Coronavirus Covid-19 Is it Affecting You and How?

[frustratedearthmother]

It has been over a year and a half now. So, with the virus, that's an ever better thing.

That's fantastic! And, yes, good timing!

 

[Bunnylady]

One being if your sick with anything you should not be exposing others to began with.

Apparently, it can take up to 14 days between exposure and the onset of symptoms with COVID-19, and there is some evidence that a person may be contagious before the symptoms appear.

How would one know, for sure, whether or not they were contagious if they had no symptoms? On the flip side of that, it's pollen season here, and I cough and sneeze for a few weeks every year at this time. Without testing, who's going to know whether those symptoms (coughing and sneezing) are from contagious disease, or just annoying allergy? I'm pretty sure I know, but should I stay home until the pollen stops blowing around just in case I'm wrong? If I know I'm sick, I do my best to keep my germs to myself, but who knows how many people I may expose before I'm sure?

Yes not everyone is but those who go to work sick aren't trying to make everyone sick they trying to pay bills to feed their families.

One of the folks who has tested positive here works at the Verizon call center. That's a very modern work environment, with open seating, a break room, a gym, etc - we are talking possibly hundreds of people exposed (even assuming that the person in question stopped going to work when they realized they weren't just coughing because of pollen, but actually sick).

The why we need shut things down to slow it down is on the insane side more to me.

Try this scenario on for size - you or one of your children (God forbid!) runs a fever and feels like they can't catch their breath. You call your doctor, or 911, and they say, "sorry, but there's nothing we can do for you. We have no supplies that could help you, no gloves or masks so we can't even protect ourselves in the event that you are contagious, no way to test to find out what you have, and even if you are desperately sick, there's no room in a hospital anyway. Keep hydrated, take Tylenol if you have it, and good luck. Hopefully, you'll be over it in a couple of weeks."

That's the scenario everyone is trying to avoid. The more you have people around each other, the more opportunities you have for them to pass disease around. If everyone was in an open area with at least 6' of distance between them and the next person, with infinite amounts of fresh air blowing around them, and nobody touching anything, it would be very hard for people to get sick. But most people don't exist like that. They are in much more crowded conditions, breathing the same air, touching all kinds of things and then touching their faces, spreading and spreading and spreading the germs around (and COVID-19 can survive for several days on some surfaces like stainless steel and plastics). I have heard an estimate that 70% of the population may catch this before all is said and done, and of those that do get it, 20% may become sick enough to need hospitalization. If those percentages boggle, here's an example of what that means. My home county has roughly 200,000 residents. Doing the math, that comes out to about 28,000 people who get sick enough with COVID-19 to warrant a hospital stay (in addition to all the other reasons someone might need to go to the hospital). I guarantee you that our two hospitals don't have 28,000 beds, let alone that many rooms! If, by avoiding each other, we can slow this thing down to a crawl, those 28,000 New Hanover County residents will go into the hospital in dribs and drabs, and will all be able to get the care they need to (hopefully) recover because the hospital staff won't be too overwhelmed to be able to help them.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

My hubby is making me wear gloves and mask if we have to go somewhere...ugh. We actually do have respirators, because he used to be a contractor, plus he paints cars, in our ‘paint booth’...so, if worse comes to worse....but, people are calling us us and asking us for our supplies...putting us in a very bad bind. Who do say yes to? We have 3 resp. About 30 masks. Can’t give them to anybody....but, how do you say ‘no’? Between family members alone there’s wayyy more than 30....

 

[Baymule]

Apparently, it can take up to 14 days between exposure and the onset of symptoms with COVID-19, and there is some evidence that a person may be contagious before the symptoms appear.

How would one know, for sure, whether or not they were contagious if they had no symptoms? On the flip side of that, it's pollen season here, and I cough and sneeze for a few weeks every year at this time. Without testing, who's going to know whether those symptoms (coughing and sneezing) are from contagious disease, or just annoying allergy? I'm pretty sure I know, but should I stay home until the pollen stops blowing around just in case I'm wrong? If I know I'm sick, I do my best to keep my germs to myself, but who knows how many people I may expose before I'm sure?



One of the folks who has tested positive here works at the Verizon call center. That's a very modern work environment, with open seating, a break room, a gym, etc - we are talking possibly hundreds of people exposed (even assuming that the person in question stopped going to work when they realized they weren't just coughing because of pollen, but actually sick).


Try this scenario on for size - you or one of your children (God forbid!) runs a fever and feels like they can't catch their breath. You call your doctor, or 911, and they say, "sorry, but there's nothing we can do for you. We have no supplies that could help you, no gloves or masks so we can't even protect ourselves in the event that you are contagious, no way to test to find out what you have, and even if you are desperately sick, there's no room in a hospital anyway. Keep hydrated, take Tylenol if you have it, and good luck. Hopefully, you'll be over it in a couple of weeks."

That's the scenario everyone is trying to avoid. The more you have people around each other, the more opportunities you have for them to pass disease around. If everyone was in an open area with at least 6' of distance between them and the next person, with infinite amounts of fresh air blowing around them, and nobody touching anything, it would be very hard for people to get sick. But most people don't exist like that. They are in much more crowded conditions, breathing the same air, touching all kinds of things and then touching their faces, spreading and spreading and spreading the germs around (and COVID-19 can survive for several days on some surfaces like stainless steel and plastics). I have heard an estimate that 70% of the population may catch this before all is said and done, and of those that do get it, 20% may become sick enough to need hospitalization. If those percentages boggle, here's an example of what that means. My home county has roughly 200,000 residents. Doing the math, that comes out to about 28,000 people who get sick enough with COVID-19 to warrant a hospital stay (in addition to all the other reasons someone might need to go to the hospital). I guarantee you that our two hospitals don't have 28,000 beds, let alone that many rooms! If, by avoiding each other, we can slow this thing down to a crawl, those 28,000 New Hanover County residents will go into the hospital in dribs and drabs, and will all be able to get the care they need to (hopefully) recover because the hospital staff won't be too overwhelmed to be able to help them.

THIS. Well said.

 

[farmerjan]

My hubby is making me wear gloves and mask if we have to go somewhere...ugh. We actually do have respirators, because he used to be a contractor, plus he paints cars, in our ‘paint booth’...so, if worse comes to worse....but, people are calling us us and asking us for our supplies...putting us in a very bad bind. Who do say yes to? We have 3 resp. About 30 masks. Can’t give them to anybody....but, how do you say ‘no’? Between family members alone there’s wayyy more than 30....

You simply say that you only have a couple that you have to keep because of your immune deficient system. You simply say no, we can't help you. Stay home and stay away from people and you won't get it.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

I have an annoying cough all year round due to allergies...but my mind is playing tricks on me now..is it worse? And, the only thermometer I have, is used for animals, and I sure don’t want to use that one...how could I make sure it was truly clean??

 

[Ridgetop]

And, the only thermometer I have, is used for animals, and I sure don’t want to use that one...how could I make sure it was truly clean??

Soak it in bleach for at least 10 minutes. It takes 10 minutes in bleach to kill the germs. Then use soap and hot water (NOT boiling) to wash off the bleach. Then soak in alcohol for another 5 minutes. Should be germ free. Rinse in water before putting it in your mouth though! I used a rectal thermometer on my babies and used it for the rest of the family orally. Washing it with straight bleach, hot soapy water, and alcohol kills the germs.

DH went to get hay this am. On Saturday when they got 2 semi loads the hay store sold out by 10 am and he couldn't get any. Today they decided to put a limit of 10 bales per customer. People are starting to hoard hay now. I really wish he had listened 3 weeks ago when I told him to stock up. He poo pooed me since we still had some. Now we are getting low. DH may try going back for another 10 bales tomorrow.

I guess we are lucky we are down to feeding just the mule and the sheep. Otherwise, if we were full feeding now it would barely do us a week. God was good to send us these rains. We are getting enough growth that we are only feeding one hay feed at night. The February lambs are getting a creep so they will keep growing ok. I need to call my butcher today and see if he is open or if he closed due to this virus. I have 5 wethers that should be about ready and that would be 5 fewer mouths to feed.

 

[OneFineAcre]

I have been going into the office, but it became a directive that that I have to work from home. Only about 25% of the people were coming into the office, so I felt I was safe there and prefer going into the office. So, when I came home this afternoon I brought my monitors, docking station, keyboard etc. Its probably going to be at least 2 weeks.

 

[bethh]

If the rain stays away tomorrow, I hope to get our garden planted at least a start. Starting this week, I began keeping our 5 year old grandson as school closed and mom still has to go to work and dad works from home but can't possibly keep a 5 year old and still conduct conferences and meetings from home. Looks like the 5 year old will be joined next week by 2 cousins a 4 year old and 2 year old because day care closes starting Monday. We hatched 9 silkies the other day. Now we have 30 eggs in the incubator. We hope the goats are pregnant. Trying to do what we can to stay ahead of this thing as best we can.

 

[Miss mouse]

both my workplaces shut down. I’m teaching one student via Skype for one lesson per week so essentially not working now. My boyfriend is still hauling grain but since we have so many mouths to feed I don’t get to ride along with him. I’m spending a lot of time with the rabbits as a result. I think they wish I wouldn’t but some are coming to appreciate the pets they didn’t used to get I don’t think the mommas appreciate my diligence in making sure their babies are getting fed