Week of Mar 21: COVID-19 info, facts & updates

[KarentheUnicorn]

Behold Virginia's you can go to work list:

What stays open
Essential retail businesses can stay open. They include:

Grocery stores, pharmacies and other retailers that sell food and beverage products or pharmacy products, including dollar stores, and department stores with grocery or pharmacy operations;
Medical, laboratory and vision supply retailers;
Electronic retailers that sell or service cellphones, computers, tablets and other communications technology;
Automotive parts, accessories and tire retailers, as well as automotive repair facilities;
Home improvement, hardware, building material and building supply retailers;
Lawn and garden equipment retailers;
Beer, wine and liquor stores;
Retail functions of gas stations and convenience stores;
Retail located within health care facilities;
Banks and other financial institutions with retail functions;
Pet and feed stores;
Printing and office supply stores; and
Laundromats and dry cleaners.


Apparently, I'm essential.

[Taffeta]

In terms of age range and impact - among the people who passed away in the UK with a positive test, ages go between 18 and 105.

Some of those people including a 21 year old woman did not have underlying known conditions.

Everyone needs to follow the guidance and stay safe, young and old. But I emphasise even in risk categories most people who get the right support if needed still beat it. So it isn't reason for panic either.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

Holy guacamole we are at over 1000 cases in PA. Wasn't it just at 400 last I posted or something?
More than 10% of these cases needed hospitalization. Something something numbers not accurate but it is a spooky statistic even with that consideration. I have found something that gives numbers on ICU beds available and it says 40% are avaliable but the number is quickly changing.

[Gator]

Karentheunicorn, yes, most are in Atlanta.  My brother is in the Metro area, his county has over 100 cases.  I'm between Atlanta and Athens, and my county has one case.  Athens in neighboring county has 15.  I feel like being between to big cities, it will eventually spread to fill in and I'll be trapped in the midst of it all.

I told my brother we may not see one another for months.  He said I'm being crazy.  I said I'm being serious, this is scary.  If this goes like Italy here in regards to number of deaths, we may not ever see one another again.  I'm worried with my health issues what would happen if I get this.

[banditpony]

Holy guacamole we are at over 1000 cases in PA. Wasn't it just at 400 last I posted or something?
More than 10% of these cases needed hospitalization. Something something numbers not accurate but it is a spooky statistic even with that consideration. I have found something that gives numbers on ICU beds available and it says 40% are avaliable but the number is quickly changing.

Kinda crazy how the exponential curve is, huh... u_u;

My dad asked me if he thought he could go out to get something silly. He actually was serious instead of teasing me. And I told him no, and reminded him how these numbers are lagged by 2 weeks AND are hardly representational.


Oh! I forgot to add.
There might of been a traceback to my county's first confirmed case. Some manager of a mc donalds got sick in late January after coming home from a cruise. And 2 others got sick. And the confirmed case was a neighbor of one of the employees and they had contact with each other.

[KarentheUnicorn]

Personally I seesaw between thinking everyone has lost their mind, and then thinking yea good idea government, lock them all up at home. My brain has too many dualities in it.

However, I have yet to panic or hoard toilet paper, but then I have to buy for 2 locations, business and home so I'm generally buying in bulk for certain things anyway.

[Pokeyonekenobie]

The mayor of Logan City just announced that we have a 4th case in Cache County, Utah.  All four were contracted by traveling.  Still just the one death statewide as far I know.  We've all been told to do social distancing and I think most people are following that.  So far nobody's been forced to close, I think the locations that have closed around here have done so voluntarily as a precaution.  Food service has gone to drive-through/pick-up/delivery only, but I think that was a statewide mandate and as far as I've seen, it's been complied with.

[Beth3346]

Well if this is true its good news.

"Preliminary data from MIT researchers indicate the new coronavirus is not spreading as efficiently in warmer, more humid regions of the world."
https://www.kxan.com/weather/weather-blog/why-friday-could-be-coronavirus-spread-turning-point-in-austin/

But what does that mean for the Fall and Winter? In the 1918 flu epidemic the virus went away during the summer and came back with a vengeance in the fall. At least it could buy us some time to prepare.  I'm really just looking for a ray of hope here.

[brightberry]

Well if this is true its good news.

"Preliminary data from MIT researchers indicate the new coronavirus is not spreading as efficiently in warmer, more humid regions of the world."
https://www.kxan.com/weather/weather-blog/why-friday-could-be-coronavirus-spread-turning-point-in-austin/

But what does that mean for the Fall and Winter? In the 1918 flu epidemic the virus went away during the summer and came back with a vengeance in the fall. At least it could buy us some time to prepare.  I'm really just looking for a ray of hope here.

I really hope that's true.  I'm tired of running low on supplies and making do.

[banditpony]

Well if this is true its good news.

"Preliminary data from MIT researchers indicate the new coronavirus is not spreading as efficiently in warmer, more humid regions of the world."
https://www.kxan.com/weather/weather-blog/why-friday-could-be-coronavirus-spread-turning-point-in-austin/

But what does that mean for the Fall and Winter? In the 1918 flu epidemic the virus went away during the summer and came back with a vengeance in the fall. At least it could buy us some time to prepare.  I'm really just looking for a ray of hope here.

Isn't florida pretty warm.. and humid?

I'd take it with a grain of salt. Keep doing the social distancing, that's what's needed.

[Taffeta]

I wonder about this simply based on the UK vs other European countries. We had our first case as early as some of those places, but it's not spread as fast until now. Remember we didn't close our borders (and still haven't).

We have a cooler climate than most of them (Esp Italy, Spain).

It's spreading worst here in London/SE (logical given the density of population), and Hampshire, also southerly and warmer at this time of year.

That's not to say it isn't spreading in Scotland or the North either, though, or here in the Midlands.

I wonder also about humidity as a factor in this, rather than temperature. I haven't seen anyone really looking into that.

There's also the matter of spread in SE Asia. It's not cold there and humidity is high.

It's all guesswork, but our science people have been cautiously warning against assumptions re-temperature because of the wide scope of the outbreak across countries.

[BlackCurtains]

We've been above average temperature wise but it's very dry, no humidity.

Nearly 2000 cases today, over 100 tourists and 23 deaths.

[Ponyfan]

5 more cases today brining the total to 19.

I have to vent a little. Before all of the restrictions my family usually took an elderly neighbor out with us to go walk or to the store if she needed something. Since the restrictions were put in place we have only been going out when necessary. The neighbor called today and said she went out shopping with her cousin and listed several places they went. I was shocked that they don’t seem to care about possibly catching the virus.

Ponyfan

[Beth3346]

Well if this is true its good news.

"Preliminary data from MIT researchers indicate the new coronavirus is not spreading as efficiently in warmer, more humid regions of the world."
https://www.kxan.com/weather/weather-blog/why-friday-could-be-coronavirus-spread-turning-point-in-austin/

But what does that mean for the Fall and Winter? In the 1918 flu epidemic the virus went away during the summer and came back with a vengeance in the fall. At least it could buy us some time to prepare.  I'm really just looking for a ray of hope here.

Isn't florida pretty warm.. and humid?

I'd take it with a grain of salt. Keep doing the social distancing, that's what's needed.

Yeah and so is Spain. I'm just looking for some hope.  I feel like even if it dies down in the summer we'll just get complacent and it will be terrible in the fall.

"Fauci sees signs of the virus becoming cyclical, like the flu."
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/world/coronavirus-news-live.html#link-67e197dc

I feel like I'll be social distancing for a long time. I don't think i'll feel better about going out to a busy store or restaurant for a long time. I think this virus was around in a lot of countries before we started seeing official cases. This article interviews a doctor in Italy who says they were seeing bad cases of pneumonia in November and December. There's really no way to know for sure without tests.
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/19/817974987/every-single-individual-must-stay-home-italy-s-coronavirus-deaths-pass-china-s

Until we have a lot of testing I don't think we have a chance.

[lonewolf]

Amazon warehouse workers in 8 places have tested positive:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amazon-warehouses-coronavirus_n_5e7b030ac5b6d01bd1545e9e?fbclid=IwAR3bFr3KFwkgZnsnnG8kje1bpoURgrmw0hzqVpToLoPwpPraBoJ9JiZJ-bM

Makes me wonder if I should spray bleach on the 2 packages i'll be getting from them soon.