Coffee anyone ?

[Baymule]

Good morning coffee is ready. Today I’m canning chicken backs, necks, skin, wing tips, hearts, gizzards and livers for the dogs. We mix it with their kibble and they slurp up every bite.

 

[promiseacres]

Thanks Baymule.
Speech then I guess we'll head to the farm.
People are saying indiana is headed towards another lock down.... now that the elections are done... so very tired of the government trying to control a virus by controlling people.

 

[Baymule]

The virus is bad, that’s a fact. When BJ was in the hospital with his hip replacement surgery, a nurse said the truth is that most of the deaths attributed to Covid were because of other health problems that Covid finished off. She said EVERY patient in our county that died of Covid was not just overweight, but grossly overweight. Add that to their already health problems and you have a storm.

Now there are medications that work. Friends of ours have Covid right now. They were treated at the Emergency clinic with a cocktail of drugs and are kicking it. Sick? Oh sure. Feel bad? Yup. Coughing? Until their chest hurts. But they are not dying and they will get over this.

Covid is the best reason I can think of to stay home, avoid crowds, take your vitamins, eat healthy and try to stay as healthy as you can.

We are in for a hard winter. I don’t know that shut downs help, shut downs just hurt everybody. At the same time, people are stupid and gather in large numbers like there is no danger. People have to work to keep the bills paid, but please don’t be careless. I feel for the workers that are in the public and people not wearing mask breathing on them. I may get bashed for this, but wearing a mask helps to keep Covid from spreading. For me to wear a mask is a small thing if it keeps someone else from getting sick. Open the country, wear masks and stop acting stupid. I’d better shut up now.

 

[promiseacres]

I'm not saying it's not real. I just don't think it's controllable with shut downs, or even masks (90% of the masks are not worn correctly nor are "virus" proof) I believe we've a set time to die and we can't change that. So we should be able to go about our life as best we know. The people who don't follow the guidelines won't even with a shut down and our police need to be taking care of other things. At this point I think most people have been at least exposed. But what else is real to me is the deep depression I get....and got last spring... I don't know how to get through that. I need to be able to meet with our co op friends and church.... and I can't imagine what the elderly are going through being locked away from their families. I hate this attitude of being forced to avoid/distrust any and everyone. sorry my anxiety isn't doing well today.

 

[Bunnylady]

so very tired of the government trying to control a virus by controlling people.

The problem is, people have been told what helps to control the virus, but they refuse to do it. It's not like there is some other vector in play here, you catch Covid-19 from other people. And because it's not always obvious who has it, your best bet is to assume that everyone else is potentially contagious, and avoid as much contact as possible. Wear a mask, wash your hands, keep your distance - why is this so hard?

people are stupid and gather in large numbers like there is no danger.

*cough*Mr. President?*cough*

Charlotte, NC has had a "superspreader" event at a church that held their traditional "homecoming" event in mid-October. So far, there have been over 180 confirmed cases, and 5 deaths, directly connected to the event. The church has been ordered not to hold in-person services for at least two weeks to let the location and its membership (many of whom refused to get tested) cool down.

You could compare catching Covid-19 to playing Russian Roulette. It could be said that some people are playing with more than one round in the weapon (those with underlying health conditions) but nobody can say to an absolute certainty that they are playing with an unloaded gun. A lot of young and healthy people have very light cases, or no symptoms at all, but there have been just enough cases of young, healthy people dying to indicate that everyone needs to take this thing seriously. Just recently, a 19-year-old student at Appalachian State died, not directly of Covid-19, but of the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome that occasionally strikes children (and has recently been identified in adults, too) following a bout with SARS-CoV-2. Nothing about that kid's health or habits would have caused anyone to put him in an "at risk" group.

my anxiety isn't doing well today.

I am a natural-born introvert. People exhaust me, but I need them to keep me on an even keel - the deep, dark places my mind wanders to when left on its own too long terrify me.

So I hear you. The stress of this whole situation is something I have thought about a lot. How do you calculate the costs of something like this in everyday wear-and-tear on people's nerves, even the ones who stay healthy and employed? I recently read an article that said that, in spite of a 16% reduction in traffic during the last 6 months, there has been an almost 10% increase in fatal accidents here in North Carolina. There's less alcohol involved, but more excessive speed, and a 20% increase in people who weren't wearing a seatbelt. And I wonder - how much of this is acting out against the pressure of "you can't do this, you must do that?"


All I can say is, keep your head down, keep putting one foot in front of the other, and keep telling yourself, "we will get through this." And take care of those you love, and who love you.

 

[Mini Horses]

Masks are such a minimal inconvenience. They don't always prevent spread but, surely help with the extent of spread of moist droplets....so a help, not prevention. I feel help is better than nothing in close quarters...out in public...especially if coughing. In my opinion we all need to be able to work and try to minimize the exposure we can. Those with health issues already -- stay home! There are way too many people with chronic health problems which, IMO, are because of unhealthy habits they embrace...who can stay home, too.

It is depressing when you cannot socialize!! I live alone but still enjoy some talking with something besides a chicken or goat! my work does help with that -- in limited stores, with mask required, I will add. It works for me.

This morning was yet another with cold wake up temps. Going to almost 70... I say that because it sounds more favorable than upper 60s. . But no rain, sunshine, mid 70s for next week and that all sounds agreeable to me!

Did very little yesterday. Very windy until late day, almost dusk. Limited what could be done outside. I kept a lounge chair warm -- took a nap. Need to get something crossed off my list today. Hope abounds!

 

[thistlebloom]

Here's the other side of this if you are open minded enough to read the entire article. Complete with footnotes citing the source of information.

Masks Are Neither Effective Nor Safe: A Summary Of The Science

Print this article and hand it to frightened mask wearers who have believed the alarmist media, politicians and Technocrats in white coats. Masks are proven ineffective against coronavirus and potentially harmful to healthy people and those with pre-existing conditions.

www.technocracy.news

An interesting excerpt from the article.
However, Schlieren imaging showed that both surgical masks and cloth masks had farther brow jets (unfiltered upward airflow past eyebrows) than not wearing any mask at all, 182 mm and 203 mm respectively, vs none discernible with no mask. Backward unfiltered airflow was found to be strong with all masks compared to not masking.

and...


The New England Journal of Medicine editorial on the topic of mask use versus Covid-19 assesses the matter as follows:

“We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection. Public health authorities define a significant exposure to Covid-19 as face-to-face contact within 6 feet with a patient with symptomatic Covid-19 that is sustained for at least a few minutes (and some say more than 10 minutes or even 20 minutes). The chance of catching Covid-19 from a passing interaction in a public space is therefore minimal. In many cases, the desire for widespread masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic.” (29)


There is evidence also that the longterm use of masks damages brain cells and other body organs. Look for a spike in dementia in 10 to 20 years. Children should absolutely never ever wear masks, their brains are growing and need every particle of oxygen from free breathing.

I have avoided getting into the virus debate, but I think this is important enough to take the shunning I'll get.

 

[farmerjan]

I am with you. I also heard this morning as I was getting out of the truck, so am not sure of the complete story, but that I think they said Australia, that people tested have been found to have antibodies after at least 6 months from known positive diagnosis of the covid. Not saying that people cannot get re-infected, but so can someone get a second case of the flu. I do not wear a mask except as required at the PT. Don't see but about 50% of the people around here wearing them, and they are mostly all out of towners at the convenience store/truckstop nearby. The employees wear them at most places because it is a government mandate but that is getting more and more lax as people are thinking that they need some exposure of some sort or it will never run it's course.
As for all the different scenarios of how young people are 99 x less likely to get it, but there was this perfectly healthy 25 yr old that got it and died.... do people think that the same type thing never happens with other things like the flu???? Or a viral infection or just from an accident or anything. I don't want to get it and die, but I also do not believe that it is worth stopping the whole world for. And I am not going to crawl in a hole to keep myself "safe" and expect others to deliver to me things I need and have them have to be exposed to it.
My 17 yr old niece , didn't feel good, found she had a form of cancer, treatments going really well, then got hit with an infection around her heart and she died before they even knew she had the infection, in the hospital, right there in front of my brother, when they were going to release her that day after the treatments. It was devastating, but **** happens to every single age group and every single family. This was 10+ years ago.
You can't pick your time. And like @Baymule said the nurses told her, the cases of where it is a CONTRIBUTING FACTOR is because in nearly every case, there were other underlying problems. Mostly obesity that only adds to other health problems. Trying to stay as healthy and fit as you can is the best way to try to live a longer life, but it is not a guarantee. . Wearing a mask is fine for those that feel more secure with it on, and for those that are possibly sick or feel they might be contagious. The rest of us should be able to make decisions for ourselves. Not someone telling me I have to if I go outside my door.

 

[Mini Horses]

I don't disagree with anyone. I have to wear a mask at work -- store and employer agreement requiring. If I go into any other store on a personal basis, I wear as stores require. Otherwise none. Goat auctions etc -- no one wearing.

 

[Bunnylady]

people are thinking that they need some exposure of some sort or it will never run it's course.

My question is, if these individuals do happen to come down with symptoms of Covid-19, would these same people be OK with a doctor asking, "did you follow the guidelines? Have you at least tried to avoid getting sick?" and refusing to treat them, or even see them, saying, "you wanted to take your chances, so take them. Stay home, we'll send the coroner around if we don't hear from you in two weeks" if they say "no?" When New York was such a hot spot, doctors there were put in the horrible position of having to decide, "who do we try to treat, and who do we just try to keep unconscious until they die?" Some of the criteria that went into their decisions included probable quality of life after treatment, and whether the patient had someone who could provide care for the weeks or months they would still need it after they were discharged (assuming they survived). We have this idea that, if you become sick enough, you get to see a doctor and maybe even get put in a hospital bed if you are that badly off, but there are only so many doctors and so many hospital beds. While most people who test positive for Covid-19 don't get sick enough to warrant hospitalization, about one out of every 5 do (so, however unpleasant the experience of @Baymule's friends may be, if they are at home, they are among the "milder" 4 out of 5 cases). I hear things have gotten bad enough in several places that they have had to send patients to hospitals many hours away, even in nearby states, because there were more patients than they could handle locally. It is said that "herd immunity" needs at least 70-80% of the "herd" to be immune to be an effective deterrent to the spread of disease, and with approximately 328 million citizens in the USA, that means at least 230 million people will need to have effective levels of antibodies at any given time (though local population densities and social behavior will play a role). At the moment, even in places (like New York) where there have been high enough numbers to overwhelm the ability of the health care system to care for those that needed treatment, antibody testing has turned up levels nowhere near that needed to provide effective control (the highest has been about 22% so far). For naturally acquired immunity to have a hope of helping, we are looking at something in excess of 40 million Americans that will be sick enough to require at least some time in a hospital because of Covid-19. How many of them can our health care system take care of at the same time? That's a lot of what the control measures are about - trying to slow this down enough that anyone who needs a higher level of care can get it.

How many doctors and nurses do you reckon are already suffering from PTSD as a result of what they've witnessed, and the choices they had to make?