COVID-19 (f/k/a "the Coronavirus")

[DiaperDandy]

which masks?  there are not enough of the n95's and if they weren't expensive 6 mos ago, i'm sure you aren't going to find them on sale now.  also, if you aren't infected, the masks aren't going to do anything for you. 





"Sorrell said there's no reason to use a surgical mask if you're healthy and not infected.

"The virus itself is so small that it can penetrate the mask," she said. "So it literally does nothing for you."

"The only reason to wear a surgical mask is if you're already infected with the virus and are quarantined, according to Sorrell. Hence, if you're staying at home from work or from school, and you're trying not to infect your family members, you should wear a mask.

Stanley Perlman, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Carver College of Medicine at University of Iowa and a longtime coronavirus researcher, said surgical masks aren't as good as keeping the virus out because they have larger pores."



https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/clarissajanlim/coronavirus-questions-masks-hand-sanitizers

I work in a hospital and happen to get fit tested each year for 95 masks so let me clarify.  The author Is correct in stating the surgical masks will not offer protection against the virus.  Surgical masks are used strictly
In the surgical field and their main purpose is so keep facial hair and large droplets of sweat/saliva from Entering the surgical field. 

The n95 is NOT a surgical mask
nor is it used by clinicians while working in the surgical field.  The n95 is a respirator rated mask
That shields you from airborn contaminants and pathogens.  It is worn by clinicians and staff when entering isolation rooms
To treat patients that are in isolation (think tB patients).  This mask will protect you from the virus if it is airborn and worn correctly (hence the fit test each year.  If worn incorrectly or with facial hair, the mask loses its ability to offer protection).  This mask may not offer 100% protection from the virus, however, I can guarantee you it will protect you a LOT better than a surgical mask.  I laugh whenever I see people in public wearing those things because they are not offering any type of protection...

[Hards Alumni]

I work in a hospital and happen to get fit tested each year for 95 masks so let me clarify.  The author Is correct in stating the surgical masks will not offer protection against the virus.  Surgical masks are used strictly
In the surgical field and their main purpose is so keep facial hair and large droplets of sweat/saliva from Entering the surgical field. 

The n95 is NOT a surgical mask
nor is it used by clinicians while working in the surgical field.  The n95 is a respirator rated mask
That shields you from airborn contaminants and pathogens.  It is worn by clinicians and staff when entering isolation rooms
To treat patients that are in isolation (think tB patients).  This mask will protect you from the virus if it is airborn and worn correctly (hence the fit test each year.  If worn incorrectly or with facial hair, the mask loses its ability to offer protection).  This mask may not offer 100% protection from the virus, however, I can guarantee you it will protect you a LOT better than a surgical mask.  I laugh whenever I see people in public wearing those things because they are not offering any type of protection...

The surgical masks worn in public are worn as a kindness if you are sick and don't want to spread to others.

[rocket surgeon]

I work in a hospital and happen to get fit tested each year for 95 masks so let me clarify.  The author Is correct in stating the surgical masks will not offer protection against the virus.  Surgical masks are used strictly
In the surgical field and their main purpose is so keep facial hair and large droplets of sweat/saliva from Entering the surgical field. 

The n95 is NOT a surgical mask
nor is it used by clinicians while working in the surgical field.  The n95 is a respirator rated mask
That shields you from airborn contaminants and pathogens.  It is worn by clinicians and staff when entering isolation rooms
To treat patients that are in isolation (think tB patients).  This mask will protect you from the virus if it is airborn and worn correctly (hence the fit test each year.  If worn incorrectly or with facial hair, the mask loses its ability to offer protection).  This mask may not offer 100% protection from the virus, however, I can guarantee you it will protect you a LOT better than a surgical mask.  I laugh whenever I see people in public wearing those things because they are not offering any type of protection...

good info DD!!  that's the stuff we need to hear. 

  hards comment is also insightful.      also, i think, many wear the mask for psychological purposes as well

hint,  if you are on a flight that isn't full and you want a little extra room, put one of those bad boys on or put a pair of sun glasses on to look extra bad ass

[rocky_warrior]

Here's the CDC Friday transcript.  A little light on info.  You can tell the message has been, ahem, softened by those above the CDC.  But hey, border control!

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/t0228-COVID-19-update.html

[Hards Alumni]

South Koreas numbers today are... not reassuring.

10 days later, and they are over 3000.  They're the model.

Doomsday cult really had a incredible effect.

[GooooMarquette]

We were all gonna die of AIDS if we came near, touched, or even sat on the same toilet seat as someone with HIV.

We were all gonna get brains that looked like Swiss cheese if we ate beef. We were all gonna die of Avian Flu, then Swine Flu, than MERS, then SARS, then Ebola.

Now we're all gonna die of coronavirus infection, or reinfection.

I get that any virus or any novel illness could be a blip on the screen or the end of humanity. But the reaction to this particular one is more extreme than any I can recall since the AIDS crisis. Maybe it's the 25-hour-per-day news cycle or maybe it's the real Armegeddon, but I'm not gonna let this affect my daily life any more than the others did. And in the unlikely event I die or get horribly ill, at least I will have lived my life the best I could.

[rocky_warrior]

I'm not gonna let this affect my daily life any more than the others did. And in the unlikely event I die or get horribly ill, at least I will have lived my life the best I could.

That's fair, and I'm not trying to fear-monger.  But I do think that people should understand that this is a serious illness.  China custom built 2 hospitals in a couple weeks to handle the cases.  That doesn't happen for the flu, though the hospitals were modeled after one that china built for Sars.

[Jockey]

Here's the CDC Friday transcript.  A little light on info.  You can tell the message has been, ahem, softened by those above the CDC.  But hey, border control!

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/t0228-COVID-19-update.html

CDC has been silenced by the gov't. All releases must be approved by Dear Leader or his anti-science Mini Me.

Following China's model.

[jsglow]

We were all gonna die of AIDS if we came near, touched, or even sat on the same toilet seat as someone with HIV.

We were all gonna get brains that looked like Swiss cheese if we ate beef. We were all gonna die of Avian Flu, then Swine Flu, than MERS, then SARS, then Ebola.

Now we're all gonna die of coronavirus infection, or reinfection.

I get that any virus or any novel illness could be a blip on the screen or the end of humanity. But the reaction to this particular one is more extreme than any I can recall since the AIDS crisis. Maybe it's the 25-hour-per-day news cycle or maybe it's the real Armegeddon, but I'm not gonna let this affect my daily life any more than the others did. And in the unlikely event I die or get horribly ill, at least I will have lived my life the best I could.

Word.

[forgetful]

We were all gonna die of AIDS if we came near, touched, or even sat on the same toilet seat as someone with HIV.

We were all gonna get brains that looked like Swiss cheese if we ate beef. We were all gonna die of Avian Flu, then Swine Flu, than MERS, then SARS, then Ebola.

Now we're all gonna die of coronavirus infection, or reinfection.

I get that any virus or any novel illness could be a blip on the screen or the end of humanity. But the reaction to this particular one is more extreme than any I can recall since the AIDS crisis. Maybe it's the 25-hour-per-day news cycle or maybe it's the real Armegeddon, but I'm not gonna let this affect my daily life any more than the others did. And in the unlikely event I die or get horribly ill, at least I will have lived my life the best I could.

Regarding Avian flu, MERS, SARS, and Ebola. The reason millions didn't die on mass in the US and other major countries are two fold.

1. Nations immediately and aggressively responded on mass to stop the spread of the illnesses.
2. All of those were extremely deadly, and were not easy to spread. Meaning, when you became infectious, you were already near death and unable to spread it widely.

The former is true here, the latter is not, which makes this deadly if people do not take this extremely serious. Covid will already have a greater impact health wise and economy wise than any of the above.

[mu_hilltopper]

Fascinating read ..

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/02/28/i-have-coronavirus-so-far-it-isnt-that-bad/

[WarriorDad]

This is a good topic without the politics.


https://youtu.be/39A7Tr-H29E

[Hards Alumni]

This is a good topic without the politics.


https://youtu.be/39A7Tr-H29E

Ah yes, the, "Blame the media" dogs are out.  Dr. Drew is a media personality, barely a practicing doctor.  He is eating up the attention, just like he always has.  Maybe he should call up Dr. Phil and collaborate on how to save this process.

I'd say that in bizarro world, Dr. Drew is just trying to tow the Trump line here to get a job in the administration... but unfortunately...

[rocket surgeon]

  see hards, you were all good until this-no need to bring politics into this. argue the facts that dr drew brings up-many more influenza cases, hospitalizations and deaths.  fact.  the dr phil comment further weakened your post.  barely a doctor?  so what does that mean?  he finished near the bottom of his class? doesn't matter if he completed all the requirements, he's a DOCTOR. 

    he's stating what he knows and believes.  if it just so happens the present administration has a spot or a need for dr drew, fine.  every admin seeks to add people who strengthen their positions regardless the issue, just as the opposing people do the same

  the media has been beating this issue up.  they are creating conversation with others that ad nothing but politics to this and that is the last thing we need right now.  ebola, i believe was much more deadly and everything worked out

[The Sultan]

  see hards, you were all good until this-no need to bring politics into this. argue the facts that dr drew brings up-many more influenza cases, hospitalizations and deaths.  fact.  the dr phil comment further weakened your post.  barely a doctor?  so what does that mean?  he finished near the bottom of his class? doesn't matter if he completed all the requirements, he's a DOCTOR. 

    he's stating what he knows and believes.  if it just so happens the present administration has a spot or a need for dr drew, fine.  every admin seeks to add people who strengthen their positions regardless the issue, just as the opposing people do the same

  the media has been beating this issue up.  they are creating conversation with others that ad nothing but politics to this and that is the last thing we need right now.  ebola, i believe was much more deadly and everything worked out

Barely a doctor means that he doesn't really practice medicine much. More interested in PR.

And Ebola was spread in a much different manner AND more deadly. Which is why it was easier to contain.

[Hards Alumni]

  see hards, you were all good until this-no need to bring politics into this. argue the facts that dr drew brings up-many more influenza cases, hospitalizations and deaths.  fact.  the dr phil comment further weakened your post.  barely a doctor?  so what does that mean?  he finished near the bottom of his class? doesn't matter if he completed all the requirements, he's a DOCTOR. 

    he's stating what he knows and believes.  if it just so happens the present administration has a spot or a need for dr drew, fine.  every admin seeks to add people who strengthen their positions regardless the issue, just as the opposing people do the same

  the media has been beating this issue up.  they are creating conversation with others that ad nothing but politics to this and that is the last thing we need right now.  ebola, i believe was much more deadly and everything worked out

He is a partisan hack, so I didn't really start this garbage.  Don't defend him, nor his claims.  You haven't until I said what I said.

And since you're saying a person like this should be in the administration, you're a partisan hack as well.  See how that works?  Doctor Drew is a trash ball... not because of his politics, but because he a self serving moron whose claim to fame is talking about STDs on MTV in the 90s.  He as much an expert on this as Joaquin Phoenix is on human rights.  He should be ignored.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Somehow the pandemic thread is more grounded and less reactionary than  "Hanging at the Al" tonight. 

[rocket surgeon]

He is a partisan hack, so I didn't really start this garbage.  Don't defend him, nor his claims.  You haven't until I said what I said.

And since you're saying a person like this should be in the administration, you're a partisan hack as well.  See how that works?  Doctor Drew is a trash ball... not because of his politics, but because he a self serving moron whose claim to fame is talking about STDs on MTV in the 90s.  He as much an expert on this as Joaquin Phoenix is on human rights.  He should be ignored.

so anyone who believes different from another is a "partisan hack?  interesting...not.  medicine is a science, human rights is not.  refute dr drews facts, fine.  people can choose to believe him or not, just as those who choose to believe the opposite..  that's the beauty of this country.  so is name calling i guess.

here's a good example- is dr sanjay gupta a doctor?  is he a "partisan hack"? 

    yes he is a doctor who happens to believe differently than i do, but i'm not going to refer to him as a hack.  you see where i am going with this?  no need for the inflammatory/ angry language

  never said he should or shouldn't be in this administration,  i said if...

so fluff, how much do you have to practice in order to be a doctor?  or how many patients?  nice try though.  if a woman is 1 or 2 mos. pregnant, she's barely pregnant, right?

[The Sultan]

so anyone who believes different from another is a "partisan hack?  interesting...not.  medicine is a science, human rights is not.  refute dr drews facts, fine.  people can choose to believe him or not, just as those who choose to believe the opposite..  that's the beauty of this country.  so is name calling i guess.

here's a good example- is dr sanjay gupta a doctor?  is he a "partisan hack"? 

    yes he is a doctor who happens to believe differently than i do, but i'm not going to refer to him as a hack.  you see where i am going with this?  no need for the inflammatory/ angry language

  never said he should or shouldn't be in this administration,  i said if...

so fluff, how much do you have to practice in order to be a doctor?  or how many patients?  nice try though.  if a woman is 1 or 2 mos. pregnant, she's barely pregnant, right?

I mean it's not hard.

Doctors who don't spend a lot of time practicing medicine, but use their credentials to pass themselves off as something of an expert, aren't really doctoring. They're pontificating.

And if you don't think he's a partisan hack, that tells me all I need to know about you.

[rocket surgeon]

I mean it's not hard.

Doctors who don't spend a lot of time practicing medicine, but use their credentials to pass themselves off as something of an expert, aren't really doctoring. They're pontificating.

And if you don't think he's a partisan hack, that tells me all I need to know about you.

  "a lot of time practicing medicine"  so what is enough time?  i didn't call dr sanjay gupta a "partisan hack"  does that tell you anything about me?  i didn't even call him "barely a doctor" even though i don't think he spends much time getting his hands dirty as he used to, but uses his credentials to pass himself off as an expert.

  if we are to get thru this as a country, who can we believe?  we need to stop the partisan crap and find a way to combat this virus for all us first, then the rest of the world.  just like when the O2 masks fall, we've got to help ourselves first before we can continue to help the others.     

[The Sultan]

  "a lot of time practicing medicine"  so what is enough time?  i didn't call dr sanjay gupta a "partisan hack"  does that tell you anything about me?  i didn't even call him "barely a doctor" even though i don't think he spends much time getting his hands dirty as he used to, but uses his credentials to pass himself off as an expert.

  if we are to get thru this as a country, who can we believe?  we need to stop the partisan crap and find a way to combat this virus for all us first, then the rest of the world.  just like when the O2 masks fall, we've got to help ourselves first before we can continue to help the others.     

I don't give a flying f*ck what you called Sanjay Gupta.  The fact that you're defending Drew tells me all I need to know.

[rocky_warrior]

I'll take the blame, I started politics with a jab at the CDC transcript appearing to be force fed.  Now the rest of you can knock it off.

[forgetful]

I was curious about some of the aspects comparing death statistics between influenza and Covid. It is true that those that are elderly are most likely to die (14.8% death rate for people over age 80), but comparing the death rate to influenza shows how much more dangerous Covid is.

For those between 10-19. You are 400 times more likely to die if you get infected with the coronavirus than the flu.
For those between 20-29. The likelihood is around 300 times more likely.
For those between 30-39. 125 times more likely.
For those between 40-49. 125 times more likely.
For those between 50-59. 125 times more likely.
For those between 60-69. 100 times more likely.
For those between 70-79. 60 times more likely.
For those between 80+. 30 times more likely.

So although the overall risk of dying is highest for those that are elderly. The young are hit comparatively harder by Covid.

[Jockey]

I'll take the blame, I started politics with a jab at the CDC transcript appearing to be force fed.  Now the rest of you can knock it off.

I followed your lead. I will gladly let you take ALL of the blame. 

[The Sultan]

I was curious about some of the aspects comparing death statistics between influenza and Covid. It is true that those that are elderly are most likely to die (14.8% death rate for people over age 80), but comparing the death rate to influenza shows how much more dangerous Covid is.

For those between 10-19. You are 400 times more likely to die if you get infected with the coronavirus than the flu.
For those between 20-29. The likelihood is around 300 times more likely.
For those between 30-39. 125 times more likely.
For those between 40-49. 125 times more likely.
For those between 50-59. 125 times more likely.
For those between 60-69. 100 times more likely.
For those between 70-79. 60 times more likely.
For those between 80+. 30 times more likely.

So although the overall risk of dying is highest for those that are elderly. The young are hit comparatively harder by Covid.

Is't that the same thing that happened with the 1919 pandemic?  That it was the body's overreaction to the infection that killed more than the actual infection did?