession.

A Just The News piece tweeted Monday afternoon garnered a response from President Trump. The article lays out the lines of presidential succession under current law. In short, if Trump and Pence were both rendered unable to serve, the next person in line to fill the role until a new election would be Nancy Pelosi. Trump is no fan of Pelosi, who he has called crazy and nervous, saying “there’s something wrong with her upstairs”, accusing her of staging impeachment as a hoax, and generally implying she’s anti-American, incompetent, and engaging in dirty politics.

A tweet of the article explaining how presidential succession works must have caught Trump’s eye Tuesday morning, because he retweeted it, along with a response promising to protect his health to avoid an eventuality in which Pelosi held presidential power.

The amount of activity at the White House makes transmission a high risk, if precautions aren’t being taken. Though everyone who comes into contact with Trump is tested for SARS-CoV-2, the rapid tests that give results in minutes instead of days have a high rate of false negatives. With implementation of masks, Trump appears to be taking more care regarding the health of White House occupants. With Nancy Pelosi’s hypothetical occupation of the White House dangled before him, though, he’s now offered a public promise to be very careful indeed.

--------------------------------------------------

*Say what?! 3 1/2 years squatting in the WH and he does not understand the line of succession? My God! He is even dumber than realized. What? the shit gibbon thought Jarvanka would take over? Please please please continue to not wear masks. "There there donny, it's just a wittle cold."

[Kätzchen]

Does anybody else think of all the things we do in ordinary daily life and how Covid-19 has radically changed the way we go about our daily 'business'?

I read yesterday, how the US House of Representatives passed an extensive bill to help people not fall from the social grid. I know it has to yet be approved by the Senate, but one wonders even with improved funding (for example: This time there is hazard pay for employees on the front lines, extended unemployment benefits, extra income for family units with children - another round of a stimulus check with added extra income, one time payment) how will it improve the financial picture for those workers who were called back to work but not deemed an "Essential Worker"? Some workers got more money being laid off, than when they earned a living reporting to work. So I see flaws already in the latest bill, and flaws too concerning how certain corporate entities will raid funding meant to help those who seriously need it, etc (Small Business America; not franchisee owners who don't give a hoot about their workers being on the front lines to help them cash in on what cash is out there).

I know this sounds harsh, but I sincerely hope this pandemic is the proverbial Death Knell which wipes out the GOP as a controlling interest in politics and business affairs in our country. They truly DO NOT care about how people are suffering. Their greed and poisonous mindset is so toxic it should be painfully obvious to all American's that this type of horror show should be dealt with quickly. Before it is the complete and total ruin of our American society.

[FireSignFemme]

Not everyone who would like to wear a mask has the time, skills, patience, even just interest required to make one. However it is possible to purchase a variety of ready to wear online. This article links to some 35+ places offering them for sale. Really far more because some links, like for example Amazon Handmade and Etsy link to multiple sellers.

Anyhow the first on the list was, I think on the spendy side, but patience, there are links to more affordable shops too. It's never going to be inexpensive to get hands on a ready made mask if a person isn't able to get a donated one but I felt considering the money and time spent that goes into making them, some were fairly reasonable.

Also some retailers are donating so many masks to charity for each one sold. Other sellers could probably use monetary contributions to purchase supplies allowing even more to be sold at affordable prices or even donated to charitable organizations to be distributed free of charge to those in need.

https://www.cnet.com/health/dont-have-a-face-mask-yet-you-can-buy-one-online-at-any-of-these-stores/

[nhplowboi]

Ok, maybe I am a bit weird but I have kept a daily death toll of this craziness. Is it just me or does anyone else notice John Hopkins is not releasing updates in a timely manner? Today they are saying only maybe 150-200 deaths when we average 1000 plus a day. Why when benchmarks (that would be 90,000) are going to be reached do they hold back on the numbers? This bastard (or someone) is messing with the numbers but why don't they understand it will all come out in the wash.

[Martina]

The numbers have gone down. 865 deaths yesterday.

91717 is the death count as of now. :(

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

[~ocean]

The numbers have gone down. 865 deaths yesterday.

91717 is the death count as of now. :(

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

ty ((( Martina ))))

[homoe]

Confirmed cases if COVID-19 have risen to 160 in Kitsap County, according to a Monday afternoon update by the Kitsap Public Health District. Since last Friday, two confirmed cases have been added by KPHD.

A total of 5,354 residents have tested negative — of those tested, the positive test rate has dropped to about 3 percent.

Of the 160 cases, 49 have been reported in Bremerton, 39 in South Kitsap, 33 in North Kitsap, 28 in Central Kitsap and 11 on Bainbridge Island. Two deaths have been confirmed by Kitsap Public Health District as well.

[~ocean]

who thinks trump is lying about being on hydroxychloroquine ?

[homoe]

who thinks trump is lying about being on hydroxychloroquine ?



*raises hand..

You could tell by how he stumbled awkwardly in his answer about if the doctor actually put him on it OR if he just decided to go on it on his own accord!

[homoe]

Confirmed cases if COVID-19 have risen to 160 in Kitsap County, according to a Monday afternoon update by the Kitsap Public Health District. Since last Friday, two confirmed cases have been added by KPHD.

A total of 5,354 residents have tested negative — of those tested, the positive test rate has dropped to about 3 percent.

Of the 160 cases, 49 have been reported in Bremerton, 39 in South Kitsap, 33 in North Kitsap, 28 in Central Kitsap and 11 on Bainbridge Island. Two deaths have been confirmed by Kitsap Public Health District as well.

Kitsap County is one of 10 more counties that can apply to reopen early in ‘Phase Two.’

[Kelt]

San Diego county in California just began phase 2 yesterday morning. I went to the beach and had a bit of a drive about in a couple of popular spots. So far so good.

The county applied for early opening to the governor and got the go ahead based on public behavior so far as well as testing numbers. With memorial weekend kicking off tomorrow I will probably stay out of the fray just because of the huge sense of relief most people are going to have. I can be patient.

[FireSignFemme]

For the first time since this whole thing started some medical powers that be somebody sent word informing though patients are still encouraged to bring their own whenever possible, masks will now be provided for patients without them. They also sent a link showing how to use masks as well as make them including instructions for a no sew kind you can cut from a t-shirt.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/DIY-cloth-face-covering-instructions.pdf

[Kätzchen]

Who would've thought that wearing masks this year would likely save your life? I did, the instant I first heard about this type of communicable viral sickness was talked about relentlessly, the beginning of this year.

I now have about 20 masks. Some I've made myself. Other masks were made for me by people at my work campus or by vendors who sell goods at my mom and youngest brother's vintage store. I would like to find a kitschy traveling case to keep them in, each in their own safety case covering, to keep them as clean as possible, so I can wear one on any given day without having to think about whether they're clean enough to wear. I now wash them after I wear them once, in sanitizer solution, then air dry them. And once they're air dried, I pop them in the dryer to make doubly sure they are super free of any non-visible contaminant (sort of my own, wonky sterilizing method).

Have any of you been listening to Ari Shapiro, as he hosts NPR's All Things Considered? On my drive home from work tonight, I got to hear the last half of today's program. They talked about lots of things, but the thing I keep hearing them cover is when a viable innocculation (sp?) shot will become available as a vaccine. I keep thinking back to the days, back when I was just a kid, elementary aged kid (7-10 years of age) and how polio shots had just come out and measles shots and diptheria shots, etc. The vaccination record, one had to have to be able to attend school and not catch viral diseases which could take off in small to large populations of human gatherings. I got to thinking today, about that. The time line of when those vaccinations were developed and how early on, doctors and scientists could wholeheartedly say that the vaccination would actually work and that the benefit of the vaccine would actually outweigh the risk of getting the vaccine. Kind of like flu vaccines of today. Sometimes they work; yet other times they don't or the unlikely outcome of actually getting really sick from the vaccine itself.

Due to several decades of vaccines for yesteryears diseases which could wipe out or cause significant harm to human beings, it's only been the past few years that anti-vaccine proponents have convinced a lot of younger adults with children to not participate in getting vaccinations meant to prevent your kids from contracting diseases which could kill you or alter your life in tangible ways (long of short term ways).

So I wonder now, if and when the COVID vaccine is ready to be disbursed as a viable way to counter the viral disease that is taking over the world (they said that Brazil is second only to the US in numbers of COVID cases and deaths, today), will it actually work or will they first batch they release be the test batch on people who elect to take the first round of the vaccine. Know what I mean?

I have some concerns about the vaccine they are working on. I actually hope that scientists working on the vaccine create the best vaccine possible. I am sure they are. But I do have a deep concern about it.

Until they are absolutely sure, I intend to keep washing my hands relentlessly and wearing masks and gloves and keeping my distance from others as much as possible. At work? Where I work? We still do not have even half of the working population back on campus. I'd say that only an 1/8th of us are back on the job, but you can't come to work without gloves or masks and we observe the 6 ft rule at all costs. Our building is closed to the public and only special appts made in advance, will get one permission to be on our campus. We're taking no chances.

Anyhoooo. That's what is on my mind now about COVID 19. The vaccine.

Keeping my fingers crossed and trying to not worry but I do feel a great deal of anxiety on a daily basis. For now, it's hand-washing, gloves and mask and enforced distancing. 24/7/365 (until further notice).

:vigil::vigil::vigil:

[Gemme]

Over 100,000 deaths in the US now.
I just don't see how people can't see it for what it is.

[~ocean]

Covid-19 the double head sword ~ it gets you , takes you down ~ then you have to watch death. I had posted not too long ago about my grandsons grandfather , uncle, aunt and 2 cousins all sick with Covid-19 ~ today his grandfather just had his last rights ~ he has a few hours left and my grandson with his heart in hand is going to a location where the family is gathering for a virtual good by. The nurses set it all up so the dying patients can hear their family one more time ( god bless them ) his uncle and family is still fighting the virus in their own home . My son in law is a mess I wish I could be their with my daughter and grandson . Jonathan is scared for many reasons I can tell he's very nervous and teary eyed. 5/29/2020 Massachusetts death toll goes up 1 more for coronavirus.

[nycfem]

While COVID-19 is trending down in NY, we still have 370,000 cases reported (and keep in mind at least 80% don't get reported) and we have 30K deaths in NY. The affect of the protests, which I'm in no way dissing, which are very active in liberal NYC also would seem to have an obvious impact on opportunities for contracting COVID. I still NEVER go outside (each of us have gone out one time in the past few months). I still sanitize everything to the Nth degree, do everything with tedious care. Just this week I had 3 friends with COVID. And the symptoms are just horrible. Last night I called a messenger to deliver my oximeter (I ordered a new one) to my friend on the other side of Central Park, living alone, who has COVID. He said his chest feels like it's filled with broken glass and that it's so painful to breathe, that breathing in and out feels like breathing through shards of glass. He also has aches, pains, fever, no smell/taste, and extreme back pain making it hard to walk. He went to the hospital, had a very painful test that still hurts, and was told to go home and to come back if he starts to have true difficulty with breathing, not just painful breathing. I gave him the oximeter to monitor for silent hypoxia. I find myself in such a chronic state of anxiety. NYC will open on June 8th but I think a lot of people will still stay inside given how prevalent it is here. It can't be ignored when so many of the people who one knows locally have it. I think NYC is opening because our economy is falling completely apart, and it is thought this will help (Presumably, of course, it will.). I just wanted to check in again and say thanks, everyone, for the community here and the caring between all of us. It is a horrendous time in the world.

[Vincent]

While COVID-19 is trending down in NY, we still have 370,000 cases reported (and keep in mind at least 80% don't get reported) and we have 30K deaths in NY. The affect of the protests, which I'm in no way dissing, which are very active in liberal NYC also would seem to have an obvious impact on opportunities for contracting COVID. I still NEVER go outside (each of us have gone out one time in the past few months). I still sanitize everything to the Nth degree, do everything with tedious care. Just this week I had 3 friends with COVID. And the symptoms are just horrible. Last night I called a messenger to deliver my oximeter (I ordered a new one) to my friend on the other side of Central Park, living alone, who has COVID. He said his chest feels like it's filled with broken glass and that it's so painful to breathe, that breathing in and out feels like breathing through shards of glass. He also has aches, pains, fever, no smell/taste, and extreme back pain making it hard to walk. He went to the hospital, had a very painful test that still hurts, and was told to go home and to come back if he starts to have true difficulty with breathing, not just painful breathing. I gave him the oximeter to monitor for silent hypoxia. I find myself in such a chronic state of anxiety. NYC will open on June 8th but I think a lot of people will still stay inside given how prevalent it is here. It can't be ignored when so many of the people who one knows locally have it. I think NYC is opening because our economy is falling completely apart, and it is thought this will help (Presumably, of course, it will.). I just wanted to check in again and say thanks, everyone, for the community here and the caring between all of us. It is a horrendous time in the world.

I'm so sad to read this,from here it does seem sureal,but know that,some of us care about our comrades/brothes and sisters in the USA.
in solidarity from Aust.xxxx

[Kätzchen]

So, not sure if any of you know about some of the things going on in my own metro area of Oregon. Last week, after nearly two months of people who desperately needed unemployment benefits, our governor was presented with enough evidence by two Democratic senators, who represent big districts of voters in our metro area, to force the governor to fire the chief honcho who used to run the Unemployment/Employment department. Many people in our state have not received unemployment covid benefits to this date. Two and a half months later, still no one has received any monetary assistance. My sister-in-law is in that group of people who are in dire financial straits. I would be in that situation too, had I still been an independent contractor and in the same industry she is in. Thank heavens I am not, but wow, imagine how bad it is for people who are still not receiving any compensation from being laid off their jobs, due to the ongoing spread of COVID 19.

Which, btw, the largest county in our metro area is planning to open up to the 1st phase of opening up the county. Not nary a word in the news about up-ticks in new covid cases, which there are new cases being reported each day since last week or the week before. But we hear about it via OPB news snippets during the first airing of news on the radio as we drive to work.

Each day that goes by, particularly this coming week, highways will be jam-packed with frenzied drivers hurrying to work, which will make getting to work a long an arduous commute. Even public transit still has limited service and limits the amount of riders allowed on buses or trains. It is going to be a nightmare, once next week gets under way.

Today? I went out and bought more toilet paper, face tissues, and restocked OTC meds I have run out of, since things disappeared from stores weeks ago. We still can't find cleaning products like we used to be able to buy, before this all went haywire in early March.

But I've found replacement supplies at natural grocer types of stores. I've had to pay a higher price to get it, but at least I have what I need on hand here at home, in case we come to a screeching halt again. It's hard to find clean fresh uncompromised food sources. I am super careful where I buy my produce, because in recent local news, several produce suppliers and local produce farms were found to have their work crews who tested positive for COVID. So that is very concerning news. It makes finding uncompromised food super difficult.

At work? This past week, plexiguard barriers were installed everywhere on campus. Laminated signs are on nearly every window, door, hallway, in the elevators, bathrooms and no lobby furnishings have returned -- so people can't sit in the lobby or meander around doing nothing or claim that no one told them they can't stand around invading each other's space. The six foot rule will be enforced and it will all be on CCTV so people can't lie their way out of not knowing the rules and/or the new standards for conduct & decorum (pinch of sarcasm alert).

I'm worried. I am very concerned. COVID is not over with and now it's going to be super serious if new waves of illness take off due to people not changing their behaviors.

That's all I got for now. I hope we all survive and that safety is not compromised over the coming weeks and months ahead.

[C0LLETTE]

CHRISTOPHER KATSAROV/THE GLOBE AND MAIL

What a coincidence that the companies that own the largest grocery chains in Canada all decided – some within hours of each other – that the danger posed by COVID-19 no longer merits forking over a couple of extra bucks for each employee. Surely the timing is just happenstance; these companies would never collude on something so untoward.

With the exception of Walmart, which ended its program on May 31, all the other major grocers – Loblaw, Metro and Empire (which owns Sobeys and Safeway) – decided last week to end their “hero pay” programs, which saw employees earn an extra couple of dollars an hour in exchange for working during a global pandemic. The companies cited the end of acute-crisis conditions and the establishment of a “new normal” as justification for returning to regular wages.

Now, perhaps these grocery chief executives know something about contracting COVID-19 that the rest of us do not, because according to ... well, virtually everyone else, the pandemic in Canada is anything but over.

Grocery-store employees are currently working in what is probably the highest-traffic workplace outside of hospitals (and hospital staff, it should be noted, are actually trained to work under pandemic conditions). That regions are slowly reopening doesn’t mean the risk to individuals is gone; it means that the outbreak has been controlled to the extent that hospitals, testing and contact-tracing can theoretically keep pace with continuing infections. In Ontario, the number of new daily infections is roughly where it was in late March, back when these companies first introduced their pandemic pay bumps.

So while these grocers might feel confident in their carefully crafted messages about normalcy returning to their stores, the reality is that in many regions, grocery-store workers will still continue to get sick. The difference is, they will now get sick while back on minimum wage.

It’s true that the pandemic pay bump, which saw Loblaw, Walmart and Metro employees paid an extra $2 an hour and Empire workers earn an extra $50 a week plus $2 extra for every hour over 20 hours, was always supposed to be temporary. It was introduced amid an initial panic that stores wouldn’t have enough staff to maintain essential operations during those uncertain first few weeks. But the health risk to front-line grocery workers hasn’t changed all that much between then and now. Plexiglass shields and physical-distancing practices were implemented around the same time as the pay bumps, not materially after.

What has changed since the end of March, rather, is the business case for a $2-an-hour premium. Grocery stores operate on relatively thin margins, where wages constitute the largest proportion of operating expenses. Now that Canadian cities are starting to reopen, resumed restaurant operations threaten to cut into the revenue and profit surges these stores have enjoyed over the past few months. And the looming expiration of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (although the federal government announced Tuesday it will extend the program by eight weeks) means more people may soon start looking for work.

Taken together, these are good reasons for a profit-minded company to scrap a bonus-pay program. It has absolutely nothing to do with employees suddenly being safer at work.

But then, we all knew that. These companies’ responsibilities are ultimately to their shareholders – not to the people stocking cans of tuna for $14 an hour, hoping they don’t bring the virus home to their families. Loblaw spokesperson Catherine Thomas essentially said as much in an e-mail to the Toronto Star, where she noted that “the company is no longer benefitting financially from COVID-19.” Alas, if only the rest of us could understand the angst of watching an enormous, unexpected profit reared from a wildly destructive disease slowly start to dissipate.

There is, perhaps, a good reason for government to get involved, especially considering the curious “coincidence” of the companies’ announcements and past subsidies the government has handed out to the industry. But on a matter like this, when corporate interests appear to have strayed so far from the basic principles of human decency, customers’ voices tend to wield more power than a government summons ever could achieve.

In normal times, callous, profit-centric corporate behaviour is not particularly remarkable. But one effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been to amplify our society’s ugliest tendencies in a way that’s difficult to ignore. Clawing back an extra couple of dollars from grocery staff during a pandemic, while spuriously implying the risk is no longer there, transcends conventional ugliness to become distinctly grotesque. Deep down, the people behind the corporate decisions at Loblaw, Walmart, Metro and Empire surely know better.

[homoe]

On Friday night, like nearly every other weekend for the past month, the bars and nightclubs in downtown Scottsdale were packed. Dance floors were jammed. Lines to get in stretched for blocks. And almost nobody wore masks or gloves. When Gov. Doug Ducey lifted Arizona's stay-at-home order May 15, giving the green light for much of the state's economy to restart, he said residents had the right and responsibility to gauge the risks posed by the novel coronavirus and to act accordingly. “What an Arizonan decides to do is up to them,” he said.

"When I see packed nightclubs, I'm deeply concerned," said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who is one of a growing number of local officials in the state calling on Ducey to better regulate the industry. "It sends this message that we're through this — that we've defeated it."

The state recorded 7,121 new cases between May 31 and June 6 — a 54% increase over the previous week and the largest week-to-week increase since the pandemic began. Arizona has also seen a spike in hospitalizations, with 1,400 people hospitalized on Friday, up from 755 a month earlier. ICU capacity in the state has passed 80%, according to the Department of Health Services.

Arizona is one of 22 states that have seen the number of new daily cases rise — which health experts say is likely a result of the end of stay-at-home orders.

[homoe]

Per Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times Dr. Anthony Fauci said that if there is a 2020 MLB season, the season — including both the regular season and the postseason — should end in September before a second wave of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) hits the U.S. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said, “If the question is time, I would try to keep it in the core summer months and end it not with the way we play the World Series, until the end of October when it’s cold. I would avoid that.”

Of course, the idea of a 2020 season at the moment seems farfetched given the inability of MLB ownership to make any concessions towards the MLB Players Association — which already agreed, back in March, to salary cuts in the form of pro rata salaries — in order to facilitate getting games underway. Commissioner Rob Manfred went from saying a week ago that MLB will “100%” having a season to yesterday claiming he was “not confident” in having a season.

[~ocean]

it's either die or survive ~ give up our past lifestyles likes and dislikes to survive ~ it's not a hard decision. it's TEMPORARY . to get to the point of survival and live like we once knew we need to sacrifice . I ask myself daily how intelligent are humans ? Why do so many people world wide continue to be ignorant and careless with others lives with their own selfish stupidity.
and those of us that have the desire to live and survive ^ 5 . I won't and don't listen to unmasked people ~ ** blocks my ears to the WH idiot **

[homoe]

it's either die or survive ~ give up our past lifestyles likes and dislikes to survive ~ it's not a hard decision. it's TEMPORARY . to get to the point of survival and live like we once knew we need to sacrifice . I ask myself daily how intelligent are humans ? Why do so many people world wide continue to be ignorant and careless with others lives with their own selfish stupidity.
and those of us that have the desire to live and survive ^ 5 . I won't and don't listen to unmasked people ~ ** blocks my ears to the WH idiot **

:goodpost:.....

[homoe]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence says the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic is “a cause for celebration,” but a new poll finds more than half of Americans calling it fair or poor.

The Gallup and West Health survey out Thursday found that 57% of U.S. adults rated the national response to COVID-19 as fair or poor, particularly in light of the fact that America has the world's most expensive health care system.

The numbers amount to a flashing warning for President Donald Trump and his White House team, eager to change the narrative from projections that show a growing number of U.S. pandemic deaths to a story of American resilience and economic revitalization that reinforces his reelection bid.

In a Wall Street Journal opinion article published Wednesday, Pence castigated the news media for focusing on rising COVID-19 cases in states like Texas and Arizona. “We’ve slowed the spread, we’ve cared for the most vulnerable, we’ve saved lives, and we’ve created a solid foundation for whatever challenges we may face in the future,” wrote Pence, who leads the White House coronavirus task force. “That’s a cause for celebration, not the media’s fear mongering.”

The poll found that only 23% of adults rated the national response as excellent or very good, while an additional 20% rated it as good.

[~ocean]

President Moron says that Americans are wearing masks in protest against him ~~ WOW he's cracked , we unlike him, want to live ! rut row someone is paranoid !!

[C0LLETTE]

President Moron says that Americans are wearing masks in protest against him ~~ WOW he's cracked , we unlike him, want to live ! rut row someone is paranoid !!

Oh, he wants to live alright, he just wants to live with his boot on your neck, his hand in all your pockets, and images of his old withered dick flying on the White House flagstaff up above the Stars and Stripes.

[~ocean]

Oh, he wants to live alright, he just wants to live with his boot on your neck, his hand in all your pockets, and images of his old withered dick flying on the White House flagstaff up above the Stars and Stripes.

he probably had an implant lolol yanno the adds that go to spam in your mail box lol I just got a repulsive mental image of an old wrinkly sausage. lolol ewwwwwww

[Bèsame*]

And this is what's going on in my part of the world...Houston area will be following this soon.

Effective Monday, June 22, in Bexar County, all Customers (over the age of 10) will be required to wear masks or face coverings in our stores. Hidalgo County, Harris County, Travis County, Cameron County, Webb County, and others are expected to issue similar mandates.



These mask mandates also dictate that while citizens may not be penalized for not complying, businesses will be fined for not having a policy in place. Therefore, in every store under such a mandate, there will be store signage and banners informing our customers that masks are required to shop in our stores. Initially, for the first couple of days of the mandates, we will be handing out masks to any customer without one.



If a customer refuses, we will not be asking our Partners to enforce the policy. We want to keep our Partners safe from customers who feel that wearing a mask is a violation of their rights and might turn to belligerent behavior or violence. If a customer asks why we are not enforcing the mask requirement, please direct them to a store Leader who can explain that these situations have had a history of escalating and we are focused on the physical safety of the Partner and other customers.

[homoe]

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Thursday he was troubled by the rise in “anti-science” beliefs throughout the country, saying such ill-founded sentiments could be “a problem” as the nation seeks to move past the coronavirus pandemic.

“One of the problems we face in the United States is that, unfortunately, there is a combination of an anti-science bias that people are ― for reasons that sometimes are, you know, inconceivable and not understandable ― they just don’t believe science and they don’t believe authority,” Fauci told the podcast “Learning Curve,” presented by the Department of Health and Human Services.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anthony-fauci-anti-science-coronavirus_n_5eec2e7ec5b6f2720db35fe1

[homoe]

Florida breaks another single-day record, with 3,822 new coronavirus cases. Florida’s Department of Health on Friday morning confirmed 3,822 additional cases of COVID-19, setting another daily total record high since the start of the pandemic. The state now has a total of 89,748 confirmed cases.

Previously, the highest daily total recorded was on Thursday, when 3,207 cases were reported. There were also 43 new deaths announced, raising the statewide death toll to 3,104.

A Miami Herald analysis of public and non-public COVID-19 data found that as of June 3, new cases in Florida had consistently been trending up since mid-May and the trends could not be attributed solely to increases in testing.

[~ocean]

Florida breaks another single-day record, with 3,822 new coronavirus cases. Florida’s Department of Health on Friday morning confirmed 3,822 additional cases of COVID-19, setting another daily total record high since the start of the pandemic. The state now has a total of 89,748 confirmed cases.

Previously, the highest daily total recorded was on Thursday, when 3,207 cases were reported. There were also 43 new deaths announced, raising the statewide death toll to 3,104.

A Miami Herald analysis of public and non-public COVID-19 data found that as of June 3, new cases in Florida had consistently been trending up since mid-May and the trends could not be attributed solely to increases in testing.


I don't care where it's going to be held coronavirus is a loaded weapon THE WH MORON suggests not to wear a mask that's criminal as far as I am concerned ~ no mask and a shot of bleach ~ I'm not going to his party's.

[Gemme]

And this is what's going on in my part of the world...Houston area will be following this soon.

Effective Monday, June 22, in Bexar County, all Customers (over the age of 10) will be required to wear masks or face coverings in our stores. Hidalgo County, Harris County, Travis County, Cameron County, Webb County, and others are expected to issue similar mandates.



These mask mandates also dictate that while citizens may not be penalized for not complying, businesses will be fined for not having a policy in place. Therefore, in every store under such a mandate, there will be store signage and banners informing our customers that masks are required to shop in our stores. Initially, for the first couple of days of the mandates, we will be handing out masks to any customer without one.



If a customer refuses, we will not be asking our Partners to enforce the policy. We want to keep our Partners safe from customers who feel that wearing a mask is a violation of their rights and might turn to belligerent behavior or violence. If a customer asks why we are not enforcing the mask requirement, please direct them to a store Leader who can explain that these situations have had a history of escalating and we are focused on the physical safety of the Partner and other customers.

Rhode Island has been doing this for a while now (for us, it's age 3 and up unless a medical condition prohibits it) and it's been beneficial. We're actually decelerating the climb of COVID-19 and have the highest testing rate of all the states so it does work. It's crazy when you hear someone being stabbed or shot for trying to enforce a safety measure so be careful out there!

[homoe]

“I don’t think that this is going to slow down. Wherever there is wood to burn, this fire is going to burn,” Dr. Michael Osterholm said on Sunday “Meet the Press.”

COVID-19 will rage “like a forest fire” in a U.S. that has no clear plan to deal with it and has regressed to a dismissive, “pre-pandemic” attitude, a top infectious disease expert said Sunday. America’s leadership is unfocused, Dr. Michael Osterholm told Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” unlike other parts of the world that remain vigilant against the pandemic.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/michael-osterholm-covid-19-forest-fire_n_5ef02d05c5b60f58759876e7

[C0LLETTE]

If you don't like wearing a mask, you're really not going to like wearing a ventilator"

Sums it up very well.

[~ocean]

If you don't like wearing a mask, you're really not going to like wearing a ventilator"

Sums it up very well.

touche' ~ a doctor on CNN said the very same thing to people who think they are above the scientists !

[Stone-Butch]

Startling news omg. Hundreds of new outbreaks with more death from the virus. Just because the people want freedom from being unable to have some fun and enjoy a night out or day at the beach we ALL within their reach can have, with their pleasure a good dose of that pandemic that is still going strong all over the world. How generous can those carriers be I ask you. We don't even have to go looking for it, they will bring it right to where you happen to be. Nothing like sharing I say.
An area of entertainment needs to be established for those who wish to run amuck and ignore the rest of society by giving them an area where they can cavort around and enjoy each other in a safe setting from the rest of us. Of course they can't bring their innocent children but you can't have everything. Once they are sick let them look after one another with no outside innocents involved.
REMEMBER: If you wanna dance you gotta pay the fiddler.

[homoe]

Federal testing centers in five states will either transition to state control or be closed. COVID-19 testing centers across five states are set to lose federal funding next week after the Trump administration decided not to extend the program that established them.

As a result, 13 testing sites across Colorado (1), Illinois (2), New Jersey (2), Pennsylvania (1) and Texas (7) will likely close if those states are unable to replace the necessary funding.

In a statement to HuffPost, Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir confirmed that the program that originally funded 41 such sites across 48 states would end next week.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/federal-coronavirus-test-funds-cut_n_5ef364dac5b6aa825ac9c892

[Blade]

Did you see all of the cars waiting hours before testing began in Miami/Dade County Florida this morning?

NC starting mandatory mask tomorrow and not going to phase 3 until mid July. I'm sure that isn't set in stone but will be revisited then.

[Vincent]

“I don’t think that this is going to slow down. Wherever there is wood to burn, this fire is going to burn,” Dr. Michael Osterholm said on Sunday “Meet the Press.”

COVID-19 will rage “like a forest fire” in a U.S. that has no clear plan to deal with it and has regressed to a dismissive, “pre-pandemic” attitude, a top infectious disease expert said Sunday. America’s leadership is unfocused, Dr. Michael Osterholm told Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” unlike other parts of the world that remain vigilant against the pandemic.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/michael-osterholm-covid-19-forest-fire_n_5ef02d05c5b60f58759876e7

I feel so angry and frustrated for my freinds in the US,I see stuff and feel safe in OZ,then feel guilty,sitting back watching some sort of horror flick,but it's real.
I have visited twice and met the most amazing generous people in any country ive been to, most of my friends are in the US,I wish I could bring you all to Aust.
I'm so sad
Love from Aust x