[Health] The Infectious Diseases Thread

[LordMortis]

I've been doing pickup exclusively. It helps keep the restaurant's costs down and I know precisely when I'm getting my food. All of my local eateries have contactless curbside pickup and both parties are masked, so the risk is near zero.

If I do that I might eventually have to fill my gastank. Though I fear I may need to do that next week anyway. Gas costs since March 12th: $22 and I still have a quarter tank left (that means I've likely driven less than 200 miles in 2.5 months). And yet somehow I've not gotten that auto insurance break everyone talks about. AAA can bite me.

[Kraken]

I've been doing pickup exclusively. It helps keep the restaurant's costs down and I know precisely when I'm getting my food. All of my local eateries have contactless curbside pickup and both parties are masked, so the risk is near zero.

If I do that I might eventually have to fill my gastank. Though I fear I may need to do that next week anyway. Gas costs since March 12th: $22 and I still have a quarter tank left (that means I've likely driven less than 200 miles in 2.5 months). And yet somehow I've not gotten that auto insurance break everyone talks about. AAA can bite me.

We're only getting takeout once a week and all from nearby places. Still, I'll need to gas up my car this week for the first time since mid-March.

I didn't get the insurance break because my policy renewed a few weeks before they were announced. Supposedly GEICO will make me whole next time around. They've seemed customer-focused up to now, so I trust them.

[Daehawk]

I've been doing pickup exclusively. It helps keep the restaurant's costs down and I know precisely when I'm getting my food. All of my local eateries have contactless curbside pickup and both parties are masked, so the risk is near zero.

If I do that I might eventually have to fill my gastank. Though I fear I may need to do that next week anyway. Gas costs since March 12th: $22 and I still have a quarter tank left (that means I've likely driven less than 200 miles in 2.5 months). And yet somehow I've not gotten that auto insurance break everyone talks about. AAA can bite me.

I was down to 1/4 a tank and filled up for $15 at $1.55 a gal.

[LordMortis]

I had to go to work on Monday. Gas was up to $1.95. My gas gauge said 174 miles empty. I didn't stop. It was 91 outside. Ford gas gagues are notoriously shit, so 174 really means about 110 and that means about 75 if you don't want to start clogging your fuel filter.

[Daehawk]

When I grabbed my carry out at Pizza Hut today I noticed the guy in the front and the guy grabbing me a hand full of cheese packets had no masks or gloves on. behind them about 7 feet and wide open to the front was the kitchen staff working and they did have masks on. Kinda worried me.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I've used UberEats a few times during the lockup; the markup fees really add up. In both cases, I think the meal ended up being close to $20 more than what just the food would have costed, despite "no delivery fees". Pick-up is definitely the way to go if you can do it.

[pr0ner]

I was just in a Total Wine in Springfield VA and there was 100% mask usage amongst employees and staff.

Then again, Northam just stated that masks are required indoors as of today, Northern VA is pretty good about this kind of thing, and they had an employee stationed at the door, but I'm not entirely surprised.

[LordMortis]

Everyone, including health professionals, keep saying food preparation is a low risk, just keeping washing your damned hands 20 seconds and don't touch your face. And I'm just paranoid. I did survive contactless delivery from Jets for Detroit Deep Dish garbage pizza a few weeks ago. $30 and it was friggen heaven. So good. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a couple of glasses of Faygo Rock and Rye. I might have to buy some pop and store it for the next special occasion on my next eventual grocery shop. The only problem is a don't save well. If I buy pop, it'll be gone in a week, no matter my good intentions.

[msteelers]

I've used UberEats a few times during the lockup; the markup fees really add up. In both cases, I think the meal ended up being close to $20 more than what just the food would have costed, despite "no delivery fees". Pick-up is definitely the way to go if you can do it.

What's wild to me is that not only do they have a ton of fees that they pass on to the consumer, but they ALSO charge the restaurants a percentage that is up around 30% of the cost.

[morlac]

I've used UberEats a few times during the lockup; the markup fees really add up. In both cases, I think the meal ended up being close to $20 more than what just the food would have costed, despite "no delivery fees". Pick-up is definitely the way to go if you can do it.

What's wild to me is that not only do they have a ton of fees that they pass on to the consumer, but they ALSO charge the restaurants a percentage that is up around 30% of the cost.

Yea, they do provide a valuable service (to some restaurants) which I can appreciate but man triple dipping is not cool. I use Grubhub because they charge less and a couple places do not have websites I can order straight from (value service). I hate ordering from most places over the phone. Its a shitshow most of the time.

[Daehawk]

Everyone, including health professionals, keep saying food preparation is a low risk, just keeping washing your damned hands 20 seconds and don't touch your face. And I'm just paranoid. I did survive contactless delivery from Jets for Detroit Deep Dish garbage pizza a few weeks ago. $30 and it was friggen heaven. So good. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a couple of glasses of Faygo Rock and Rye. I might have to buy some pop and store it for the next special occasion on my next eventual grocery shop. The only problem is a don't save well. If I buy pop, it'll be gone in a week, no matter my good intentions.

I rarely see Faygo around here any longer. And I cant recall where I saw it that last time.

[ImLawBoy]

If a restaurant has a site that I can order from, I'll typically use that. If they don't then I'll use GrubHub (or Door Dash, or Caviar). I was reading an article where some restaurant owners were complaining about the fees from the services and the sometimes unprofessional delivery people, but other restaurant owners loved them because they don't have to deal with setting up online ordering.

[Madmarcus]

We've started to use Coupang Eats. The delivery cost is very low, no tipping, and the food doesn't seem to be priced any higher than it would be at the restaurant. Overall great service but the places you can order from really don't match our wants and it comes in a ton of plastic packaging.

[Jeff V]

If a restaurant has a site that I can order from, I'll typically use that. If they don't then I'll use GrubHub (or Door Dash, or Caviar). I was reading an article where some restaurant owners were complaining about the fees from the services and the sometimes unprofessional delivery people, but other restaurant owners loved them because they don't have to deal with setting up online ordering.

Certain foods, pizza, Chinese, etc., lend themselves well to carry out/delivery, and rarely do I eat those things in a restaurant. For things that I do go to restaurants for, the food just does not survive transit in anywhere near what I expect in the restaurant.

There are restaurant foods I'd love to have again someday, but I'm not going to suffer having them at reduced quality nor will I risk my life to eat-in.

[ImLawBoy]

If a restaurant has a site that I can order from, I'll typically use that. If they don't then I'll use GrubHub (or Door Dash, or Caviar). I was reading an article where some restaurant owners were complaining about the fees from the services and the sometimes unprofessional delivery people, but other restaurant owners loved them because they don't have to deal with setting up online ordering.

Certain foods, pizza, Chinese, etc., lend themselves well to carry out/delivery, and rarely do I eat those things in a restaurant. For things that I do go to restaurants for, the food just does not survive transit in anywhere near what I expect in the restaurant.

There are restaurant foods I'd love to have again someday, but I'm not going to suffer having them at reduced quality nor will I risk my life to eat-in.

If you could point to one post to sum up the Jeff V posting experience, this might just be it.

[Kurth]

Ventured out for beers at our local brew pub on Thursday, and it wasn't too bad. Went out tonight for dinner at one of our favorite local places, and it was an eye opener. They had it well organized with tables separated by a good distance. Definitely operating at 50% or less, and there were ample signs they were struggling - portions were noticeably reduced, quality wasn't what it usually is, and staff was stretched thin. Glad we gave them some business, and I hope they make it through and rebound to what they were pre-Covid19.

[hitbyambulance]

WA state is now letting counties have more self-governance on re-opening phases. i had my doubts, but i am assured this 'will be fine, as Washingtonians are following social distancing guidelines'. i anticipate the county i live in (King County, where Seattle is located, and Kirkland, the reported 'first US outbreak', is as well) will be moving to an intermediate stage ('phase 1.5') week after next, despite not meeting the strict earlier criteria.

i do expect after the protests today an uptick in covid-19 infections in two weeks.

[malchior]

If a restaurant has a site that I can order from, I'll typically use that. If they don't then I'll use GrubHub (or Door Dash, or Caviar). I was reading an article where some restaurant owners were complaining about the fees from the services and the sometimes unprofessional delivery people, but other restaurant owners loved them because they don't have to deal with setting up online ordering.

Yeah - for me it the ideal is getting the most money as possible directly into the restaurants' pockets. That said, spreading some spend to the online platforms is important as well because we might need them as this wears on. The best outcome would be to protect as much of the ecosystem end-to-end as we can.

[Daehawk]

Something I forgot until I threw it away just now. You know how Dominoes goes out of their way to tell you in their ads how your pizza is never touched after the oven? It slides into a box and they seal it? Well seems Pizza Hut dont give a F because they put that little 3 pronged piece of plastic in the middle of my pizza that helps hold the box lid flat so it doesn't squish down onto the pizza toppings. Someone had to PUT that thing there. Ewww.

[Smoove_B]

They actually use trained rats wearing special shoes to walk it across the pizza and place it in the center. Still technically untouched by human hands!

[dbt1949]

Rats don't know how to tie shoes!

[Jeff V]

They actually use trained rats wearing special shoes to walk it across the pizza and place it in the center. Still technically untouched by human hands!

Want sausage on that Pizza Hut? The rats are trained to produce that as well.

I can't complain about them too much though. Sure, their food is unfit for human consumption, but when one Pizza Hut that's 5 minutes from my wife's work refused to deliver (after taking the order), another made things right by comping the whole order. Also, they give free pizzas to my son just for reading, and he has a pretty high tolerance for shitty pizza.

[Blackhawk]

Something I forgot until I threw it away just now. You know how Dominoes goes out of their way to tell you in their ads how your pizza is never touched after the oven? It slides into a box and they seal it? Well seems Pizza Hut dont give a F because they put that little 3 pronged piece of plastic in the middle of my pizza that helps hold the box lid flat so it doesn't squish down onto the pizza toppings. Someone had to PUT that thing there. Ewww.

Around here Dominoes uses those, too. And I'm not planning on rubbing the box support in my eyes, so I'm not terribly concerned about it.

[Kraken]

Something I forgot until I threw it away just now. You know how Dominoes goes out of their way to tell you in their ads how your pizza is never touched after the oven? It slides into a box and they seal it? Well seems Pizza Hut dont give a F because they put that little 3 pronged piece of plastic in the middle of my pizza that helps hold the box lid flat so it doesn't squish down onto the pizza toppings. Someone had to PUT that thing there. Ewww.

Around here Dominoes uses those, too. And I'm not planning on rubbing the box support in my eyes, so I'm not terribly concerned about it.

"Table." It's called a table.

[Alefroth]

They actually use trained rats wearing special shoes to walk it across the pizza and place it in the center. Still technically untouched by human hands!

Hopefully Daehawk had his rat remove it just to be safe.

[Daehawk]

No he doesn't have shoes.

[LawBeefaroni]

No he doesn't have shoes.

I never understood the shoe thing. You can just hold them by the tail and do a Mission Impossible move.

[Anonymous Bosch]

No he doesn't have shoes.

Shoes ain't the concern; just ask Smoove, rats tend to piss everywhere they go. Then again, I expect Jeff V will chime in to say that may well enhance the flavour of cheap fast food pizza.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, mice and rats are constantly releasing microdroplets of urine - it helps them map out their territory. That's also why you have them in sneakers - it keeps them distracted from the diaper you make them wear.

[Jeff V]

No he doesn't have shoes.

Shoes ain't the concern; just ask Smoove, rats tend to piss everywhere they go. Then again, I expect Jeff V will chime in to say that may well enhance the flavour of cheap fast food pizza.

Wouldn't hurt.

[Moat_Man]

Yeah, mice and rats are constantly releasing microdroplets of urine

As men get older don't we do that too? Depends forever!

[Sudy]

I've been collecting those little tables all my life. Last year I had them melted down into a life-size statue of Leo Hendrik Baekeland. Nude. The municipality has asked me to remove it from the balcony.

[Paingod]

I've now had two "distant" brushes with the virus, in a state with 1.3 million people and only 2,400 confirmed cases. Last night my wife let me know one of her co-workers (they're all working from home) has a small child, 4 years old, who has tested positive for the virus after coming down with a fever and difficulty breathing. They live in an apartment complex where three other people have also tested positive. The family's other child is a toddler with a heart condition and currently in the ICU.

I wear my mask religiously. Any time I step out of my car to get gas or groceries. This morning at the gas station I noted that I was the only one out of the ~20 people I saw come and go who was wearing a mask. Not even the clerk, who I watched through the window while she was sneezing, was wearing one.

[Daehawk]

Eh the human race is destined for failure by some means of their own doing just wait.

[LawBeefaroni]

We ready to throw some Ebola on the 2020 dumpster fire?

The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced today that a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease is occurring in Wangata health zone, Mbandaka, in Équateur province. The announcement comes as a long, difficult and complex Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is in its final phase, while the country also battles COVID-19 and the world’s largest measles outbreak.

[Jeff V]

We ready to throw some Ebola on the 2020 dumpster fire?

The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced today that a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease is occurring in Wangata health zone, Mbandaka, in Équateur province. The announcement comes as a long, difficult and complex Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is in its final phase, while the country also battles COVID-19 and the world’s largest measles outbreak.

I'm reading a trilogy now, written about 5 years ago where a strain of Ebola mixed with something else created a fast-acting zombie virus that quickly takes over nearly the entire planet. That would surely be icing on the cake...I wouldn't have to worry about finding a new job before UI benefits expire.

[Daehawk]

Just wait until they rush out a COVID vaccine and I Am Legend comes to life.

[Daehawk]

Uh oh. I just noticed that surgical like mask I wear in town and realized I was wearing it willy nilly. I was wearing it one way then the next stop I think I put it on the reverse side. So I was flipping it inside outside each time without noticing. Wont matter by the end of the next week when I go back to town because by then the germs will have died. But oh man I hope I didn't infect myself.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Uh oh. I just noticed that surgical like mask I wear in town and realized I was wearing it willy nilly. I was wearing it one way then the next stop I think I put it on the reverse side. So I was flipping it inside outside each time without noticing. Wont matter by the end of the next week when I go back to town because by then the germs will have died. But oh man I hope I didn't infect myself.

The idea behind wearing a facial covering -- assuming you're not you're wearing an N95 respirator -- is NOT for your own protection. It's solely intended as a means of protecting others from your own respiratory droplets in case you're asymptomatic:

Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings, Especially in Areas of Significant Community-Based Transmission

CDC continues to study the spread and effects of the novel coronavirus across the United States. We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms. This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus. CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

[stessier]

Just a snap shot of how life has changed. I'm assuming this is a fancy restaurant.

https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi/status ... 7862184960