Good morning. Interesting information this morning suggesting that one reason Taiwan was so far ahead of the Covid Crisis was that the deputy director of its CDC found information on the Taiwanese version of Reddit in late December. Some of that information came from doctors within Wuhan, information that was quickly repressed by the Chinese Communist party. Fascinating that even the people in charge need to turn to alternate media to source information these days. Let's continue the conversation.
Comments
Lockdown has me feeling like Cousin Violet on "Downton Abbeh". Like, "WHAT IS A WEEKEND!"
And a good morning to you too, @abbyh.
By next week, we may be walking around in underwear all day. The week after that, the neighbors better avert their eyes when we're outside.
We were going to mask up and go grocery, hardware store, and livestock feed shopping today but we're expecting another 6" of rain in the next two days, and our transportation is trucks.
That’s absolutely hilarious! We just started watching Downton Abbey as I had tried to get into it before and couldn’t. Our building has had more than a few internet issues so I decided to download the first season and the next time we had internet issues we would be forced to start watching for lack of other and options. So last week we got started! We are now onto season 3 and just had Edith’s wedding called off-I’m still upset over that this morning.
I’d be embarrassed but the end of the world is coming, so I don’t care.
If i was living with just my spouse we’d probably be walking around in our undies too (and getting invested in fictional weddings getting called off because now I'll never find a husband under lockdown 👰🏻🐈🐈🐈🐈). What’s the point in clothes anymore.
@SwampWoman @MiamiVice: loving the stories, thank you~ 💜💜
If you start walking around naked you might be surprised
Today, I did actually go out, first time I've left the house/garden since 16th March. We had some packages that needed taking to the post office at the end of our street so I decided that I'd do it just so I could get out and look at the street from a different point of view.
A cheering piece of news- I don't think:
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/hungry-rats-may-turn-cannibalism-221927362.html
I read your comment on watching the gyrations of whatever worm-like creature can inhabit pork and then the spaghetti for lunch. I don’t think I could have managed. How awful. I have a weak stomach for that kind of thing. Don’t know if I could ever eat pork if I saw it.
SwampWoman
IDK. We haven't peaked in our area so we are still climbing that so ... I think we are all on the scared of the future keeping us inside still.
Elle, congratulations! happy for you (and grateful that you are away from people who seem to have a flat learning curve about the new reality).
I’m not sure. People have been decrying S Florida as an area where people are not heeding the warnings. I have not seen that at all. Ever since middle of March when I got laid off and have spent more time walking through the neighborhood and only going into the broader public to grocery shop, I’ve seen people wearing masks, social distancing, and being extremely cautious. Keep in mind I live in an upper class area of Miami, where you would not be afraid to walk around with your kids or grandkids at night.
My husband was joking the other day about an evening walk ‘There are no streetlights, maybe we shouldn’t go this way.’
-there were plenty of landscaping lights-
I said ‘if we see anyone, We should probably mug Them.’
So our neighborhood probably is not the norm for all of Miami. But I’ve seen a few cars with people wearing their masks even while driving, or the masks are hanging from the rear view mirror.
You can make your own Crunchwrap Supremes if you have a George Foreman grill (or a panini maker).
We have to adapt in these times.
Happy hour started at two today which a no no in our household, but I spent 5😳hours trying to get my eye glass prescription filled. It is still spinning on the computer. Legally blind wout it since 20's and now I have no contacts either.😡
All I could get on phone were bots to text.
On a happy note, I found "Dead Ringers" with Jeremy Irons on Direct and "What a man, what a man ..." comes to mind. What a mighty fine man!❤
Just got this.
You could probably call and listen in if interested.
Health Care Provider Telephone Conference Call for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
April 14, 2020
Weekly Health Care Provider Telephone Conference Call
The State Surgeon General, Dr. Scott Rivkees, in collaboration with Secretary Mary Mayhew from the Agency for Health Care Administration, is currently hosting a weekly health care provider telephone conference call. The purpose of this weekly call is to provide updates from the Department of Health on the COVID-19 pandemic response efforts, provide a briefing from the Agency for Health Care Administration, offer updates from other state agencies and address questions from health care providers. If you are interested in joining this weekly telephone conference call, please see the call-in information below:
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Call-In Number: 888-585-9008
Conference Room ID: 208-305-233
Oh I hope you can get tested and receive advice on what to do ASAP. It sounds like you have enough suspicious symptoms to warrant a test.
Please let us know how you make out.
Actually, I do. Considering that we just had (German) beer bratwurst and red beans and rice, a trip to the grocery store is clearly in order.
.....................................
N.J. coronavirus peak now 11 days away with 16K hospitalizations expected, health officials say
With New Jersey cases and deaths still rising, though at a slower rate, health officials now predict the state’s peak in hospitalizations with the coronavirus will hit 15,922 patients on April 25 — 11 days from now.
State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli cautioned that the three models the state is using to prepare for the surge in patients change daily with new data and as the state pushes into the fourth week of a stay-at-home order that significantly increased social distancing on March 21.
Of the 15,922 people projected to be hospitalized at the new peak, 3,821 are expected to be in critical care, with 3,503 on ventilators, Persichilli said Tuesday at the state’s daily coronavirus press briefing.
As of 10 p.m. Monday, 8,185 people in New Jersey were hospitalized with COVID-19 or under investigation for it. Of those, 2,051 were in critical care and 1,626 were in ventilators.
Perischilli said the current model for an April 25 peak “looks better than yesterday,” even though hospital admissions for COVID-19 increased by 4% from Sunday to Monday after increasing just 1% in previous days.
“If this is the worst case, I think our hospitals are very prepared to take care of the individuals,” Persichilli said of the 15,922-patient projection.
Officials have said New Jersey has 18,000 total hospital beds, including 2,000 in critical care under normal circumstances. But hospitals have been working to vastly increase capacity, including using closed hospitals, field hospitals, hotels, and college dormitories to handle the surge.
Persichilli previously said hospitals have also been working to increase critical care capacity to 4,000 beds, which would be slightly more than the current projection needed on April 25 of 3,821 patients.
But she said Tuesday that ventilator capacity remains a concern when the peak surge hits because the state is expecting to need one life-saving breathing machine for every critical care bed.
“We need 4,000 and some in reserve,” the health commissioner said. “We’re still 950 short of the traditional ventilators.”
A “number of hospitals" have also been converting anesthesia machines to use as makeshift ventilators, Persichilli said.
So far, Gov. Phil Murphy said, the state has received 1,550 of the 2,500 ventilators officials have asked for, either from the federal government or other states. The governor said the state is seeking to purchase another 500.
The modeling for the peak is likely to continue to shift daily. As recently as Thursday, state officials said the peak in hospitalized coronavirus patients could hit over Easter weekend, but it now appears to be closer to the end of the month.
Murphy said Tuesday because the outlook has been getting brighter in New Jersey, the number of hospitalizations will be lower, but the peak will come later.
New Jersey, a state of 9 million residents, now has at least 68,824 cases and 2,805 deaths of COVID-19, state officials announced Tuesday. Only New York has more cases and deaths among U.S. states.
Murphy has said this week the curve of cases in New Jersey is “undeniably now flattening," but the governor stressed that cases and deaths are still increasing and residents need to continue practicing social distancing.
..............................
Murphy also announced Monday that New Jersey is joining six other states — Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island — in developing a regional plan regarding how to scale back restrictions and recharge the economy, though only after the states have pushed past the peak of cases.
Despite numbers released on a daily basis, it’s difficult for health officials to get a full picture of how many people in New Jersey currently have the coronavirus or have died from it. That’s because the state is testing only residents showing symptoms of COVID-19, and officials say the backlog of test results is as long as 14 days.
The state is also not reporting significant increases in daily testing, so it’s unclear how quickly the virus is actually spreading.
Murphy defended New Jersey’s testing Tuesday, saying it’s run the fourth most tests of any state, after California, New York, and Florida — which he noted have larger populations.
He also argued that no state has the resources they need to test at the scale they need to test.
“We need help,” the governor said.
...........................
I'm really not sure how they plan to reopen without a vaccine, without the knowledge of whether there is immunity or not, without testing everyone, and without enough tests nor trust in the validity of the tests.
I give you Isolation Crunchwrap Supremes
For crunchwraps you will need
1 can salsa
1 container sour cream (8 oz or 16 oz depending on how much you like sour cream)
1 lb ground hamburger
1 can liquid cheese
Tomatoes
Lettuce (ideally shredded)
Large flour tortillas
Corn tostados (or even tostitos or round tortilla chips)
Fry up the hamburger and mix with salsa
Cut up tomatoes and shred lettuce if not already shredded
Lay out round flour tortilla
Layer with sour cream (leaving about 2.5 inches on all sides of the sour cream circle as you will have to fold this thing)
Layer liquid cheese on top of sour cream
Layer ground hamburger/salsa mix
Sprinkle with lettuce and tomatoes
Place corn tostado or round tortilla chips (in a circle) on top of all the other layers
Fold in round soft tortilla to cover top of chips and slip it in the George Foreman grill for 2 - 2.5 minutes (once it’s been pre-warmed)
BY REBECCA KLAR - 04/14/20 07:29 AM EDT 360
8 in 10 would wait to resume activities after government lifts coronavirus restrictions: poll
Slightly more than 8 in 10 Americans in a new poll said they would wait to resume normal activities even after the government lifts restrictions put in place to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
Seventy-one percent of respondents said they would wait to see what happens with the novel coronavirus before resuming activities, according to the Gallup poll released Tuesday.
An additional 10 percent said they would continue to limit contact with other people and limit their daily activities indefinitely.
The poll found that only 20 percent of Americans said they would return to their normal activities immediately once restrictions are lifted.
The views are split by party affiliation, with Republicans more likely to say they would resume their normal activities. The poll found 31 percent of Republicans said they would immediately resume their normal activities, while just 11 percent of Democrats and 19 percent of independents agreed.
People who lived in small towns and rural areas were also more likely to say they would resume their normal activities immediately, at 23 percent, compared to just 15 percent of people in cities and 18 percent of people in suburbs.
There is no difference in these views based on respondents’ household income or whether a person is employed, Gallup noted.
Schools, restaurants and other nonessential businesses are shut across the country, and nearly every state has put in place stay-at-home orders.
Public health officials have warned that the reopening of the economy will be a gradual process, and will differ by region.
Anthony Fauci, a medical doctor and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday that a rollback of some of the restrictions could possibly begin in certain areas of the U.S. next month.
Across the U.S. there are 582,594 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 23,649 deaths from the disease, based on data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The Gallup poll was conducted via self-administered web surveys between April 3 and 5 with a random sample of 3,881 Americans who are members of the Gallup Panel. Gallup weighted the sample to correct for nonresponse. There is a 3 percentage-point margin of error.
I hope we are being kept informed of ALL the information on this virus...
This article is from Newsweek:
..........................................
FLORIDA SURGEON GENERAL REMOVED FROM GOVERNOR DESANTIS' CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING AFTER SAYING SOCIAL DISTANCING NECESSARY UNTIL THERE'S A VACCINE
BY DANIEL VILLARREAL ON 4/13/20 AT 6:11 PM EDT
Florida's Surgeon General Scott A. Rivkees was removed from state Gov. Ron DeSantis' cabinet coronavirus meeting today moments after stating that social distancing measures would need to continue until the creation of a vaccine. Video captured Rivkees' comment and his subsequent removal by DeSantis' Communications Director, Helen Aguirre Ferré.
In a video of his removal shared on Twitter, Rivkees responds to a question by stating, "So as long as we're going to have COVID[-19] in the environment, and this is a tough virus, we're going to have to practice these measures so that we are all protected."
When asked how soon he expects a vaccine to emerge, Rivkees responds, "Based on what has been reported, probably a year if not longer is what some individuals have talked about."
At this point, Ferré comes over to Rivkees and whispers a few times in his ear. Rivkees can be heard responding, "Okay," several times. The second time that Ferré comes over to Rivkees, Rivkees then rises from his chair and then is accompanied out of the room by Ferré.
"Dr. Rivkees was not pulled out of the press conference, which ran longer than expected,"Ferré told Newsweek in a statement. "He had a pre-scheduled meeting with Governor DeSantis' Deputy Chief of Staff Adrian Lukis he needed to attend. Afterwards, he went to the State Emergency Operations Center with DEM Director Jared Moskowitz."
Florida's surgeon general just said Floridians will have to maintain social distancing measures until there's a vaccine.
"This is the new normal," he said.
He acknowledged that a vaccine could be a year away.
Then he was removed from the Cabinet room by @helenaguirrefer.
On April 1, DeSantis issued a statewide stay at home order after the state reported over 7,700 confirmed coronavirus cases. Previous to his order, Florida was the only state with more than 5,000 cases that hadn't yet implemented strict social distancing guidelines. The governor had also come under widespread criticism for not closing the state's southern beaches before many students visited for spring break.
However, last Thursday, DeSantis said he is considering opening some of the state's public schools by May if the epidemic is considered under control in any areas by then. Florida schools typically stay open until the last week of May or the first week of June.
During a video roundtable discussion with state education professionals, parents and government leaders last Thursday, DeSantis said children aren't as susceptible to coronavirus as people in other age groups, even though children can still carry and transmit the virus.
"If we get to the point where people think we are on the other side of this and we can get kids back in, even if it's for a couple of weeks, I think there would be value in that," DeSantis said.
"We are going to look at the evidence and make a decision," he continued. "We have not made a decision yet. If it is safe, we want kids to be in school. I think most parents want that. So we will continue to look and see how this develops and make a decision there."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that four young people between ages 15 and 24 have died from the virus, as has one person below age 5.
.........................................
More to come...
About time.
A team of government officials — led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — has created a public health strategy to combat the novel coronavirus and reopen parts of the country.
Their strategy, obtained by The Washington Post, is part of a larger White House effort to draft a national plan to get Americans out of their homes and back to work. It gives guidance to state and local governments on how they can ease mitigation efforts, moving from drastic restrictions such as stay-at-home orders in a phased way to support a safe reopening.
CDC and FEMA officials have worked on the public health response for at least the past week, and the resulting document has been discussed at the White House including by members of the coronavirus task force, according to two administration officials who
spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
President Trump wants a final detailed plan on reopening the country ready within days so he can issue suggestions for some states to reopen May 1, officials said.
“The plans to reopen the country are close to being finalized,” Trump said at a White House briefing Tuesday.
He said he planned to speak with all 50 governors “very shortly” and would then begin authorizing individual governors to implement “a very powerful reopening plan” at a specific time and date for each state.
He said roughly 20 states have avoided the crippling outbreaks that have affected others, and he hinted that some could begin restarting their economies even before May 1.
“We think we’re going to be able to get them open very quickly,” Trump said.
He added: “We will hold the governors accountable. But again, we’re going to be working with them to make sure it works very well.”
Maybe next time a pandemic is raging, the geniuses who are running NYC can refrain from trying to score political points and NOT hold enormous parades.
So sorry!! Next time let me know before you go shopping! Not sure if people like seeing recipes, but I’ve enjoyed the recipes that people are posting during this crisis.
What you said! *Fist Bump*
Pfffft. That isn't an article, that is a hit piece. So, how is that death rate in New York and New Jersey?
...........
Are you OK, SwampWoman?
The bottom line is - whether that took place in Florida or NY, HE HAS A GOOD POINT?
Are you saying it didn't happen? It is on video.
AND ...I have already given the death rates for today in NJ -check my post above.
_______________________
@IansGirl
I have written here several times about the Mayor of NYC's mistakes including encouraging people to attend the Chinese New Year parade.
I have no problem calling out people who made errors regarding this pandemic no matter where they live or what party they belong too.
Where do you live Ian's Girl? And how is your nephew doing in Idaho? Does HE feel we should be opening back up without a vaccine?
.........................
If anyone has articles regarding issues with NY or NJ and the pandemic that affect all of us - feel free to post them and I will be happy to read them.
I truly don't think he would force Cuomo or any other governor for that matter, to open anything if they (the governors) really felt they shouldn't.
Don't get me wrong, I think he'd do it if he had to (not even sure what "it" would be), but I just don't think it's going to come to that. I think he saw how startled the press was and was yanking their chains, especially once some of them pushed back on it.
But he is never, ever going to forget that when he initially did start acting on this, Dem leaders and the press called him racist, said he was a fear mongerer, etc, so he is going to take any chance he can to set them off.
Some pundit somewhere once said that Trump haters take him literally but not seriously, whereas Trump supporters take him seriously but not literally, and I think that's pretty accurate.
But it's been almost two weeks, so I will ping him and ask specifically what you asked!
I agree with you. It is a catastrophe in some areas, but no one is clamoring to open those areas, that would be insane. However in many areas it isn’t a catastrophe and keeping everyone under isolation would cause more damage than good.
I feel so awful for the teachers that will get entire classrooms of children who are all behind instead of most of the classroom being on target and having the time to work with the few kids who struggle. How can they catch up? It’ll take longer than a year to get them back on track. I wonder if in the future the teachers will take all the children’s temperatures before they can enter the classroom. Hopefully this epidemic will curtail parents sending their kids to school sick as I’ve heard that can frequently be a problem.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/bicyclist-files-police-complaint-against-cnns-chris-cuomo-following-intense-spat
David reportedly told her he was riding his bike and began asking why the CNN anchor was "out of quarantine and not social-distancing from the group."
But then Cuomo directly responded.
“He said, ‘Who the hell are you?! I can do what I want!' He just ranted, screaming, ‘I’ll find out who you are!’" David recalled. “I said to him, ‘Your brother is the coronavirus czar, and you’re not even following his rules — unnecessary travel.'"
David alleged, "He said, ‘This is not the end of this. You’ll deal with this later. We will meet again.’ If that’s not a threat, I don’t know what is.”
"I hate bullies," David, a self-proclaimed lifelong Democrat and supporter of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said.
David added that he does not intend on pressing charges against Cuomo unless “I get any more feeling that this guy’s a threat to me."
CNN did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
I'm a former reporter, so my small contribution to Nutty's blog is to bring news here so that other people can read it and decide for themselves. I prefer to watch and wait to see what happens next.
One thing that I do know is that I would never want to be the president or a governor in this pandemic situation. No matter what any president or any governor says or does, somebody isn't going to like it.
Wishing you a good outcome. Hopefully, it isn't COVID, but I'd get tested. Please keep us updated.
@Miami Vice,
If you get squeamish about parasites in pork, you'll not want to know about fish. I haven't eaten sole in 30 years, even though I love its delicate flavor. I just stay away from any bottom fish and hope the other fish are properly cleaned and cooked. For awhile, chefs were serving under cooked fish (almost gelatinous) as the "in" thing, and I would never eat it, knowing that worms and other parasites are in just about all fish. I'm glad they finally wised up and cook it properly now.
One member of my family was in the wholesale fish industry.
No indeed I do not want to know! Sometimes ignorance is indeed bliss!!
My 68-year-old mother, newly diagnosed with diabetes, is returning to her job as a nurse next week—after being off for medical leave. One mask per shift is allotted. I’m scared shitless she will get sick.
Anyhoo...some of you may or may not remember, but I had a nurse friend who signed up for eight weeks working in Manhattan. She’s been at it for a little over a week and by her description, it is absolute chaos. People dying left and right, insanely high numbers of high-acuity critically-I’ll patients per nurse, volatile tempers, etc. She is already understandably worn out by the enormity and gravity of it all.
Sending all good thoughts to you, your mother and your nurse friend. Please tell them how much they are appreciated for working on the front lines. I hope your fever doesn't return.
https://youtu.be/BpgxyhdVFeg
Don't UK people want to get out of lockdown, do something active and earn some money at the same time? (Plus it is an activity that benefits the community.)