Coping with Covid-19

I've gained 10 pounds since this all started. When it first started the stress was astronomical, and boy did I drink more. Not walking to work since I'm working from home. Lots to eat around the house. Glad I never picked up the cigar habit, I'd be smoking those too. Lost a grandfather that way.

I had to go out yesterday to the Hardware store and grocers. I was appalled by what I saw. Loads of people without masks, and I had to dodge and weave about to keep any kind of distance from anyone. If my little microcosm is typical we're going to see one hell of a peak soon.
Not everyone shares the delusion.
 
Not everyone shares the delusion.
COVID19 ain't no delusion son, I hope you don't find that out the hard way. Mrs. Steingar has a history of pulmonary problems, so she's a prime candidate to get ended by this thing.

There's gonna be a spike. There's gonna be a big god damned spike. Folks are gonna die.
 
Predicting a spike isn't particularly surprising since it seems that many pandemics/outbreaks typically have at least one secondary outbreak/spike.
 
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I've been going out walking almost every day from the beginning. Enjoying nature more than I ever have. Went shopping this morning and it was the best experience than I have had at Safeway since I moved here three years ago. Sketchy people hanging out in front, gone. Store fully stocked. Very few customers. No lines.
 
I've gained 10 pounds since this all started. When it first started the stress was astronomical, and boy did I drink more. Not walking to work since I'm working from home. Lots to eat around the house. Glad I never picked up the cigar habit, I'd be smoking those too. Lost a grandfather that way.

I had to go out yesterday to the Hardware store and grocers. I was appalled by what I saw. Loads of people without masks, and I had to dodge and weave about to keep any kind of distance from anyone. If my little microcosm is typical we're going to see one hell of a peak soon.

I wish it was only 10. For me it was 17.
The killer has been I have been used to going to the gym, and did not adjust my eating. Now I have made adjustments, i have stopped gaining weight. now to lose it...

Tim
 
COVID19 ain't no delusion son, I hope you don't find that out the hard way. Mrs. Steingar has a history of pulmonary problems, so she's a prime candidate to get ended by this thing.

There's gonna be a spike. There's gonna be a big god damned spike. Folks are gonna die.
Yeah. So. What’s your point?
 
I was in Wyoming last week. So refreshing to be able to move around freely without the national guard and state police monitoring my every move and reminding me that the town is closed. Even the lady that finger printed me, and had to hold my hand, was without mask and gloves. However we did do hand sanitizer first and kept a safe distance when finished.

People were walking on the hiking paths, children were playing in parks, bicyclist were riding on the bike paths. Folks were fishing in the River and actually catching fish. People were friendly and actually talked to me. Businesses, including restaurants were open.

Sadly, the Cheyenne Frontier Days has been cancelled for 2020, the first time in 124 years. A few other big rodeos have been cancelled for this year. But otherwise life is almost normal in Casper.

The few folks I saw that were wearing mask were the people that work with public, like cashiers and restaurant workers.

I did buy a gallon of hand sanitizer as a gift for my wife.....
 
Yeah. So. What’s your point?
Lots of people are ignoring CDC recommendations. No PPE, no social distancing, nada. The peak may have leveled off, but the virus is still out there. If people ignore the whole thing and go on their merry it's game on. It may be that it's been slowed down by warm sunny weather, I've always thought it would be. But if folks forget all about it come fall when the temps go down virus goes up. And just in time for all those family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas. There's gonna be a big spike, conditions are primed for it. No herd immunity. No vaccine. A population sick of being pent up and half of them idiots who think it's all a hoax. Just the other day I saw a 90 year old CFI climb into a Skyhawk with a student. Student has it, CFI is dead, no doubts.

What we get in the fall will make what we got in the Spring look like a picnic. Do whatever you want, the guys running my University are smarter than you lot, they aren't going to let students back on campus with this thing hanging over them. The loss of tuition and fees is nothing compared to the lawsuits they'll get when students start dying of this stuff. I'll stay home, go to the store during the old people hours. Heck, I just about qualify.
 
Lots of people are ignoring CDC recommendations. No PPE, no social distancing, nada. The peak may have leveled off, but the virus is still out there. If people ignore the whole thing and go on their merry it's game on. It may be that it's been slowed down by warm sunny weather, I've always thought it would be. But if folks forget all about it come fall when the temps go down virus goes up. And just in time for all those family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas. There's gonna be a big spike, conditions are primed for it. No herd immunity. No vaccine. A population sick of being pent up and half of them idiots who think it's all a hoax. Just the other day I saw a 90 year old CFI climb into a Skyhawk with a student. Student has it, CFI is dead, no doubts.

What we get in the fall will make what we got in the Spring look like a picnic. Do whatever you want, the guys running my University are smarter than you lot, they aren't going to let students back on campus with this thing hanging over them. The loss of tuition and fees is nothing compared to the lawsuits they'll get when students start dying of this stuff. I'll stay home, go to the store during the old people hours. Heck, I just about qualify.

ahhh. I see. So I’m dumb. You’re smart. The people you work for are even smarter and the university magically doesn’t need money to remain solvent.

Oh and like **** tons of people are going to die because people like me are stupid.

Thanks for clearing that up.
 
ahhh. I see. So I’m dumb. You’re smart. The people you work for are even smarter and the university magically doesn’t need money to remain solvent.

Oh and like **** tons of people are going to die because people like me are stupid.

Thanks for clearing that up.
You forgot to point out that the current violence has nothing to do with the fact that people are frustrated from being forced into unemployment and being basically imprisoned in their own homes.
 
There's never a lock around when we need one.
 
One of my good friends, Dale Alan Fiala, died in late March after two weeks in the Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs. The last week he was in an induced coma and on a ventilator. He was a retired Continental Airlines B777 captain, 72 years old, and stayed in good shape.

People who are ignoring the CDC recommendations are playing Russian Roulette and risking not only their lives, but the lives of others as well. Ignoring the recommendations WILL cause more deaths and lengthen the delay in economic recovery. It really is stupid.
 
One of my good friends, Dale Alan Fiala, died in late March after two weeks in the Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs. The last week he was in an induced coma and on a ventilator. He was a retired Continental Airlines B777 captain, 72 years old, and stayed in good shape.

People who are ignoring the CDC recommendations are playing Russian Roulette and risking not only their lives, but the lives of others as well. Ignoring the recommendations WILL cause more deaths and lengthen the delay in economic recovery. It really is stupid.
Here is North Texas, it's like nothing ever happened. Traffic jams are back, Lowe's parking lot full, only a few people inside with masks and no social distancing. I went to a restaurant last week and all tables were full, no one with a mask, except staff. I sat outside, no masks either.
 
One of my good friends, Dale Alan Fiala, died in late March after two weeks in the Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs. The last week he was in an induced coma and on a ventilator. He was a retired Continental Airlines B777 captain, 72 years old, and stayed in good shape.

People who are ignoring the CDC recommendations are playing Russian Roulette and risking not only their lives, but the lives of others as well. Ignoring the recommendations WILL cause more deaths and lengthen the delay in economic recovery. It really is stupid.
Last I checked no one in this conversation is in favor of ignoring the CDC recommendations.
 
It shouldn't be any shock or surprise that different parts of the country were impacted differently... a wide spectrum of impact. A few States have been particularly hit hard and many States have very low cases per million people (if we are to believe worldometer).
 
Well I was off for 4 weeks. Made a few trips to the liqueur store and food store. Pretty much stayed at home or went to the hangar to work on a few projects.

Just finishing up 1 week in quarantine at a local motel. Work payed for motel for everyone going back on shift. They paid for the 3 meals a day for the week. Took 2 C19 tests during my stay. Bus to pick us up at 3pm and take us to the boat going to work.

I'll stay in camp during the next 4 weeks as I work a 12 1/2 hr shift. Then 3 weeks off and back to quarantine for a week before starting the whole cycle over. .

I sure miss my 4 day work week getting home every night. It's a long day leave 4am home 6:30pm. 4 weeks at work is not fun, but at least I have a job. This pandemic has hurt so many, I truly feel for them.
 
For whom the bell tolls. It is true that heavily urbanized areas are suffering worse than more rural ones. So far. Let this thing loose it'll hit everywhere eventually. If you really think you're safe you aren't. It is only a matter of time, unless someone comes up with a vaccine or treatment. Vaccine is still a year off at best.

And to make matters worse colds and flu will also be circulating come late fall and winter. Both look identical to COVID, and should cause lots of hysteria. Reminds me of a wonderful greek curse. May you live in interesting times. You do you and I'll do me. Difference is I'm not going to kill those around me. Not in a big hurry to be a widower.
 
People should take whatever they hear with a grain of salt, then make their own choices about decisions like going to the ER.

But people don't want to make their own choices. Leave it to the "experts"...
 
Lots of people are ignoring CDC recommendations. No PPE, no social distancing, nada. The peak may have leveled off, but the virus is still out there. If people ignore the whole thing and go on their merry it's game on. It may be that it's been slowed down by warm sunny weather, I've always thought it would be. But if folks forget all about it come fall when the temps go down virus goes up. And just in time for all those family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas. There's gonna be a big spike, conditions are primed for it. No herd immunity. No vaccine. A population sick of being pent up and half of them idiots who think it's all a hoax. Just the other day I saw a 90 year old CFI climb into a Skyhawk with a student. Student has it, CFI is dead, no doubts.

What we get in the fall will make what we got in the Spring look like a picnic. Do whatever you want, the guys running my University are smarter than you lot, they aren't going to let students back on campus with this thing hanging over them. The loss of tuition and fees is nothing compared to the lawsuits they'll get when students start dying of this stuff. I'll stay home, go to the store during the old people hours. Heck, I just about qualify.

I read a report I read on my phone. So I do not have the link handy, but it was a report around airborne viral pathogens; emphasis was on influenza A. The key factor on transmission was actually indoor proximity between people. What was fascinating was how as the temp moves more than 15 degrees away from 75 (above or below) people stay indoors more. According to the report, you see this in annual trend lines, there is always a late summer bump in flu cases.

If the article is true, you will not have to wait until fall. You will see the bump start in August/September (about 4 weeks after you get the 90 degree days).

Tim
 
People who are ignoring the CDC recommendations are playing Russian Roulette and risking not only their lives, but the lives of others as well. Ignoring the recommendations WILL cause more deaths and lengthen the delay in economic recovery. It really is stupid.

The risk never changed. Flattening the curve doesn’t change the area under the curve.

Without hospital overload the end numbers are the same. Stopping exponential growth, doesn’t stop linear growth. The death count ends up the same, mathematically.

Delaying the inevitable is still just a delay.
 
If hand-washing, mask-wearing, social-distancing is the supposed key to reducing risk of catching this, why are we not hearing reports of the homeless populations in the big cities being massively impacted?

If this is so easily transferred, why are we hearing reports of one family member getting it, and others in the same household not?
 
I don't think I am safe. In fact, I know I am not safe. I am not safe at home, or in the road, or at work, or in a plane. I am not immune to COVID anymore than the common cold, and am under no illusions as to the potential seriousness of it. But I am also not so enamoured of staying alive for the sake of staying alive that I want to cower somewhere away from anything that could possibly hurt or kill me. What's the point of being alive if all you can do is hide from stuff? I am young, and so probably stupid, and I think there is more chance of an asteroid knocking me out on a highway than of me dying from COVID. I am also responsible enough that I am not going around licking everything or picking my nose and touching stuff or visiting the elderly, or even getting together with friends. I stay home if I am under the weather and use lots of hand sanitizer and disinfectant at work and in public. I don't wear a mask, but I don't get in peoples' faces, either. COVID is a big deal, but so are lots of things. It is what it is.
 
The risk never changed. Flattening the curve doesn’t change the area under the curve.

Without hospital overload the end numbers are the same. Stopping exponential growth, doesn’t stop linear growth. The death count ends up the same, mathematically.

Delaying the inevitable is still just a delay.

Mostly agree, but some "hope" that a vaccine or treatment improvements as we learn more reduce damage or fatality rates. Basically, "flattening" the curve buys time, that we can potentially reduce the area under the curve.

Tim
 
The risk never changed. Flattening the curve doesn’t change the area under the curve.

Without hospital overload the end numbers are the same. Stopping exponential growth, doesn’t stop linear growth. The death count ends up the same, mathematically.

Delaying the inevitable is still just a delay.


If true, what's the point of the hospitals? They would be useless.

The purpose of flattening the curve is to allow the hospitals to reduce the area under the curve.
 
If true, what's the point of the hospitals? They would be useless.

The purpose of flattening the curve is to allow the hospitals to reduce the area under the curve.

I guess it depends on what curve you are talking about, the possible deaths curve or the inevitable deaths curve. If it's the inevitable curve of people who will die, despite hospitals, then hospitals don't matter. The purpose of flattening the curve was because "they" were worried the curve would be too big for the hospitals to handle, and thus the possible deaths curve would be way up as hospitals couldn't supply medical care. That's the one they were flattening. It was a hypothetical curve. No one knows if it would have actually existed or not.
 
"Flattening the curve" is just balancing supply and demand.

If the demand is too high, there isn't enough "supply" available so hard choices would need to be made.

With a "flattened curve", demand does not exceed supply so equal treatment can be given to all.

In simplest terms, until there is a vaccine or herd immunity is reached, the total demand remains the same.
 
Mostly agree, but some "hope" that a vaccine or treatment improvements as we learn more reduce damage or fatality rates. Basically, "flattening" the curve buys time, that we can potentially reduce the area under the curve.

We’ve been searching for coronavirus vaccines for decades. Not months. Don’t put any money on that horse in Vegas.

I suppose that’s why you double quoted “hope” because mathematically it’s about as close to zero chance as me taking a job as a stripper.

Treatment improvements have been marginal at best. Won’t make much of a real difference in the end numbers.

At this point, if we even get immunity from catching it, and we may not, hoping for a bolt from the blue event is kinda silly. The math favors herd immunity a year or more away.

If no immunity, plan on Covid season every year like every other common coronavirus.

Nothing has taken that or mutations off the table yet.

It’s nice to hope, but the reality is it’s a coronavirus and probably going to act like one.
 
The risk never changed. Flattening the curve doesn’t change the area under the curve.

Without hospital overload the end numbers are the same. Stopping exponential growth, doesn’t stop linear growth. The death count ends up the same, mathematically.

Delaying the inevitable is still just a delay.
And adding our economy to the casualty list.
 
Mostly agree, but some "hope" that a vaccine or treatment improvements as we learn more reduce damage or fatality rates. Basically, "flattening" the curve buys time, that we can potentially reduce the area under the curve.

Tim
If the researchers are afraid to go to the office because of all the unemployed thugs roaming the streets, there won't be much hope for a vaccine.
 
If true, what's the point of the hospitals? They would be useless.

The purpose of flattening the curve is to allow the hospitals to reduce the area under the curve.

It’s difficult to intubate people at home.

Which isn’t really a treatment, it’s just a way to provide O2 once you’re too weak to breathe.

That’s all the hospital is really for. They might also try various test drug techniques and see how you do, like rats in a lab. Each hospital has their pet protocol at this point with no clear winners.

The stroke drug is giving marginally (very marginally) better results at Karen’s hospital. Not enough to be any sort of headline news though.

Saving hospitals was always about saving ventilators. After that nothing has made any more than mathematically marginal changes.
 
Lots of people are ignoring CDC recommendations. No PPE, no social distancing, nada. The peak may have leveled off, but the virus is still out there. If people ignore the whole thing and go on their merry it's game on. It may be that it's been slowed down by warm sunny weather, I've always thought it would be. But if folks forget all about it come fall when the temps go down virus goes up. And just in time for all those family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas. There's gonna be a big spike, conditions are primed for it. No herd immunity. No vaccine. A population sick of being pent up and half of them idiots who think it's all a hoax. Just the other day I saw a 90 year old CFI climb into a Skyhawk with a student. Student has it, CFI is dead, no doubts.

What we get in the fall will make what we got in the Spring look like a picnic. Do whatever you want, the guys running my University are smarter than you lot, they aren't going to let students back on campus with this thing hanging over them. The loss of tuition and fees is nothing compared to the lawsuits they'll get when students start dying of this stuff. I'll stay home, go to the store during the old people hours. Heck, I just about qualify.
My university decided weeks ago that this fall will be on-line except for the in-person courses, such as the medical tech/nursing practicums. And those will be limited.
 
Do whatever you want, the guys running my University are smarter than you lot, they aren't going to let students back on campus with this thing hanging over them. The loss of tuition and fees is nothing compared to the lawsuits they'll get when students start dying of this stuff. I'll stay home, go to the store during the old people hours. Heck, I just about qualify.

Are you at Ohio State?

Message from President Drake

“Dear Ohio State Community:

This week marked the start of the summer term. We will continue to teach and learn virtually throughout the term. At the same time, the university’s COVID-19 transition task force is exploring and developing plans for the fall and beyond.

While information continues to evolve and we will need to be flexible, our current goal is to have an announcement of our plans for the autumn semester by mid-June. ........”

Sounds like they haven’t decided yet about the Fall Semester and are “flexible”

Cheers
 
Saving hospitals was always about saving ventilators. After that nothing has made any more than mathematically marginal changes.


Do the ventilators save lives?

If not, they're useless. If so, then the purpose of using them is to reduce the area (i.e., dead people) under the curve.
 
Do the ventilators save lives?

If not, they're useless. If so, then the purpose of using them is to reduce the area (i.e., dead people) under the curve.

Sure. If you can’t breathe ok your own which is about 1/8 who seek medical care with unknown numbers not seeking care. (The hysteria that everyone would need an extended hospital stay was overblown, let alone a hospital stay of any sort, but that’s a good thing... numbers wise.)

Like I said in the original post, anything less than hospital overload ends up mathematically the same.

Distancing is just getting in line to be sick later.

Then you get your 99% shot at being fine.

Or whatever death rate you believe — from places that won’t know if their numbers are even close until early next year at the soonest. If they even want them to be accurate.

Probably way longer now for infection numbers, since the most accurate test fell apart completely. Do-over. Have to figure out a better one and still make them and distribute them. Six months is optimistic for that engineering and logistics method.
 
So back to coping ...

My attempt at Kent’s recipe...

https://kentrollins.com/grilled-stuffed-chicken-thighs/

Cream cheese, garlic, onion, mustard, brown sugar stuffing.

Jalapeño, Peach Preserves, Whisky glaze.

Bacon wrapped. Chicken thighs.

A side of seasoned green beans.

Was super delicious. I need to work on my deboning technique. Had to do a little surgery with toothpicks and the bacon.

Holy crap, so many flavors. It was delicious.

I don’t have a smoker yet, but that would just make it even better.

Coping is hard. :)

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I no longer want to "cope". I just spent 3 weeks with my two daughters and parents. I no longer fit it my jeans. The good food we have been eating is not good for my long term health.

Tim
 
Do the ventilators save lives?

If not, they're useless. If so, then the purpose of using them is to reduce the area (i.e., dead people) under the curve.

You will find some internet experts who are convinced that they are harmful. But then, you'll also find some neurosurgeon out there who is convinced that wearing a surgical mask for 20min to get your groceries 'activates viral infections'. Interesting times.
 
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