[Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:38 am

I wonder if the #toiletpaperapocalypse was actually spread out of China as a meme pandemic.

I was watching a bit of older news from Taiwan when they remarked that when they "may" ran out of masks, someone spread fake news that "toilet paper and masks" use the same raw materials, so there may be a shortage of TP, thus starting the run on TP. The truth is they are NOT. Masks are made from non-woven fabric. You can't make it from wood fiber, AFAIK. The next fake news/joke then became something about possible shortage on diapers and face cloths since they *are* made from non-woven fabric.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:17 am

Smoove_B wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2020 8:07 pmTo quote Mr. Rogers:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
F-ing genius, he was. A true treasure.

There's a national treasure in Tennessee who's helping now. Dude saved up 18,000 bottles of sanitizer so they could redistribute it for him.

News from my neck of the woods...

Schools closed in many places for at least two weeks. We're in a town of 3,000 and closed schools as soon as the state capital did.
Even podunk grocery stores were cleaned out of toilet paper. WalMart was a joke.
The local feed stores and hardware stores were selling individual rolls at cost and had ample supply.
We weren't going out looking for toilet paper, but rather our normal 2 week food restock plus some extra.
As of this morning, Maine was up to 12 confirmed cases. One case was in our county, a healthcare worker.
I was sure to wash my hands and/or Purell anytime I had to touch anything in a public space.
My office isn't closed yet. We're a small healthcare provider (eye care). Not sure if or when we will.
There are very few people in our business who could work from home, but I'm going to push my boss to let me offer it to them.

I had "sniffles" last night and post-nasal drip sore throat this morning, but attribute that to my wife turning down the heat over the weekend to save oil. My nose didn't get runny until after it had also gotten cold, and now that I'm at my desk and warmed up, it's not runny anymore. I was still sure to not touch anything as I entered the office. I opened the front door by pulling on the key in the lock until I could get my foot in to finish it and turned on every light switch with my elbows. I've stayed in my office and plan to continue to.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:05 am

The powers that be have said they don't want you going to a hospital or clinic if you are sick.
WTF!

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:10 am

dbt1949 wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:05 am The powers that be have said they don't want you going to a hospital or clinic if you are sick.
WTF!

If it's like here, that's if you're mildly sick, and the reason is that there's really nothing that it would gain you, while at the same time it would raise your risk of getting/communicating the thing by going out.

Prevailing thought seems to be go for care only if you need care, not just because you're 'sick'.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:12 am

Zaxxon wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:10 am
dbt1949 wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:05 am The powers that be have said they don't want you going to a hospital or clinic if you are sick.
WTF!
If it's like here, that's if you're mildly sick, and the reason is that there's really nothing that it would gain you, while at the same time it would raise your risk of getting/communicating the thing by going out.

And you'd also be stressing the system.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:17 am

LawBeefaroni wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:12 am
Zaxxon wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:10 am
dbt1949 wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:05 am The powers that be have said they don't want you going to a hospital or clinic if you are sick.
WTF!
If it's like here, that's if you're mildly sick, and the reason is that there's really nothing that it would gain you, while at the same time it would raise your risk of getting/communicating the thing by going out.

And you'd also be stressing the system.

Indeed.

Dramatist · Post by **Dramatist** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:19 am

Monday morning at Home Depot and most things are still business as usual. We are out of disinfecting cleaning supplies, paper products and masks but the company has basically only been monitoring things so far.

I expect to hear something more at this afternoon’s management meeting.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dogstar · Post by **Dogstar** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:25 am

Well, my cough persisted and it's extended into a runny nose, sore throat, fatigue, and a mild fever. I'm at home, waiting for an internet appointment with a doc. I'm betting it's just a cold/minor bug -- I'd like not to be patient zero for my office. I'm well-supplied and can do some work from home on my laptop. The only negative is that I had to do some tech support twice last week for my 81-year-old parents, and my mom called me last night and told me my dad has started to cough.

stimpy · Post by **stimpy** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:34 am

Paingod wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:17 am There's a national treasure in Tennessee who's helping now. Dude saved up 18,000 bottles of sanitizer so they could redistribute it for him.

He aint no treasure. Guy crossed the state hoarding up the items to sell for big profits on Amazon.
Amazon shut him down and the Government told him to stop.
Stuck with mountains of product, his only choice was to donate it.
Dudes like him and his brother are the problem.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-17-700-b ... 15841.html

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:35 am

LawBeefaroni wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:12 am
Zaxxon wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:10 am
dbt1949 wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:05 am The powers that be have said they don't want you going to a hospital or clinic if you are sick.
WTF!
If it's like here, that's if you're mildly sick, and the reason is that there's really nothing that it would gain you, while at the same time it would raise your risk of getting/communicating the thing by going out.

And you'd also be stressing the system.

Don't worry, dbt, that horse-drawn carts with the bell-ringers shouting "Bring out your dead!" will make it to your mountain.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:51 am

Dogstar wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:25 am Well, my cough persisted and it's extended into a runny nose, sore throat, fatigue, and a mild fever. I'm at home, waiting for an internet appointment with a doc. I'm betting it's just a cold/minor bug -- I'd like not to be patient zero for my office. I'm well-supplied and can do some work from home on my laptop. The only negative is that I had to do some tech support twice last week for my 81-year-old parents, and my mom called me last night and told me my dad has started to cough.

Get better!

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:14 am

Apparently 3 bandits in Denmark held up a hospital and escaped with masks and disinfectants.

Link in... Danish?

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:29 am

stimpy wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:34 am
Paingod wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:17 am There's a national treasure in Tennessee who's helping now. Dude saved up 18,000 bottles of sanitizer so they could redistribute it for him.
He aint no treasure. Guy crossed the state hoarding up the items to sell for big profits on Amazon.
Amazon shut him down and the Government told him to stop.
Stuck with mountains of product, his only choice was to donate it.
Dudes like him and his brother are the problem.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-17-700-b ... 15841.html

I think you missed the sarcasm.

As a reminder, please keep political posts in the R&P thread. Thanks!

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:42 am

ImLawBoy wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:29 amAs a reminder, please keep political posts in the R&P thread. Thanks!

Is poking at a hoarder and opportunist political?

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:44 am

Paingod wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:42 am
ImLawBoy wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:29 amAs a reminder, please keep political posts in the R&P thread. Thanks!
Is poking at a hoarder and opportunist political?

It is when the AG is involved. I got you.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:45 am

Also, this makes me happy. Advising everyone not to rock and roll all nite and party every day.

https://twitter.com/PaulStanleyLive/sta ... 8844079108

PLEASE. It may seem surreal. It may seem inconceivable. We are about to see illness, deaths and an overwhelmed hospital system never seen in our lifetime. Businesses are closing. This is NOT an opportunity for get-togethers or parties. SOCIAL DISTANCING IS THE MINIMUM. STAY HOME.

Would have also accepted: PLEASE do NOT lick it up!

Exodor · Post by **Exodor** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:48 am

Just caught up on the thread - before I head out to work at my job with the local city government.

They're cutting back interaction with the public (the library is closed and things like permits are now online only) but all employees are expected to report for work as usual.

Given the level of interaction with the public over the last few weeks it's a virtual certainty that there are infected folks coming into work today.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:58 am

I feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle against my wife, who keeps insisting that I'm being overly paranoid. She points here or there where people are still living normal lives or maybe workplaces aren't closing and says "See, they're fine" ... I complain that my job won't let me set up the people who can work remotely to work remotely and she eyerolls at me. I don't get it. She's smart. She's not anti-science or anything.

Any time I try and plan too far ahead for anything, she rolls her eyes and calls me a prepper. Wanting a few extra days' food in the house doesn't seem like insanity, not right now. She thought it was and reluctantly agreed, less against it when she saw how hosed the stores were...

I keep explaining that social distancing isn't about us getting sick. It's about not spreading illness that might kill someone else after it's gone through us. She's looking forward to sending our kids down to grandma's house this weekend. Grandma who's work has her running around southern Maine hitting several businesses each week. Grandma who's reporting aches and cold symptoms but thinks she's fine.

Her work has issued orders for everyone to work from home, so she's not even going into the office one day a week like she used to. She hasn't even hit the day where she'd normally need to go in, and she's already complaining about feeling cooped up - because she knows she's supposed to be. She doesn't want to be.

How do I get the weight of this through to her?

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:01 am

That it's better to be safe than sorry? That you don't want to be the 1% mortality, which are terrible odds?

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:05 am

Kasey Chang wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:01 amThat it's better to be safe than sorry? That you don't want to be the 1% mortality, which are terrible odds?

I guess. I don't know what her issue is with this. I feel like she's either not concerned at all that 1% is a nasty roll of the dice or feels like she shouldn't disrupt her life until she sees people staggering around vomiting on each other.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:10 am

Paingod wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:58 am
I keep explaining that social distancing isn't about us getting sick. It's about not spreading illness that might kill someone else after it's gone through us. She's looking forward to sending our kids down to grandma's house this weekend. Grandma who's work has her running around southern Maine hitting several businesses each week. Grandma who's reporting aches and cold symptoms but thinks she's fine.

It's not even about stopping the spread. It's about slowing the spread and keeping it managable over time. People are going to get sick. The longer we can delay the less stressed hospital and doctor resources will be. If we don't slow it and a lot of people get sick at once, ICUs will run out of beds and people that need life saving care won't get it. They will die a painful death unnecessarily.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:10 am

It's always possible it's just denial.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:14 am

Incubation period is 3-11 days. Everybody's fine now. But you don't see the people that are already home sick. And you're not going to see those same people in 1-2 weeks as to whether or not their now laid up.

MHS · Post by **MHS** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:51 am

Our biggest social interactions (outside of work) are through poker. We've postponed all upcoming games and have switched to online, after I set up a local Home Game club. I'm disappointed that some of our poker circle are continuing to host games, especially given the median age of most of them being in the 60+ at risk group. Perhaps poker players are just high-risk people in general? Fortunately, it seems to be a small subset of our crowd.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:53 am

MHS wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:51 am Our biggest social interactions (outside of work) are through poker. We've postponed all upcoming games and have switched to online, after I set up a local Home Game club. I'm disappointed that some of our poker circle are continuing to host games, especially given the median age of most of them being in the 60+ at risk group. Perhaps poker players are just high-risk people in general? Fortunately, it seems to be a small subset of our crowd.

Some pretty disappointing comments from folks I think are pretty intelligent: "If we think a flu going around each year is a risk to us playing then we shouldn't be playing live ever again."

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:54 am

Paingod wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:42 am
ImLawBoy wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:29 amAs a reminder, please keep political posts in the R&P thread. Thanks!
Is poking at a hoarder and opportunist political?

I don't think so. That wasn't the topic that inspired my reminder.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:55 am

stimpy wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:34 am
Paingod wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:17 am There's a national treasure in Tennessee who's helping now. Dude saved up 18,000 bottles of sanitizer so they could redistribute it for him.
He aint no treasure. Guy crossed the state hoarding up the items to sell for big profits on Amazon.
Amazon shut him down and the Government told him to stop.
Stuck with mountains of product, his only choice was to donate it.
Dudes like him and his brother are the problem.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-17-700-b ... 15841.html

Seriously. Big article on those two in the NYT a couple days ago. The state is opening a price gouging investigation about him and his brother. They aren’t hero’s or helpers. Just trying to save their own asses.

[Edited to add: Sorry - posted this before I read the requests to leave this one in R&P. I don’t get why this is R&P subject matter, but didn’t intend to ignore the requests or to beat a dead horse for that matter.]

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:10 pm

ImLawBoy wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:54 am I don't think so. That wasn't the topic that inspired my reminder.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:14 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:44 am
Paingod wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:42 am
ImLawBoy wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:29 amAs a reminder, please keep political posts in the R&P thread. Thanks!
Is poking at a hoarder and opportunist political?
It is when the AG is involved. I got you.

I know these days it SEEMS every crime is political, but that's not really the case.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:17 pm

Paingod wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:58 am How do I get the weight of this through to her?

Make it personal.

Explain it in terms of specific friends/family you have known personally who were afflicted by cancer (or any other immuno-compromising illness), and clarify how lethal an infection like this would be to them. Hence the critical importance of you and your family making the necessary sacrifices to do what you can to prevent its spread.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:22 pm

The Meal wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:53 am
MHS wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:51 am Our biggest social interactions (outside of work) are through poker. We've postponed all upcoming games and have switched to online, after I set up a local Home Game club. I'm disappointed that some of our poker circle are continuing to host games, especially given the median age of most of them being in the 60+ at risk group. Perhaps poker players are just high-risk people in general? Fortunately, it seems to be a small subset of our crowd.
Some pretty disappointing comments from folks I think are pretty intelligent: "If we think a flu going around each year is a risk to us playing then we shouldn't be playing live ever again."

They're bluffing.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:26 pm

American Heart Association is recommending cancelling CPR certification classes through mid-April. Guess who was scheduled?

60-day extensions are being granted on renewal dates, though mine isn't technically due until the end of May.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:30 pm

Paingod wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:05 am
Kasey Chang wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:01 amThat it's better to be safe than sorry? That you don't want to be the 1% mortality, which are terrible odds?
I guess. I don't know what her issue is with this. I feel like she's either not concerned at all that 1% is a nasty roll of the dice or feels like she shouldn't disrupt her life until she sees people staggering around vomiting on each other.

I can't speak to your situation but this isn't about your wife. It's about

1) slowing the spread so our health care system can deal with it.
2) reducing its footprint, hopefully to delay or prevent spread to the elderly and immunocompromised, specifically those with heart, lung, or diabetic compromises.

To most of the rest of you (I have asthma and coronary problems) it will be no more serious than flu. To us, well, it could be a real concern and if/when we get sick there is no capacity for health care, it could very well be a death sentence.

Still, I'd not cancel my life, given the choice. But social distancing? Increased hand washing? Limiting my public appearance? In! (Now if only I could cancel all contact to people with children, those vial highly immune vectors of distribution)

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:31 pm

Maryland is closing all restaurants, bars, gyms, and movie theatres at 5PM today. Carryout and drive thru still allowed for restaurants.

I am sure DC and VA will follow suit soon enough.

Torfish · Post by **Torfish** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:42 pm

pr0ner wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:31 pm Maryland is closing all restaurants, bars, gyms, and movie theatres at 5PM today. Carryout and drive thru still allowed for restaurants.

I am sure DC and VA will follow suit soon enough.

Indiana just announced the same. Except maybe not including gyms.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:59 pm

I wonder if the cable I ordered from Monoprice will arrive with coronavirus all over it? hmmm

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 1:14 pm

England just joined the club as Johnson is telling them to avoid non-essential contact. This is a huge about face.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 1:19 pm

Daehawk wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:59 pm I wonder if the cable I ordered from Monoprice will arrive with coronavirus all over it? hmmm

The recommendation is, if you have the time to spare, leave cardboard boxes set aside for 24 hours after receiving them (wash your hands after handling), and plastic items (such as what may be inside the box) aside for 72 hours. Obviously this only works if the shipments you're receiving aren't time critical to you. And if you're feeling a little gambly, go ahead and receive your shipments and dig right in.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 1:52 pm

Ah thanks. Sounds good.

morlac · Post by **morlac** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 2:08 pm

I am hearing from multiple sources that we are about to hit a 2 week mandatory Nation wide self Quarantine. Expect a 5 pm new conference with this to go into effect as early as Wednesday. If you business is not work from home it is about to be.