Coronavirus ~ COVID-19

[Kelt]

I saw in another thread and on the news that Tom Hanks has it.

Sad to say, but if a popular American celebrity has it maybe that will get Americans to wake up and pay attention to this.

If we could get adequate testing in this country, I am sure the positive cases would be exponentially larger. So many people with their head in the sand…

Eat good, sleep good, wash your hands.

[Kätzchen]

Question and comment for my sister-femme-friend, Ocean:

Ocean, I wondered too if this covid-19 virus epidemic was a biological warfare type of thing, *But*, what if the covid-19 virus could be a by-product of global warming? That is what I have been wondering myself. Viruses mutate and find ways to survive, just like any species might evolve out of sense of survival. Do you think it's a possibility? Maybe?

I work in a high contact work place venue where people with privilege travel to all sorts of destinations, near and far (domestic or international). As a rule, our work campus places a high priority on health safety, due to any viral outbreak (etc). If one doesn't feel well, one does not go to work. In fact, since this particular outbreak of covid-19? Many employers have flexed schedules for staff/employees so they can work from home (for those who can).

We practice good hygiene, it's a must. Working in a high traffic work place venue requires good hygiene practices.

I also, in response to your post Ocean, keep my cupboards stocked and keep cleaning supplies and other sun-dry necessities well stocked too. More so, since the covid-19 virus became a run-away freight train issue.

I am hyper-aware of cleanliness and keeping our work place in as clean shape as possible. None of us want to contract this illness. It's super concerning. I know I can't miss work for extended periods of time due to any serious health crisis/illness. I don't have spare income to hurdle a financial issue which threatens to cost me everything I might have in emergency income for any unforeseen or unintended consequences of experiencing a health crisis.

I am sending wellness wishes for your own health safety, my friend, in the coming days and weeks ahead.

[Stone-Butch]

I just found out that 3 days ago in BC our first death occurred from the virus. An elderly gentleman living in a nursing home. Our diagnosed total is 77 with the virus as of today.
We need to keep clean hands, masks and away from unnecessary crowds. I do hope that not too many more people will pass from this virus but I know it is a pandemic and we need to look out for ourselves and our loved ones.

[~ocean]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

Question and comment for my sister-femme-friend, Ocean:

Ocean, I wondered too if this covid-19 virus epidemic was a biological warfare type of thing, *But*, what if the covid-19 virus could be a by-product of global warming? That is what I have been wondering myself. Viruses mutate and find ways to survive, just like any species might evolve out of sense of survival. Do you think it's a possibility? Maybe?

I work in a high contact work place venue where people with privilege travel to all sorts of destinations, near and far (domestic or international). As a rule, our work campus places a high priority on health safety, due to any viral outbreak (etc). If one doesn't feel well, one does not go to work. In fact, since this particular outbreak of covid-19? Many employers have flexed schedules for staff/employees so they can work from home (for those who can).

We practice good hygiene, it's a must. Working in a high traffic work place venue requires good hygiene practices.

I also, in response to your post Ocean, keep my cupboards stocked and keep cleaning supplies and other sun-dry necessities well stocked too. More so, since the covid-19 virus became a run-away freight train issue.

I am hyper-aware of cleanliness and keeping our work place in as clean shape as possible. None of us want to contract this illness. It's super concerning. I know I can't miss work for extended periods of time due to any serious health crisis/illness. I don't have spare income to hurdle a financial issue which threatens to cost me everything I might have in emergency income for any unforeseen or unintended consequences of experiencing a health crisis.

I am sending wellness wishes for your own health safety, my friend, in the coming days and weeks ahead.

(((((((((katzchen)))))))) so many reasons have run threw my mind as well. They don't know for sure W.H.O> that is . I have so many emotions running across my mind, it's like a traffic jam lolol it's 2 a.m. and I can't sleep. playing a game relax's me ~

[easygoingfemme]

My daughter's college is shutting down. The students are sent home this weekend and there is no return plan. It's her senior year. She is devastated. So many things she has worked for and planned for and now it's all an abrupt end with no senior showcase, probably no graduation ceremony, and it means she loses her job too.

I'm working closely with CDC and public health at work trying to keep our housing programs safe but there's only so much I can do. The women who live there are out going to work, riding buses. They have to. They still have to go to work and school and medical appointments. It's only a matter of time before our building will end up in quarantine. We're trying to set up emergency plans, especially for our domestic violence shelter, for if staff have to leave. Apparently national guard is helping in some situations so I need to find out more about that.

[Orema]

Health Officials Testify Before House Committee—Live

Coronavirus expert Dr. Fauci and CDC head Dr. Redfield testify before House

[~ocean]

Originally Posted by easygoingfemme

My daughter's college is shutting down. The students are sent home this weekend and there is no return plan. It's her senior year. She is devastated. So many things she has worked for and planned for and now it's all an abrupt end with no senior showcase, probably no graduation ceremony, and it means she loses her job too.

I'm working closely with CDC and public health at work trying to keep our housing programs safe but there's only so much I can do. The women who live there are out going to work, riding buses. They have to. They still have to go to work and school and medical appointments. It's only a matter of time before our building will end up in quarantine. We're trying to set up emergency plans, especially for our domestic violence shelter, for if staff have to leave. Apparently national guard is helping in some situations so I need to find out more about that.

so many students and their friends & family's are affected, here as well the colleges and university's are closed, but most important (((((( easygoingfemme))))))) ty for your efforts and dedication for people in need. my daughter is a CNA and a Hospice caregiver , she is masked and gloved when taking care of her clients b4 the virus as well in some delicate situations ~ I am very proud of her. The family's of her clients have expressed their thanks and appreciation for her work. Ty again we need people like you.

[Kelt]

I got the state regulations for long-term care facilities in Washington today. It is where my mother lives, to say they are strict is an understatement. I understand it is necessary but it will be hard on her as well as me.

I live in California and the county put out an extensive set of general guidelines for everybody today. I watched the news conference on YouTube and almost immediately afterward the state emergency app on my phone lit up. It looks like many other states and cities had similar news conferences today.

Our orange leader managed to make such an ass of himself last night that he pissed off the entire European Union. Again. That just made the stock market that much worse, as if that were possible, and he has apparently exposed himself to the virus a couple of times.

Wait. Maybe that part is OK…

Nope. Pence. I wonder if we could hold elections early.

[Femmewench]

Originally Posted by Kelt

Our orange leader managed to make such an ass of himself last night that he pissed off the entire European Union. Again. That just made the stock market that much worse, as if that were possible, and he has apparently exposed himself to the virus a couple of times.

Wait. Maybe that part is OK…

Nope. Pence. I wonder if we could hold elections early.

Pence was with the orange on in Mar A Lago and shook the hands of the same infected people the orange one did. Nancy Pelosi's time may come.

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

Question and comment for my sister-femme-friend, Ocean:

Ocean, I wondered too if this covid-19 virus epidemic was a biological warfare type of thing, *But*, what if the covid-19 virus could be a by-product of global warming? That is what I have been wondering myself. Viruses mutate and find ways to survive, just like any species might evolve out of sense of survival. Do you think it's a possibility? Maybe?

(I edited my post for brevity)

On CNN today, another article was posted on how covid-19 is transmissible via saliva (after autopsies on ppl who have died from it).

Here is the article link:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/26/world...-21/index.html

In the article, scientists think that covid 19 is a by-product of climate change. Which is a conclusion I had, early on, last year.

In other covid news: Rico got his first of two shots last week. I am still not able to get one due to our state not updating its website criteria. If i am able to get one by my birthday in May, I will feel lucky.

Both Rico and I practice double masking, we try to stick to a strict adherence for food and wster safety. We do not plan to support fast food industry or go out for dining experiences any time soon.

Ffs, we see people daily in close proximity, drinking and dining outdoors ... with NO masks or giving enough space while dining. That stuff scares us both.

Still ... other harrowing news on the horizon about lack of clean water and untainted food chain is super scary.

It is time for a big change in how earths resources are utilized and to begin cooperative sharing with humans in local, national and global ways.

Our health and safety and survival is on the line.

Stay safe.

Be as well as you can be.

And, stay strong.

~K.

[homoe]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A year after becoming a global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, New York and New Jersey are back atop the list of U.S. states with the highest rates of infection.

Even as the vaccination campaign has ramped up, the number of new infections in New Jersey has crept up by 37% in a little more than a month, to about 23,600 every seven days. About 54,600 people in New York tested positive for the virus in the last week, a number that has begun to inch up recently.

The two states now rank No. 1 and 2 in new infections per capita among U.S. states. New Jersey has been reporting about 647 new cases for every 100,000 residents over the past 14 days. New York has averaged 548.

The situation in New York and New Jersey mirrors a national trend that has seen case numbers inch up in recent days. The U.S. is averaging nearly 62,000 cases a day, up from 54,000 two weeks ago.

Asked Sunday what’s going wrong in the U.S. as cases rise, President Joe Biden told reporters: “Based on what I’m hearing, apparently people are letting their guard down.” Biden said he hopes to have a better sense of the situation after a meeting with his White House pandemic team on Monday.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/virus-fig...140524851.html

[homoe]

The troubling signs come despite more than one-third of American adults now having received at least one Covid-19 shot.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Monday said rebounding Covid case counts gave her a sense of "impending doom" and warned the public to continue following public health precautions with more contagious strains of the virus taking hold.

"Right now I'm scared," a visibly shaken Walensky said at a briefing during which officials warned the country is headed toward another surge with new cases topping 30 million in the U.S. and deaths once again averaging about 1,000 a day.

Walensky cited an uptick in travel as one reason cases could be rising, and noted more contagious variants could exacerbate the crisis if people don't wear masks and follow other public safety guidelines.

The troubling signs come despite more than one-third of American adults now having received at least one Covid-19 shot. Some 50 million people are fully vaccinated, according to Andy Slavitt, the White House senior adviser on the Covid-19 response.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/0...s-surge-478340

[Kätzchen]

I subscribe to our state's Covid19 updates, which come daily. Over the past few days, since I subscribed, I have read that we have gone up to over 400+ new cases, which those affected have been hospitalized. Interestingly enough, the new cases are people who have contracted a variant of the original virus, which is super scary. Our death toll has been increasing weekly.

We had massive traffic issues tonight because near the downtown area: lines of people spiraled around the vax site and the pick-up/drop-off lane was jamb packed. No matter where you go, people are wearing their masks, in our metro area. There are no plans for our national basketball team to open games up to the public. Not even our soccer team or ice hockey team is opening up to the public, to attend any sort of game.

I am stunned, though, that Texas hosted a 38K sold-out baseball game today. I can hardly believe people are not taking this seriously, the pandemic.

I count myself lucky that I am getting my vaccine shot this Thursday. Rico and I plan to still mask up and be vigilant.

[homoe]

[Orema]

From CNN: As the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the US and its territories, health departments have created landing pages where people can go to get the latest information about the virus in their specific location.

CNN’s list includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Guam:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/healt...rnd/index.html

[homoe]

Originally Posted by Orema

From CNN: As the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the US and its territories, health departments have created landing pages where people can go to get the latest information about the virus in their specific location.

CNN’s list includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Guam:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/healt...rnd/index.html

Thanks for posting this Orema.

It confirms 3 cases for my area which we heard 2 were in Bainbridge and 1 in Port Orchard.

[GeorgiaMa'am]

We now have 2 confirmed cases at my university. The patients are being quarantined by the university in private housing.

[easygoingfemme]

Originally Posted by Orema

From CNN: As the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the US and its territories, health departments have created landing pages where people can go to get the latest information about the virus in their specific location.

CNN’s list includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Guam:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/healt...rnd/index.html

Orema, that's super informative. Thank you.

Everything is so hour by hour. We keep making plans at work and then they change and change again.

We are preparing to close our child care center except for maybe keep one room open just for children of staff. We have 9 staff members who are single parents and don't have the support system to work their jobs full time if they don't have child care and we need them at work for as long as we can have them.

Since we don't have all of the children we usually have, we are re-purposing all of the food we had for them and the cook we have for the daycare centers to cook meals for our housing residents and children who don't have food at home and are used to getting breakfast and lunch with us. Our advocates who work in the courthouse and child protective, where buildings are closing, will come work to help pack up food for our people who need it.
My daughter got her job back working in my building while her school is closed. We put her on front desk where she usually works but she was more needed in my housing department so she's been hard at work making hygiene packs and tomorrow she will start packing food boxes for the quarantined so we are ready to deliver when that happens. Our mental health counselors will be delivering meals to our off campus clients during their more quiet hours.

I did find out today that the public health department has a system in place to bring food to those who are quarantined. It's a great relief. I don't know if they are prepared to serve as many as will need but at least there is a plan in place.

After a debriefing with CDC today I was told I am doing a great job. I really needed to hear that so that made me happy.

[Buckaroo]

I've got 2 weeks until I can head home. I'm in the safest place in healthcare in the OR. I wear masks and gowns all day and constantly scrubbing my hands...yet I'm absolutely terrified for my mom who is 83 years old. The fatality rate for people her age is 15%. So it absolutely drives me livid when I hear ignorant people say how they aren't following the recommendations set out for us at this time. Let me give you a reality check. In Italy, their healthcare system is so overwhelmed that they are having to make life and death choices for people. A 30-year-old mother of 2 will get the vent over a 69-year-old grandmother. THAT IS REALITY! Our country hasn't gotten there YET but don't kid yourself to think it can't/won't happen. Let me give you another reality check....Italy has a bed ratio of 3.8 beds per 1000 people...the USA?? We have 2.4 beds per1000 people. See the problem??? Italy has run out of beds and ventilators...We aren't talking about a 3rd world country...we are talking about a modern, revolutionized country. Stop being selfish and think about others.
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N95 masks fulfill the filtering efficiency criteria of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and are approved for protection against droplet and airborne transmission of 95% of particles greater than 0.3 microns in size. N95 masks, which must be fit tested, are believed to offer protection against the contact and droplet spread of the coronavirus.

[Vincent]

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

I've got 2 weeks until I can head home. I'm in the safest place in healthcare in the OR. I wear masks and gowns all day and constantly scrubbing my hands...yet I'm absolutely terrified for my mom who is 83 years old. The fatality rate for people her age is 15%. So it absolutely drives me livid when I hear ignorant people say how they aren't following the recommendations set out for us at this time. Let me give you a reality check. In Italy, their healthcare system is so overwhelmed that they are having to make life and death choices for people. A 30-year-old mother of 2 will get the vent over a 69-year-old grandmother. THAT IS REALITY! Our country hasn't gotten there YET but don't kid yourself to think it can't/won't happen. Let me give you another reality check....Italy has a bed ratio of 3.8 beds per 1000 people...the USA?? We have 2.4 beds per1000 people. See the problem??? Italy has run out of beds and ventilators...We aren't talking about a 3rd world country...we are talking about a modern, revolutionized country. Stop being selfish and think about others.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
N95 masks fulfill the filtering efficiency criteria of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and are approved for protection against droplet and airborne transmission of 95% of particles greater than 0.3 microns in size. N95 masks, which must be fit tested, are believed to offer protection against the contact and droplet spread of the coronavirus.

Spain is euthanasing people over 65,so they don't suffer,in order to save the younger folk,if this is not a reality check I don't know what is.
Friends in Florence Italy in lockdown now around 30 days.