A Conversation for Ask h2g2

What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 81

Bald Bloke

And being young and apparently fit is no guarentee that you will get through OK
A 13 year old died over here.smiley - sadface
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52114476


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 82

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

he Mayor of Boston wants residents to wear face coverings and observe a curfew.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 83

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Also, some researchers are zeroing in on the idea that you are ore likely to get a severe case when you get exposed to a lot of the virus at one time. The body may be able to fend off a very small amount.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 84

Still Incognitas, Still Chairthingy, Still lurking, Still invisible, unnoticeable, missable, unseen, just haunting h2g2

I'm not sure that anyone knows everything about this virus yet..it's early days and it's going to take time before the facts are really clear.Scientists are running to keep up..

smiley - tea


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 85

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

All of us are hurrying as fast a we can. smiley - puff The rules change at least once a day, usually in strict disregard for what the rules were the day before. A leading government agency advised people not to bother with masks, as they weren't very effective. Then one day they urged everyone to wear one, as has the Mayor of Boston.

This can get wearying, and it ramps up the sense of panic.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 86

Baron Grim

And President Big Brain announced the new CDC recommendation for citizens to wear cloth masks by saying, "So, with the masks, it's going to be, really, a voluntary thing. You can do it. You don't have to do it. I'm choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it, and that's OK. It may be good, probably will. It's only a recommendation, it’s voluntary."...

smiley - facepalm

BTW... if you do decide to wear a home made mask, note that most cotton materials won't filter microbes. One material that's readily available that does a good job of filtering is the blue disposable shop towels. When doubled up they do filter very small particles.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 87

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Blue disposable shop towels?

Scott Shop Towels? Too many people thought of that, and Home depot is all out of them.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Scott-Shop-Towels-3-Rolls-Pack-75143/202519693

Besides, I have a stuffed up nose from the local pollen, so I may have to not cover my nose if I want to breathe at all.

Anything that will work well has already been bid out of availability by other people. That's why second- or third-tier choices need to be on the table as well.

If the exerts suggest that you cut up strips of bedsheets, those will be bought out at the few stores that are still allowed to be open, or you can go nline and wait a month for backorders.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 88

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Here's a different way to look at mortality figures:

http://www.bandolier.org.uk/booth/Risk/dyingage.html

If you're a man who is over 85, you have a 1 in 6 chance of dying in the next year. For a woman of that age, it's 1 in 7. So, somewhere between 15 and 18% of your cohort will die. That doesn't sound greatly different from 18%, which is the mortality from Covid-19

Youmnger ag groups:

75-84
1 in 15 if male, or 1 in 21 if female


65-74
1 in 42 or 1 in 65


The mortality categories for Covid-19 don't line up perfectly with
these figures. Only in the case of the 85+ group is in sync.

Just food for thought.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 89

Orcus

You know, the scientists are experts, nobody understands the limitations of what we know about this than them. What you are most likely reading, unless you go into the academic journals, is what some (most likely) scientifically illiterate journalist has written about what 'they' have said.

This is a virus only detected about three months ago, we are learning about this disease on the fly.

I'm all for positives. But a sobering reminder of why we should not underestimate this virus is now lying in intensive care in St Thomas's hospital in London. You may have heard of him, Boris Johnson.

If you are over 70 it is just a hard fact that your immune system is of lower quality than it was in your youth and almost everyone by that age has some 'underlying condition' whether they know or not. You don't have good odds if you get it and you are above 70. Yes 4 out of 5 will survive. Would you play Russian roulette with a 5 barrelled pistol with only one bullet in it?


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 90

Orcus

Those mortality figures are not instead of Covid-19 - they will still happen - Covid-19 is on top.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 91

Teasswill

And without the lockdown, mortality would be higher because of a lack of ability to treat so many affected.
There will also be a knock on effect from the other serious conditions they are currently unable to treat (cancer ops cancelled for instance).

Mortality in 'normal' conditions is a very different matter.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 92

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

I'm 71, so I have to be very cautious.

Part of the deal with modern medicine is that, when the medical apparatus is not stretched past bursting, some people who would otherwise have died pull through. Without that safety net, everyday mortality would likely be higher, but we don't know by how much. smiley - smiley

I presume that it's the medical experts who have been pointing out how often people are dying from "underlying conditions." It's part of the scientific method to explore how much above the normal results a medicine o treatment improve outcomes. That's why they use placebos.

I agree that journalists often know too little about medicine. Figuring out whether a piece if info has come from a journalist or a scientist is sometimes not that easy. smiley - sadface


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 93

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

The Major league baseball season may be salvaged after all -- as long as all thirty teams are playing in Arizona, in parks without fans. The people who aren't playing at the time will sit in the bleachers, observing social distancing. these games would have to be televised, of course, and the millions of workers who sell tickets and provide food and beverages would not be able to do that for the fans.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29004498/mlb-union-focused-plan-allow-season-start-early-arizona

The season would normally start in late March, but under this plan it would start in early May,. with as many double-headers as possible so as to get in the required number of games for a full season. There would be little or no traveling to games, as everyone would live in isolation in nearby hotels, etc.

I expect that home viewers would welcome it, given that there are probably no other options.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 94

Baron Grim

I want to know why a quarter of the local newscast and a full, separate section of my newspaper is still dedicated to sprots!?

smiley - facepalm


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 95

Bald Bloke

Because they haven't worked out how to fill the time between adverts otherwise...


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 96

Maria



I would like to share with you what most people are doing here and what I do when I go out shopping.

The WHO has said that they are amazed at the hard and effective job health workers are doing here in Spain.
The figures in general show that the lockdown is being effective .
There´s not activity except the very essentials ones: Health, safety, cleaning, food… few more.

We can only go to:

:: buy food and medicines , for you and your pets
:: walk out your dog.
:: Get out if you have a member of your family with autism or with a diagnosed mental condition.

-If you belong to the essential group of workers, you need a permit to show the pólice.
So, we all are staying at home.
Those who move without reason are being fined.
Police is on the road, all day and night to prevent anyone who wants to scape to second residences or just to strecht their legs more than it is allowed.

- When you go out you have to wear mask and gloves and observe the distance. At the supermarket , an employee would come to remind you that. Also , before entering, they make you put that solution with alcohol on your gloved hands.

When I get home, I do shopping once a week or 10 days, I Wash my hands.
- I go to the zero área, clean my shoes soles and put my slippers. Take off part of the coats . Those clothes will go to the washing machine
Wash hands again.
I clean with alcohol every ítem I´ve bought.
When I go shopping I take with me a small bottle with a solution I´ve made with soap and alcohol. I clean the trolley, handles…. It seems exagerated, but it helps me to be less stressed.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 97

Bald Bloke

Interesting how the rules are so different between countries, almost as if they are all making it up as they go.
Even the WHO seems to have changed it's mind about how useful masks are to healthy people.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/07/no-need-for-healthy-to-wear-face-masks-says-who-after-review
I wonder if this is in response to the general shortage of masks worldwide.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 98

Maria


Yes, a lot of improvisation, which can be understood. However the delay based of herd inmunity and the like ... it is a crime.

I guess that to stop the whole machine of business is a big toad to swallow for those whose main interest is profits. Probably the hesitations come from that reason.


Many people are making masks here. Textile factories which would be making sofas, courtains... are doing them. Also a legion of volunteers are doing them at their homes.

I Reuse mine and tomorrow I´ll make one following one of the many tutorials you can find now in the web,

It´s true that not all masks work, but you can manage to make a useful one at home.

I think that we all should behave as if we were infected. The drastic the measures the sooner we will get from this.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 99

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Thank you, Maria. Well done! smiley - applause. If that's how you reduce the stress, I might want to try some of it, 'cause I am stressed.

I wear an improvised face covering that is a strip from a cotton sheet. Every day I cut off a new strip[ form that same sheet and wear it. At the end of the day, I put it in the laundry hamper. We're allowed to bring our laundry to the laundromat, but we have to wait in our cars while the washing is being done. I ordered five masks, but they won't arrive before May 1.

I would have cut back on the walking I do, were it not that my doctor still wants me to do at least 45 minutes of it every day.

I've put pots of pansies in three spots in the trailer park. I water them daily.


What's the latest information about Covid-19?

Post 100

Bald Bloke

>Yes, a lot of improvisation, which can be understood. However the delay based of herd inmunity and the like ... it is a crime.

I guess that to stop the whole machine of business is a big toad to swallow for those whose main interest is profits. Probably the hesitations come from that reason.<

That was certainly behind the UK govts behavior, plus they assumed it wouldn't be a big problem like we got away with SARS etc. (we were Just lucky) and they would gain commercial advantage by not stopping the economy.

Add to that the right wing loonies in the current government who belived in the Herd immunity theory even though they were told it would take several years to build up and cost a lot of lives.
Not to mention, the even bigger nutters who belive in Eugenics and thought this virus would only affect the old and weak.

As a result thay failed to put testing in place and failed to control international travellers until it was far too late to keep the spread down.

Now we face several months or possibly years of restrictions and economic turmoil wilst other countries ,Who learnt from SARS etc, will be getting back on their feet ahead of us.

I don't wear a mask if I'm out walking in the street but if I'm going to have to be closer to people for a longer time I'll use one.




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