COVID-19

[JohnRoberts]

The issue is the typical surgical mask does not stop the virus,  as the particles are too small and pass through. But it's can mitigate things in the case of someone sneezing,  as a certain percentage could get trapped.

I'm pretty sure the dust masks that Walmart had proudly displayed in their pharmacy last week were a bad joke (only $9.99).

JR

 

[Whoops]

If well used a surgical mask is better than not using one of course,  the problem with the surgical mask is the air travels around it.

A better mask is the Respirator N95, it has to be well Fit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4nRCmlk610

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikrpLxt5oCA


As I said before if well used is better to use a mask than not to wear one, the only reason medical agencies advise against it's use it's because if everyone bought masks at the same time it would lead to a shortage of stock for the people that most need them, the Medical department at Hospitals, what in reality happened anyway.

 

[dogears]

Man this got kind of nuts. I feel like a ton of stuff happened all at once.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Man this got kind of nuts. I feel like a ton of stuff happened all at once.

be calm...

This too will pass...

Media profits from making this seem worse than it is...

Lots of anecdotal BS flying around.

JR

 

[dogears]

I’m not un-calm. Quite well prepared here, we just did our hurricane kit early this year.  I’ve been watching this pretty closely since Jan. Just feels a lot like Hurricane Harvey did. A little surreal.

 

[CJ]

Wuhan is Home to Lab Studying World’s Latest Pathogens
In January 2018, China’s first maximum security virology laboratory (biosecurity level 4) designed for the study of the world’s most dangerous pathogens opened its doors — in Wuhan.41,42 Is it pure coincidence that Wuhan City is now the epicenter of this novel coronavirus infection?

The year before, Tim Trevan, a Maryland biosafety consultant, expressed concern about viral threats potentially escaping the Wuhan National Biosafety Laboratory,43 which happens to be located just 20 miles from the Wuhan market identified as ground zero for the current NCIP outbreak.44 As reported by the Daily Mail:45

“The Wuhan lab is also equipped for animal research,” and “Regulations for animal research — especially that conducted on primates — are much looser in China than in the U.S. and other Western countries … But that was also cause for concern for Trevan.


Coronavirus Outbreak Simulation Took Place in October 2019

Equally curious is the fact that Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sponsored a novel coronavirus pandemic preparedness exercise October 18, 2019, in New York called “Event 201.“46 The simulation predicted a global death toll of 65 million people within a span of 18 months.47 As reported by Forbes December 12, 2019:48

“The experts ran through a carefully designed, detailed simulation of a new (fictional) viral illness called CAPS or coronavirus acute pulmonary syndrome. This was modeled after previous epidemics like SARS and MERS.”

Sounds exactly like NCIP, doesn’t it? Yet the new coronavirus responsible for NCIP had not yet been identified at the time of the simulation, and the first case wasn’t reported until two months later.

 

[boji]

From what I've read,  masks can help stop infected people from transmitting the disease.  But don't do much to prevent people from getting infected.  For that you need a proper respirator.

Yeah it's been annoying to listen to all the advice on masks. 

Here's a simple way to know gloves and masks are not useful:  Surgeons, nurses, doctors of any specialization; we never see them using them in hospitals.  ;D

Joking aside,  covid passes through a cotton knit mask like a golf ball passing through a chain link fence.
Painter's masks are better, but good luck finding em'!

 

[gyraf]

Denmark has just been shut down for the coming two weeks plus - there's someone taking this thing very, very serious now..

/Jakob E.

 

[kambo]

Painter's masks are better, but good luck finding em'!

if ur EYEs are not protected, painters mask is not better either!
u need full sheet of plastic covering ur whole face before the mask!
if u have plastic sheet covering ur whole face, then medical mask does the job!
this is not airborne virus!

simple mask is better than none! u dont know if u have the virus or not do you .... yet!
if u have it, at least u wont spread it that much!

 

[dmp]

About masks (based on  woodworking / home improvement):

N95 means 95% effective on particles - better to use N100, which filter 100% (usually labeled for lead remediation etc), but they only filter down to a certain size.

You can test a mask by putting it on and checking if you can smell something, i.e. sand a little piece of cedar or something.  Nurses do this exercise in school with respirators with come kind of oil scent.  A mask is not doing anything if you can smell something that is above the particle filter size!
To improve the seal, put petroleum jelly around the mask. If you have a beard, you need to do this to create a seal (or shave the beard)

Not trying to increase the hysteria here, just providing a little more info.

Hopefully this blows over without it getting much worse - - but when it does, having a 'disaster' kit at your house is a cheap, worthwhile insurance item.  Masks, water, food, etc..  everything necessary for a few days (at least) !

 

[living sounds]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/mar/12/coronavirus-most-infections-spread-by-people-yet-to-show-symptoms-scientists

 

[dogears]

this is not airborne virus!

Lots of different information out there. If it is like Influenza A it probably depends on which stage. Influenza is aerosolized early on, and then spreads mostly by droplets later. Low amount from contact because it isn't very robust. This is likely similar. Lots of anecdotal evidence that docs in Wuhan who were practicing droplet PPE were getting sick. Could be improper use of PPE, could be aerosol, or a combination of both. I posted a study from Germany showing it may be aerosolized early on.

Here are some excerpts from an article in the WSJ today about testing.

• Some hospital are getting kits so they can do results in hours
• Others sending specimens to commercial labs for analysis for 3-4 day results
• Each state / county / healthcare provider has its own policy who will receive a test. Some limiting it to those at severe risk only
• "Do you only test high-risk patients? Do you test moderate-risk patients with asthma? This is a real public-health dilemma, when you have to ration testing" - chief medical officer of a telemedicine company
• Oregon only had enough material to test 65 people on Monday. Tuesday they got more stuff to do 4800 more test. They're limiting tests based on "certain criteria, such as being hospitalized."
• RNA extraction materials and other components are having supply constraints, production of testing gear are plants in Germany, Spain, and Maryland
• Physicans on front line asking how to get access to kits.
• Patients struggling to know where to go to get samples taken, because commercial labs aren't letting them go to centers, and local practices are saying they don't have enough PPE for staff members to take samples.
• CDC kits only got fixed last week, Public health labs only got them "in recent days"
• Some hospitals and academic test centers are just doing their own testing, developing their own. Until they have more capacity, limiting their testing to those at highest risk AND who have had close contact with an infected person.
• Many commercial labs coming online with 1000+ per day capacity, but are using couriers to collect specimens.
• BioReference test will cost $55
• "Given the limits on testing" not everyone should be tested

Total clown show.

 

[Whoops]

Surgeons, nurses, doctors of any specialization; we never see them using them in hospitals.  ;D

All use them.
As I said before the only reason why masks are not being recommend to everyone is exactly because then there would be not stock for Nurses, Doctors and Hospital employees.

Yes masks are of course useful, and offer some level of protection.
Some masks offer more protection than others, some procedures with masks offer more protection than others also.

 

[cyrano]

Please share your reference for that...

https://thecity.nyc/2020/03/the-cost-of-not-getting-tested-for-coronavirus-a-10k-bill.html

This is not like 1917 when the Spanish  flu infected tens of millions worldwide.

It's almost exactly the same scenario. Differences are WWI and the resulting secrecy, one century of science progress and, hey, it's a virus. No two viruses are alike. One can be mundane and the next mutation deadly.

On a related note: passing all info through your secondant seems like a very unwise thing to do atm. We need all info.

Remember SARS? It only killed a few hundred worldwide. Yet it was in the news for weeks. The flu kills many more, each year. Again and again. Not newsworthy.

The Very Big Vector is obviously people who don't show symptoms but are infectious.

This might become the World Wide Shutdown. And that would show how bad we are polluting this planet of ours...

 

[dogears]

May become important in the next few days.

 

[hodad]

The governor of Georgia held a press conference today.  From what little I heard, he didn't embarrass himself too badly (aside from talking about what a great job Trump is doing).  One little detail:  the state (approx 10 million people) is currently capable of doing 50 COVID tests a day, and hopes to ramp that up to 100 a day soon. 

In a state with 10 million people. 

 

[Whoops]

DIY Face masks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuEBexkm2V0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS7Ta_M_-58

 

[JohnRoberts]

https://thecity.nyc/2020/03/the-cost-of-not-getting-tested-for-coronavirus-a-10k-bill.html

sounds like she was actually billed $75... Hospital bills to insurance are crazy inflated and even they don't pay that much.

It's almost exactly the same scenario. Differences are WWI and the resulting secrecy, one century of science progress and, hey, it's a virus. No two viruses are alike. One can be mundane and the next mutation deadly.

I do not believe public health is exactly the same as a century ago...  While they dropped the ball in getting workable test kits out quick enough...  Now as I predicted, after the test kits get used, there are arm waving news reports about increased number of cases. The number of cases did not increase that fast, just the number of test confirmations due to increased test availability.

On a related note: passing all info through your secondant seems like a very unwise thing to do atm. We need all info.

"second" (?)... this is not a duel, and the flow of information is from experts and agency heads.

Remember SARS? It only killed a few hundred worldwide. Yet it was in the news for weeks. The flu kills many more, each year. Again and again. Not newsworthy.

yup... Fear of the unknown is always scarier.

The Very Big Vector is obviously people who don't show symptoms but are infectious.

An NBA basketball player is in a video shown touching every microphone in a press room, days before he tested positive for covid-19.  He had tested negative for other respiratory diseases and was already recovering but they tested him for COVID19 because they could... since then another player on his team has tested positive so it is apparently pretty contagious, but not very life threatening to young healthy people.

This might become the World Wide Shutdown. And that would show how bad we are polluting this planet of ours...

huh?

Expect more shut downs of large public gatherings... there will be an economic impact and maybe a reboot of video conferencing and tele-doctoring. 

Schools that are shutting down may just need to bite the bullet convert completely to web lectures and web course work. They probably resist because it will upset and reduce their very profitable current business plan.

JR

 

[john12ax7]

Does anyone know what happens if you get the virus but then recover from it? Do you get sick again with new exposure? If you recover,  are you then still a carrier that can infect other people?

 

[dogears]

Does anyone know what happens if you get the virus but then recover from it? Do you get sick again with new exposure? If you recover,  are you then still a carrier that can infect other people?

It is exceedingly unlikely you will get reinfected. Lots of rumors floating around that are unsubstantiated that people are getting reinfected. This would be an astonishing thing. Don’t buy it.

You are another carrier as long as you are shedding viruses. That can happen for a bit of time after you’re no longer symptomatic. They’re saying 12-17 days from first symptoms. That’s why they usually say don’t return to work until 24 hrs of no fever when you have the flu.

Once you’re over and done you are no longer a vector for the disease. Yay! Now you’re part of herd immunity.