Corona Virus #5

[daugen]

due to a "shortage of doctors" at the big hospital next town over, my neck epidural scheduled for tomorrow morning was just cancelled.
And they were pretty fuzzy on the future.
They don't have any coronovirus patients there, that's mid state, so far...so wonder what the deal is.
Scheduling lady clearly was told to limit what she told folks, told me she wasn't allowed to speak about some things.
Ok. I wear a soft collar almost all the time and my neck is fused, had many neck epidurals and was way overdue for this one.

So I got bumped, and would feel less annoyed if it wasn't the third time they cancelled an appt in three years. Each time I have to arrange a ride,
and then cancel it. Only game in town...next time I'll ask for another doc, this one's MIL is a good friend of mine. Just trying to give him the business and
it hasn't worked out well for me.

picked up some milk and potatoes today, which were out last time. Didn't look like much restocking going on in supermarket. Still plenty of frozen food, lots of food to pick from.

 

[5030]

I have 2, 3M cartridge masks in the boxes with activated charcoal cartridges. Maybe I should sell them... On seconf thought, maybe I'll call the hospital and ask of they can use them.

I heard and was told that the masks have little to no rejection of the air born virus because the fitment leaves gaps that it can get into. More of an arcane fashion statement than anything else.

I still believe the best plan is social distancing and staying home and avoiding contact with strangers. Exactly whet my wife and I are doing.

I'm even washing my hands with soap and HOT water after I collect the mail from the roadside mailbox. No point in taking unnecessary risks.

 

[5030]

due to a "shortage of doctors" at the big hospital next town over, my neck epidural scheduled for tomorrow morning was just cancelled.
And they were pretty fuzzy on the future.
They don't have any coronovirus patients there, that's mid state, so far...so wonder what the deal is.
Scheduling lady clearly was told to limit what she told folks, told me she wasn't allowed to speak about some things.
Ok. I wear a soft collar almost all the time and my neck is fused, had many neck epidurals and was way overdue for this one.

So I got bumped, and would feel less annoyed if it wasn't the third time they cancelled an appt in three years. Each time I have to arrange a ride,
and then cancel it. Only game in town...next time I'll ask for another doc, this one's MIL is a good friend of mine. Just trying to give him the business and
it hasn't worked out well for me.

picked up some milk and potatoes today, which were out last time. Didn't look like much restocking going on in supermarket. Still plenty of frozen food, lots of food to pick from.

Same here at all the local hospitals, cancelling all elective procedures and we have some big ones close by. Got refracted on Monday, followup for my lens replacements and I overheard the scheduler calling patients scheduled for elective cataract lens replacement, telling them everything was on hold for the immediate future.

 

[5030]

Please don't group me with you. Thanks.

Whatever. If the shoe fits, wear it, Wear it to Springfield on Saturday too. Let me know how it fits will ya?

 

[PILOON]

Well I running very nervous as I'm COPD to start with.

Added to that my MD passed away and I am on a 1 year waiting list for a replacement MD.
Every MD keeps saying he is about to retire or is overworked.
Our clinic just received 3 new MDs but they all claim they are not adding new patients.
(I think they simply arrived due to perks used to attract them)

Guess being over 80 makes me disposable.

Funny thing is I observe they all seem to work only 3 days/wk and all have nice golf tans.

 

[Jim Nelson]

in the same vein, does anyone know if a properly fitted N95 mask is the minimum standard?

I just got an email from one of the nearby hospitals that according to CDC the mask only protects others from you and will not help you protect yourself.They say to only use one if you're Dr. has said to. I think they are trying to stop the run on masks as they are concerned with shortages for the medical industry.

 

[daugen]

maybe I'll call the hospital and ask if they can use them.
That's a fine idea. Bad enough they don't have enough respirators for all of us...which I'm told is a primary reason they are trying to slow the spread so hospitals
aren't overwhelmed. Just imagine lying in a hospital gasping for breath because they ran out of respirators. I guess that's something we'll have to stock ourselves now...
once this passes and some normality returns. Everything is shutting down now. That has to mean a lot of folks without jobs. Think of all the restaurant workers, that's a lot of people in some states. Friend's son works at Disney in Florida, sent pics of the place looking like a ghost town, before they finally shut it down.

As I discussed with an old fellow school board member, this is a different form of intruder on campus. And how schools protect the children best, which in most cases seems to be sending them home and shutting their doors. All in the hope that in 2 or 3 weeks the rates will drop dramatically to make it all worth it.

Market took another huge beating today.
I'm watching my retirement funds drop a lot of money every day. Hard to think positively when
you are hemorrhaging money. And when you retire on savings, decades of IRA's, and not a pension, these huge drops dramatically reduce
retail spending. And the drop in retail spending makes the market drop again, any bad news is bigger than life.
Chicken Littles are running around all over the place.

We have gone through this before.
We have to wait out many months before vaccines are available.
That waiting creates a lot of uncertainty, and people worry.

 

[/pine]

Can the coronavirus spread through the mail? - CBS News

 

[Gale Hawkins]

DKCDKC thanks for sharing. Francis Collins is a guy that I would like to be more like. I am thankful he is in the position he holds today. It was my best read of today and I have been reading for hours on what we are facing and will be facing for months to come.

Interview With Francis Collins of NIH - The Atlantic

 

[Diggin It]

I just got an email from one of the nearby hospitals that according to CDC the mask only protects others from you and will not help you protect yourself.They say to only use one if you're Dr. has said to.

That's been said several time before.

 

[ultrarunner]

Same here at all the local hospitals, cancelling all elective procedures and we have some big ones close by. Got refracted on Monday, followup for my lens replacements and I overheard the scheduler calling patients scheduled for elective cataract lens replacement, telling them everything was on hold for the immediate future.

All Eye cases cancelled 3 weeks out with few exceptions here... We do have a couple of stat retina cases tomorrow that meet the new surgery threshold as well as a toe gangrene...

Anything that can be put off is being put off...

Surgical Masks are to protect others... they offer little user protection... N95 are more form fitting... N99 we have also have exhale check valve for easier breathing.

Local contractor donated cases of N95 to the community hospital.

 

[/pine]

DKCDKC thanks for sharing. Francis Collins is a guy that I would like to be more like. I am thankful he is in the position he holds today. It was my best read of today and I have been reading for hours on what we are facing and will be facing for months to come.

Interview With Francis Collins of NIH - The Atlantic

This is good for a worst case scenario of the virus itself...but a bigger threat to the majority of Americans is what can possibly happen to disrupt the supply chain of necessary goods etc...

Dealing with large numbers of sick people can be coped with...dealing with large numbers of starving people is another issue all together...

 

[daugen]

I just got an email from one of the nearby hospitals that according to CDC the mask only protects others from you and will not help you protect yourself.They say to only use one if you're Dr. has said to. I think they are trying to stop the run on masks as they are concerned with shortages for the medical industry.

Jim, all the pics of docs and nurses I see show them wearing masks. They can't all be sick and working...its common sense that wearing something, anything that blocks viral spores from landing on your face and breathing them into your lungs is a smart idea. I bet every medical professional now wishes they were wearing something. They say it stays in the air now. Which means the medical staff are swimming in it. Risky business. So yeah, if you had a couple extra and you aren't forgetting your Mother..., giving them to the hospital is a fine idea. I hope the ambulance crew are decently supplied also. In many ways they get the worst of it.

This shortage of critically needed supplies, like test kits, respirators, and maybe soon prescription drugs since the factory is in China and they closed it down...
sure shows the need for better emergency planning. We don't seem prepared. Have we not learned from prior terrible plagues that
this is basic and important? Stock market runs on fear and greed. And the fear is driving it down, they have indexes for that fear and they track it carefully.
Until folks see the light at the end of the tunnel, the market isn't likely to come back up. And it sure can go down further.

 

[Big Barn]

#5.!!! I was gonna ask what I missed but in retrospect I am sure I didn’t miss a thing.

 

[Agvg]

This is good for a worst case scenario of the virus itself...but a bigger threat to the majority of Americans is what can possibly happen to disrupt the supply chain of necessary goods etc...

Dealing with large numbers of sick people can be coped with...dealing with large numbers of starving people is another issue all together...

Are the US producing enough of basic food to cover it's own needs?

 

[5030]

Can the coronavirus spread through the mail? - CBS News

According to the 'people in the know', no, but I still wash my hands with soap and HOT water after getting and opening it. No point in not being careful. Only takes one slip up and wham, you have it. I don't want it.

 

[/pine]

Are the US producing enough of basic food to cover it's own needs?

There are currently no food shortages...increased demand has caused some short term supply issues at end of the line markets...

 

[5030]

All Eye cases cancelled 3 weeks out with few exceptions here... We do have a couple of stat retina cases tomorrow that meet the new surgery threshold as well as a toe gangrene...

Anything that can be put off is being put off...

Surgical Masks are to protect others... they offer little user protection... N95 are more form fitting... N99 we have also have exhale check valve for easier breathing.

Local contractor donated cases of N95 to the community hospital.

Glad I got mine when I did as the chemo basically left me blind. Monday I refracted perfect in both eyes. Amazing surgery, just amazing.

 

[ovrszd]

#5.!!! I was gonna ask what I missed but in retrospect I am sure I didn’t miss a thing.

You did not.