Great news from Ireland! Where I work we are down to 20 known COVID patients!! So relieved. can't put our guard down just yet, but still a good sign!
We(NJ) officially enter Phase two on Monday. Restaurants can now open for outside dining and most stores can also open on Monday. We had our lowest death rate on Friday of 48 people. As of Friday(6/12) we have had a total of 166,164 confirmed cases and 12,489 confirmed deaths. We have one of the lowest reported new cases in the Country but who knows what will happen once things open up on Monday. On June 22nd salons can open - yeah ! I need a haircut so bad - I have not had one since February.
Everyone please stay diligent and safe !
GA - That is wonderful news - take care !
GA - That is great news. I think we all are eagerly anticipating when we can say the same thing about the U.S., but we're definitely not there yet.
And NKIT - I am crossing my fingers that Phase 2 will go well in N.J. You all have been hit so hard. Those numbers just boggle my mind. So sad!
My brother and his family were all tested again on Thursday, but haven't gotten their results back yet. As the saying goes, they are very sick and tired of being sick and tired. I sure hope they get good news. All three of them have to test negative before any of them can come out of quarantine.
"People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016
Dreamer - Hoping your brother and his family have good news with the test results.
We're in phase 2 of reopening where I am in New York (or maybe it's phase 3, I think I've lost track). We're back to work part-time, still working at home part-time, so not everyone is in the office together, and when we are, people stay in their offices and avoid each other. This schedule is so strange I don't know if I'm coming or going some days. And in an unpleasant development, I've developed an allergy to hand sanitizer. I still use it if I'm out, but then my hands are rashy for days. Strange times to be living in..hope everyone is safe and well.
The FDA has blacklisted the use of Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine for COVID-19. Long time coming. It's a dangerous drug. I don't doubt it helped some people, but the little publicity stunt with the POTUS taking it just wasn't smart and a lot of people got worse with it. It's no longer getting an emergency clearance use. It's not the right treatment. Azithromycin or Zithromax, is fairly harmless but isn't proven. Remdesivir is definitely a promising treatment, and is made specifically for CV. It also came out today that Dexamethasone, a long acting glucocorticoid/corticosteroid, is helping the sickest patients survive.
I think things opening up too quickly will lead to the next 100k+ deaths in the US from novel coronavirus. It's so dangerous and I think we definitely will have relapses. We mustn't be in a hurry to go back to the old normal. It's just not smart and will lead to many more innocent people dying as a result of the recklessness and frankly carelessness of some. The whole "stay home if you're scared" doesn't work if that person who isn't is serving you food, visiting you, visiting someone you live with, and then they bring it home, etc. It's an all or none principle, unfortunate as that may be. It's got to be done though. The sooner the better.
Austin, amid all the gloom, there are reasons to be cheerful.
As time goes on the scientists and medics are learning more about the virus and how to treat it. So the longer we can hold off getting it, the better.
We also know that lockdown measures and social distancing work and testing is now more common. If it gets bad in a particular area, the TPTB know what they should be doing and so do the public, even if some give the impression that they don't at the moment.
Progress on vaccines seems to be continuing. Just two weeks ago, one of the Oxford University scientists said he though there was a 50% chance of having all of the UK vaccinated by Christmas. I haven't seen much follow up but the clinical trials are continuing.
When there is a vaccine available, I'll have it. I'll also have a flu vaccine. (I've been vaccinated against smallpox, polio, tetanus, dyphtheria, whooping cough, rubella, TB, typhoid, flu and I actually had measles, chickenpox and mumps. I prefer vaccination)
A few weeks ago, I read that in Australia they are testing sewage as a way of identifying outbreaks in the community. Last week, similar testing was announced for the UK.
The POTUS issues show his lack of intelligence, leadership and compassion. Hopefully, a significant majority of the electorate are able to see that.
Finally, this has shown the value of science and facts. Hopefully, many people will be inspired to follow careers in science and medicine. (Though I'm concerned about all the conspiracy stories).