Corona Virus: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

[LordMortis]

Uncle was hospitalized out of state. Caught COVID while in hospital. Gave it to my aunt. Neither are vaccinated. They won't let him out of the hospital and back in state and technically my aunt isn't supposed to be leave the state to see him. She will try. She will travel. The hospital will refuse her and there will be holy hell.

Yay for COVID protections being a personal choice (both for my stubborn relatives and for the hospital staff). The one place I mask nowadays? Hospitals. Of course it's the only non safe space I linger. Restaurants are back off the table until spring, I think. Which are the only other non safe space I don't get in and get out again.

[em2nought]

Jeez, that's sad. Sorry to hear it.

I'm still a mess, and I appreciate the empathy. Taking care of my mother for so long I think the feeling might almost be like losing a child. My mom and dad were really wonderful people, much better people than me. Thanks!

[LordMortis]

Jeez, that's sad. Sorry to hear it.

I'm still a mess, and I appreciate the empathy. Taking care of my mother for so long I think the feeling might almost be like losing a child. My mom and dad were really wonderful people, much better people than me. Thanks!

What you are going through terrifies me. I could be in that position at any time.

[Zaxxon]

Condolences, em2.

[Pyperkub]

So sorry to hear that em2.

[hepcat]

I'm sorry for your loss as well. I can only imagine how rough it will be when I face my father's passing. I've convinced myself that at 88, he's pretty much invincible. But of course, he's not.

[em2nought]

Thanks everyone! Making me tear up a little. Feeling a little guilty getting ready to put her nice little condo on the market.

[Smoove_B]

https://twitter.com/BNOFeed/status/1749273540157718824

Weekly U.S. COVID update:

- New cases: 330,540 est.
- Average: 348,690 (+7,351)
- States reporting: 50/50
- In hospital: 27,879 (-1,406)
- In ICU: 2,733 (-91)
- New deaths: 2,381
- Average: 1,993 (+149)

Hospitalizations and new cases are down (good), helping to support the wastewater data that is also now trending down. However:

This is the 3rd week in a row with more than 2,000 new deaths, or 6,643 deaths combined. This is also the 19th week in a row with more than 1,000 new deaths, or more than 30,000 during the same period.

[Smoove_B]

I wonder what's happening at Mass General?

Massachusetts General Hospital is experiencing a "full-blown crisis" with its capacity, operating nearly every day in "Code Help" or "Capacity Disaster" status in its emergency department for 16 months straight, hospital officials said in a news release Friday.

...

On Jan. 11, 103 patients boarded in the emergency department, "marking one of the most crowded days MGH has experienced in its two centuries caring for Boston and its surrounding communities," according to officials.

I believe they initiated a limited masking protocol for some staff on 1/2/24, but I am not sure if it's still in effect. At no point were masks required for people arriving.

Not sure what it's going to take, but clearly we're not there yet.

[LawBeefaroni]

I wonder what's happening at Mass General?

Massachusetts General Hospital is experiencing a "full-blown crisis" with its capacity, operating nearly every day in "Code Help" or "Capacity Disaster" status in its emergency department for 16 months straight, hospital officials said in a news release Friday.

...

On Jan. 11, 103 patients boarded in the emergency department, "marking one of the most crowded days MGH has experienced in its two centuries caring for Boston and its surrounding communities," according to officials.

I believe they initiated a limited masking protocol for some staff on 1/2/24, but I am not sure if it's still in effect. At no point were masks required for people arriving.

Not sure what it's going to take, but clearly we're not there yet.

It's not the ED as much as it is the inpatient census. It sounds like a lot of the patients are stuck in the ED waiting for impatient admission due to lack of IP beds. And further digging looks like the lack of IP beds is partly due to lack of timely discharge due to Insurance PA delays.

State healthcare officials sent out a memo this week letting hospitals know health insurers have agreed to waive some prior authorizations that often delay the discharge of patients.

“This week we took more action to free up capacity so that hospitals and insurers can better work together to get people out of hospital settings right now,” Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said.

...

The effort to fast-track discharges comes as Massachusetts General Hospital officials said they just had one of their busiest days in two centuries. They said on January 11, more than 100 patients were boarding in the hospital’s emergency department, meaning they were sick enough to be admitted, but did not have a bed. The hospital was forced to use hallways and stretchers to house patients.

That capacity crisis has prompted the hospital to again ask the state to allow it to add 94 more beds to the hospital, saying it cannot treat the number of patients in its emergency department without more space.

Note that the number of beds is licensed by the state so while they may have the physical room at the facility, if they state doesn't license a bed, they can't use it.


It's still indicative of a problem probably COVID related, but it's massively exacerbated by a capacity issue further down the line than the ED.

[Smoove_B]

A slight surprise today...



We had a few weeks of declining virus in sewage, but last week numbers reversed and started going back up again. Obviously it needs to be monitored but hopefully it's not some type of secondary late-winter surge.

[Smoove_B]

Our species is going to be known for understanding what the problems are, but just not caring to do anything about it:

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has claimed that Covid is “rampant” and that the world is “still in a pandemic”, despite the organisation declaring the public health emergency over last year.

From December 2023 to mid-January 2024, more than 11,000 deaths were reported from the virus, with more than half occurring in the US.

The WHO has now said that the pandemic is not yet over, instead entering its endemic phase, which means it will continue to spread indefinitely.

Maria Van Kerkhove, interim director of the WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention said: “We don’t know everything about this virus. Even in year five, there’s still a lot of research that needs to be done.”

She said that complacency is rife at both an individual and a government level, citing a low demand for vaccination around the world which needs to be tackled.

Kerkhove also mentioned that mask-wearing, social distancing and improving ventilation were all “no-brainers” when it comes to confronting the virus.

Homo sapiens? Nope - we're Homo non curat.

[Max Peck]

Ottawa Public Health seeking ways to continue wastewater testing

Ottawa Public Health wants to collaborate with local partners to look for ways to continue wastewater monitoring after the province cuts funding to the program next month.

At its meeting this week, the city's board of health passed a motion directing Medical Officer of Health Dr. Vera Etches to write to provincial and federal partners to find ways to continue the wastewater testing work that's being done at the University of Ottawa.

Earlier this month, Ontario announced that by the end of July, it will scrap the program for sampling wastewater to monitor levels of COVID-19 in the population. The program began in 2020 and is funded through the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.

But researchers in Ottawa have been using wastewater monitoring to check for other infectious diseases including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, MPox and measles.

Robert Delatolla, a professor and wastewater researcher at the U of O, said hospitals including CHEO use the data to prepare for surges in infectious diseases and initiate preventative measures.

Delatolla said once the program is transferred to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), data will only be reported monthly. He said that won't allow hospitals to plan accordingly.

"The frequency of testing seems below a threshold of appropriate quality of data, and the reporting frequency ... seems too long for people like CHEO, for the hospitals, for Ottawa Public Health to really find use in that data," he said.

[Jaymon]

I had covid (again) two weeks ago. the Mrs has been sick, but declined to be tested. My boss tested positive for covid this week (no contact with me)

[Smoove_B]

I genuinely hope people just point and laugh at folks like me in the next 6+ years after saying that repeated infections are unsustainable and actually more problematic than we realize.

I still believe we are on a bad, bad path.

[Kurth]

I genuinely hope people just point and laugh at folks like me in the next 6+ years after saying that repeated infections are unsustainable and actually more problematic than we realize.

I still believe we are on a bad, bad path.

Not pointing and laughing, but also not exactly understanding what you mean. Why are repeated infections unsustainable if they aren’t leading to serious illness or hospitalization? Are you talking about “long COVID” issues?

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, sorry if that wasn't clear. By all accounts there are two illnesses. We've more or less addressed the acute stage for people by providing a vaccine that reduces risk of hospitalization and death (hooray!). The jury is still out on what repeated annual infections mean for chronic manifestations of illness - what we're calling "Long Covid" but might also be something else entirely (in addition to Long Covid). Right now the data is telling us (1) vaccination does not eliminate risk of Long Covid (it does reduce) and (2) repeated infections increase risk of Long Covid. Maybe that will change. Hopefully that will change.

I was reading last week about a woman that got pregnant and immediately had COVID-19. And then right before giving birth, she had COVID-19 again. I don't know how to emphasize that is not normal; that shouldn't be normalized or accepted. Despite what you hear or your memory wants you to believe, people were not largely sick 2-3 times a year for 7+ days at a time prior to 2019. To be clear, I'm not saying COVID-19 infections screw up your immune system, I'm saying having the same virus in constant circulation where there is no long-term immunity is not a sustainable path.

What seems to be happening now is it's still pressing hard on marginalized populations and potentially creating more people (via chronic illness) that are then marginalized in society.

Despite what people think, we are not winning this battle. We've just collectively agreed that some things are more important. I fully understand this isn't a fun or popular opinion and I' know I'm not capable of changing hearts or minds; we all on this sinking ship together and I've long given up thinking it's going to change.

And that's my positive, uplifting message for Tuesday.

[LordMortis]

The jury is still out on what repeated annual infections mean for chronic manifestations of illness - what we're calling "Long Covid" but might also be something else entirely (in addition to Long Covid). Right now the data is telling us (1) vaccination does not eliminate risk of Long Covid (it does reduce) and (2) repeated infections increase risk of Long Covid. Maybe that will change. Hopefully that will change.

This member of the Jury who has had chronic conditions related to Mono for forty years and a weakened immune system has no urge to find out if "Long COVID" would make things worse and will continue to jump at any vaccine as soon as it becomes available. I may be a sucker, but I'm sucker who has managed to not have a first time with COVID yet... Even if I am this >< close to trying to get back in to society again and maskless at that (except for during high transmission periods, which I hope to Pancake are still being published around the time school lets back in)

[Punisher]

I had covid (again) two weeks ago. the Mrs has been sick, but declined to be tested. My boss tested positive for covid this week (no contact with me)

You're doing it wrong. If you just believe hard that covid doesn't exist then it's legally impossible to get covid without written consent.

[Unagi]

Just tested positive.

I think this is my 2nd, but may be my 3rd. Actually, I think just the 2nd.

[Alefroth]

Just tested positive.

I think this is my 2nd, but may be my 3rd. Actually, I think just the 2nd.

Long Covid will do that to you.

[YellowKing]

My former neighbors have started posting stuff on FB claiming that transmissible diseases like Covid are the results of nutritional deficiencies, and that if you just eat right you'll be immune. Good luck with that.

[Smoove_B]

They've cracked the code! This whole time all we needed to do was eat better to avoid pathogenic bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa and worms! Why isn't anyone talking about this?!

I'm genuinely at the point where if I get the opportunity to Poochie off this planet, I'm taking it.

[LordMortis]

Colloidal silver?

[Smoove_B]

Even better. Start telling the people in your neighborhood that's what they need and soon enough we'll be able to avoid all the blue people.

[Brian]

My former neighbors have started posting stuff on FB claiming that transmissible diseases like Covid are the results of nutritional deficiencies, and that if you just eat right you'll be immune. Good luck with that.

Don't let them know that avacado toast was the secret this whole time.

[LawBeefaroni]

Never had COVID:

[Blackhawk]

We should have just listened to Papa Smurf.

[Unagi]

I'm so confused.

[Smoove_B]

I'm so confused.

Hopefully this helps.

[Max Peck]

Huh. Apparently colloidal silver is still available over the counter at your friendly neighborhood "natural" "health" store here in Canada.

[Pyperkub]

My former neighbors have started posting stuff on FB claiming that transmissible diseases like Covid are the results of nutritional deficiencies, and that if you just eat right you'll be immune. Good luck with that.

Did they also say to inject Bleach?

[El Guapo]

My former neighbors have started posting stuff on FB claiming that transmissible diseases like Covid are the results of nutritional deficiencies, and that if you just eat right you'll be immune. Good luck with that.

I.e. it's sick people's fault that they're sick, since they weren't living virtuously like your neighbors.

[El Guapo]

Yeah, sorry if that wasn't clear. By all accounts there are two illnesses. We've more or less addressed the acute stage for people by providing a vaccine that reduces risk of hospitalization and death (hooray!). The jury is still out on what repeated annual infections mean for chronic manifestations of illness - what we're calling "Long Covid" but might also be something else entirely (in addition to Long Covid). Right now the data is telling us (1) vaccination does not eliminate risk of Long Covid (it does reduce) and (2) repeated infections increase risk of Long Covid. Maybe that will change. Hopefully that will change.

I was reading last week about a woman that got pregnant and immediately had COVID-19. And then right before giving birth, she had COVID-19 again. I don't know how to emphasize that is not normal; that shouldn't be normalized or accepted. Despite what you hear or your memory wants you to believe, people were not largely sick 2-3 times a year for 7+ days at a time prior to 2019. To be clear, I'm not saying COVID-19 infections screw up your immune system, I'm saying having the same virus in constant circulation where there is no long-term immunity is not a sustainable path.

What seems to be happening now is it's still pressing hard on marginalized populations and potentially creating more people (via chronic illness) that are then marginalized in society.

Despite what people think, we are not winning this battle. We've just collectively agreed that some things are more important. I fully understand this isn't a fun or popular opinion and I' know I'm not capable of changing hearts or minds; we all on this sinking ship together and I've long given up thinking it's going to change.

And that's my positive, uplifting message for Tuesday.

Can you bring us good news sometime?

[Smoove_B]

[El Guapo]

Maybe focus on all the people who *aren't* dying for once.

[LordMortis]

I take it you scream at the top of your lungs 'what's going on'

And more importantly do you pray every single day?

[Smoove_B]

And more importantly do you pray every single day?

[Smoove_B]

Maybe focus on all the people who *aren't* dying for once.

I do, I do - really. I am quite happy that people aren't dying from COVID-19, or at least we can dramatically reduce the risk of people from dying form COVID-19 relatively easily.

I'm just astounded (still, yes) that people largely believe it's over. I'm astounded that people in my profession are acting like it's over. With every passing day I understand more and more why Semmelweis had a nervous breakdown.

[hitbyambulance]

I'm just astounded (still, yes) that people largely believe it's over. I'm astounded that people in my profession are acting like it's over. With every passing day I understand more and more why Semmelweis had a nervous breakdown.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... m-reality/