Corona Virus

[New Kid In Town]

Because medical statistics is part of my background I have been crunching the numbers for some of the larger countries and examining the trends, mainly using worldometer. I'm wondering that I'm hearing on the ground about very high numbers of cases and deaths in the USA, yet when I look at the official records they don't tally. While every death is sad and we would wish there were none, 164 deaths yesterday for example in the USA seems out of synch with say 229 in Spain (which has only had 20% the number of cases compared to the USA) and 227 out of just 30,000 cases roughly in Mexico? whereas the USA has almost 1.3 million cases so far?

Is the strain of the virus milder in the USA? Or are the methods to cure it in some way better? Or are not all deaths being categorised as Covid-19 or C-19 related? I'm not pointing the finger here, I'm just interested in the statistical figures.

Is the testing regime strict in the USA? Here anyone displaying any of the symptoms is tested pretty much immediately and told to self isolate at least until the result comes in. Turnaround time is down to within 72 hours. We are testing roughly 43,000 per million of population, the UK is testing 22,600 per million and the USA 25,000

As I say, just interested in the logistics of the thing, seeing what if anything is working towards an eventual positive result


Hi GA . I can't speak for the whole Country - only what I know about NJ and what I have heard on the national news. I can tell that in the beginning the testing was poor. Here in the NJ when this first started in March, there was only one test site in the state. You had to have a prescip. from your doctor and an appointment. NJ has since opened numerous sites but you still must have an apt. and a prescip. I believe they just opened a walk up site in a town a couple of miles from me. I know NJ has been keeping excellent record since I believe March. Our Governor and the health professionals all believe we(NJ), as well as other states, had cases and deaths going back to late Dec. or early Jan. The were recorded as "flu" cases or "pneumonia" case. My state has not yet begun testing for people who are/were asymptomatic or carriers. I did see an add this week for a private clinic that will do testing. The total number of cases and deaths I listed are all confirmed cases. As of Thursday there are 133,635 confirmed cases in NJ and 8,801 confirmed deaths. NY has also been keeping excellent track of it's cases.
That 164 deaths yesterday in the US is wrong. Yesterday(Thurs.) NJ alone had 254 confirmed deaths and 1,827 confirmed new cases. I don't have the number but NY had a higher amount according to the news reports last night. According to CNN there are 1,273,887 Confirmed cases and 76,475 confirmed deaths in the US as of yesterday(May 7th).
Hope this is helpful and take care.

[New Kid In Town]

We most likely won't go. My husband is 64, diabetic, and an ex-smoker (he quit 36 years ago, but he's still in that category). Right now I'm just waiting on the train to make some kind of announcement before I do anything.

Hi CA - If it were me I would get a refund or a gift certificate. It is better to be safe than sorry.

BTW - Congratulations on your upcoming Anniversary ! 35 years - that is something to celebrate ! Cheers to your and your hubby !

[WalshFan88]

Thanks UtW, NKIT, and GA.

I was just gobsmacked someone had the audacity to say that stuff out loud. I've had bullies tell me it in school, I've even had a group of people I thought were friends start talking about me behind my back later to be revealed as saying amongst themselves they didn't think I was disabled or that I was hypochondriacal, and I've had one ex-"friend" question my worthiness as a human and why I just couldn't be normal and that I was basically a bum. All of them since the school bullies were dropped quicker than a hot potato. I refuse to tolerate that anymore. I did as a kid, but I'm not afraid to block them out of my life, either in person or digitally. Because I caused myself way more turmoil by not putting a stop to it in school. It lead to PTSD and serious self-image/insecurity issues. Stuff I still struggle with to this day, unfortunately.

I always think of a movie called "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" when I think of mean, shallow people. After Steve Martin's character starts picking on John Candy's character in the movie, Candy's character says "You wanna hurt me? Go right ahead if it makes you feel any better. I'm an easy target. Yeah, you're right, I talk too much. I also listen too much. I could be a cold-hearted cynic like you... but I don't like to hurt people's feelings. Well, you think what you want about me; I'm not changing. I like... I like me. My wife likes me. My customers like me. 'Cause I'm the real article. What you see is what you get."

I absolutely love and live by that quote.

[shunlvswx]

Ok. I'm very confused about this problem in my state. For opening of salons. From Mississippi, people are complaining we need to open the state. I don't have money to pay my bills. I can't go another month without a job, but yet!!!! The same people are saying we need to open the salon so I can get my hair done. Where the heck the money is coming from if you are broke? That has me very confused. :shrug::headscratch:

I very badly need to get my hair done, but I'm not confident to go with our high numbers.

[sodascouts]

Just catching up on this thread. Dreamer, I am praying for your family members!

We are at 42 cases and 3 deaths in my county after a week of some businesses opening with restrictions, so it actually seems there has not been a sudden surge in cases around here at least. A bit higher, but not a catastrophic surge.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

First of all, thanks so much to everyone for keeping my family in your thoughts and prayers. My brother's family is still stable, and their symptoms aren't mild, but they aren't severe either at this point. He says this is nothing to take lightly and that you do not want to get this. It takes this virus a long time to run it's path and it's really scary because it can cause so many other complications. I've got my fingers crossed very tightly that they will all be okay, but I also know how quickly things can change with this, so I'm still very worried.

This has been an interesting discussion. As far as the number of cases and deaths here in the U.S. and our federal government's response to it, I think it's hard for most of us to see this as any kind of success. The federal government's role in times like this is to facilitate an ongoing coordinated, centralized effort that ensures our states have what they need to protect all of our citizens until we have this under control. That has simply not happened in this country. It is not and should not be the states responsibility to fend for themselves and compete against one another for what they need.

I agree that we don't know what the true number of confirmed cases and deaths are here. While there may be some cases of unethical or fraudulent reporting of numbers, I doubt that this is a widespread problem much more than it has been with past virus outbreaks. I think it is far more likely that the numbers are under-reported because we don't have a clue how many infected people are out there spreading the disease. So, until our federal government provides us with the ability to test our citizens at the same level as we do our government officials, we will not get this under control for a long while yet. That's all I'm asking - if I want to be tested, I should be entitled to do that even if I don't have symptoms.

[CAinOH]

Well, the guys are back in the office today.

Eeew... people.

[shunlvswx]

Well, the guys are back in the office today.

Eeew... people.

I know how you feel, CAinOH. We went back to our office (full staff) for a week now. I'm just staying in my office.

[CAinOH]

We have cubicles, no door. In the first hour and a half everyone was back, one complained about the candle I was burning and they broke the internet. Dudes...

And... Cincinnati Dinner Train tickets cancelled. I know it was the thing to do, but I am sad. The lady on the phone was really nice about it. But, they're supposed to cut the number of tables in each car by 50%, so some of the tickets are going to be cancelled anyway. I probably did her a favor. Still, I am sad.

[UndertheWire]

Our summer holiday was cancelled today. I'm hoping to transfer the booking to June next year. From tomorrow, I'll be allowed to make day trips by car. Unfortunately, my car won't start as I've just left it in the garage for the last 7 weeks. Oops.

The numbers continue to come down both locally and nationally. In our county, population 192,000, there seems to be one new confirmed case a day (total 223). Today, the first report of the survey of current infections in the community was published and this suggests there are around 136,000 current cases across the country (though I'm not sure if this is just England or all of the UK). According to the Chief Scientific Advisor, early results of antigen testing suggest about 4% of the population has had the virus but as many as 10% in London, which probably means it's less than 1% in our county.

One point of interest that the scientists seem to firmly believe that the virus is much less easy to transmit out of doors. This is why we are being allowed out as often as we like so long as we keep 2 meters from anyone else.

There are lots of interesting statistics available. I have reservations about the competence of our government but at least they listen to the scientists and I have faith in the sense and transparency of the scientists.

It looks like good news in New York and I assume that New Jersey isn't far behind. It's quite telling that whenever I've caught news coverage about the virus in the US, it's more likely to be the Governor of New York rather than POTUS.

[groupie2686]

My office is planning on reopening on June 1 and I have to say I'm terrified. We only have a staff of 5 and can arrange it so we all stay away from each other and wear masks in common areas, but still, I feel it's too soon. I'm thinking of asking to work from home a bit longer, it's been working out pretty well, but I don't know what my boss will say to that. It just feels too soon.

I hope everyone is staying safe and well!

[WalshFan88]

I think it's so dangerous to feel the need to rush back into things and open everything up. I realize people and businesses particularly the mom and pop stores are hurting. I realize kids want to go on summer break. I realize that you want to go see Grandma. I realize you want to go out and eat a meal that isn't made by Banquet or DiGiornos. I get it - I am tired of it too. I'm an introvert by nature, but even I wish we could go back to not having to worry about it. It scares me to see masks everywhere and ghost towns and empty buildings. I feel like I'm in a scifi thriller movie. But we can't be hasty. We also need to be smarter next time and be more socially aware so that when the next pandemic hits, we will be ready. We need to get our priorities straight. We all need to be kinder and more grateful and appreciate of human life itself.

I saw a quote on Facebook that I think is awesome that says: "Economies recover, dead people don't". If people are dead, what difference will it make in the economy being better? And even if only "a few" (which is an understatement!) die, how is that in any way ok or justifiable? Sure, a big picture percentage survival rate looks nice on paper, but take a look at just how many deaths make up the smaller percentage. Tell me you are ok with this or that it's just natural selection or it's just par for the course and we mustn't worry, and I'll call you heartless and ignorant. It's so disgusting to still see, even today, people talking about the deaths as if "it is what it is" and that we should just sweep up the floors, bury them, move on, and just open everything up and let the chips fall where they may. Well, those "chips" are HUMAN LIVES people! The minute you value your hair appointment, flat screen TV, or the need to keep your business open, even if you might have a client or customer DIE, is the minute I lose all respect for you. Call it PC, cancel culture, social justice warrior, etc. I don't really care. As our Illinois governor said "I realize by staying closed we are putting your lives before your livelihoods and your livelihoods could be at risk. But without lives, livelihoods are pointless." or something to that effect. And I could not agree more. Again, I realize that the economy is in trouble. But the minute we become ok with widespread death, to make business boom or even to stay out of bankruptcy, is the point where we become inhuman. I'd much rather someone be in debt than dead. Ideally, neither. But let's be smart about how we view this folks. Lives before livelihoods! You can recover out of debt. But those who have died from COVID won't come back. It may mean that while you won't die, with your choices, someone else could. And we mustn't be selfish. Just because it won't affect your life doesn't make it ok to affect someone else's. I couldn't imagine sleeping at night knowing that my line of thinking or my choices were even partially responsible for a death. Bring humanity back! This is a time where we can't only think of ourselves. Especially if you're a business owner that is serving people, or someone who works with people and you refuse to wear a mask or enforce a mask mandatory order. Or if you go in big crowds without one, shop without one, ignore the mask order, etc. Or if you open up early and don't follow proper protocol laid out by your public health department. It's more than irresponsible!

I saw another quote that says "I wear my mask to protect you, you wear your mask to protect me!" and that is spot on as well. Having people ruin the progress with quarantine and distancing by opening some states up or having some people wear their masks like they should and some who refuse it is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool. It just doesn't make any sense if people just put their agendas aside for once. I think some people are being rebels without a cause because they think they can. But there is a rather big difference between being rebellious or feeling the need to flee when lives aren't at risk, and feeling or acting that way when lives ARE at risk. Hey, I'm a rebellious person by nature. But you can damn sure bet that the rare times I do get out I'm wearing the damn mask and staying at least 6 feet apart!

Thankfully everyone here seems to be roughly on the same page now as far as the severity of it and we can all agree that this is no joke. I just wish the people on my friends list would take it the same exact way!

[WalshFan88]

First of all, thanks so much to everyone for keeping my family in your thoughts and prayers. My brother's family is still stable, and their symptoms aren't mild, but they aren't severe either at this point. He says this is nothing to take lightly and that you do not want to get this. It takes this virus a long time to run it's path and it's really scary because it can cause so many other complications. I've got my fingers crossed very tightly that they will all be okay, but I also know how quickly things can change with this, so I'm still very worried.

This has been an interesting discussion. As far as the number of cases and deaths here in the U.S. and our federal government's response to it, I think it's hard for most of us to see this as any kind of success. The federal government's role in times like this is to facilitate an ongoing coordinated, centralized effort that ensures our states have what they need to protect all of our citizens until we have this under control. That has simply not happened in this country. It is not and should not be the states responsibility to fend for themselves and compete against one another for what they need.

I agree that we don't know what the true number of confirmed cases and deaths are here. While there may be some cases of unethical or fraudulent reporting of numbers, I doubt that this is a widespread problem much more than it has been with past virus outbreaks. I think it is far more likely that the numbers are under-reported because we don't have a clue how many infected people are out there spreading the disease. So, until our federal government provides us with the ability to test our citizens at the same level as we do our government officials, we will not get this under control for a long while yet. That's all I'm asking - if I want to be tested, I should be entitled to do that even if I don't have symptoms.

Amen Dreamer!

I especially agree with the bolded points.

[KingWalsh]

First time where our numbers are actually down where I work! I can’t believe it! Hoping this is a sign of things to come. I am not foolish, nervous of rebound as anyone....CT is at 3,008 deaths.

[Glennsallnighter]

Thanks to everyone for their contribution to the Stats post that I put up. I think too I was accessing it at lunchtime (my time) which was only a little after 8am in the East of the USA, so its quite possible the days figures hadn't been collated yet! Its crazy the obvious things we leave out. We are down to 'teen' numbers of deaths at this stage so hopefully they will fizzle out as the nexy few weeks play out.
Some relaxation of restrictions will come into play on Monday but I am nervous of 'too much too soon' for instance we havent been allowed socialise physically with anyone who does not live in our home. Meaning that noone has been physically with any extended family. If everyone decides to meet up on Monday (even though the 5km boundary is still in place) it could undo all we have done.

Looks like Masks will become recommended when we go out. But I can't find any for sale anywhere so where we will get them is beyond me!!

[New Kid In Town]

My office is planning on reopening on June 1 and I have to say I'm terrified. We only have a staff of 5 and can arrange it so we all stay away from each other and wear masks in common areas, but still, I feel it's too soon. I'm thinking of asking to work from home a bit longer, it's been working out pretty well, but I don't know what my boss will say to that. It just feels too soon.
I hope everyone is staying safe and well!

Wow Groupie I can't believe your office is opening June 1st ! I have a nephew and niece who live in Brooklyn, my niece is working from home still and my nephew was laid off in March. I am surprised by this - I thought companies had to get the ok from Cuomo and or the Mayor. Did they say the City will open June 1st ? We here in NJ are on lockdown until June 5th. It will be interesting to see if or what business Gov. Murphy opens then.
Groupie - It can't hurt to ask to still work from home. All they can say is "no".

GA - I purchased some masks from my local pharmacy yesterday. The blue ones and I paid $10 for a package of ten. My one sister, who sews wonderfully, made masks for our family. I can't sew at all - not something I inhert.

[EagleLady]

I am also an introvert and the whole shutdown thing hasn’t effected me except for not being able to get my hair done which I will be doing soon thankfully while still staying safe

[shunlvswx]

I probably will get my hair done next month when I think its safe. I'm waiting on my beautician to say on facebook we can call in for appointments.

[CAinOH]

I have an appointment for 6:45am Saturday morning. Wasn't expecting to get in so soon, but my hairdresser called me. I always go in before any other appointment, and it's usually just me and her in the whole shop. She's been doing my hair for about 30 years. I trust her. She's actually retired and only does hair for her "select few." I do feel honored.

[shunlvswx]

My beautician's shop is usually not busy and its still a brand new shop. Most of the time when I am there, its only me. With me getting a sew in in my hair, its going to take about a couple of hours with me. To tell the truth. I'm not worried about her. If I had the money, I would go next week, but I want to wait a month. Plus I can save. Everybody and their mother will be wanting appointments next week. So I'm going to wait.

[WalshFan88]

Other than doctor appointments, tests, or hospital stays, I have no intentions of going into any establishment until the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed way down or we have a vaccine that is readily available.

My folks will go to the grocery store/pharmacy, but that's about it. I'm not even doing that. They are careful to wear N95 masks and wipe everything down with Clorox and let non-cold groceries stay outside to air out. It's a big deal to us. I'm pretty weak health-wise and that's just how it is. We all assume that any possible exposure can equal tragedy. I fear that I'm just one big adrenal crisis away from dying at this point.

My mortality is something that is on my mind a lot lately. I've had a fear of death for many years. Prior to COVID, I've had some close calls and medical emergencies in the last 3 or so years that make me really nervous. I had my first adrenal crisis, and then didn't have another for quite a few years, then seemingly I've had one almost every other year. I think I'm 2 years out since my last one, thankfully, but I've had to increase my medicine. When I first started treatment, I took 5. Then I went up to 10, then 15, and then now I'm on 20. I've been told even a bad anxiety attack could put me in the red zone for cortisol. If I'm really struggling, I'm to take an extra 5mg that day of cortisone. And if I'm sick, I'm to take 10mg. Any fever above 101 and I'm to take 40mg and call the office to have my endocrinologist or his physician's assistant/nurse practitioner paged. And I have a kit with syringes and vials of dexamethasone to inject intramuscularly if I'm in a bad way or can't get to an ER. They would prefer I have intravenous dexamethasone considering it works quicker, but the shots are backup if we are far away, or I'm not going to make the trip without a problem and I need something to literally tide me over until we get there.

The whole COVID-19 thing just makes me that much more fearful. When the ER doc paged my orthopedic surgeon after my broken femur and he said "send him home, and we'll try nonoperative treatment and have him come see me tomorrow in the office to discuss a plan and xrays", I knew. The ER doc said that COVID is rampant at the hospital where my orthopedic surgeon works (which is the biggest Illinois hospital that is downstate from Chicago), and that if I got COVID "it wouldn't be good". Yeah, I know. It's something that I'm going to take seriously, just lay low, do everything I can to stay safe and promote awareness.

[FreyFollower]

For all the whining some people are doing, they should consider what others such as yourself are going through. I had a grown woman loudly fake-cough obnoxiously, cutting a couple of feet in front of me in a store. Of course, she wasn't wearing a mask as she and her friend laughed "people think I'm going all Covid on them! HA HA HA!!" Now, she doesn't know if she has it or not. Where is the humor in risking the health of others?:x
I'm so glad that you are being smart and very careful, Austin. You are a strong person who will see this through.

[shunlvswx]

My coworkers really don't care about this. Yesterday. Their were 4 people in one office. I love my coworkers, but I'm not going to go in their office and talk. One of my coworkers was like you don't talk or come out. We don't see you. I told him you won't be seeing me doing that. I ain't got time to get sick. Like I said. I only leave my office to use the restroom, warm my lunch, or give people their papers that our boss signed and I'm always wearing my mask.

My city is about to enter phase I with opening. He wants us to wear a mask in public. Plus he said if he sees our numbers getting out of control, he's going back to restrictions. He's putting us on a curfew starting this Friday night from 11:00pm to 5:00am.

I'm also tired of nonresidents complaining about what our mayor is doing. Jackson is majority of African Americans and the whites left and live in the other cities because of crime. And we don't have that many stores so we have to travel to other cities to shop and eat at restaurants. Nobody wants to live in Jackson because of crime. But!! People need to mind their own business. You have no reason to complain if you don't live here. Worry about your own city They even complain about working here.

I hope the people of Jackson following the guidelines and restrictions to open, but i doubt that will happen. We are so hardheaded.

[shunlvswx]

For all the whining some people are doing, they should consider what others such as yourself are going through. I had a grown woman loudly fake-cough obnoxiously, cutting a couple of feet in front of me in a store. Of course, she wasn't wearing a mask as she and her friend laughed "people think I'm going all Covid on them! HA HA HA!!" Now, she doesn't know if she has it or not. Where is the humor in risking the health of others?:x
I'm so glad that you are being smart and very careful, Austin. You are a strong person who will see this through.

Those the stupid people we have to worry about. The ones who are not taking this serious. Thinking this is a joke or a game.

[KingWalsh]

I hope the people of Jackson following the guidelines and restrictions to open, but i doubt that will happen. We are so hardheaded.

Shun, there are hardheaded people everywhere. Just keep doing what is right. It's no joke, and keep looking out for yourself and loved ones. CT is opening up in waves. Wave 1 is May 20 which will be hairdressers, and restaurants at reduced capacity among other facilities. I am afraid all the pigheaded people that think this is a hoax and whatnot will make the second wave come sooner and worse.

WAlshfan88, stay safe and focus on recovery! Wishing the best.

Everyone stay safe.

[sodascouts]

My semester ended Monday (HALLELUJAH) and they're still thinking of stuff for us to do, but I don't have much of a reason to go out at this point. Still, I was thinking about getting my hair done as it's starting to show gray :(. Then, today, I woke up having a hard time breathing and got hilariously paranoid. "OMG DO I HAVE CORONAVIRUS?? I BET I CAUGHT IT WHEN I WENT TO THE COLLEGE LAST WEEK" A few hours later I felt fine - a false alarm! I felt really foolish. But it reminded me - although I shouldn’t need reminding - that we're not out of the woods yet.

[KingWalsh]

Soda reminded me regarding hair....I use clairol root touch up creme with the brush...it lasts about a month and I’ve had great success. Medium brown for me ha ha! It’s thick and easy to apply blends nice and I let it sit for 15 min. I don’t have a lot of grey just in front (my luck, which is stubborn) and a little down the middle. Too much info probably, but anyways it works for me so thought I’d share.

also Soda, allergy season is making everyone do a double take. I have seasonal allergies and was exercising outdoors and felt a little winded myself, it subsided and I’m fine too. Glad your semester is done. My kids last day June 9. They are discussing how to come back in fall. So many variables. How do you social distance on buses? Little ones in masks? Alternate days of inschool vs home school? Lunch period? Oh my it goes on and on. Challenging is an understatement. Good luck!

[Brooke]

Soda reminded me regarding hair....I use clairol root touch up creme with the brush...it lasts about a month and I’ve had great success. Medium brown for me ha ha! It’s thick and easy to apply blends nice and I let it sit for 15 min. I don’t have a lot of grey just in front (my luck, which is stubborn) and a little down the middle. Too much info probably, but anyways it works for me so thought I’d share.

also Soda, allergy season is making everyone do a double take. I have seasonal allergies and was exercising outdoors and felt a little winded myself, it subsided and I’m fine too. Glad your semester is done. My kids last day June 9. They are discussing how to come back in fall. So many variables. How do you social distance on buses? Little ones in masks? Alternate days of inschool vs home school? Lunch period? Oh my it goes on and on. Challenging is an understatement. Good luck!

I use that too, KW! It works pretty good!

I actually had to skip a month during this and for some reason thought it might be a good time to embrace my grays. WRONG!! :rolleyes: Had to get out that stuff and cover it up after a month!!!! My hairdresser will laugh at me when I go back in another week or so! Good naturedly!

[WalshFan88]

My mother cut me and my dad's hair...
Luckily I'm just a short brown hair kind of dude who likes squared off sideburns, short bangs, and short in the back. And my dad is almost bald, so his was easy. :hilarious:

I told her that now it's only fair that I get to cut her hair! She wasn't up for it. :lol:

[CAinOH]

My mother cut me and my dad's hair...
Luckily I'm just a short brown hair kind of dude who likes squared off sideburns, short bangs, and short in the back. And my dad is almost bald, so his was easy. :hilarious:

I told her that now it's only fair that I get to cut her hair! She wasn't up for it. :lol:

Ha! I bet not!

Got my hair cut and colored today. Yay!

[Glennsallnighter]

Soda reminded me regarding hair....I use clairol root touch up creme with the brush...it lasts about a month and I’ve had great success. Medium brown for me ha ha! It’s thick and easy to apply blends nice and I let it sit for 15 min. I don’t have a lot of grey just in front (my luck, which is stubborn) and a little down the middle. Too much info probably, but anyways it works for me so thought I’d share.

also Soda, allergy season is making everyone do a double take. I have seasonal allergies and was exercising outdoors and felt a little winded myself, it subsided and I’m fine too. Glad your semester is done. My kids last day June 9. They are discussing how to come back in fall. So many variables. How do you social distance on buses? Little ones in masks? Alternate days of inschool vs home school? Lunch period? Oh my it goes on and on. Challenging is an understatement. Good luck!

Our hair dressers won't open until the 20th July at the earliest so I have a bit to go, but I'm not getting too hot under the collar as I've nowhere to go anyway!
They are suggesting the different years come in at different times from September when our schools reopen. Fine if you live 5 mins walk from school but I can't see parents who are also trying to get to work themselves doing multiple daily car trips to and from school which is the normal way of school runs here!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Well - for an update on my brother's family. It's been about two weeks since they tested positive and still aren't over this yet. My brother's stepson seems to be farther along in his recovery than my brother and his wife, probably because he is younger. My brother and sister-in-law are on and off. As soon as they think they are getting better, then the symptoms come back, especially the fever and labored breathing. This doesn't seem out of the ordinary though from what I'm hearing about this virus. The bottom line is they still have to quarantine for a couple of weeks after all the symptoms go away for good. And I do mean quarantine - they can't leave the house. I am feeling cautiously optimistic that they will all be okay eventually though, so a lot of my fear and anxiety has eased. But, PLEASE everyone, be careful and safe and still maintain the social distancing guidelines. I know it's a pain, but we are not over this yet. Anyone of us could be infected and not know it yet. Just imagine after all that we've already been through if you were to get this now, then you're back to ground zero and will have to be in quarantine for many more weeks.

Congrats to all of you with new haircuts. By the luck of the draw, I had a hair appointment just a couple of days before the shutdown here. I was a little unhappy at the time because my hairdresser got a little carried away and cut my hair a lot shorter than usual. But, I just shrugged and thought, 'Oh well, my hair grows fast, so no big deal'. Looking back now, I'm saying thank goodness. I go to a very busy hair salon, so there is no way I'd feel comfortable going back there yet. So, even if I have to wait another couple of months, I can manage.

[KingWalsh]

Ha ha Brooke! I know the feeling. I was slacking and the greys were getting more prominent and I was like aaagh! My hair grows so slow but the greys never seem to slow down :hmm:

glennsallnighter, ya that’ll sure be a challenge back and forth. Especially if you have kids in different schools as I do.

Dreamer, I hope for the best prayers for your family. This virus is all over the place. Good thing you got in for your hair just before the madness. My daughters are so overdue I feel bad.

[FreyFollower]

Rules have relaxed here, but I'm worried because cases in my parish(county) are up over 61% from last week! I haven't heard of any large-scale testing going on to account for the increase. The week before was up around 36%. And most people are walking around like it's all over with.
Prayers for all affected.

[groupie2686]

New Kid - I haven't been on in a while, I just saw your post now. I'm not in New York City, I'm in an area of the state that Governor Cuomo has allowed to reopen earlier.

That said, I still feel June 1 is way too soon. I just spoke with a coworker who does not take this seriously at all, she refuses to wear a mask, she still sees people socially and allows her teenage daughter to, she is still planning to go on vacation in July, and when I told her of my concerns, she laughed. I am terrified and don't want to be in the office with her.

I don't have any underlying health conditions that I know of, but I read about people in their 30s getting strokes from corona, and that scares me. Many of my family members have conditions that are considered risk factors. In some ways I wish we could all stay home forever, but I know that's not possible.

I'm glad everyone here is staying healthy and safe!

[CAinOH]

Governor DeWine opened up the restaurants and bars for patio dining. Uh, yeah... As most people I know predicted, bars in Columbus were (over) crowded this weekend. One bar got "raided" and one bar got almost shut down. Oh, just wait until the restaurants open for indoor dining this weekend!

We aren't going anywhere, except to a restaurant to pick up food to prepare later. I don't even want to mess with that mess just now.

[UndertheWire]

I'm beginning to feel more optimistic. I believe in science. Perhaps we'll get a vaccine but even if we don't, our doctors and scientists are learning more about the disease and its complications and that gives them more opportunities for finding effective treatments. Recently, the observation of a high incidence of blood clots in the most seriously ill has opened up the possibility of treatment with blood thinners to reduce this risk. Earlier, doctors were learning the use of "pronation" (lying on the front) combined with oxygen meant that some patients didn't need more invasive treatment.

It also helps that the number of infections, hospital admissions and deaths are all falling in the UK, the rest of Europe and New York. We know that "social distancing" works and we will learn which aspects are most effective.

Yes, there are dire warnings about the global economy which is driven by consumption but maybe it will be better for us in the longer term if we consumer less.

One lesson I hope people have learned is that the countries who have been more successful in handling the pandemic are those with calm and intelligent leaders. My personal view is that the UK did better while Boris Johnson was off sick (at least the daily briefings were more coherent) and the world can see how the US has suffered from Trump's ineptness.

[Glennsallnighter]

Cases here are definitely on the decrease with only 55 diagnoses yesterday. Most of these seem to be confined to healthcare workers and meat processing plant workers (and contacts) where clusters have been identified in the last week or so.
It looks like people are buying into Social distancing and mask wearing as phase 1 of reopening commenced earlier in the week. Long Queues are forming at DIY and hardware stores such as B&Q and Woodies but Ikea got a slap in the face when they were told they couldn't reopen as homewares weren't deemed essential. When you reach the entrance to the store you are asked what you have come to buy, say paint and you are directed to that area of the shop. They will not let you in to browse or have no particular items in mind.
I mihght go to Harvey Norman later in the week as I need new ear buds and my brother gave me a voucher to use way back in February for my birthday. But for the moment I'm just hibernating at home in my 5K radius.

[New Kid In Town]

Groupie - Glad to hear you are not in the City. I have no idea how offices or schools can open and social distance. We sat in cubies (seven rows four per row). Our semi- lock down goes until June 5th. The beaches, boardwalks, and parks are open. So far from what I saw on tv, people were packed on the boardwalks and some beaches. And, about half did not have a mask on. I can tell you how much that kind of behavior pisses me off ! NJ is second in cases and deaths to NY and you would think people would want to be careful. Some nut in South Jersey opened his gym Mon. & Tues against the lock down order. He was issued a summons on Mon. and arrested on Tues. He is one of those nut cases screaming about his constitutional rights. People in the crowd had their MAGA shirts and hats on.

As of Tuesday NJ had 149,586 confirmed cases and 10,586 deaths. Positive cases have dropped steadily the last 2-3 weeks as have deaths(thank God).

Speaking of hair cuts - I look like a witch ! My hair is so long I have been putting it a pony tail. The last time I had my hair cut was February. My apt. for March was cancelled due to the virus lock down. I have no idea when salons will open. I am considering call my hair dresser to ask if he would consider coming to my house to cut my hair.

Dreamer - wishing your brother's family the best in their recovery. My BIL felt really bad for about 3 1/2 weeks and then began to recover. Thankfully he is better now.

[KingWalsh]

Wow NKIT, glad he’s feeling better, it is a long road back....we were planning on going to wildwood before covid was a thing, obviously not now. People are crazy it’s a shame. You see them walking around here too it’s like hello! Put a friggin mask on. I’m so annoyed by it all. Tonight is so busy at work too, COVID patients are technically down but since restrictions have lightened it’s like people have gone mad. Er is busy for all kinds of things tonight....I just wanna go home. :sad:

[WalshFan88]

Some nut in South Jersey opened his gym Mon. & Tues against the lock down order. He was issued a summons on Mon. and arrested on Tues. He is one of those nut cases screaming about his constitutional rights. People in the crowd had their MAGA shirts and hats on.

You know, I just spent about a half hour typing about 8 paragraphs in response to this, but I deleted it. It's just not worth it. As much as I'd love to share it and believe every word, I'm choosing to refrain lol.

I'll just say three things.

1. Good on the justice system. May he enjoy his new view at the "office". 2. I'm not at all surprised at the demographic in attendance. 3. It's getting harder and harder to bite my tongue with every passing day. ;)

[shunlvswx]

I went to Walmart yesterday and everybody (except maybe one or two people) had on masks. That's a first. Wearing a mask is mandatory in my city and I was surprised to see people wearing them. IF they want to shop in Walmart, they have to wear a mask. GO Walmart. Other stores here in Jackson are not enforcing it.

They are opening up outside venue (amusement parks (I'm trying to figure out where we have an amusement park in our state), schools can have their students practice, and waterparks) on Monday.

Churches can let their people come back, of course with restrictions. Technically, my church hasn't close. They had about 10 people there. I will not go back to church until its safe. When your governor says he will be continuing to watch church services online, you know its not safe. With African-Americans having the highest cases and deaths, we definitely don't need to go back.

IMO. I'm so sick and tired of people who don't live here in Jackson complaining about what our mayor is doing. We have the highest cases in the whole state and he's trying his best to "flatten the curve." They need to shut up and worry about their own city.

[sodascouts]

I had the opposite at my experience at Walmart yesterday. Now, admittedly, I just went to pickup. However, I didn't see anyone in a mask in the parking lot, nor were the workers who brought the groceries to my car in masks.

This was Tupelo on a very hot day, to be fair. It's possible people were simply waiting until they got inside to put them on.

[Glennsallnighter]

Well we here in Ireland recorded our first day without any deaths yesterday. While unfortunately there were some today the numbers are dropping steadily. Yesterday we had about 55 new cases and today just 37. Things are going the right way for the moment thank God. I hope it continues to allow us open up more facilities on the 8th June as planned.

[WalshFan88]

I had the opposite at my experience at Walmart yesterday. Now, admittedly, I just went to pickup. However, I didn't see anyone in a mask in the parking lot, nor were the workers who brought the groceries to my car in masks.

This was Tupelo on a very hot day, to be fair. It's possible people were simply waiting until they got inside to put them on.

I'm seeing more of what Soda is talking about. People posting pics on my Facebook from where I live showing them wandering maskless... Ugh.

[CAinOH]

Yeah, apparently COVID 19 has "miraculously" disappeared from the Xenia area. Very few people wearing masks... and I was very surprised at how many people working in the stores didn't have masks on. (That's a requirement.)

[shunlvswx]

I went to another Walmart on Sunday which is about 10 minutes from my house and barely anybody was wearing mask. My mother and I talked about people not wearing a mask. I told my mother it depends on the city and what a certain store enforce. One Walmart have a mandatory of wearing a mask because the mayor said so while another city don't have the mandatory to wear mask in public. The only store in my town that's actually enforcing the mask is Walmart. I went to Dollar Tree that's just next door, and they are not enforcing it. I have seen people wear mask and some I haven't.

My city mayor is getting flake from other people (that don't live in Jackson) because they think "he's not doing a great job". Like I said earlier to those people complaining about how the mayor is running my hometown. Mind your own business and worry about your own city. Our county has the highest cases in the state (plus the capital city is in that county so that's one reason its high) and we could hit 1,000 sometime next week the way its going. We're already at 908. Luckily the deaths are low.

[MarthaJo56]

My Kevin went back to work tonight (he's an overnight baker at Panera) after being furloughed since mid-March. Although the company is taking precautions by making them wear a mask, taking temps, a pre-shift health check etc, I'm still nervous and anxious.
He'll be 65 in a couple of weeks. I console myself with the fact that we are both healthy, We eat organic food, take healthy supplements for our immune system and overall health.He's going back just part time, which is good. We are just kind of concerned about the virus resurging.
So much to think about! And still so much to be concerned about. It is so far from over.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

GA - Glad to hear that things are looking up in Ireland. Hopefully, you all will be over this very soon. On the other hand, here in the U.S., we surpassed 100,000 deaths today. I was watching TV a little while ago and they did a tribute to those who had lost their lives, and I literally was overcome with emotion and just burst into tears. I go back and forth between being very angry and very sad because so many of these lives could have been saved if our government had responded more responsibly and swiftly. People can believe whatever they want, but all you have to do is look at the numbers to get the truth - for example, how do you explain how Japan with a population of 128 million has a death toll of of just over 850. It all boils down to the government's readiness and response. I just hope that, as a country, the U.S. can look back on how this has all been handled here and reflect on some lessons learned. But, I honestly don't have much hope that this will happen in the foreseeable future. I also struggle trying to understand how some people find it acceptable to risk infecting themselves and others just because they are bored staying at home or they don't like wearing a mask. Okay - rant over for now.

Now, for an update on my brother's family. They were tested again at the three week mark and, unfortunately, all of them are still testing positive. So, they have to go another three days with no symptoms before they can get tested again. Once my brother tests negative, he must wait another week before he can return to work. Since my sister-in-law is a nurse, she has to test negative twice and then wait a week after that before returning to work.

[Brooke]

Dreamer, the thing is, how do we know our numbers are correct? I've heard a lot of different sources that say a lot of deaths are being reported as due to Coronavirus that actually weren't. So our true numbers are possibly much lower. This frustrates me on the whole thing. Why can't they report correctly?........They (hospitals, etc) get lots more government money when they say it's due to C19! Scam in my book! :scowl:

I hope you brother's family gets back to normal soon. Prayers for them.

I hope we ALL do!

[shunlvswx]

Well my governor has done a Safe Return order for everybody to go back to work on June 1st. No more close businesses. I've been back to work everyday since the beginning of this month. So I was already at work. At this moment, we don't know if the offenders will be back in our building, but right now they still have to report over the phone until further notice. ETA: I just heard right now from our big boss that we will continue this for another month. I'm happy with that.

As for gatherings: If you can't do social distancing, 20 people for indoors and 50 for outdoors. If you can, 50 people for indoors and 100 for outdoors.

If my church decides to start letting the people come back to church. As much as I miss my church, I will not go back until its safe. Some say that church is safe. Their have been a few outbreaks from going to church so I don't believe that. SO I will continue to watch from home. So our governor put a restriction on choirs singing, it looks like that's out until further notice. I'm proud of my pastor and he will know when its safe to get better back into church, but right now he hasn't said anything.

Some say Walmart or any store is not safe, but church (or any place) is much safer. We haven't had any outbreaks at any of our stores which is good.
violates their constitutional rights", I just have to deal with it.

Our numbers in my counties are keeps going up. I've been following my county, new cases from each day: 5, 6, 16, 39(today's numbers). Its not getting better for Hinds County. even if the capital city is in that county, they need check and see what's going on.

[UndertheWire]

Dreamer, the thing is, how do we know our numbers are correct? I've heard a lot of different sources that say a lot of deaths are being reported as due to Coronavirus that actually weren't. So our true numbers are possibly much lower. This frustrates me on the whole thing. Why can't they report correctly?........They (hospitals, etc) get lots more government money when they say it's due to C19! Scam in my book! :scowl:

I hope you brother's family gets back to normal soon. Prayers for them.

I hope we ALL do!

This got me wondering how COVID deaths are counted in the USA and I found this article from Scientific Amercian (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-covid-19-deaths-are-counted1/)

Perhaps, the best clue as to whether COVID-19 deaths have been undercounted or overcounted is excess mortality data. Excess mortality is deaths above and beyond what would normally be expected in a given population in a given year. CDC data shows a spike of excess mortality (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/excess_deaths.htm) in early 2020, adding up to tens of thousands of deaths.

ETA: For a comparison across countries, this Economist article (https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/04/16/tracking-covid-19-excess-deaths-across-countries?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwr32BRD4ARIsAAJNf_3XMWblDShmmvXkgLyk QCHvGBFUxRELbE7L50tjqP_q48T3UzehhX4aAgGXEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) has charts and statistics.


Between March 15th (the week New York passed 50 official fatalities) and May 9th, the city recorded 20,100 official covid-19 deaths, according to the revised estimate. This figure is 86% as high as the 23,500 excess deaths from all causes registered in the same period.
After New York City, the most affected area in the United States has been New Jersey, which has a similar population and suffered 12,300 excess deaths between March 15th and May 9th. The state only includes people who tested positive in its official death toll, which was 9,100 in the same period—74% as high as the excess.


In the UK, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also looks at excess deaths and these show a spike that is greatly in excess of just those as identified as Covid-related. If you look at section 3 on this link, you'll see a graph that may be helpful. Deaths registered in England and Wales w/e 15 May 2020


(https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending15may2020)

[WalshFan88]

Dreamer, the thing is, how do we know our numbers are correct? I've heard a lot of different sources that say a lot of deaths are being reported as due to Coronavirus that actually weren't. So our true numbers are possibly much lower. This frustrates me on the whole thing. Why can't they report correctly?........They (hospitals, etc) get lots more government money when they say it's due to C19! Scam in my book! :scowl:

I hope you brother's family gets back to normal soon. Prayers for them.

I hope we ALL do!

I'm not sure I believe that all of the numbers are falsely reported to that degree. I think some institutions might do it for kickback, but not as many as some might think. It is disturbing to think about, but at this point I just don't think we can say it is happening to anywhere near the degree that is being talked about. I think that this idea is knocking on the door of being close to people trying to stir up conspiracy about COVID and some out there (although none of us here are) are still denying it or still trying to downplay it (which is just insanity at this point). I think I'd err on the side of caution when hearing people talk about it.

I remember after Joe Diffie died seeing a lot of Facebook postings about how he really didn't die of COVID but it was reported as such to either stir up attention or for some other nefarious reason. His widow had to come out and set the record straight. The last thing she needs to be worried about is her late husband getting strung into a useless debate about coronavirus being a hoax or hysteria. He had died of COVID-19.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9364076/joe-diffie-covid-19-death-twisted-conspiracy-theorists

[WalshFan88]

Now, for an update on my brother's family. They were tested again at the three week mark and, unfortunately, all of them are still testing positive. So, they have to go another three days with no symptoms before they can get tested again. Once my brother tests negative, he must wait another week before he can return to work. Since my sister-in-law is a nurse, she has to test negative twice and then wait a week after that before returning to work.

My best wishes to them for a complete recovery soon, Dreamer.

[shunlvswx]

And the thing about Joe DIffie's death was he came out 2 days before his death and said he had tested positive for Covid-19. SO I don't know why the media questioned what he died of when he came out and said he had Covid-19 two days before he died. Plus we really don't know how long he had it before he came out and said he had Covid-19.

[WalshFan88]

And the thing about Joe DIffie's death was he came out 2 days before his death and said he had tested positive for Covid-19. SO I don't know why the media questioned what he died of when he came out and said he had Covid-19 two days before he died. Plus we really don't know how long he had it before he came out and said he had Covid-19.

Exactly, shun.

This is just sad. It reminds me of when Alex Jones started saying things about the Sandy Hook tragedy and crisis actors and so then a lot of his deranged fans went and started attacking the parents of those kids.

To a lesser extreme, that's similar to how some talked about Joe's death being reported as COVID was fake and his widow having to take time out to set the record straight when she was grieving. It's just wrong.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Dreamer, the thing is, how do we know our numbers are correct? I've heard a lot of different sources that say a lot of deaths are being reported as due to Coronavirus that actually weren't. So our true numbers are possibly much lower. This frustrates me on the whole thing. Why can't they report correctly?........They (hospitals, etc) get lots more government money when they say it's due to C19! Scam in my book!:scowl:

I hope you brother's family gets back to normal soon. Prayers for them.

I hope we ALL do!

Brooke, I agree that we will never know what the true numbers are. But, in addition to the reasons several others have already mentioned, a few other things that make me believe the number of COVID-19 cases are being under-reported here in the U.S. is that there is increasing evidence that some states are skewing their numbers so that the number of confirmed cases/death don't spike too much as a result of reopening.

But, the main reason I say the numbers are under-reported goes back to what I've been harping on all along ... testing, testing, testing! We will never have an accurate reporting of cases in this country as long as we are only testing people who have symptoms. There is a very high probability that there are millions of undiagnosed cases here.

The president himself said early on in this pandemic that he didn't want people tested because it would reflect a huge spike in the number of confirmed cases. Yep - he actually said that. And, he also acknowledged that we surpassed over 100,000 deaths from the virus this week.

[WalshFan88]

Brooke, I agree that we will never know what the true numbers are. But, in addition to the reasons several others have already mentioned, a few other things that make me believe the number of COVID-19 cases are being under-reported here in the U.S. is that there is increasing evidence that some states are skewing their numbers so that the number of confirmed cases/death don't spike too much as a result of reopening.

But, the main reason I say the numbers are under-reported goes back to what I've been harping on all along ... testing, testing, testing! We will never have an accurate reporting of cases in this country as long as we are only testing people who have symptoms. There is a very high probability that there are millions of undiagnosed cases here.

The president himself said early on in this pandemic that he didn't want people tested because it would reflect a huge spike in the number of confirmed cases. Yep - he actually said that. And, he also acknowledged that we surpassed over 100,000 deaths from the virus this week.

Well said Dreamer.

I'm glad that one of the hospitals near me has now opened up their drive thru testing service to people without a doctor's order. You can just drive through and get a test if you are concerned. This is how it should be! Prior to that, you had to have a doctor ordering it. You get a number on a paper. Using a website to see your results and you put in that number and see yours. No waiting for a phone call, no needing a doctor.

[KingWalsh]

That is great that you can get tested without a doctor's note, Walshfan88. In CT you still need one, I think it helps with supplies, we have a lot of tests collected daily, and always a concern if we will run out of appropriate swabs. But of course everyone should get tested that feels concern.

There are many things that will hinder getting an accurate count regarding infected, deaths, recoveries etc. For starters, asymptomatic individuals will skew counts, mildly affected most likely won't get tested either. I also believe the virus was here earlier than originally thought. I know at work, we had a lot of patients coming in with shortness of breath/ flu like symptoms that were negative for flu earlier in year. Also people talked about feeling really run down with a lingering cough that wouldn't subside for weeks.

Lastly, testing if not collected, processed correctly, can lead to false negatives, as well as testing done not within the correct "window". Meaning if tested too soon the virus can be at low numbers below the threshold. Also some testing methodologies aren't as accurate as first thought and the virus mutations can interfere with testing accuracy as well.

It's quite complex, and we may never know. Hopefully we will continue with declining numbers. Stay safe everyone.

[Glennsallnighter]

Numbers of both confirmed cases and deaths have plummeted here in Ireland now thank God with the numbers per day now in teens or single units for cases and just single units for deaths. We have made some strides in exiting lockdown and can travel within our own county/20km from home if we cross county boundaries. Some retail outlets have reopened but with social distancing of 2m in place and masks strongly recommended. Still no hair and beauty salons open or pubs, restaurants colleges, churches or creches. Public transport capacity is down to 20% of normal and they really only want workers to travel. Some takeaway restaurants have reopened including McDonalds!

[sodascouts]

Numbers of both confirmed cases and deaths have plummeted here in Ireland now thank God with the numbers per day now in teens or single units for cases and just single units for deaths. We have made some strides in exiting lockdown and can travel within our own county/20km from home if we cross county boundaries. Some retail outlets have reopened but with social distancing of 2m in place and masks strongly recommended. Still no hair and beauty salons open or pubs, restaurants colleges, churches or creches. Public transport capacity is down to 20% of normal and they really only want workers to travel. Some takeaway restaurants have reopened including McDonalds!


Wonderful news!

[KingWalsh]

Great news from Ireland! Where I work we are down to 20 known COVID patients!! So relieved. :yay: can't put our guard down just yet, but still a good sign!

[sodascouts]

This good news cheers me. In our state, we're up to our highest number of cases, but hopefully it won't be long before that changes.

They're saying we're going to have to teach in masks and all other sorts of bizarre things in the fall. :(

[New Kid In Town]

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 !

[Ive always been a dreamer]

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.

[New Kid In Town]

Dreamer - Hoping your brother and his family have good news with the test results.

[sodascouts]

I'm visiting my family in Houston, TX now and I'm not seeing a whole lot of mask wearing in their area in Northeast Houston. Perhaps it's different downtown and in other areas?

[groupie2686]

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.

[WalshFan88]

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.

[UndertheWire]

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).

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Yeah UTW - I agree with you, science and facts no longer seem to be en vogue with some people - unfortunately, conspiracy theories, alternative facts, and denial seem to be more acceptable for some during these strange times. Hopefully, common sense will prevail.

I haven't posted an update on my brother's family recently, so here goes. They were all tested on June 11th. My brother and his step-son both tested negative at last, but his wife still tested positive. So another week of quarantine for all of them. My sister-in-law was tested again this past Thursday and they are waiting for the results. I am so in hopes that she's negative. I know they are all mentally 'over it', now if the 'physical' will just cooperate.

[Glennsallnighter]

I'm glad your family are recovering Dreamer, and I hope your sister in law has now tested negative. We are still only in phase 2 of reopening, they are very cautious here! Phase 3 will be next Monday when we will be able to go to restaurants, church services and hair salons. Pubs and bars can open for their restaurant facility but not to drink only. While deaths daily deaths are down to between 0 and 5, and cases diagnosed only in double figures they don't want to rush things. Apparently we only have a 1 in a million chance of catching it randomly (ie if we aren't a contact of someone who has it). But we have to keep our borders closed.
It amazed me that on FB I read of somebody driving from a southern state to a Northern one in a few days when the virus is so prevalent in the south. And someone in a southern state who when they said that cases in Florida were increasing a family member responded 'Well come up here to us!!). IMHO that would be sheer madness.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

GA - I think the numbers prove that taking things slow like your country and others are doing is the smart way to contain this virus.

And thanks for your well-wishes. Unfortunately, my sister-in-law got her test results back yesterday and she is still positive. It is very puzzling how long this thing can stick around for some and hardly affect others at all. As frustrating as it is, my brother's family is coping pretty well considering how long they have been dealing with this now. We're just crossing our fingers that her next test will be good news.

[New Kid In Town]

UTW and Dreamer - I could not agree more.
Not to get political but the Pres. is blaming the low turn out for his rally on tv coverage warning people they could get the virus if they attended. Everyone who attended had to sign a paper saying they would not sue him if they get the virus. Just MHO, but I don't think it would hold up in Court.
Gov.Cuomo said they will bar people from Florida and other highly infected stated from entering New York. I think our Governor is doing the same thing. It took forever for NY & NJ to get the cases as low as we are now. Malls, salons and spas can open tomorrow. DMV offices open on the 29th. We (NJ) entered Phase 2 on the 15th. It is rare to see someone without a mask here. You can't enter anywhere without one and, it is strictly enforced. I have to say it shocks me when I see tv footage of people down south without masks. It appears more not wearing them then those who do. Just me but I don't get it. I know it is hot there but it is hot here now too. Stay safe everyone.

[MarthaJo56]

UTW and Dreamer - I could not agree more.
Not to get political but the Pres. is blaming the low turn out for his rally on tv coverage warning people they could get the virus if they attended. Everyone who attended had to sign a paper saying they would not sue him if they get the virus. Just MHO, but I don't think it would hold up in Court.
Gov.Cuomo said they will bar people from Florida and other highly infected stated from entering New York. I think our Governor is doing the same thing. It took forever for NY & NJ to get the cases as low as we are now. Malls, salons and spas can open tomorrow. DMV offices open on the 29th. We (NJ) entered Phase 2 on the 15th. It is rare to see someone without a mask here. You can't enter anywhere without one and, it is strictly enforced. I have to say it shocks me when I see tv footage of people down south without masks. It appears more not wearing them then those who do. Just me but I don't get it. I know it is hot there but it is hot here now too. Stay safe everyone.

Our Gov. Newsom here in California has reinstated the mandatory mask requirement when out in public. I'm so glad!!
We were in Sprout's last week doing some grocery shopping and most everyone was wearing a mask. There was one woman, though that not only wasn't wearing a mask, she was chomping on gum spreading her nasty spores all over the store!

[CAinOH]

Masks! Science has proven wearing a mask is the best way to prevent spreading COVID 19. So why isn't anyone in my town wearing them? (I wear one, my husband wears one.) The employees of a business are mandated to wear a mask. MANDATED. Yet, here in Xenia, that seems to not be the case. My husband walked into our local Ace Hardware yesterday. He said the young man by the door asked, "May I help you, sir?" Husband replied, "Not unless you're wearing a mask!" I dread going to another store tonight, because the last time we were there only about a quarter of the workers were wearing masks. I mean, most didn't even have masks hanging around their necks. They weren't even pretending!

I go to work every day. I take my temperature and sign in at the door. I wear a mask. Mind you, this is a big building with 10 people in it with cubicles in the office area (the rest is mostly a big warehouse and printing area). Of those 10 people, I am related to 4 of them, 3 by blood. When I step outside my cubicle, I pop up my mask from around my neck. If someone comes to my cubicle opening for a discussion, I pop up my mask from around my neck. It ain't rocket science, people!

The Governor has announced that this area (this and 3 surrounding counties) is on the verge of becoming a hot spot for COVID 19. In this county, two zip codes stand out. One zip code is Wright Patt Air Force Base. The other? Xenia, Ohio. Gee, I wonder why?

(Sorry, just had to rant... It's totally ridiculous!)

Dreamer, I hope your sister-in-law gets a negative test soon! I've read where the effects of COVID 19 can linger for a long, long time.

[UndertheWire]

Here's my confession: I've yet to wear a mask in public!

One thing that is confusing is that the rules vary so much from place to place. Even the different countries that make up the UK have different rules which makes it tricky to remember what you can do where and when. And they keep changing.

For a long time, the recommendation in England was not to wear a mask. We were told that the science was inconclusive and that wearing masks might lead people to feel they could relax social distancing. Also, with masks in short supply for health care workers, there was concern about additional demand. However, as the rules are relaxed, we are now being instructed to wear masks when social distancing isn't possible, such as on public transport and in shops. I can't tell you if people are following this because my brain is still trained for social distancing and there isn't a need for masks when I go for a walk up the hill.

It feels like the UK is finally getting there. There are a few outbreaks (a chicken-processing company in north Wales has over 100 cases) but today's news is that a further 15 deaths were recorded yesterday for the whole of the UK and in the county where I live (population 193,000), it's been 10 days since there was a confirmed new case.

It's good news that the Tulsa rally attracted so few attendees. It shows that the message is getting through about the risks of a large, indoor gatherings.

[WalshFan88]

Masks! Science has proven wearing a mask is the best way to prevent spreading COVID 19. So why isn't anyone in my town wearing them? (I wear one, my husband wears one.) The employees of a business are mandated to wear a mask. MANDATED. Yet, here in Xenia, that seems to not be the case. My husband walked into our local Ace Hardware yesterday. He said the young man by the door asked, "May I help you, sir?" Husband replied, "Not unless you're wearing a mask!" I dread going to another store tonight, because the last time we were there only about a quarter of the workers were wearing masks. I mean, most didn't even have masks hanging around their necks. They weren't even pretending!

I go to work every day. I take my temperature and sign in at the door. I wear a mask. Mind you, this is a big building with 10 people in it with cubicles in the office area (the rest is mostly a big warehouse and printing area). Of those 10 people, I am related to 4 of them, 3 by blood. When I step outside my cubicle, I pop up my mask from around my neck. If someone comes to my cubicle opening for a discussion, I pop up my mask from around my neck. It ain't rocket science, people!

The Governor has announced that this area (this and 3 surrounding counties) is on the verge of becoming a hot spot for COVID 19. In this county, two zip codes stand out. One zip code is Wright Patt Air Force Base. The other? Xenia, Ohio. Gee, I wonder why?

(Sorry, just had to rant... It's totally ridiculous!)

Dreamer, I hope your sister-in-law gets a negative test soon! I've read where the effects of COVID 19 can linger for a long, long time.

Everyone in my family wears one. I don't go out shopping, but they've talked about how some people won't wear them. If you are in a store/building/etc, and honestly in any public setting around people - wear the damn mask! Some people don't wear it just because the POTUS they love so much makes them feel like not wearing one. Someone on my Facebook said they are boycotting businesses that require them. Well, when I get back out I might just boycott businesses that DON'T require them, especially if their employees don't wear one. Masks DO make a difference - there for a reason. Tired of seeing CV made into a game...

[shunlvswx]

These days, you don't know who to believe when it comes to if you should wearing mask. Some say you shouldn't because it doesn't help, you will still catch it. Some say you should.

Our governor got so much flake for not wearing a mask to an officer's funeral. He got very defensive because he thought people were mad that he went to the funeral. They weren't mad that he went, people were mad that he wasn't wearing a mask or social distancing. You tell us to wear it when you don't wear it. People think (other than it violates my "constitutional rights" to wear a mask or whatever they say why they don't) why should I wear it if the governor doesn't wear it. You're not setting an example.

I always wear a mask when we go out and if I buy something I will clean it before it goes into the house. I wear a mask when I'm walking around my office. I don't know who in my office would have it. Half of the people in my office don't give a damn and don't wear them. Also what pisses me off is when they tell me why am I wearing my mask in my office. You are taking this too serious. For one thing. You walk in my office to go to the other side and don't say hello. Second. When you do come in my office to give me something, you don't wear a mask. Third. Our boss has numerous times said to wear a mask and you don't. And you still go into people's offices and talk with 3 or 4 others whens she said don't. I have a right to wear in my mask in my office. If you don't want to wear a mask inside the building or your office, that's your prerogative. Don't tell me to not wear it in my office.

I also don't go into my co-workers' office unless I have to do something for my boss). Other than that, I stay in my office and only come out to warm my food for lunch or go to the bathroom. They have somebody come to our building every day checking our temperatures.

I live with my 63 year old mother and I don't want to get her sick. She took the test and hers came back negative. She wants me to take the test too to see if I have it.

[KingWalsh]

In CT, we are in phase 2, haircuts are ok, gyms, amusement parks (!?!),hotels, restaurants, museums among other facilities with various regulations, 6ft apart , 50% capacity,masks etc. I am still too Leary to venture out, yet the kids are really getting bored, can't blame them.

Masks are key! It ticks me off now they dismissed their importance early on.
I had a stretch off from work, so I am unsure what the numbers are now, but it's summer time and already there is an uphill in violence (shootings, stabbings). ER has been busy with the usual ER stuff now, so people are definitely out and about more.

My husband said where he works some people still coming in without a mask! :scowl:. He said signs everywhere and they waltz in like "oh I forgot!" Sorry, this has been going on for how long now really? One guy came in with just a napkin, unreal.

Dreamer, it is baffling the broad range of asymptomatic and the ones that just can't seem to break free of its grasp. Well wishes to your family.

[shunlvswx]

I think I have an idea of how people are still getting it while still wearing a mask. They are not wearing it correctly. I see a lot of people covering their mouth, but have the mask under their nose. I know people complain about they can't breathe, but that's not how you wear a mask. You still can get the virus through your nose.

[Brooke]

Shun, I see them doing that everywhere. I'm like ????????? :doh:

[shunlvswx]

Shun, I see them doing that everywhere. I'm like ????????? :doh:

I know. I hear a lot of people complaining about people who do wear mask gets it anyway. Of course they are. They have the mask under their nose. How stupid can you be? There's a reason why they say cover your mouth and nose. You can inhale it through the nose.

I don't like wearing a mask and sometimes I can't breathe in it, but I'm protecting others especially my 63 year old mother who underlying condition.

[WalshFan88]

I think I have an idea of how people are still getting it while still wearing a mask. They are not wearing it correctly. I see a lot of people covering their mouth, but have the mask under their nose. I know people complain about they can't breathe, but that's not how you wear a mask. You still can get the virus through your nose.

This drives me nuts! The only places I've been lately are medical related and I see people strolling into hospitals and clinics with this exact problem.

Um, hello! In fact I'd argue you are more likely to get it through your nose than your mouth, as most breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.

[KingWalsh]

We had an uptick in testing tonight for sure! Hopefully not a turn for the worst because yesterday we only had 1 known positive in house....amazing! But yesterday evening and tonight is insanely busy.

the masks under the nose is a joke. I like it when they are on local news interviewed for whatever and talking away with their nose hanging out. Ugh. Also isn’t it great when you see the mom all masked up yet her child is maskless running around the store? Saw that twice...shake my head :???:

[New Kid In Town]

Here in NJ is is the law that everyone has to wear a mask. You can not get into a store without one - signs are everywhere. I have been to my local grocery stores, drug stores and a running store where I just purchased a new pair of sneakers. Everyone had masks. The next town over from me has a very active large main street. We are in Phase 2 and outdoor dining is permitted with all the CDC guidelines that MUST be followed. I went there the other day to buy the sneakers and not a single person person I saw did not have a mask on expect when they were eating and drinking. I saw in my local newspaper(yes I still get one - lol) that a rest/bar in Belmar, which a town at the shore, was shut down Sunday until further notice and could loose their liquor license. Bars and Rest. opened last week for outside dining. The paper said the place was packed both Fri. & Sat. and did not following the state mandated social distance rules. I think the place is either on the boardwalk or across the street from it. Belmar is a big college/mill. town with 3-4 popular bars so they are normally crowded in the summer. A rest. in North Jersey was also closed for the same reason and may also loose it's liquor license.

Some pleasant news - I get my hair cut today !!!!!

Dreamer, I hope your SIL has positive results after her next test. It took my BIL about 4-5 weeks to recover and test negative.

[LuvTim]

Dear beloved Eagles community,

My niece, 24 years old, is in crisis with C-19. Has been hospitalized for last 11 days but her condition has declined. She is being airlifted to a bigger medical facility for emergency help. She is from a praying family but this is still very difficult for everyone.

I hope none of you ever have to face this. Bless you all.

[CAinOH]

Dear beloved Eagles community,

My niece, 24 years old, is in crisis with C-19. Has been hospitalized for last 11 days but her condition has declined. She is being airlifted to a bigger medical facility for emergency help. She is from a praying family but this is still very difficult for everyone.

I hope none of you ever have to face this. Bless you all.

Prayers, blessings, and healing thoughts for your niece and her family... you, too.

[LuvTim]

CA- Thank you. :heart:

[KingWalsh]

LuvTim, I am so so sorry to hear this, my heart aches and praying for your nieces recovery

[My My]

I'm so sorry to hear about your niece, LuvTim. She and your entire family will be in my prayers.

[New Kid In Town]

LuvTim - Sending healing thoughts for your beautiful niece, her family and you also.

[LuvTim]

Thank you to each of you. I appreciate your kindness. 😊

[Brooke]

LT, I'm so sorry to hear about your niece and family. Prayers going up for them.

[LuvTim]

Thank you, Brooke.

*Update: Her new team seems to have her stabilized for now. I know your good thoughts and prayers have been heard, and we are thankful.

[WalshFan88]

Dear beloved Eagles community,

My niece, 24 years old, is in crisis with C-19. Has been hospitalized for last 11 days but her condition has declined. She is being airlifted to a bigger medical facility for emergency help. She is from a praying family but this is still very difficult for everyone.

I hope none of you ever have to face this. Bless you all.

I'm so so sorry to hear this LT.

May she get well soon and my best wishes to her.

[KingWalsh]

Thank you, Brooke.

*Update: Her new team seems to have her stabilized for now. I know your good thoughts and prayers have been heard, and we are thankful.


good to hear! Will continue to pray for her and your family.

[FreyFollower]

*Update: Her new team seems to have her stabilized for now. I know your good thoughts and prayers have been heard, and we are thankful.
So thankful your niece is doing better! How frightening!
Praying she will soon recover!🙏Blessings to all.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

LT - I am so sorry about your niece and am crossing my fingers that she will continue to improve.

You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. And, of course, I know firsthand how scary and stressful this virus is on a family who has to go through it, including the extended family.

However, it looks like our family is finally over the hump. Although they all continue to experience some mild symptoms, my brother's family have all tested negative at last. Since she is a frontline nurse, my SIL will be tested again on Thursday. She has to have two consecutive negative tests before she can return to work. My brother will go back to work next week now that everyone in the household is negative. It has been a long haul for them - almost exactly two months.

[LuvTim]

Dreamer, so grateful that your family has come through this with their health intact! This is great news! They really have been dealing with this for quite awhile.

I appreciate your kind words.

*As for me and my family, we appreciate each person who has commented and offered their good wishes. Thank you all. After almost two weeks in the hospital- most of it on a very scary roller coaster ride- my niece has shown some positive signs again. I'll share again soon because I know you care. 💗

[Brooke]

LT and dreamer, good news!

Prayers for continued recovery.

[UndertheWire]

Thank you for the updates. I hope they all continue to improve.

As the numbers increase, I start to feel more detached and so connections like this help to make it feel more real. (I'm not sure that makes sense)

[Glennsallnighter]

LT praying for your nieces continued recovery and Dreamer I am so glad your family has cracked it and that all is well with them.

We now have very few indigenous cases and last week the health officials were saying that anyone would only have a 1 in a million chance of picking it up in the community which is good news. Infections are only barely in double figures and daily deaths you can now count on one hand, some days there are no deaths recorded.
We are very slowly starting to reopen with masks, social distancing in stores, low capacities in restaurants and rigid regulations around haior dressing, barbers etc. Only this week we have been allowed to travel outside our own counties to other parts of the country.
The big thing now is keeping numbers low. And this means not travelling yet to other countries and if you do self isolating for two weeks when you get back again. Already we have a cluster in the North West of the country where a guy who travelled to the Middle east picked it up on his travels and spread it ot his family.
The big thing here is that many families in Ireland would have booked their annual 2 week holiday to warmer places like Spain, the Canary islands or Portugal. These holidays could have been booked before Christmas last year but the Government is still advising against any travel outside the country and are encouraging a staycation in the country this year. People are worried about losing the money they paid for these holidays, but equally the Public Health system is worried about importing the virus again. Many people gave up jobs, freedom, sport, music, travel, St Patricks Day and much of their normal life to get us to where we are today and don't want irresponsible actions to bring in a second wave.

I heard Mr Trump on the radio this morning. He says the States is 'doin great' and that he is hoping the virus will just 'disappear'. I'd love to have his confidence!!
(IMHO he should lock the entire USA down before the 4th of July if he wants this to happen.)

[CAinOH]

Dayton (Ohio) passed an ordinance last night that mask wearing is mandatory! Yay! That makes two areas around here where you must wear a mask. It would never happen in Xenia. Never.

And where are these people getting their information that mask wearing is "ineffective" and useless? I am so sick of seeing those posts on Facebook. The experts say otherwise.

I'm still wearing my mask.

[shunlvswx]

My city has made it mandatory to wear a mask in public. Of course my state still hasn't done it, but the governor is just preaching to the choir. Nobody is going to listen and we are going to continue to have high numbers because stupid people won't wear a mask.

[UndertheWire]

There are some really interesting podcasts by an infectious disease epidemiologist.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/podcasts-webinars/episode-14

What I took from the one I've just listened to was that we need to get as much good information on the risks as we can so we can make our own decisions based on those risks to ourselves and other people. In particular, the viral load which is affected by how close you are, for how long and whether it is in or out doors.

What I found disturbing was when he talked about resurgences, specifically mentioning countries such as New Zealand and Australia. We are not going to be able to get rid of this until we reach herd immunity either through a vaccine or by us all getting it eventually. Here was I in my optimistic bubble looking at the low number of cases locally.

In England, from 10th July, we will be able to visit and return from a long list of countries without having to quarantine. Visitors from the US will be required to quarantine for 14 days.

[New Kid In Town]

Dreamer - So happy to hear that your SIL, brother and family have recovered. It certainly was a long haul. Wishing them all well.
LT -Wonderful news about your niece ! Sending prayer and well wishes for a full recovery.

We have had to wear masks since appx March 21st. Most people are compliant but a few jerks still refuse to wear a mask. Listen to Dr. Fausci ! He speaks to truth.

[UndertheWire]

How are you all in the USA?

I've been reading too many news reports (including from the US) and I'm beginning to feel they are not an accurate representation of the situation. The important information is buried amongst all the complaints about masks and Trump's denial. The UK press are almost as bad.

After reading and listening to as much of the scientific reports as I can tolerate, this is what I think the important messages are:

- outside is much, much better than inside (so when you see pictures of crowded beaches or streets that's much less worrying than pictures of crowded bars)
- keeping your distance is more important than masks - wear a mask if you are somewhere where you can't keep your distance
- the length of time you are exposed to the virus is also important - walking by someone with the infection is much less risky than sitting in the same room for several hours.

It may be too early for official statements, but it's becoming clear that around half of all UK Covid deaths have been in care homes. Worse still, we have learned that between mid-March and mid-April, 25,000 patients were transferred to care homes without testing. While the general public were on lockdown, there was a direct route for transmission from the places with the highest infection rates to the most vulnerable communities. The transfer was in response to a government directive intended to clear hospital beds in preparation for a deluge of Covid cases. Because of a lack of testing capacity, only those with symptoms were tested on the assumption that asymptomatic people were not infectious.

In our local area, 50 out of 90 Covid deaths have been in care homes. A news report from a month ago reported that 9 infected patients had been transferred from the hospital to local care homes. Looking at the the hotspots in the city, it's likely that about 30 of these were in the two care homes that my father-in-law and uncle-in-law were in as they both provide nursing care. These are not cheap, badly-run homes with poorly-trained, careless staff.

This has turned into a bit of a rant. I'm feeling so cross about everything.

[sodascouts]

LT - how scary! I'm praying for your niece. When you have time, please keep us updated.

Dreamer - so glad your family continues to improve.

[sodascouts]

How are you all in the USA?

I've been reading too many news reports (including from the US) and I'm beginning to feel they are not an accurate representation of the situation. The important information is buried amongst all the complaints about masks and Trump's denial. The UK press are almost as bad.

After reading and listening to as much of the scientific reports as I can tolerate, this is what I think the important messages are:

- outside is much, much better than inside (so when you see pictures of crowded beaches or streets that's much less worrying than pictures of crowded bars)
- keeping your distance is more important than masks - wear a mask if you are somewhere where you can't keep your distance
- the length of time you are exposed to the virus is also important - walking by someone with the infection is much less risky than sitting in the same room for several hours.

It may be too early for official statements, but it's becoming clear that around half of all UK Covid deaths have been in care homes. Worse still, we have learned that between mid-March and mid-April, 25,000 patients were transferred to care homes without testing. While the general public were on lockdown, there was a direct route for transmission from the places with the highest infection rates to the most vulnerable communities. The transfer was in response to a government directive intended to clear hospital beds in preparation for a deluge of Covid cases. Because of a lack of testing capacity, only those with symptoms were tested on the assumption that asymptomatic people were not infectious.

In our local area, 50 out of 90 Covid deaths have been in care homes. A news report from a month ago reported that 9 infected patients had been transferred from the hospital to local care homes. Looking at the the hotspots in the city, it's likely that about 30 of these were in the two care homes that my father-in-law and uncle-in-law were in as they both provide nursing care. These are not cheap, badly-run homes with poorly-trained, careless staff.

This has turned into a bit of a rant. I'm feeling so cross about everything.

It's hard to say how things are going. I just came from a long visit to Houston and returned to Mississippi, both areas which are experiencing more cases than previously. And yet, at least in Kingwood where my parents live, there was a sense of "Whatever" by many. Houston has started requiring masks in public, but the enforcement in Kingwood was nil. I walked into the local HEB grocery store and while they were policing at the door, once inside, I saw many people slipping the masks down freely. The Kingwood HEB is quite large and it was thronging with literally over 200 people at midday. I would say about 75% of the adults wearing masks and of those, only about 50% were wearing masks that covered their noses. Yet, when I look at the figures for the Houston area, the Kingwood area figures are much lower than the downtown urban areas. An attitude of some of the younger people seems to be "let's just catch it and get it over with" and indeed, in Houston at least, the deaths and ICU cases are smaller than one would expect (thank God). They've had 2700 deaths attributed to covid in a state of 29 million people. It's upsetting to have even one death, and numbers mean nothing if it's you or your loved one that's dying! Still, it's lower by far than what was projected, and it doesn't seem to be rising sharply with the cases.

Same for Mississippi. We've have 1100 deaths in a state of 3 million. Still too many, but still far less than projected. Funny enough, although masks aren't required here in my town (they are in other Mississippi towns), I see more people wearing them in my local store. Maybe the law requiring them pissed people off in some areas of Houston, and they started rebelling? Who knows. But it seems masks only help so much, and proximity to the sick is the real issue.

Not that any of us want to get it, even if we do get better! I certainly don't. I've been having trouble breathing for the past few weeks (not covid type thing but something else). I think I might have developed adult onset asthma but I'm loath to go to doctor right now. It's gotten back enough that I will, though - this week, I think. At any rate, I figure I am "high risk" now. :(

[UndertheWire]

Not that any of us want to get it, even if we do get better! I certainly don't. I've been having trouble breathing for the past few weeks (not covid type thing but something else). I think I might have developed adult onset asthma but I'm loath to go to doctor right now. It's gotten back enough that I will, though - this week, I think. At any rate, I figure I am "high risk" now. :(
It is certainly worth getting it checked soon. You will feel a lot better once it is under control and you will probably be in a better state to fight any infections. I started to get asthma aged 40 and I'm almost evangelical about steroid inhalers. It's the difference between feeling slightly unwell all of the time and feeling normal.

[LuvTim]

LT - how scary! I'm praying for your niece. When you have time, please keep us updated.

Dreamer - so glad your family continues to improve.

Thank you, Soda and everyone, for your kind comments and interest in my niece's Covid-19 battle.

Update: Only 8 days ago, she had for weeks been consistently going downhill, despite all efforts. We were so frightened for her. As you know, she was airlifted to the only available bed in a very large regional medical center's Covid ICU, where it was expected she was to be connected to the ECMO, which is a machine they use as one of the last-resort treatments for cardiopulmonary organ failure. Then, overnight, she miraculously turned a corner towards recovery, and, as a result, was not connected to the ECMO, after all! 🙏 We are being told that it is very unusually soon for a person who was in her sort of dire condition but yesterday she was removed from Covid ICU and placed on a regular Covid Unit floor in the hospital! Over this past week, she was even weaned from her heavy sedation and the ventilator! Yesterday, my brother and sister-in-law were able to talk with her by FaceTime and she was able to verbally respond to them. She is not yet "out of the woods," as she is still on oxygen and several other strong support medications, but it is the doctor's opinion that she has made unusual and tremendous progress to reach her current status. He seems amazed by her progress, as are we.
We are feeling so hopeful today, when only a week ago, her situation looked so dire. We are now hoping and praying for the complete healing of her lungs.
We have been blessed by the prayers and well wishes of more people than she will ever know, among them, my friends here on The Border, and we are grateful. Our thanks are extended to you all, as well as our best wishes for your continued good health.
May I just add, as a precautionary statement, Covid-19 death statistics don't fully represent the number of horrid experiences associated with this insidious disease. In addition to the tragic fatalities, before this is over, an unfortunate percentage of our population will have lost limbs, experienced the after-effects of stroke and be compelled to adjust to permanent lung damage, as well as various other terrible, lingering symptoms of systemic organ failure. So please, be very cautious. Whatever our age, we all need to follow best practices and CDC protocols and take good care of our self and others. (Our hospitals are dangerously stressed.)
Wash your hands.
Wear a mask, for yourself and to protect others.
"Socially distance" when you must go out.

Much love and appreciation,
LT (for self and family)

[WalshFan88]

I heard Mr Trump on the radio this morning. He says the States is 'doin great' and that he is hoping the virus will just 'disappear'. I'd love to have his confidence!!
(IMHO he should lock the entire USA down before the 4th of July if he wants this to happen.)

I think Trump went from confidence to arrogance a long time ago, GA. Lol.

I'd rather someone be insecure than cocky if that's the 2 choices. Confidence is of course the perfect middle ground, but I'll take the far left extreme of insecurity over the far right extreme of arrogance any day.

The States are NOT doing great and I firmly agree with you on another shutdown.

[WalshFan88]

We have had to wear masks since appx March 21st. Most people are compliant but a few jerks still refuse to wear a mask. Listen to Dr. Fausci ! He speaks to truth.

Amen, NKIT!

[WalshFan88]

Not that any of us want to get it, even if we do get better! I certainly don't. I've been having trouble breathing for the past few weeks (not covid type thing but something else). I think I might have developed adult onset asthma but I'm loath to go to doctor right now. It's gotten back enough that I will, though - this week, I think. At any rate, I figure I am "high risk" now. :(

Go to the doctor Soda! Please be well and better safe than sorry.

I also have asthma, and use an inhaler every day and take Singulair (pill) to reduce the histamine stuff that aggravates it and have Albuterol on hand.

Right now my allergies are really bad, and I'm using Pataday eye drops and Zyrtec pills every single day for the past week.

[WalshFan88]

Thank you, Soda and everyone, for your kind comments and interest in my niece's Covid-19 battle.

Update: Only 8 days ago, she had for weeks been consistently going downhill, despite all efforts. We were so frightened for her. As you know, she was airlifted to the only available bed in a very large regional medical center's Covid ICU, where it was expected she was to be connected to the ECMO, which is a machine they use as one of the last-resort treatments for cardiopulmonary organ failure. Then, overnight, she miraculously turned a corner towards recovery, and, as a result, was not connected to the ECMO, after all! 🙏 We are being told that it is very unusually soon for a person who was in her sort of dire condition but yesterday she was removed from Covid ICU and placed on a regular Covid Unit floor in the hospital! Over this past week, she was even weaned from her heavy sedation and the ventilator! Yesterday, my brother and sister-in-law were able to talk with her by FaceTime and she was able to verbally respond to them. She is not yet "out of the woods," as she is still on oxygen and several other strong support medications, but it is the doctor's opinion that she has made unusual and tremendous progress to reach her current status. He seems amazed by her progress, as are we.
We are feeling so hopeful today, when only a week ago, her situation looked so dire. We are now hoping and praying for the complete healing of her lungs.
We have been blessed by the prayers and well wishes of more people than she will ever know, among them, my friends here on The Border, and we are grateful. Our thanks are extended to you all, as well as our best wishes for your continued good health.
May I just add, as a precautionary statement, Covid-19 death statistics don't fully represent the number of horrid experiences associated with this insidious disease. In addition to the tragic fatalities, before this is over, an unfortunate percentage of our population will have lost limbs, experienced the after-effects of stroke and be compelled to adjust to permanent lung damage, as well as various other terrible, lingering symptoms of systemic organ failure. So please, be very cautious. Whatever our age, we all need to follow best practices and CDC protocols and take good care of our self and others. (Our hospitals are dangerously stressed.)
Wash your hands.
Wear a mask, for yourself and to protect others.
"Socially distance" when you must go out.

Much love and appreciation,
LT (for self and family)

I'm so glad she is showing signs of improvement! May she continue to get well soon and get out of the hospital.

[WalshFan88]

The latest from the experts.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/06/politics/fauci-coronavirus-us-response/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=fbCNN&utm_term=link&utm_content=2020-07-07T02%3A16%3A00&fbclid=IwAR3vuSnElltrBB1aSrEZeOt9w1M0zxm2pjbs5TqYg EmTgMXs9UPgBAszvNs

[FreyFollower]

Update: Only 8 days ago, she had for weeks been consistently going downhill, despite all efforts. We were so frightened for her. As you know, she was airlifted to the only available bed in a very large regional medical center's Covid ICU, where it was expected she was to be connected to the ECMO, which is a machine they use as one of the last-resort treatments for cardiopulmonary organ failure. Then, overnight, she miraculously turned a corner towards recovery, and, as a result, was not connected to the ECMO, after all! 🙏 We are being told that it is very unusually soon for a person who was in her sort of dire condition but yesterday she was removed from Covid ICU and placed on a regular Covid Unit floor in the hospital! Over this past week, she was even weaned from her heavy sedation and the ventilator! Yesterday, my brother and sister-in-law were able to talk with her by FaceTime and she was able to verbally respond to them. She is not yet "out of the woods," as she is still on oxygen and several other strong support medications, but it is the doctor's opinion that she has made unusual and tremendous progress to reach her current status. He seems amazed by her progress, as are we.
We are feeling so hopeful today, when only a week ago, her situation looked so dire. We are now hoping and praying for the complete healing of her lungs.
We have been blessed by the prayers and well wishes of more people than she will ever know, among them, my friends here on The Border, and we are grateful. Our thanks are extended to you all, as well as our best wishes for your continued good health.
May I just add, as a precautionary statement, Covid-19 death statistics don't fully represent the number of horrid experiences associated with this insidious disease. In addition to the tragic fatalities, before this is over, an unfortunate percentage of our population will have lost limbs, experienced the after-effects of stroke and be compelled to adjust to permanent lung damage, as well as various other terrible, lingering symptoms of systemic organ failure. So please, be very cautious. Whatever our age, we all need to follow best practices and CDC protocols and take good care of our self and others. (Our hospitals are dangerously stressed.)
Wash your hands.
Wear a mask, for yourself and to protect others.
"Socially distance" when you must go out.

Much love and appreciation,
LT (for self and family)
Awesome, LuvTim! Thanks so much for the uplifting update! Such a powerful testament that there is always hope. Continuing prayers for her ongoing recovery.

I also appreciate your warnings for those who have become complacent. A seemingly healthy young man here, around Deacon's age, caught a terrible case of corona. It was discovered he had undiagnosed diabetes, lost both legs and suffered many other trials before succumbing to the disease. Truly tragic.
We are all tired of restrictions, but must remain cautious for ourselves and others.

[sodascouts]

Thank you, Soda and everyone, for your kind comments and interest in my niece's Covid-19 battle.

Update: Only 8 days ago, she had for weeks been consistently going downhill, despite all efforts. We were so frightened for her. As you know, she was airlifted to the only available bed in a very large regional medical center's Covid ICU, where it was expected she was to be connected to the ECMO, which is a machine they use as one of the last-resort treatments for cardiopulmonary organ failure. Then, overnight, she miraculously turned a corner towards recovery, and, as a result, was not connected to the ECMO, after all! 🙏 We are being told that it is very unusually soon for a person who was in her sort of dire condition but yesterday she was removed from Covid ICU and placed on a regular Covid Unit floor in the hospital! Over this past week, she was even weaned from her heavy sedation and the ventilator! Yesterday, my brother and sister-in-law were able to talk with her by FaceTime and she was able to verbally respond to them. She is not yet "out of the woods," as she is still on oxygen and several other strong support medications, but it is the doctor's opinion that she has made unusual and tremendous progress to reach her current status. He seems amazed by her progress, as are we.
We are feeling so hopeful today, when only a week ago, her situation looked so dire. We are now hoping and praying for the complete healing of her lungs.
We have been blessed by the prayers and well wishes of more people than she will ever know, among them, my friends here on The Border, and we are grateful. Our thanks are extended to you all, as well as our best wishes for your continued good health.
May I just add, as a precautionary statement, Covid-19 death statistics don't fully represent the number of horrid experiences associated with this insidious disease. In addition to the tragic fatalities, before this is over, an unfortunate percentage of our population will have lost limbs, experienced the after-effects of stroke and be compelled to adjust to permanent lung damage, as well as various other terrible, lingering symptoms of systemic organ failure. So please, be very cautious. Whatever our age, we all need to follow best practices and CDC protocols and take good care of our self and others. (Our hospitals are dangerously stressed.)
Wash your hands.
Wear a mask, for yourself and to protect others.
"Socially distance" when you must go out.

Much love and appreciation,
LT (for self and family)

Wonderful news! Thank you for letting us know.

I'm doing my best to heed all these practices now that I'm home, and I'll be going to the doctor tomorrow.

[UndertheWire]

LuvTim, so good to hear your niece is improving. It's shocking to see young people so ill and a timely reminder that we all need to take care, whether we're in a high risk group or not.

[Glennsallnighter]

LT I too am so glad your neice is improved again. I hear you about the side effects and the awful experiences that some people have had with this illness and it appears there are no criteria as to whether one will experience a mild, moderate or severe dose.

Soda, I'm glad Kingwood isn't too badly effected. I have worried about your parents when I hear the stats coming out of Texas so Thank God they are well. I hope you get on well with the doctor tomorrow.

Ireland still holding steady. Hopefully we will continue to.

Everyone please stay safe. Wear masks, keep your physical distance and stay at home as much as possible

[shunlvswx]

We had a case in our building last week. She had been off of work for a while and she was tested positive. The sad thing is they weren't going to tell us. We heard it through the grapevine. Everybody downstairs took off for the rest of the week and we stayed. Everybody downstairs and the lady (who had covid19) will be back tomorrow. Its scary because they come upstairs to use our bathrooms (I still don't understand that since they have their own) and use our breakroom. But thank goodness there wasn't an outbreak in our building.

The offenders coming back into our building yesterday and I'm more afraid of them bringing it in than the people downstairs. They are wearing mask as they entered the building and I have one of my doors closed.

Its going to be a long one week before I start my new job. I should had told them the 1st then the 15th.

[LuvTim]

Warm thanks to everyone here, once more. 😊

Shun, hoping and praying for your safety and wellness. Best wishes in your new job.

[My My]

Wonderful news, LuvTim! Continued prayers for your family!

[LuvTim]

Wonderful news, LuvTim! Continued prayers for your family!
Thank you very much, My My. 😊

[Ive always been a dreamer]

So happy your niece has improved so much, LT. I'm sure many people were sending good vibes her way. My SIL got her two consecutive negative tests, so she gets to finally return to work on Monday. Our family is so glad that this is pretty much over for them.

I just get more and more depressed about the state of things in our country. Here in Virginia, we are one of the few states that are holding steady, but even at that, we are still having several hundred new cases a day. I fear though that this may not last as long as the virus is spreading so rapidly throughout the rest of the country. Our governor has been very cautious and done a really good job managing this here, IMO. He is a former physician so, maybe that has given him a better perspective about how to handle this. We have still never fully reopened and he has said that he will not hesitate for a moment to shut things back down if our numbers begin to rise again. For the most part, Virginians seem to be following his lead, which I think has proven advantageous to us.

[LuvTim]

Good news about your SIL, Dreamer! What a relief!

Also, good to hear that Virginia is holding steady. Wish you Virginians all the best! :-)

[New Kid In Town]

Our state and NY are holding steady too. Gov. Murphy has also said he has no problem shutting things down if he has to. We are still in Phase 2 and the Gov. has not said when we will enter Phase 3. I heard on the news last night that a 30 year-old man died after attending a Covid 19 party in Texas. He thought the virus was a hoax. Everyone at the party got the virus. I don't know what it will take for some people to take this seriously. You would think after what they saw in NY & NJ in March and April that they would know it is no joke or hoax.

[shunlvswx]

That's the second time I've heard they were doing Covid19 parties. The other one was Alabama. I think that's so freaking stupid.

My county is one of the 13 counties that has to wear a mask in public. The governor done this before and it worked earlier with other counties. Those counties are not included. Its supposed to start tomorrow. The mayor of my city had already did that mandate. Its just now everybody in Hinds County has to wear it.

I just wish people put their darn pride behind and follow the rules because if they keep this up, the governor will put us back on a shutdown and they will definitely pissed if he did that again. He doesn't want to do it, but those hardheaded people won't obey.

They always say maybe you stay home if you fearful and want to wear a mask in public. Maybe they need to keep their butts at home since they won't follow the rules.

[sodascouts]

I went to the local urgent care and they did an xray of my lungs. They were clear. I don't wheeze when I breathe or anything, so they don't think it's asthma. Thy think I pulled a muscle in my chest and it's affecting my breathing, and prescribed a muscle relaxer.

The thing is, this has been going on for weeks, and I don't remember doing anything that would have hurt me like that.

Now that the lungs are ruled out, I'm scared they got it wrong and it's something to do with my heart. My mother had a heart attack in her fifties.I'm taking the muscle relaxer and hoping I'm just being paranoid.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Soda - I am relieved to hear your lungs are clear. However, I hope they can get to the bottom of your problems soon. Feel better, my friend.

And shun - Unfortunately, there are some people that are defiant just because. They either don't care or don't realize that are making the problem worse. IMO, the way the numbers are spiking in MS, your governor should have already shut the state back down and/or issued a stay-at-home order. The ease that this virus can spread affects our entire country, not just a locality, state, or even region. This is why we need a strong organized national response rather than leaving this up to governors and mayors to manage. That is how other countries successfully got this under control. We, here in the U.S. just continue to spin our wheels and are getting ourselves deeper and deeper into a hole. RANT OVER for now!

[UndertheWire]

Soda, I hope the muscle-relaxants work. At least you know your lungs look ok.

Shun, good luck with the new job and hopefully your new colleagues will be more careful.

Here in the UK, we've now started on the face-covering debate. You may find this surprising so late. For months we were told there was no strong evidence to support wearing of face-masks and this makes it harder to accept the necessity of wearing one now when the infection rate is so much lower. The main message is still social-distancing. Masks are recommended for when you are unable to social-distance. When I walked through town last week, most people were not wearing masks but there was a lot of space. Despite news reports of crowded bars and streets, a recent survey suggested that only 20% of the population felt comfortable about eating indoors at a restaurant. I suspect that the majority of the population is still very cautious.

The numbers of cases and deaths still seem to be falling although there are outbreaks. The city of Leicester is still under lockdown but it looks like the outbreak in Merthyr Tydfil has been handled successfully (down from 170 to 3 new cases per 100,000). There's also a farm that is under lockdown after 73 migrant workers tested positive. No doubt, this is all intended to reassure us that outbreaks will be quickly identified and dealt with.

When I look at the US news, I feel quite scared but then I see how the same news sites give a misleading picture of what is happening in the UK. It's more newsworthy to report the failings that the successes. I don't mean that we should accept the glib reassurances of governments but we should ignore the headlines and they often don't reflect the tone of the underlying news article.

[New Kid In Town]

Soda - I am glad to hear your lungs are ok. Having suffered many a pulled muscle myself, I can say they can take a long time to heal. And, half the time you do not even know what you did to suffer the pulled muscle. Keep taking the muscle relaxants and if you don't fell better soon go back. Hoping they work and you start feeling better.

Well, i just heard that someone at the WH leaked that the President wants to discredit Dr. Fauci because he will not go along with his thinking. Dreamer, I agree that we are seriously lacking leadership in confronting this virus. Thank God my Governor has been doing a wonderful job. Sounds like your Va. Governor has been right on top of things too. Everyone please stay safe and wear a mask.

[Glennsallnighter]

Our state and NY are holding steady too. Gov. Murphy has also said he has no problem shutting things down if he has to. We are still in Phase 2 and the Gov. has not said when we will enter Phase 3. I heard on the news last night that a 30 year-old man died after attending a Covid 19 party in Texas. He thought the virus was a hoax. Everyone at the party got the virus. I don't know what it will take for some people to take this seriously. You would think after what they saw in NY & NJ in March and April that they would know it is no joke or hoax.


I cannot understand how anyone in their right mind can think that this virus is a hoax. It has infected practically every country on the globe! Even if you were living under a rock the last few months you could not miss it.

We had a bit of a spike in infections last week after the pubs (bars) reopened but we appear to have levelled off again. We are not allowed to travel outside Ireland for any non essential reasons, so many people have had to put their holidays on hold (again). There is concern that people are bringing it into the country so anyone who comes in (Irish people included) from other countries have to self isolate for 14 days after. Face masks are compulsory now on public transport and in Shopping Malls and grocery stores and are recommended in a lot of other places too. Most of the population is being compliant.

[KingWalsh]

So sorry Soda to hear your condition. Wishing you well!
CT is doing well, we were at 0 patients last week were I work, but we have 5 now. Hoping it’s a hiccup.
Unsure what will happen with school yet. It’s hard keeping kids occupied, I know things have reopened but you see ignorant people and I just can’t take the risk bringing them out and about. We went hiking and such, but normal summer activities are missed.
everyone stay safe wear masks! Wear masks! Wear masks!!! Can’t say it enough!!

[FreyFollower]

I'm thankful for all improving from this terrible disease.
Soda, I'm so glad that you didn't have it. I hope you continue to get better. But I think it would be a good idea to get a thorough medical exam, detailing your family history. Plus, many conditions can have odd, seemingly unrelated symptoms.
Covid is still raging here, and we have a mask mandate from the Governor. The couple next door, only around 40, both have Coronavirus, one suffering renal failure.
I get so angry when I see film of people coughing, spitting, and even pulling a gun on someone asking them to wear a mask! How is this any different from other laws that restrict behavior for the common good? Such as don't jokingly yell FIRE! in a crowed building, or drive drunk?
A local Dr. posted a video, saying, "If you think it's hard to breathe with a mask, it"s ALOT harder to breathe with Covid!"

[shunlvswx]

One of the bosses in my office returned to work today after being out sick with the virus. My office is a door down. Poor guy. He still has a lingering cough. I really hope he's ok.

[groupie2686]

I hope everyone is staying safe. There was a recent increase in my area due to parties over the July 4th weekend and people traveling out of state. It feels like this will never end.

I hope you feel better soda!

[shunlvswx]

Speaking of stupidity. This past weekend, their was a street basketball party and guess what. Nobody was wearing a mask. I'm just trying to figure out how the heck did they get permission to do that event. It had to be 50 or 100 people out there. This is the reason why my race has the highest cases and deaths. Just stupidity. Somebody in that crowd probably have the virus and spread it everybody they come in contact with them.

My county is seeing over a 100 cases a day and we are under a mask mandate. I just wish people would put their pride behind them and wear the damn mask. We could had ended this months ago and now its going to get worse before fall.

[WalshFan88]

Now the WH is saying wear the masks, which the medical experts have said all along. People don't realize that Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx aren't some evil power couple created to set the world on fire or whatever conspiracy of the week is popular but rather they are doctors with an education and at least in the case of Anthony Fauci, have dedicated their lives to infectious disease and epidemiology and protecting people. He's served under 6 presidents for god sakes! I swear, the sooner we get off this roller coaster ride of an administration the better the country will be. We need a major reset button pushed for humanity's sake.

My mom is going back to school in 3 weeks and she's NOT thrilled. She's a district psychologist. She thinks it's a mistake. As do I, my dad, and the rest of our immediate family. It's scary to think she'll be put in contact with possible infected persons, and yes folks, kids CAN and DO carry COVID. They can and do die from it, too. Yes, most are asymptomatic and are just carriers, but I just read where a 9 year old died of COVID. 3 teenage girls in a county neighboring ours were diagnosed according to the health department. I'm very worried about her. My dad is retired. His health isn't well, he has type 2 diabetes and terrible osteoarthritis and he's immunocompromised just like I am. I have secondary adrenal insufficiency, asthma, and am on daily steroids. I also have type A blood. It's been shown in studies that type A people get infected most. Lovely. My dad is type AB, my mom is type O. I read A is worst, O is best with AB in the middle. I'm so worried about all of us but my mom is putting a "decontamination" room of sorts together in breezeway (it's in between the garage and the house) where she will change clothes, clean, etc before coming in the house each and every workday. It's a lot of work, but she's so worried about us. I'm worried about her. She's the healthy one out of us 3 for the most part, but she needs to stay that way. She does have fibromyalgia, but luckily handles it pretty well. Still, I worry so much about the exposure. It's just sad.

[UndertheWire]

It's certainly difficult when you are asked to work in potentially unsafe conditions. Is there provision for refusing to go into places where safety measures have not been taken?

I was thinking about the baseball competition and so long as it was out of doors, the risk of transmission was probably small. The biggest risk was probably in how people travelled to the event if they shared a confined space with people from different households. From what I've read, there has been little evidence of spikes caused by the BML protests whereas outbreaks are often traced back to crowded bars.

What seems to be missing is good, detailed and nuanced information on how the virus spreads and which measures are most effective. That would allow everyone to understand their own risk and what they can do.

[New Kid In Town]

Hi UTW - Hope you and your family are doing well. As per our Baseball season, there will be no fans attending any of the games. My local teams - the Mets and Yankees are giving fans a chance to send/buy a cut out picture of themselves which will be displayed in the background of all home games. Basketball will also be played without fans at Disney World in Orlando,Fla. at a sports complex. I have not heard if the US Open(Tennis) is still on. The powers that be have not yet decided if College Football will be played.

JMHO but I feel there is no good, detailed and nuanced information on how the virus spreads because we have not received any guidance from our President. He likes to think it will just disappear. Everything has been left to the Governors of each state. My Governor here in NJ has been great and has done a wonderful job. As have NY Governor Cuomo and the Gov. of Conn.(sorry I forgot his name). I personally can not say the same thing for many of the governors down South. They opened too soon and now have huge cases of the virus.

Our State is currently working on a plan to open the schools with the social distance/mask guidelines. The Governor has given parents who don't want to send their kids to school the option for on-line schooling. A lot of difficult decisions to be made for everyone.

[UndertheWire]

Hi NKIT, we're all doing well. I was going to write that it feels strange to have my adult sons back home but that isn't true. It's more like when they came home from university. At first, I found it hard to have three other people working from home when I was used to being on my own but I've moved a desk into my bedroom and I can work without anyone speaking to me or on the phone.

I try to keep up on the news from the US as well as the UK and Europe. At the moment, the US situation seems quite scary but it's reassuring that there are some states that seem to be coping well. I haven't seen much of the NJ governor but earlier on, I used to watch briefings by Andrew Cuomo and they seemed fairly good and it sharp contrast to the ones from the WH. I find the scenes from Portland quite disturbing, too.

[WalshFan88]

It's certainly difficult when you are asked to work in potentially unsafe conditions. Is there provision for refusing to go into places where safety measures have not been taken?

I was thinking about the baseball competition and so long as it was out of doors, the risk of transmission was probably small. The biggest risk was probably in how people travelled to the event if they shared a confined space with people from different households. From what I've read, there has been little evidence of spikes caused by the BML protests whereas outbreaks are often traced back to crowded bars.

What seems to be missing is good, detailed and nuanced information on how the virus spreads and which measures are most effective. That would allow everyone to understand their own risk and what they can do.

There is no provisions, no. We live in Redneckville USA and the administrators are all for not wearing masks or not enforcing the state's guidelines set out by our great Governor Pritzker. That's what makes my mom irate and worried all in one. So while she will be following guidelines to a T, she's afraid the staff and students won't be doing the same. She has to work one on one with little kids to give tests and tends to need to be in close quarters with them in her office. It's very concerning for me and for my dad. My mom isn't so much worried about herself as she is us, and it's just the opposite for me. I worry about HER.

Clear information would be nice but efforts in that regard are often thwarted or attempt to be made vague at least here in the US because of the sitting president and his "team". A deadly virus has been politicized.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

I feel the same way as you and your Mom, Austin.

I get really pissed because I have been sacrificing and following all the guidelines for months now. But, yet, things just continue to get worse in this country because of the way this virus has been mismanaged. IMO, it's a combination of extremely poor leadership and ignorance and/or just plain selfishness of those who can't be bothered to change their lifestyle during a public health crisis in order to protect our society.

And then, I get really sad when I think about all the lives that have been lost or debilitated that could have been prevented. This is not a shining moment for the U.S. as the rest of the world just sits back scratching their heads about the mess we're in here. God Bless us all!

[FreyFollower]

The news is not good in Louisiana. We have the highest per capita cases in the country. And my sweet young neighbor passed away from covid after only a week or so. Having to work through this mess while caring for my elderly mom with dementia is a scary, stressful thing. This is real, y'all. Too real.:cry:

[KingWalsh]

I’m so sorry to hear all that FF. Very sad and it’s hard to stay positive. I wish you the strength to get through it all. When it was real bad in CT I felt very down, it was hard coming to work, but CT has been doing well this last month, so there is hope. I know we are not out of the woodwork yet, and still worry that people are getting lax, and worry about kids going to school as well,Walshfan88.... It has so many variables, I don’t see it being a success unfortunately. It angers me that now they are saying “oh kids don’t get as affected and they won’t carry it” WTH? What sense does that make. Fountains of misinformation....Please wear a mask, disinfect, gloves etc. don’t slack!

[UndertheWire]

Freyfollower, I'm sorry that the situation is bad in Louisiana and that you have lost your neighbour to this disease.

It's tricky with countries and areas being at different stages of this pandemic. When infections and deaths are falling, we don't want to make a big deal about it because it might seem to people in areas with rising rates that we're rubbing their noses in it. There's also that we're always just a week or two from a reversal.

After a dreadful start, in England, it looked like it was under control but it seems that rates have started to rise over the last few weeks. It's being suggested that we've reached the limit of how far the country can reopen and this is before schools return. It seems likely we will need to introduce further restrictions in the hope that this will allow some headroom for schools that should be opening in around four weeks. Scotland and Wales look to be in a slightly better position probably because they have been slower to relax restrictions. As Scottish schools start back in mid-August, I'm sure their infection rates will be closely monitored.

The good news is that the work on the vaccines seems to be going well.

[New Kid In Town]

The news is not good in Louisiana. We have the highest per capita cases in the country. And my sweet young neighbor passed away from covid after only a week or so. Having to work through this mess while caring for my elderly mom with dementia is a scary, stressful thing. This is real, y'all. Too real.:cry:

FF - I am so sorry to hear of the death of your neighbor, and all the cases in La. The entire South is getting hit hard. People need to realize this virus is real and can kill and/or affect someone for the rest of their life. Now they are saying studies from Europe show that even people who had a mild case show the virus has affected their heart muscles. And, now doctors are saying kids as young as five have something like ten times more nasal secretions than adults and can pass the virus on to others.

My poor little great-nephew turned five and is all excited about being a big boy and going to kindergarden. Now, he may have to do schooling from home. Our governor has not yet decided what he wants the schools to do. It is such a difficult decision.
I just don't get why people think it is against their constitutional rights to wear a mask. Those people piss me off so much ! It has been against the law here to not wear a mask. Now the state legislature passed a law stating no mask in public and a person could get 30 days jail and a $500 fine. However, from what I have seen most people compliant.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

FF - I, too, am sorry to hear about your neighbor.

The bottom line is the entire issue over wearing masks is another manufactured divisive political tactic designed to divert our attention away from the reality of this debacle. It is beyond the absurd and ridiculous. If someone had told me four or five years ago that this country would be where we are today, I would have told them they were crazy. But, it just proves, how fragile our society really is. The lesson for me is that we should never take our liberties and institutions for granted - even though I always knew that, what I didn't realize is how quickly things can deteriorate.

[WalshFan88]

Our Governor in IL is now fining business who refuse to enforce mask rules. It's about time! Maybe the people crying about "freedom" and "fake news virus" will change their tune when it hits them in a pocketbook. Since evidently their concern for their loved ones and others wasn't enough reason to do so. Maybe this will get them to do the right thing. One can only hope. They'll do it, but whine about "control".

There are so damn many conspiracy theories flying around about Bill Gates, George Soros, China, vaccine, Drs. Birx and Fauci, hospitals looking for money, falsified results, etc. It's sickening that this deadly virus has been politicized and called a hoax. And some people are doubling down on this rather than changing their tune about the severity. Sure, it's not Ebola, but it's not the flu or norovirus either. It's closer to Ebola than it is to those. Wake up people! I believe in a select few conspiracies, but this is Alex Jones-level insanity. Thank god he was banned from all platforms. His hate speech and crazed rants lead to safety issues and flat out harassment for the parents of the Sandy Hook shooting. People will whine it's censorship, etc. It's not. There are plenty of blogs that share false information and things that are crazy. But hate speech and speech/text that puts people in danger needs censoring. I'm all for "censorship" when it comes to silencing racism, bigotry, and dangerous speech that can lead to the harm of one or many human beings.

Whoever needs to hear this - put down your tinfoil hat and put on your freaking mask!

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Good for the governor of Illinois, Austin. We've had a public mask mandate in effect in Virginia since June. You can be fined and even potentially get a jail sentence. I can't remember the details, but, obviously, the offense would have to be very egregious to warrant jail time.

And, I also think it is so sad that a public health crisis has become politicized. We are all in this together, and the sooner we unite to do what is in the best interest of all, the sooner things will improve.

[WalshFan88]

Good for the governor of Illinois, Austin. We've had a public mask mandate in effect in Virginia since June. You can be fined and even potentially get a jail sentence. I can't remember the details, but, obviously, the offense would have to be very egregious to warrant jail time.

And, I also think it is so sad that a public health crisis has become politicized. We are all in this together, and the sooner we unite to do what is in the best interest of all, the sooner things will improve.

That's what I'm hoping will happen in Illinois. There would be some that will be fined, and change their tune immediately. But I'm sure there will be some that will pay a fine, and keep not wearing masks in hope to not get caught again.

In that case, a much higher fine and a "final warning" needs to happen. If they do it a 3rd time, jail is your next stop. Only a really ignorant person would keep doing the same thing after that, in which it's probably better to have them off the streets anyway.

[shunlvswx]

Our governor has finally has the state wearing a mask. Its like he does it when he feels like it.

School is starting in the next week or so. There was already a school district where it was a small outbreak. This is a bad idea to start school. The school district in my city were on the list (well the county) to push back starting school opening. They were doing virtual learning for the rest of this year anyway.

The mask mandate really has been working in my county. We're not seeing 100 cases a day. The numbers are still high, but its dropping.

[shunlvswx]

My boss tested positive two Saturdays ago. Thank goodness nobody else is sick. He was feeling sick the Friday before he went to the doctor and went home. He was the second person in my office to get Covid19. The other person has been back for 3 weeks. IMO. If we weren't mask, we all would had been out sick with Covid-19.

Here's my welcome to my new job welcome.

[New Kid In Town]

Good for the governor of Illinois, Austin. We've had a public mask mandate in effect in Virginia since June. You can be fined and even potentially get a jail sentence. I can't remember the details, but, obviously, the offense would have to be very egregious to warrant jail time.

And, I also think it is so sad that a public health crisis has become politicized. We are all in this together, and the sooner we unite to do what is in the best interest of all, the sooner things will improve.

Dreamer & Austin - I could not agree more. It is so sad this has become a political issue. The lack of leadership from the top and guidance from some Governors have led to many more people becoming sick and/or needlessly dying.
Our Governor in New Jersey passed an executive order in March for people to wear masks. In July the State Legislature passed a law making it mandatory to wear a mask both outside and indoors when in stores. If someone gets caught they can be fined $500 and sentenced to 30 days jail and Community Service.
It is so sad to see how ramped the virus is down South, in Calif. and now in parts of the Midwest. My sister(who lives in a suburb of Chicago) said the virus is ramped in Southern Ill. She is concerned as my nephew was just diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemo. He lives in So. Ill. It is so sad to think that some people will not believe the virus is real unless they or a family member comes down with it. I wish this Country would unite to fight the virus the way Europe has. So many more lives could be spared. Everyone stay safe !

[WalshFan88]

[/B]
Dreamer & Austin - I could not agree more. It is so sad this has become a political issue. The lack of leadership from the top and guidance from some Governors have led to many more people becoming sick and/or needlessly dying.
Our Governor in New Jersey passed an executive order in March for people to wear masks. In July the State Legislature passed a law making it mandatory to wear a mask both outside and indoors when in stores. If someone gets caught they can be fined $500 and sentenced to 30 days jail and Community Service.
It is so sad to see how ramped the virus is down South, in Calif. and now in parts of the Midwest. My sister(who lives in a suburb of Chicago) said the virus is ramped in Southern Ill. She is concerned as my nephew was just diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemo. He lives in So. Ill. It is so sad to think that some people will not believe the virus is real unless they or a family member comes down with it. I wish this Country would unite to fight the virus the way Europe has. So many more lives could be spared. Everyone stay safe !

Conquer and divide is what it seems lately.

I'll say this - as someone with compromised health and someone who admittedly isn't a "normal average person" and one who IS disabled, I get a little tired of us being offered up as trade bait to open the economy up, let healthy people go to the beaches and bars, etc. And I get even more tired of people denying this. And the people who think of us as weak and feeble and that this COVID thing is a nice cleanser for the world. Yes, I've seen comments on FB and the like that say this. I've seen news clips from certain networks (rhymes with rocks) that suggest that this is just the way it is. I may not be a functioning person in the way you are, but I'll go on record as cocky and say that I deserve to live just as much as "you". The elderly, the compromised, the disabled, etc deserve to live as much as the next person. After all, did we ask to be born this way or have the circumstances happen? No. So I don't feel too bad for putting my right to live on the same level as yours, able-bodied and productive as it may be. Humanity sure has sunk low...

[KingWalsh]

Well....tonight I came to work to the announcement of 0 covid patients in house!!! This is amazing from where we were. Schools will open Sept 8 (this is the latest we have opened) and will be hybrid system of in school and remote learning. Splitting days up to reduce to 50% capacity. Desks will have plastic enclosure and kids will have mask breaks. No band (woodwinds) no chorus....it’ll be a new world. My kids are nervous as am I, but they are eager to get some sort of normalcy. I worry about my youngest, how will they be able to social distance and enforce masks at that age??

Walshfan88, I heard idiots like that too on the radio. It’s disgusting. Stay strong. Easy to say, I know.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

shun - You are right, that is quite a welcome to your new job. Hope you are all safe and well.

And Austin - I appreciate your post. I, too, thought we were all on the same level when it comes to our right to live. It's so disturbing when I'm reminded of those who spew such hate and disrespect for their fellow human beings.

[WalshFan88]

shun - You are right, that is quite a welcome to your new job. Hope you are all safe and well.

And Austin - I appreciate your post. I, too, thought we were all on the same level when it comes to our right to live. It's so disturbing when I'm reminded of those who spew such hate and disrespect for their fellow human beings.

Yep, evidently some of us are disposable if it means getting to go to the beach sooner or getting your candidate elected and following his train of thought and not thinking for yourself. It just blows my mind.

One thing I can say about the coronavirus and the current political climate, it sure makes it easy for people you know to either confirm your thoughts of them being a good person who you can trust and respect or for them to stick their neck out and let the cockroaches come out and show how nasty they are and what they truly think of you be it over disrespect for the well being of others less fortunate, or letting their bigotry/racism flag fly because they have been enabled by some in office. They've been given a platform, sadly. Call it cancel culture, politically correct, etc. But I've definitely done some "purging". Luckily none of my close friends have been that way and no one I was super close with, but there have certainly been acquaintances and people I knew as once being friends that I've certainly become intensely disappointed with and I've made the choice to move on from over their insensitivity regarding disabled people and also people who believe the science and aren't in support of the POTUS and following his every word as gospel. Some decided to take the trash out themselves and save me the trouble of doing it for them. As they say, "Bye Felicia!". I'm totally fine with differing politics. I'm not fine with heartless people and racism/hate.

[Glennsallnighter]

My boss tested positive two Saturdays ago. Thank goodness nobody else is sick. He was feeling sick the Friday before he went to the doctor and went home. He was the second person in my office to get Covid19. The other person has been back for 3 weeks. IMO. If we weren't mask, we all would had been out sick with Covid-19.

Here's my welcome to my new job welcome.

So do you have to be tested as a contact of your Boss? And do you have to self isolate until you get your result? This is the way the European Health Authorities are doing it in work places if a worker tests positive. The idea is to stop a cluster in a workplace from spreading out into the community.

[Glennsallnighter]

School is starting in the next week or so. There was already a school district where it was a small outbreak. This is a bad idea to start school. The school district in my city were on the list (well the county) to push back starting school opening. They were doing virtual learning for the rest of this year anyway.

The mask mandate really has been working in my county. We're not seeing 100 cases a day. The numbers are still high, but its dropping.

We are all back to school on the 27th for all standard Primary and Secondary schools and the Government want to see as many as possible schools reopened. They are 'covid proofing' schools right now. Guess who is my schools 'Covid proofer'? Yep. I'm Busy Being Fabulous!

Opening of Universities and Colleges have been delayed until the start of October. That is because they depend on the State exam results. As we couldnt hold state exams we are working off a model of predicted results and that is taking longer to standardise. For the vast majority of irish students going to University and Colleges their acceptance is purely based on exam performance. Hence the delay.

Quite worryingly we had 200 cases yesterday. Cases have been on the increase over the last week or two but there are a few clusters in meat plants, so the affected plants have been shut down and the 3 counties locked down, so hopefully the area can remain contained. There has been a small amount of community transmission.

[UndertheWire]

King Walsh, it good to hear you are down to zero Covid patients. It's good to see positive news for a change.

WalshFan, it's easy for people to make those hurtful comments based on numbers but when it comes to real people, perhaps they will be kinder. I'm sure you know that there are many people who value you.

GlennsAllnight, what a challenging job! I hope it is going well. What happens if you have suspected case?

The situation in Ireland sounds like it isn't very different to where I live in England. For now, it seems to be under control. The number of patients in hospital continues to fall from nearly 20,000 at the peak down to fewer than 1,000 this weekend. The latest seven-day average of daily deaths from Covid for the whole of the UK is 13*. When it comes to tests, the positivity rate has fallen from 30% in April (when only those sick enough to be admitted to hospital were tested) to around 0.6%.

* Last week, the death data for England was revised to remove those who died more than 28 days after testing positive. The way it worked previously was that someone could have tested positive in April, recovered and then died of something else in July and they would still be counted as a Covid death.

[shunlvswx]

So do you have to be tested as a contact of your Boss? And do you have to self isolate until you get your result? This is the way the European Health Authorities are doing it in work places if a worker tests positive. The idea is to stop a cluster in a workplace from spreading out into the community.

None of us got tested. I think since it wasn't a outbreak in our office (nobody else got sick. We would had been told if somebody tested positive), we didn't quarantine ourselves. I know at my old job I left before I came to my current job, somebody downstairs tested positive. She was already at home when she got tested. They were told to go home for a few days while we upstairs stayed at work. We thought it was wrong (and also wrong they has offenders to come back to report. You don't know how much I was ready for my 2 weeks working there to end) since we would exit the building from their area and they come upstairs to use our bathroom (which I really don't understand since they got their own) and use our break room(again they have their own) and use our snack machine. Our big big boss told us we still had to come to work since their wasn't no outbreak. From what I heard nobody else got sick. I know our other secretary got sick and went home. I don't know if her test was positive or negative since i was gone.

Back to my current job. When I came into work that Monday, they were deep cleaning and spraying down our offices. He probably told the other guys (my other bosses I report to when he's not there) through either email or text. He had text the news.

His two weeks was up on Saturday. He supposed to come back to work tomorrow if his test is negative, but his wife also tested positive (which he probably got it from, but she had just been tested and it was negative) and he wants to be safe and not bring it work until her two weeks is up on Wednesday (and she supposed to have surgery on Wednesday and that's why he wasn't coming to work. He was going to be off on that day anyway. So he's coming back on Thursday and still work from home.

None of us in the office got sick since then. If it wasn't for us wearing a mask and he went straight home when he wasn't feeling well, we probably would had got it.

[KingWalsh]

Glad to hear no one got sick shun. Unfortunately our zero covid patient Tally has came and went. We have 4 positives in house still very low..... I am worrying more and more about the kids going to school. They pushed the start date to Sept 8 and will be in a hybrid style of some days at school some days at home, alternating to keep at 50% capacity. I have to say the district is doing an amazing job preparing, but I just can’t see every kids abiding to the policies. You know how it is. Troublemakers and such. Plus my youngest is 8....how can they enforce 8 year olds to adhere to all the restrictions. Plus masks breaks how does that even work. My biggest fear is actually the bus....even with a monitor....I don’t know. Thinking of opting out of the bus. I have two days to decide if they are bused or not.

[WalshFan88]

That is downright scary and just wrong, shun. Glad you are doing well and staying healthy. My mom went back to work this week at the school. A neighboring school has already been shut down and gone remote because of a COVID outbreak. I hope they are forced to go to remote learning, but not because she or anyone else there gets COVID! Although her school is so backwards that might just be what it takes to do it.

This year has sucked majorly for me. Not just because of the pandemic and the political climate, but my health has been absolute dogcrap. Speaking of dogs, when I broke my femur and fell, my dog got so excited to run down the stairs and see me after I was recovered enough for "visitors" in the basement on my airbed, that he ran down them too fast and tore his ACL. Then 3 weeks ago he tore his other one. Once you tear one there is a 50/50 the dog will tear the other. He's just had his 2nd TPLO surgery and he's having some setbacks. Couple that with my ongoing dead foot/nerve pain saga (the latest from St. Louis is I go for a brain, neck, and full spine MRI on Sept 17th, the soonest they can do it). Also, with my dad's company laying him off last year (his plant was shut down, but he was able to "retire" although much earlier than he would have liked and with far less benefits), I've been really just emotionally beaten to a pulp since the beginning of the year. I'm so sick of worrying, feeling down, not getting to play my guitar with friends, not being able to be mobile more than just short distances. I feel like I'm just about beat. My foot has kept me in a prison far longer than COVID. I've been dealing with this since early December and have been passed between doctors who can't figure it out before finally being sent to Washington University where I might get some answers. I'm just so worn out, I'm actually so tired of freaking out my body sometimes won't let me get nervous. It's like it tells me, no, your worrying component of your brain isn't working. Then I try to worry and can't because I'm so depleted. 2019 and 2020 have been some of the most trying years of my 31 years of life on this planet. Sure, that's not a lot by comparison, but I've been through far more than the majority of people my age. Only some of us my age get to experience it all so early or at all.

[UndertheWire]

Austin, I'm sorry that you are having such a tough year and it's frustrating to not be able to help. other than to "listen" to you. I find the podcasts from Dr Michael Osterhome quite soothing. Partly, it's his voice but also the kindness and humility that is apparent. One thing he suggests is to view it as a "Covid year". I think he means that we just have to accept that it isn't normal and we won't achieve what we had planned. Instead we have to be kind to ourselves and other people. It will pass whether it's months or years. Of course, this doesn't help with your other medical problems but maybe there will be breakthrough with that. Keep hoping.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Yep - I agree UTW. One thing we can't do is lose hope. Hope is what is sustaining me right now.

[WalshFan88]

I agree on hope, Dreamer and UtW.

If people would just follow guidelines and wear the masks, social distance, and not cry about "muh freedum!" we'd be a heck of a lot better off. instead we have people thinking it's hysteria because the POTUS did.

Face it - this is the new normal, at least for the time being. You can help your fellow Americans and do the right thing and not be selfish or irresponsible, or you can cry about it while supporting whacked-out conspiracies and support a leader who has endangered many lives. It's that simple. And I'm not religious but god do I hope they choose to do the former. All we can do is hope for the best. It's a scary time folks...

[MarthaJo56]

Oh, you guys! Covid has hit home.

My oldest son, Aaron & his girlfriend , Alana, both have Covid-19. They live in Florida. Since he is a restaurant manager and she is a nurse, they knew it was inevitable. Florida is not exactly following the rules.
They are quarantined at home. He is having all the symptoms and taking it day by day.He's 44, but he is still my baby and I'm so worried. I'm in California and just wish we were closer. I'm in contact with him everyday and am trying to stay positive for him and for us.
Please keep them in your thoughts. :heart::heart::heart:

[Ive always been a dreamer]

So sorry to hear this, MJ. I will cross my fingers that they will be okay. And I know first-hand how you feel - I was really scared for a long time when my brother's family came down with it in the spring. And then I found out Friday that my oldest first cousin and his wife have tested positive. He is very high risk so I'm really concerned about him as well.

And now while our president is proclaiming that we have 'rounded the corner' on COVID, most medical experts agree that we could be in for a very bad time in the coming months. TBH - I don't have to flip a coin to know whose advice I'm going to follow on this one. Unfortunately, there are plenty of good people who believe the president over these experts no matter how many times he's proven wrong. So, it just leads to mass confusion and some of them don't feel the need to follow common sense rules to protect themselves and others. This is definitely a really sad moment for our country. As I said before, I pray every day for better times.

[KingWalsh]

So sorry to hear MJ and Dreamer ! Well wishes! In my prayers. All I can say is everyone be safe and don't slack. Wear the masks. That's most important. Kids have been in school for 2 days rest is online. Too soon to tell, but I dread the start of flu season.

[Glennsallnighter]

So sorry to hear that you have family members suffering from Covid Dreamer and MJ. I will keep them in my prayers and hope for the best. Our cases are starting to get high again now that we have started opening up. Schools have reopened and I'm back working fulltime in the building as opposed to posting lessons online.
They want us however to keep our social contacts minimal. No more than 6 guests from no more than 2 homes and only to keep mixing with the same small group of people. This could continue until well into next year and these rules will apply over Christmas by the looks of things. Looks like gatherings of over 6 people will not return for a long time yet.

[WalshFan88]

I'm so sorry to hear that, MJ.

I will keep them in my thoughts and please send well wishes their way. I hope they fully recover soon.

Dreamer - I absolutely agree with you.

[CAinOH]

Oh, MarthaJo... so sorry to hear about your son and his wife. I will keep them in my thoughts. And you, too, Dreamer...

I keep thinking how many lives would have been saved if the, er, person in the White House had worn a mask. That mask wearing is a political statement is ridiculous... but same said person seems to revel in it.

[New Kid In Town]

MJ - I am so sorry to hear about your family members having the virus. I will keep them in the thoughts and hope they are beginning to feel better.
Dreamer - Totally agree with you. It really upsets me that our President knew the danger of the virus and down right lied to the American people about it. Almost 200,000 people dead because he lied and down played the seriousness of the virus. It is sad to think how many lives could have been saved had he been honest from the beginning.
People here in NJ are pretty compliant about wearing their masks. I rarely see someone without one. I think states such as those in the Northeast who suffered terrible losses in March and April are more compliant regarding masks because it was almost all that was in the news back then. Everyone was afraid they could be next. Plus, we had Governors who stepped up and gave everyone good, honest guidance.

[LuvTim]

To each of you who have Covid19 in your family, you have my best thoughts for wellness and peace. Prayers for you and for your loved ones.

[Elle81]

I wish I could say that the virus is not as bad in Utah, as it is back in the motherland (California). Sadly, I cannot. Every time I go out I see so many people not wearing masks or wearing them just over their mouths, with their noses exposed. Here, because this is the capitol city, there are huge anti mask protests and college raves where no mask is in sight. It deeply saddens and frightens me to thing of how willfully ignorant some people are. All of my three roommates (ages 13, 38, and 69) have compromised immune systems and this virus would kill each so easily. My immune system is not great either and I tend to get sick fairly easily so I've pretty much lived in constant fear since March.:cry::depressed:

[FreyFollower]

Prayers for all suffering from this terrible disease, and their loved ones who are so stressed. Blessings to Dreamer and MJ's families.:heart:

[Glennsallnighter]

New restrictions have been imposed in Dublin from Saturday last. No pubs, bars, restaurants open for dine in, cannot move out of the county, all sports cancelled or behind closed doors for the next 3 weeks.

[KingWalsh]

It's so hard to stay positive, but I try. The next few months will be Hard second wave/flu season, who knows what else..Keep us posted GA. It's hard they keep adding states to restricted list for CT,NY,Nj. We are just above 1% positivity, and these first few weeks are ok so far in my town with kids in hybrid schooling.

I agree NKIT, tri state area stuck together and we are pretty good with mask wearing in the area. I wish all were so diligent. ELLe, sad to hear about "anti masks protests" in Utah. Stay safe. Everyone start stocking up, grab a box of tissues, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and such when at the stores. I believe supplies will start to dwindle again.

[sodascouts]

We just found out our spring semester will be like the fall. Masks, precautions, no holidays. Understandable, but discouraging.

[KingWalsh]

We have seen an uptick at work. I’m sure the Monday morning reports will reflect that. Please start stocking up folks. I’m thinking the state might change their mind on phase 3 starting in October. The town wants k-8 to go full time 4 days a week and high schools to Stay on hybrid starting Oct 5....idk. I am worried.

[groupie2686]

It seems like this is never-ending. They say in the news there will be a vaccine in 2021 and some return to normality in 2022, and while, if true, it is good to see this won't go on forever, thinking of 2 years of this is incredibly depressing. Hope you are all still safe and well.

[WalshFan88]

There needs to be more guidelines in place and more restrictions. IMO, if you are caught breaking rules, first time is a warning and a small fine. Second time, a big fine. Third time, you're in a jail cell. Simple.

We haven't seen the worst of COVID yet. Some people keep being irresponsible and ruin any progress the rest of us have made. Or they just don't believe in it because Trump tells them not to. It's just sad.

I'll be the first to sign up for a vaccine if it is proven safe. Until then you can bet the farm that I will be wearing a mask, socially distancing, and limiting my interactions to the ones that are of upmost importance.

[shunlvswx]

My state is ready for the governor to open the state back up. They just don’t care. I pray that none of those haters don't get Covid19. They will sing another tune when they get it. I was at a gas station this afternoon and this guy was not 6 ft. apart. I'm so tired of people all over me.

To tell the truth. If my city wasn’t doing virtual school, the numbers would be very high. I think that’s the only reason our numbers have been low.

Also we found out last week that my grandmother got Covid19. She's doing great other than a cough and we pray it won't get bad.

This is stressing out my mother also on top of our air went out and our garage door couldn't open yesterday and we are down to one car since my car is stuck in the garage and my other car is in the shop.
My county has been doing good with numbers. We’ve been going cases under 50.

[WalshFan88]

Been a bit hit or miss on the board lately, but I wanted to just say that COVID is still tearing through the United States at alarming rates. The vaccine is being politicized by POTUS and therefore it's safety due to the fact it's being rushed to make him look good is really sketchy. If the experts ala Fauci, Birx, etc say it's safe, I'll be the first guy in line with my sleeve proudly raised. But if Trump is the only one saying run out there and get it, I'll wait and continue avoiding people and wearing a mask when I cannot do so. I still cannot fathom the lack of responsibility and the selfishness of some and the herd mentality that some have because someone told them so.

The fact that the President contracted CV just goes to show you it doesn't favor anyone of any party or allegiance. I was seriously hoping for it to affect him emotionally enough to turn course and take it more seriously and quit downplaying it, but unfortunately he's back to downplaying it and putting others at risk by wanting to have rallies as soon as this weekend. Of course that can't and won't happen, but the idea he's okay with it is just nuts. I didn't hold much hope that he'd change, but I guess I still walk away feeling disappointed. I think he deserved to know what people have gone through with this virus and while I wouldn't wish ill on him, I feel like he made his own bed and was forced to lie in it a little while. I'm okay with that. I just wish it changed his mind. He isn't even out of the dark area of CV yet, he's pumped up on steroids right now and has yet to clear the 7-10 day range where it is most dangerous. He may end up back in Walter Reed for all we know. I just hope that the same state of the art treatments he is getting are afforded to the poor people who haven't been as fortunate.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Well said, Austin.

When I read it, I was reminded about when my brother's family had COVID back in the spring. They were forced to quarantine for almost two months because they had to treat themselves, and could not return to work until they tested negative, and they could only get tested weekly. And, comparatively speaking, they were fortunate because they didn't lose a huge amount of income while they were out of work.

I realize that POTUS, no matter who is in office, is afforded the best health care treatment available and that's the way it should be. However, since we, the taxpayers, are paying for their treatment, we are entitled to transparency and accountability. I haven't heard any updates on the First Lady's health at all since her diagnosis and the doctor's who are saying now that POTUS no longer has to quarantine won't even tell us if he has tested negative - which, of course, means he has not. This kind of self-indulgent and irresponsible behavior is beyond my comprehension for any citizen of this country, much less the president. Freakin' unbelievable!

[New Kid In Town]

Well said, Austin.

When I read it, I was reminded about when my brother's family had COVID back in the spring. They were forced to quarantine for almost two months because they had to treat themselves, and could not return to work until they tested negative, and they could only get tested weekly. And, comparatively speaking, they were fortunate because they didn't lose a huge amount of income while they were out of work.

I realize that POTUS, no matter who is in office, is afforded the best health care treatment available and that's the way it should be. However, since we, the taxpayers, are paying for their treatment, we are entitled to transparency and accountability. I haven't heard any updates on the First Lady's health at all since her diagnosis and the doctor's who are saying now that POTUS no longer has to quarantine won't even tell us if he has tested negative - which, of course, means he has not. This kind of self-indulgent and irresponsible behavior is beyond my comprehension for any citizen of this country, much less the president. Freakin' unbelievable!

Dreamer - I could not agree more. I just can't believe the doctors said he was ok to resume campaigning ! I would bet anything he did not test negative. I guess it was too much for me to expect him to tell people to wear a mask and abide by the CDC guidelines. I did hear Melania was "recovering". Anyone who attends one of his events needs their head examined. I am glad he is recovering but his behavior is even crazier than before he was sick. Very sad that our President has done nothing to combat the virus. I saw on the news last night he again said it would just disappear. He has not learned anything.

[KingWalsh]

This upsets me. So many opportunities to unify. To lead. I cringed last night when I saw the crowd in PA at the rally. Why is this ok but concerts and such not? We have 2 positives and 7 questionables in house and CT is seeing a 2.4% positivity rate, highest since June I believe. I dread the next couple of months...please prove me wrong.

[CAinOH]

Facebook decided yesterday I needed to re-follow a bunch of people I'd un-followed a long time ago. I found out from a post from my aunt (yep, I'm "friends" with a bunch of my relatives but don't follow them; hopefully some of you can relate) that my Dad's brother and his wife have been in the ICU because of COVID 19. At the time of her post, my uncle was being transferred out of ICU to a regular bed, but my aunt was still in the ICU. Since I'd sat at the same table with these two people six weeks ago at my nephew's wedding reception, I talked to my brother about it. They'd been diagnosed a week ago, so no threat from the wedding. (Yep, I took a risk going to the wedding, but it was very well done as far as social distancing. Wedding outside, rows far apart. Big round tables for the reception, only a few people at each table. But, if you want to know about my immediate family: At the reception I sat at a table with my aunt and uncle-the ones now in the hospital, my Dad and his wife, and another aunt-Dad's sister and uncle. I was the only one at the table with a mask. And yes, I wore it until we actually started eating.)

Gee, I wonder if Dad's sister is still planning her "We're all tired of this, let's have Thanksgiving together the Saturday after" party? (I wasn't planning on going anyway.)

Ohio's positivity rate is climbing. This is not good.

Seriously, people... wear the damn mask.

[FreyFollower]

Navigating relatives can be a difficult trip, and avoiding them is sometimes the best option, (during a pandemic or otherwise)! :grin:

Seriously, I hope your kin are better soon, and everyone else remains healthy! Take Care!

[UndertheWire]

CAinOH, I hope your relatives recover well and that their friends an relatives now understand the importance of keep your distance and wearing a mask when you can't.

I don't yet know anyone who has been seriously ill with the virus which may just be an indication that I don't know that many people but also that live in an area with a relatively low rate of infection. However, the infection rate and positivity seem to be rising fast even here. To begin with it was just the university area but it has now spread to all parts of the city.

I was brought up short a few weeks ago when I caught a cold. If a cold can get through our protections, then coronavirus could. (We think my husband must have picked it up on a trip to the dentist, despite the measures taken by the dental practice). Then last week, we needed some emergency plumbing work and I realised I wasn't keeping sufficient distance from the plumber who was inside our house and without a mask for many hours (and I wasn't wearing a mask, either). It's too easy to fall into old habits with people we are familiar with.

I am rapidly losing faith in the UK government. After a too slow start and a few errors, they seemed to be following the science and doing their best. However, for the last few months, they seem to have switched to trying to balance health with the economy and are doing a bad job with both. For example, at the start of September they launched a campaign to encourage people to return to working in the office - and this is after scientists had been warning of an autumn surge. It was no big surprise when just three weeks later we were being advised again to work from home if possible.

Going back a few posts to concerns about Trump rushing through vaccines, I think you could look at what is happening in countries where the virus is less of a political issue. Possibly Canada and Germany? There's a different issue about whether there is a national bias over which vaccine to approve (the US press most reports on Moderna whereas the UK press reports on the Oxford/AstraZeneca one) but the regulatory bodies will be looking at all of the candidates.

[KingWalsh]

CAinOH, I hope your relatives recover well and that their friends an relatives now understand the importance of keep your distance and wearing a mask when you can't.


hoping for a speedy recovery as well CAINOH for your loved ones and anyone out there who is affected. I have the dilemma where my mom and in-laws keep wanting to get together, and what not. I don’t understand what they don’t understand. They are in their 70s, I miss them and want to see them too but I am so worried that I’ll get them sick! My dad understands, He has health issues and doesn’t want to tempt fate, but my Mom...she makes it hard. She says she misses the kids so much and it’s not fair. And I look like the bad guy. We had a get together in Aug for my kids birthday, My mom wanted one so bad, for the kids she’d say, but numbers were low in CT at the time, now numbers are climbing and I am getting really worried. Families can add another whole factor to this already stressful time!

[WalshFan88]

I hope they recover soon CA and I'm glad you weren't affected. Mask wearing, social distancing, and avoiding unnecessary public socializing or trips is really the key. Curbside pickup and/or online is the way to go.

I personally haven't been to a restaurant to eat since all of this started. I did start getting takeout from a couple mom and pop type restaurants here about a couple months ago, but since have reverted since our local counties positive cases have been rising. I'm probably going to avoid it for the foreseeable future. And I've been doing online-only shopping since it started. I go to clinics and hospitals and that's about it these days. I know, not great places, but my health is not the best and I'm having test after test but I think they finally have a clue. And I can hopefully get surgery safely and then retreat back into my home for the next however long it is before a safe, non-politicized vaccine can be given and/or when people take mask wearing seriously. Hopefully, we will have a new president in November and one that does his job.

[New Kid In Town]

CA - I hope you family members recover soon. Austin - I think what you have been doing is the safest thing for you - so glad to hear you and your family have remained safe.
Well, my ex-governor(who left office with the lowest popularity rating ever) was just released from the hospital after spending 7 days in the ICU. He has severe asthma and is extremely overweight. Thankfully he is recovering. He attended the Rose Garden Ceremony for ACB and helped prep the Pres. for his first debate. No one wore masks and of course no social distancing.
He stated he was led to believe everyone was tested daily and results were negative - SUPRISE - NOT TRUE ! Why he chose to believe the biggest liar ever to hold office is beyond me. I don't like the guy, did not vote for him and he was shitty governor who did nothing but, I don't wish him any harm and am glad is is doing better. And, I feel bad that he had to suffer in ICU with the virus before he realized the Pres. is a liar. He is urging everyone to wear a mask and stated he hopes more politicians come out urging the same thing.
And, the Pres. is holding more of those super-spreader rallies ! It mad me so sad when I saw all those senor citizens not wearing a masking and crowded together. I just hope and pray that they don't get sick. He has not learned anything. :-(

[Glennsallnighter]

We've had a week of it here. On Tuesday last my son had chest tightness associated with Asthma. They sent him for a precautionary test. That meant we all had to stay at home from work until Thursday afternoon when he got the allclear. Happy days! Then my hubby went for a mass test which all his department had to go for. That was Friday. Surprise on Sunday - he got the result and he tested POSITIVE. No symptoms, nothing. We immediately had to pull our daughter from her work and return home. We have to stay at home for 2 weeks. Only allowed out to go shopping. No work, school or college. The rest of us will have to take a test in the next few days to see if we too are positive. So it will be a very quiet 2 weeks here.

Not that its going to matter much anyway as the whole country will be going back into strict lockdown for the next 6 weeks anyway!!

Take care everyone!

[WalshFan88]

Oh no, GA.

If I were you since he was positive, I'd have your son retested to make sure he didn't get the test too early on. I'm sure you will be getting tested to be cleared to go back anyways.

Best wishes to your family.

These are scary, dark times....

[Glennsallnighter]

Thanks Austin, yes they will be sending us testing appointments even my son as the previous test was related to a different event. So far sso good nobody has shown any symptoms so we can hope if we do have it it is a mild infection. I stocked up today in preparation for lockdown.

[Glennsallnighter]

Son and daughter tested negative but still have to self isolate until next weekend. I on the other hand tested positive. However I feel good enough so hopefully it will just be a mild infection. I too am on self isolation until Saturday week.

[WalshFan88]

Son and daughter tested negative but still have to self isolate until next weekend. I on the other hand tested positive. However I feel good enough so hopefully it will just be a mild infection. I too am on self isolation until Saturday week.

Oh no!

Please get well soon GA and keep an eye on your symptoms and breathing. Hoping it's mild for you.

[FreyFollower]

Son and daughter tested negative but still have to self isolate until next weekend. I on the other hand tested positive. However I feel good enough so hopefully it will just be a mild infection. I too am on self isolation until Saturday week.

Oh, my goodness, GA! I am so sorry to hear that you are ill. Prayers that you and your husband have a speedy recovery, and your children remain well. Take care!:worried:

[CAinOH]

Son and daughter tested negative but still have to self isolate until next weekend. I on the other hand tested positive. However I feel good enough so hopefully it will just be a mild infection. I too am on self isolation until Saturday week.

Oh, goodness! All you take care, GA! I'll keep you in my thoughts.

[UndertheWire]

GA, I hope you and your husband continue to have no symptoms and that it will give you some immunity. Do you have any idea how you picked it up? Increasingly, I'm getting the idea that a lot of people are becoming infected despite taking reasonable measure.

[Brooke]

Ga, so sorry to hear this. I hope you all shake it soon.

Thoughts and prayers for everyone to stay well!

[groupie2686]

Omg, GA, I hope you get better soon!

It seems like the pandemic is getting a lot worse. In my area there's been a big increase in cases and no one knows why, the health department just says its "community spread." It feels like this will never end. Stay safe, everyone!

[New Kid In Town]

Son and daughter tested negative but still have to self isolate until next weekend. I on the other hand tested positive. However I feel good enough so hopefully it will just be a mild infection. I too am on self isolation until Saturday week.

Oh no GA ! I am so sorry to hear this ! I hope you and your husband continue with no symptoms. Wishing you both a speedy recovery and that the kids stay safe.

[Glennsallnighter]

GA, I hope you and your husband continue to have no symptoms and that it will give you some immunity. Do you have any idea how you picked it up? Increasingly, I'm getting the idea that a lot of people are becoming infected despite taking reasonable measure.

My husband would be classed as 'community transmission'. I would be classed as 'Close Contact of a confirmed case'. But in reality either of us could have caught it and given it to the other.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

GA - So sorry to hear about you and hubby testing positive for COVID. Hopefully, you both will continue to have mild symptoms and get well very soon. I keep your family in my thoughts.

[KingWalsh]

So sorry to hear GA! Hope for a speedy recovery. In my thoughts and prayers as well.

[travlnman2]

Hey everyone!

Its been a while! Just want to say hope you are all doing well. This COVID Virus has taken something from all of us and hope you are enjoying time with your family.

Also don't forget to vote! Regardless of Party its important to vote!

Cheers

[WalshFan88]

Hey everyone!

Its been a while! Just want to say hope you are all doing well. This COVID Virus has taken something from all of us and hope you are enjoying time with your family.

Also don't forget to vote! Regardless of Party its important to vote!

Cheers

Welcome back and thank you. I've spent more time with my family this year than in years past. I was the reason was different and that we didn't have to, but it's been nice to be around my folks more. I'm just hoping that we have a safe and reliable treatment and preventative that will work for everyone from the healthiest to the most disabled. I certainly am sick of seeing my counties cases rise and more people dying. I think here lately there's been more people that I personally know getting it than when it started. It seems at least for my little community and bordering communities, right now is the worst it's been for many.

My cousin is an RN at an extended care facility and she has it now. I'm really good friends with another nurse, I play music with her uncle and have almost since I started playing and she's actually taken care of me in the hospital before. She's in the ER/ED so she is seeing it all at the most acute time and I know she is getting burned out with this never ending cycle and this second wave. So far she has not contracted it.

And I agree with you on voting. I can't stress it enough!

[KingWalsh]

Wishing anyone who has or know someone who has the best well wishes possible. CT is having a spike of cases, and I’m really drained. I am at work now and we were all discussing how we don’t want to see it back to where we were in April, how overwhelmed we were/are. It’s so damn depressing.

later-on we will have a party at home for the kids do the best we can. I feel bad for them. Halloween and a full moon on a Saturday?!? And covid had to squash the best scenario. Ugh. I know it’s trivial in the big picture, but my kids got short handed three times, where halloween was cancelled. A freak snow storm/blizzard, a tropical storm and now this....

and absolutely regardless of who you are voting for, get out and vote. So so important.

[New Kid In Town]

Hey everyone!

Its been a while! Just want to say hope you are all doing well. This COVID Virus has taken something from all of us and hope you are enjoying time with your family.

Also don't forget to vote! Regardless of Party its important to vote!

Cheers

Hey travelman - good to hear from you !
The Corona Virus is running ramped almost everywhere - especially in the upper Midwest and South. Cases have picked up hear in New Jersey and we have the highest numbers since early May. As of Friday, there were 2,000 positive cases for the 13th straight day. The Governor stated indoor dining and "private settings" with extended family members are mostly to blame. Since March New Jersey has had 236,523 confirmed Corona Virus Cases and 16,339 confirmed deaths. And, we still have the Fall and Winter to get through.

Agree with everyone - please get out and vote ! Think of all the people who fought and were jailed and beaten in their struggle to obtain the right to vote for everyone.

Everyone please stay safe and take care !

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Good to hear from you again, travnlman. Hope all is well with you and your family.

And GA - hope you and hubby are on the road to recovery.

I think everyone is just exhausted by this thing and I echo everyone else's sentiments ...

VOTE!

[Glennsallnighter]

The good news is as none of us displayed any symptoms of the virus since testing we have the all clear and can resume life as normal! Well Normal means lockdown at the moment but the schools are still open so it will be back to work on Monday. Thanks for all the good wishes, we had mild/non-existant doses but I wouldn't underestimate this virus either. It has the power to be much worse and we were lucky with the strain that we got!

[KingWalsh]

Good to hear GA! NKIT, they are saying the same here smaller gatherings and such are spreading.

[UndertheWire]

GA, good to know that you are your husband are well. It's reassuring to hear of people outside the very young who have no symptoms.

We are about to go into another lockdown in England, starting on Thursday, but with schools remaining open and with an end date o 2nd December. In one respect, I'm relieved because I could see the numbers increasing and the government's regional approach didn't seem to be working. This is simpler and clearer and hopefully people will be more careful. It was slightly shocking to learn that my region was expected to run out of critical care beds with a few weeks despite have the lowest number of cases in the country. It seems we also have the lowest level of hospital resources. It was also disturbing to receive the advice that vulnerable groups like the "over-sixties" should take extra care. I'm not used to being in the "old" bracket.

It won't make much difference to me or my husband directly as we've been living in close to lockdown conditions since March. Our sons have been with us since March but have been a bit more adventurous with going out and meeting friends or girlfriend but they seem fine about accepting the new restrictions. AFIK none of us have had the virus and we all tested negative two weeks ago (we were tested as part of a survey). I find myself feeling gloomy at times. I'm all right but I worry about people and businesses that don't have my material advantages. It feels like I should do something other than look after my own health and keep the business running.

Keep safe, everyone.

[Scamp]

I think we're just given up on anything going on for 2020. A friend who works in a hospital said most of their cases are now coming from family gatherings. We're lucky we're not on a lockdown. Still able to get out and walk the dog, use the bike trail along the beach and go to the beach. Most people are a staying apart at the beach and now that it's cooler the crowds ae gone. The bike path stays busy all the time unless it's raining. In our neighborhood we've always seem to have a "one way" dog walking. Everybody seems to go out of their houses to the right for some reason but now it is really good idea so we don't pass each other on the sidewalk Everyone is staying apart when talking, but then we usually did.
Talking to a neighbor the other day and she said she has so many things she could be doing now that she's home but finds herself sitting and thinking "I'm bored, there's nothing to do" She said she now makes a list of things to do the next day and puts in on the fridge.
I haven't been to a store in months, just order everything online. We decided for Christmas the best gift we can give each other is to stay apart and not give each other the virus. Phone calls, face time and zoom are the new normal now.
Hope everyone is staying safe, Cant wait till we can have a live show again. They are saying maybe 2022 now.

[WalshFan88]

GA - Glad to hear you all are cleared. Wonderful news.

Scamp - Absolutely! I think big family gatherings for Thanksgiving and Christmas are such a big mistake. Personally I see nothing wrong with e-gatherings as you will. FaceTime, Google Duo, Google Meet/Hangouts, Skype, Zoom. Pick one and go with it. I think it's far more important to all stay safe. I know for my family every big holiday gathering has a lot of elderly people involved. There's also me, who is just as vulnerable. No way in hell would I want to put loved ones or myself at risk. You will have another Christmas. Probably another prom (jr/sr). Another graduation of some sort (junior high, high school, college, etc) also likely. If it's not, it is not the end of the world. It's far more important to keep your vulnerable loved ones safe. Is it sad, absolutely. To miss one is sad, but is the right thing to do. Follow guidelines and if you want to have a holiday gathering of more than just immediate family (and I mean 3-5 people) like a child and their parents, then absolutely do a online gathering. I would say that maybe do half in person and half virtual. But keep those at risk safe in their homes. I personally think we need a mask mandate coming from the US government. We need to be following Dr. Fauci and the experts.

I personally will have Christmas with my folks, there will be 3 of us in total that are around each other all the time anyway. We will do a virtual gathering with my grandpa and his long time partner on Christmas Eve, and a virtual gathering with my grandma and stepgrandpa on Christmas Day. That's from my mom's side. My dad's parents are no longer living. I think we will probably have prime rib on Eve, ham on Day.

Thanksgiving food choices is still in the works but the plan is to have just me and my parents for Thanksgiving here and everyone else will be doing Thanksgiving by themselves this year at their own houses.

[Scamp]

WalshFan 88
It's best to play it safe. My brother and I are in our 70's. Over the past years my brother has had two go arounds with cancer and a real bad blood infection that caused a heart valve problem. Recovered from all but why push our luck. Plus we're getting too old to do all the dinner cooking and cleaning. Half the time lately we celebrate with his kids on the Eve and just order out for Mexican food and usually some for the next day. Nothing like good chips and salsa for Christmas. LOL Works for us. Everybody gets what they want and clean up is dump the paper plates in the trash so it's easy to gets the kids to do it.
I'm lucky living at the beach so we do a lot of things outside and now the beaches are not crowded so people can get out and walk or ride bikes at the beach while still keeping a distance. If I do go to the store, mask and gloves on before I go in. I use the self serve check out because there is someone right there wiping every thing down after each person uses it. Wish they did that all the time.
Keep safe and have a Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'll watch for you on the board.

[Glennsallnighter]

Thanks for your good wishes everyone. We all returned to work today and my son to school. My daughters University lectures are all online now so she has the house to herself. Quite a number of teachers in my school were missing today due to having to self isolate and student attendance is down also.

[CAinOH]

Facebook decided yesterday I needed to re-follow a bunch of people I'd un-followed a long time ago. I found out from a post from my aunt (yep, I'm "friends" with a bunch of my relatives but don't follow them; hopefully some of you can relate) that my Dad's brother and his wife have been in the ICU because of COVID 19. At the time of her post, my uncle was being transferred out of ICU to a regular bed, but my aunt was still in the ICU. Since I'd sat at the same table with these two people six weeks ago at my nephew's wedding reception, I talked to my brother about it. They'd been diagnosed a week ago, so no threat from the wedding. (Yep, I took a risk going to the wedding, but it was very well done as far as social distancing. Wedding outside, rows far apart. Big round tables for the reception, only a few people at each table. But, if you want to know about my immediate family: At the reception I sat at a table with my aunt and uncle-the ones now in the hospital, my Dad and his wife, and another aunt-Dad's sister and uncle. I was the only one at the table with a mask. And yes, I wore it until we actually started eating.)

Just a short follow-up to this:

My aunt was moved to another hospital. She may have to have surgery as a result of COVID.

My uncle died last night. Never got off the ventilator.

Mask, people. Wear the damn mask!

[FreyFollower]

Oh, no, CA! I am so very sorry! Prayers for your aunt's recovery, and much sympathy and thoughts are with you and your family.

For those who dismiss this virus as a hoax, it doesn't get any more real than this.

[Glennsallnighter]

Oh CA my deepest sympathy to you and your family. This is definitely a real threat and not just a hoax. I dread to see what will happen if people throw caution to the winds for Christmas (and Thanksgiving in the USA) and ignore whatever regulations are set by the Governments.

Again wear your masks, wash your hands and don't call to visit a home unless it is absolutely necessary.

We are into week 3 of lockdown now. Cannot go any further than 5km from home unless it is work or medically necessary. Elderly and vulnerable advised to coccoon indoors and only go for a short walk. Weddings down from 25 in the summer to 10 people max. I hope they get a vaccine out soon.

[groupie2686]

Just a short follow-up to this:

My aunt was moved to another hospital. She may have to have surgery as a result of COVID.

My uncle died last night. Never got off the ventilator.

Mask, people. Wear the damn mask!

Oh my god CA, I'm so sorry to hear that. Thoughts and prayers with you and your family.

[New Kid In Town]

Just a short follow-up to this:

My aunt was moved to another hospital. She may have to have surgery as a result of COVID.

My uncle died last night. Never got off the ventilator.

Mask, people. Wear the damn mask!


Oh CA - I am so sorry to hear this ! Please know my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Also, wishing your Aunt a full recovery.

[WalshFan88]

I'm so sorry CA. I have no words.

People need to quit being selfish and caught up in a political crossfire and do right by their fellow man. Wear your mask people.

[KingWalsh]

Just a short follow-up to this:

My aunt was moved to another hospital. She may have to have surgery as a result of COVID.

My uncle died last night. Never got off the ventilator.

Mask, people. Wear the damn mask!


CA so so sorry to hear. In my thoughts and prayers.

[My My]

Oh so sorry to hear this, CA. You and your family are in my heart at this tragic time. Take care and know that we are all wishing you well.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

CA - I am so sorry. My deepest sympathy to you and your family as well. I know your 'Border' family has you in our thoughts and prayers.

I get so upset when I hear people say that wearing masks violates their rights. People seem to forget one person's rights ends where someone else's begins. That's the way it works in our society. That's why we have a smoking ban in public places.

GA - so glad to hear your family is doing better.

[UndertheWire]

CA, such sad news. Yes, wear the masks. Apart from protecting others, it may reduce the viral load for the wearer,

Scary news about the mutated strain in Danish mink farms.

[sodascouts]

CA, I’m so very sorry for your loss. I’ll be praying for your family, especially your aunt. So awful.

GA, I’m very happy you and your family had milder cases, but I know it still must have been very stressful. I’m so relieved it wasn’t worse!

[UndertheWire]

Finally, some good news. Pfizer say their vaccine offers 90% protection. This sounds much better than expected (the FDA are looking for efficacy of > 50%). They should be ready to seek emergency approval before the end of the month. I know it will be long while before it is generally available, but at least those people or are knowingly exposed each day (such as the doctors and nurses) will have better protection. If you don't trust the US approval system, keep an eye on Germany (the other partner in the development is German).
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/09/health/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-effective/index.html

[Ive always been a dreamer]

That definitely is a reason for some hope, UTW. I'm sure we are all crossing our fingers that this all pans out and maybe we can start to make significant progress in controlling this virus by mid 2021. :pray: :pray: :pray:

[sodascouts]

Some light at the end of the tunnel!

[Glennsallnighter]

Yes that's fantastic news! Ive heard that the Pfizer vaccine is meant to be very safe too

[LuvTim]

Yes, thank goodness! Thanks to all the scientific professionals involved in this work! 💗

[WalshFan88]

Between the claims of Pfizer's 90 percent effectiveness and Moderna's 94.5 percent effectiveness, we have some promise. Also I feel like after the inauguration perhaps we'll have a president who takes it seriously.

Please stay safe everyone. Our hospitals around here are absolutely jam packed and so overstressed. One of our towns/cities nearby just made it to the New York Times top 20 hotspots for COVID, listed at Number 18. Quincy, IL. Luckily we don't go to Quincy often, but Blessing Hospital is supposedly so full of COVID cases it's scary. It's in Adams County. I personally just hope everyone stays safe, including all my loved ones.

[KingWalsh]

It’s bad at my place too, each night I’m in, the numbers have jumped up. It’s so depressing. So afraid I will pass it on to family members. I hope all is safe too. Holidays were always stressful for me and this only makes it exponentially stressful.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Hang in there everyone and stay safe during the holidays. This holiday season is definitely going to suck for me and probably many of you as well. But, I'd rather it be a sucky holiday season than the last holiday season for me or one of my loved ones. Although the immediate future is bleak, I do think we have a glimmer of hope for next year.

Virtual :hug: to all my fellow Borderers.

[UndertheWire]

I hope all you americans find a way to enjoy Thanksgiving safely. But meanwhile, perhaps it's time to start looking forward to gatherings next year.

There's more good news on the vaccine front. I will admit that when I saw the headlines this morning, I was disappointed. After reports of 94.5% and 95% efficacy for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, 70% for the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine wasn't what I was hoping for. It's fairly obvious which one is going to be offered here in the UK and I feel a bit like a second class citizen. However, the positive news about how it is comparatively easy to manufacture and distribute makes me feel better. I'd rather have 70% effective in March than have to wait until late 2021 for 95% and the quicker we are all vaccinated, the quicker we will reach herd immunity. A lot of emphasis is being put on how the low price and less difficult storage requirements mean that it will be easier for developing countries to use.

I offer my thanks to the scientists who have been working so hard to get us out of the current situation.

[Glennsallnighter]

Hang in there everyone and stay safe during the holidays. This holiday season is definitely going to suck for me and probably many of you as well. But, I'd rather it be a sucky holiday season than the last holiday season for me or one of my loved ones. Although the immediate future is bleak, I do think we have a glimmer of hope for next year.

Virtual :hug: to all my fellow Borderers.

I still hope you managed to celebrate in some way Dreamer. To be honest I am surprised to have seen on social media how many Americans travelled far and near and seemed to be oblivious to the safety advice. I hope your numbers don't go too high before Christmas. Hope fully next year will be better and our in person social gatherings can resume. In the meantime stay safe.

[WalshFan88]

Our state is still not doing well and in particular our neighboring counties are really struggling. I see no end in sight until we have a working safe vaccine. Clearly people have shown they'd rather whine about freedom and hoaxes then do the right thing. So I'm just hoping those vaccines get here sooner rather than later and I will be first in line (or at least willing to be). I'm not going to have my life jeopardized by a bunch of dyed in the wool rednecks I unfortunately live around who spend too much time listening to themselves, QAnon, and the POTUS and not enough listening to the experts and caring about their fellow man.

I'm hopeful that after January 20th things will start to turn around and we will have an administration who takes this as seriously as it is. And hopefully our governor can do something about the cops who refuse to make the businesses and restaurants around here abide by the no-dine in rule and mask enforcement. Unfortunately they are apparently too hurt by the idea of a Biden win and the fact they won't have a president who supports systemic racism anymore and they are on Trump's side so they will not do their jobs and enforce the rules set forth by our great governor Pritzker. I'm sure it's just worse around here because of the location and the fact we are surrounded by so called good old boys and Barney Fife's and while systemic racism happens in big cities, it's especially prevalent in the country area we happen to live in. I have nothing against the country life, it's all I've known. But I'm not going to gloss over the bigots, racists, and backwards thinking individuals that are a part of said community. They sure seem to outnumber the good ones.

When Biden says he will tell everyone to wear masks for the first 100 days, I'm all on board with that. But I think we need to find a way to make our police enforce the stay at home/no dining in/mask requirements laid out by our governor and not just in Illinois but across the country. As I've said, I'm also on board with a 3 strikes you're out rule. First, a warning. Second, a fine. Third, time in the jail. Every offense after that is more and more jail time until they either learn to love their masks or learn to love their jail cell. It doesn't help that we are surrounded by vaccine conspiracy theorists and people who thinks a mask equals a muzzle. Come on, I know they aren't Harvard graduates but for the love of god figure out they are not the same! I think they DO know they aren't, but will still say so due to a political movement.

Please stay safe Border friends. I have a feeling December and January are going to be really rough. Wintertime is the worst for respiratory function anyway, and it will just be compounded by COVID and pneumonia. I am hunkering down and am still doing the "only get out for doctor appointments or hospital visits" routine. I had to have a surgical procedure on my ears a couple weeks ago and had to have a short general anesthestic but it was outpatient. I made it in and out without getting COVID. I was impressed by the hospital's handling of surgical patients and you went straight to the back and not a waiting room.

[EaglesFanatic]

BIG amen to that, Austin! Good idea to hunker down whenever possible, I'm doing the same. I'm feeling very hopeful about the vaccine and some proactive shifts in administration to get this thing under control. I got sick with it, presumably from work, back in April and I'm still getting fever spikes, horrid lingering effects on my asthma, and fatigue. One of those "long-haulers..." Be safe everyone, and take good care! :heart:

[sodascouts]

I just got tested for covid. Results negative. Hooray!

[LuvTim]

I just got tested for covid. Results negative. Hooray!

Great news, Soda!💗

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Great news, Soda.

And EF - sorry you are still experiencing symptoms from COVID after all of this time.

Now, my niece has tested positive. Apparently, her two young boys attended an event with another family member and were infected there. The two boys are asymptomatic, but still passed it on to her. She has been pretty sick, but, hopefully, will recover soon.

[New Kid In Town]

Great news, Soda.

And EF - sorry you are still experiencing symptoms from COVID after all of this time.

Now, my niece has tested positive. Apparently, her two young boys attended an event with another family member and were infected there. The two boys are asymptomatic, but still passed it on to her. She has been pretty sick, but, hopefully, will recover soon.

Oh No Dreamer ! I am so sorry to hear about your niece. Sending best wishes for her full recovery.

Great news Soda !

One of my sisters and I had a long talk about what to do for the Christmas holidays. She and two others sisters(and their families) live out of state. I have two others sisters who live here in NJ. She thinks we here in NJ should not travel to be with each other for Christmas because of the terrible serge in cases. I live alone so I don't want to spend Christmas alone. Obviously, I don't want to put myself or family members in danger. We have some big decisions to make in the coming weeks.........
Stay safe my Border friends ! Wear a mask.

[WalshFan88]

Wonderful news Soda!

So sorry to hear about your niece Dreamer. The long-term effects of COVID are very real as is a "late" reaction and you can become sick again and have pneumonia months down the road. Not to mention the blood clotting risk and others.

I'd wager to bet that COVID-19 is now the worst communicable respiratory virus, and probably 2nd worst communicable virus only beneath Ebola, especially in recent time (the last decade or two). It is NOT Influenza (Flu) or a cold (rhinovirus) or a Norovirus (what people call stomach flu but shares nothing with influenza). There are BSL-4 viruses that are worse, the only relevant one in that category being Ebola. God forbid we ever get that over here en masse. This virus is called novel because it's truly unlike anything we've seen. It has vague similarities to SARS from years past, but has far more components and pieces and is far more dangerous and more severe when you do get it. It's clinical name is either SARS-CoV-2 or Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19 or COVID for short). It's nothing like any other coronavirus in years past and I kind of have to think they should have given it a different name.