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.
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
They are reporting now that the US will have meat shortages as CHINA has shut down even more Smithfield plants. There will be a run on meat just like other products in the beginning. I would suggest if able go out today and buy all you can afford plus any canned meat available. Also, plant a garden as well.
If my sources are right, there will be food shortages by the summer.
https://mol.im/a/8224397
This is a link to an article on billionaires Gates chastising Trump for defunding the corrupt WHO by not taxing us to pay their salaries. Let the rich Gates pay. They can afford it while we are going homeless and bankrupt. Thankfully this pandemic is exposing these nasty globalists who care only to line their greedy pockets. Who are these people to chastise our President? He is also going to circumvent our corrupt greedy pay to play Congress who along with the WHO and CDC have left our frontline people and our countrymen woefully unprepared for a known coming Pandemic. This is a crime against humanity. I pray our people and those in all countries will wake up and see these people for the bad actors they are. They care nothing for us, only for themselves. Even the programmed uni students are waking up to this fact.
And where exactly is Bill Gates? Has anyone seen either him or his wife in the last three months other than broadcasting from his well stocked and gun guarded bunker? He wants to continue to tax the citizens of the US who have paid billions to the WHO for decades. A defunct corrupt organization that KNEW about this in the fall and did NOTHING!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-52303859
A 99-year-old war veteran has walked 100 laps of his garden to raise more than £12m for the NHS.
Capt Tom Moore originally wanted to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by completing laps of his garden before his 100th birthday.
But he smashed his target after more than 620,000 people made donations to his fundraising page.
As he finished the challenge, he said: "I feel fine, I hope you're all feeling fine too."
He told the BBC earlier that the total amount raised so far was "an absolutely fantastic sum of money".
"I never dreamt I would be involved in such an occasion as this," he said at the end of his final lap.
I started waking up early again today. And trying to live a normal life by getting my morning routines done by 09:00 again. It feels good. I'm no longer slugging around like I'm in a sad vacation (at least I'm TRYING not to be that way, still not as productive as usual tho).
Still kind of shook when a friend posted the fact that we're on Day 31 but then I watched a live video from Bali & used the first couple of minutes of that as my meditation for the day. Lasted 4 minutes. Felt a little better again.
Yesterday started seeing hand sanitisers at normal prices again & there was no limitation for how many one account could buy so I got 5 bottles of 50ml & 2 small bottles of spray (so now I can give the staff their own bottles each to carry around). We have a litre on the shoe rack & I have a 50ml bottle in my room. Since I don't leave the house much I feel like I personally have enough for the rest of the year.
Saw on Sky news Australia some a-hole bought maybe a hundred of 1.5 litre bottles or something like that and literally thousands (4 digits) of toilet paper. WHY??
Both Russia & China have blamed Britain for the virus, saying we did what was done to us in Salisbury, by smearing agents on door handles.
Your guess is as good as mine as to the truth of these allegations.
Iceland's interesting - I've been visiting Iceland regularly for a very long time -2021 will be 50th anniversary of first trip. I do hope it'll be possible to go back.
In March 2017 I was shocked, no other word for it, at the staggering number of Chinese tourists in the SW ie Reykjavik & the `Golden Triangle'. I assume they were doing the standard `Northern Lights plus Thingvellir/Geysir/Gullfoss tour, like the Brits but en masse. Even more extraordinary were the new hotels springing up that had clearly been designed to Feng Shui standards. Even then, questions were being asked about the wisdom of tourism on that scale, regardless of where the tourists came from.
In 1971, I recall just one Chinese takeaway in R'vik - (turned out later that the owners were the same family that ran the one just around the corner from us in Hampshire).
Iceland has a very small population, just over 300 thousand (up from 200,000 in 1970s). They were among the first countries to have a `biobank', storing every Icelander's DNA info - no question of being able to opt out. Native Icelanders are very proud of their ancestry and many/most? can trace their unbroken connection to the Vikings of Settlement times of 9th-10th century. There should be some very interesting information about genetic susceptibility from their resources.
If you're interested, and into crime novels, read Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason (Iceland's answer to Ian Rankin) The books also known as Tainted Blood.( Wiki & IMDb get it wrong - Myrin is a different novel). The film of Jar City is very atmospheric but the BBC had to spoil the end by a trailer voice-over at the end, killing the beautiful choral singing - an infuriating habit of the Beeb.
Btw, - Ghoul warning!
Native Icelanders are closely related and I heard that at one time medical students had to train abroad, not least to avoid being in the same dissecting room as one or more of their deceased relatives...
This pandemic is showing people's true colours.
The good get gooder.
*I'm still holding on to my theory that North Korea had something to do with it. They had the motive.
Whether this is because of the largely illegal alien workforce that tend to work in those places or a case of Chinese flying in and out, I don't have a clue.
But, yeah, the result is the same. More supply interruptions/shortages.
And my dad was like, "Martha Stewart's still alive?!" 😂😂😂
My parents used to watch her in the late 80s or early 90s 🤣 they're big fans of Prison Bae~
On ABC (our BBC equivalent) they have been talking today about a guy in Adelaide who had a team of people “working” for him. They bought $10,000 worth of tp and sanitiser and we’re going to sell it online. The platform shut them down. They then went back to the store to get a refund and the manager stuck his middle finger up at them and said “you wanted it, keep it”.
All the national chains here changed their returns policies about a month ago. Now if you buy things that they struggle to keep stocked because of hoarding you can’t change your mind later and take it back for a refund. As in
Gee, I probably shouldn’t have splurged 3 grand on tp and pasta and rice yesterday. I wonder if they will accept it as payment for my rent because now I can’t get my money back on it at Woolworths
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-15/supermarket-shopper-tries-to-return-coronavirus-hoardings/12149548
I think we're talking about the same guy? If Adelaide is south Australia? This is the video I saw: https://youtu.be/cSLrbYsqZ4o
And here I was thinking, "how many rolls of toilet paper does one a-hole need??"
But of course he intended to resell them.
Of course.
Ugly/greedy people just getting greedier/uglier.
I swear everything we're seeing now is just people's true colours. Nothing's a "misstep" during the pandemic, this is who people were all along...
It's just we don't microchip our pets in Indonesia.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html
Interesting to see the trends ...
Does anyone see anything surprising in the data?
Population density does seem to correlate with number of deaths but perhaps that is because increased population density means increased infections.
I saw that. There will be a run on meat now. Sigh. Im trying to only post from my tab now since g dang autocorrect on my phone is nuts and seemingly changes in cyber space. I wish we could edit.
Agree with your initial post. I’ve wondered since the beginning why the media gave any airtime to headlines such as ‘LeBron James agrees with LA’s lockdown.’ Or ‘Bill Gates thinks the US should be doing this.’
Stay. In. Your. Lane.
If LeBron agrees with the NBA’s new guidelines for x, then it’s valid. If Bill Gates has an opinion on a new educational computer program, step right up. During a healthcare crisis, however?? I don’t give a flying piece of baloney what you think. Sit down! Let’s hear from the experts.
What a wonderful heartwarming story. So amazing that this man wanted to raise even a small sum for charity and God blessed his actions. So kind of people to spread the word about what he was doing and for so many people to join him in his quest. I am very happy for him that it went far above what he could have ever planned or imagined.
Love your name! As for hoarders, I believe this will all backfire on them and their children will inherit the basement or attic full of toilet paper and probably not much else.
Please stay isolated until this is all over. We need you. The world needs you. For anyone who thinks we could have a decent world without people over 60, I think you’re wrong. There’s much to learn from, and even though I think a lot of us should get back to work, I’ve never thought that you should put yourself at risk.
Xo
I believe I mentioned that I could remember the announcement about Prince Charles's birth but I don't think I told you I'd won a prize, aged 5, in a Daily Express children's competition, for designing a playroom for Princess Anne. Alas, I didn't think much of the prize, a table-tennis set for an only child with `elderly' parents (by the standards of the time they were well `over the hill').
My drawing,IIRC, showed big Palace windows, a playpen, a dolls' house and a rocking horse. Somehow I think the horse would have been the best received, as I can't quite imagine a real one being allowed in the nursery at BP.
`Blessed are the hoarders for their children shall inherit the bogroll!' Love it!
Bill Gates is qualified to speak about health care as his foundation is on e of the largest benefactors of preventative health care in the world and has been for decades.
Having said that I don't agree with his position on the WHO as I think thy need to be investigated as to whether they kowtowed to China.
There is some reporting the virus may have originated at the Bio lab in Wuhan due to poor security procedures. One theory is a worker left the lab and went to a wet market and the virus spread from there. This is not confirmed but is a theory.
On the plus side while China is opening its wet markets it has banned the sale and slaughter of wild animals starting May 1 and more cities are banning the sale and slaughter of cats and dogs.
Also hopefully some multinational companies will rethinking supply chains. Medical supplies including pharmaceuticals should be domestically manufactured.
It's a very different matter for people stuck in flats/apartments. Our former neighbour moved to MeCarthy & Stone `supported' accommodation in a big block of flats. Going to see him meant ringing the entryphone at the main entrance to be let in through a close-fitting front door, going through narrow corridors, and up in tiny lift - overall it felt like being aboard a ship with a minimal amount of circulation space and limited ventilation. Almost hermetically sealed and goodness knows what might have been going around in the air-con.
Very claustrophobic. A crowded,sealed, lift is the last place one would want to be in at the moment.
The are vast tracts of the Scottish highlands that were depopulated in the 18th and 19th centuries and that reduces the overall population density - in England, particularly in the big cities, people are packed in although perhaps we haven't reached the density of urban Japan or Singapore.
Fifty or so years ago we thought we'd solved the problem of overcrowded dwellings but that has returned.
Point taken. However, does Bill or Melinda Gates help run the medical side of their charity or do they leave that to expert advisors? I would venture to say they leave it to the advisors. Perhaps those advisors are helping him form his current opinions on how we should run things?
We are in a condominium and one thing I’ve noticed people trying to do lately is if one person (or a couple) is on the elevator they’ll typically just wait for the next one. The Lord knows most of us aren’t in a hurry to get anywhere these days. I’ve tried to do that myself too. It’s sad, we’ve gotten to a place where we are all truly fearful of each other.
That's the usual source of our 'flu outbreaks (Spanish 'flu is so called, it is thought, because when it first appeared there was still extensive press censorship on account of the war- WW1). It was reported first from Spain simply because there wasn't the censorship there.
As far as we can tell, most, if not all, of these viruses have jumped to humans from animal hosts in places where people interact most closely with wildlife, especially to eat them.
Husband and I will continue to wear masks and long sleeves and hair coverings when going out in the foreseeable future.
This virus isn't going away but it can be
somewhat contained if we do social distance and wear masks in public.
@MiamiVice
I assume Gates listening to medical experts.
Even the CDC has some praise for WHO.
I have noticed most people in stores around here, these last few days, are maintaining distance.
What is everyone’s opinion? Do you think the country will be “ opened” by May 1?
On a side note, @Nutty, I am having issues with your MM blog. It’s....flashing? The screen keeps jumping like crazy. So weird.
Letters
The Guardian15 April 2020
“I am not alone in being alarmed at the preponderance of deaths from Covid-19 among those with dark skin (UK government urged to investigate coronavirus deaths of BAME doctors, 10 April). While Covid-19 is likely to magnify the effect of social deprivation, I don’t think this is the whole story.
Vitamin D is needed for many reasons, including correct functioning of the immune system. It is converted to its active form by the action of sunlight on the skin. This is impeded by having dark skin and leads to low levels of vitamin D. Supplementing with vitamin D3 at 5000iu daily corrects this deficiency, and it is now an urgent need for all people with dark skin (and most with white). There is a reasonable chance that vitamin D replacement could help reduce the risk we are seeing playing out so tragically in the BAME community.
I am convinced that the damage to health of an unhealthy lifestyle is being magnified by the pandemic. Healthy vitamin D levels might well make a difference. It might be useful if this, and other lifestyle advice, was given more prominence in the daily press briefings.”
Dr Colin Bannon
Crapstone, Devon
-----------------------------
First Guardian piece I've agreed with for a very long time!
No comments yet but I daresay some idiots will be more interested in the Dr’s address than the content!
A medic friend has been convinced for some time (& I've suspected it too) that far more Vitamin D is needed per day then the recommended UK amount anyway – that’s the amount needed to avoid overt signs of deficiency. I am sure I read recommendations for more Vitamin D to fend off C-9, even before it really took off here.
"CDC estimates of2018–2019 season included an estimated 35.5 million people getting sick with influenza, 490,600 hospitalizations, and 34,200 deaths from influenza."
Whilr it was far worse, almost twice as much....
"..total flu-related deaths during 2017-2018 was previously estimated to be 79,000, but the current estimate is 61,000"
So we have just reached approx. 30,000 deaths in the US due to CV-19. Maybe we can take solace from this comparison. We could be experiencing worse. And to add to this, we Are Still experiencing deaths from the flu (maybe just as much).
What I believe scares people is the 'unknown' element of CV-19 and the fact it kills healthy individuals even very young patients indiscriminately. So sad. I pray for all of us.
I agree. Hopefully soon they will have a medication treatment plan or a vaccine. Sometimes young people die from the flu too. I do think that the unknown component has been huge in creating fear.
I say that as someone who does not live in a hotspot like NY of NJ. I also say that as someone who has been following the rules and has seen many others in my community doing the same.
For those in hotspots, your time to open things back up will come in time but no one is suggesting that time be now.
I agree with your original post. There will definitely be meat shortages. We actually just bought a 2nd refrigerator / freezer because we wanted more space to freeze meat and vegetables. I went to Costco yesterday and bought some extra. We’re going to fill our freezers up and then eat fresh meat and veg everyday until the shortages hit. I also have an herb garden but the FL heat is rough on them.
We bought a quarter of a cow a few months ago. It’s just now being killed and processed. This makes me sad, poor cow....but grateful too because I was SO against it when hubby suggested it those months ago.
@MiamiVice, I agree with people not following the rules so readily next time. There is definitely isolation fatigue out there. Here in MN/WI nothing much is happening with the virus (as compared to the hot spots) and people are over it all. This is what will make this wave of virus so much more deadly.
That is smart. I wish we could do that but we only have a single car garage.😯. Our bikes and kayaks are housed in there and so are my dryer and washing machine! We may have to discuss this going forward though. We are lucky to have 2 fresh seafod markets well stocked with fish, shrimp, and oysters. However, these may be plunder as pork chicken and beef sell out.
I have a feeling that in the US late May or early June is when most will start to re-open.
If people were told to get more serious about social distancing, not making unnecessary trips and using masks so we can open sooner that would be a big help.
Having a target reopen date announced would be a psychological lift even if it had to be changed after.
I agree with you obviously on Gates. According to most comments about him Ive read today we are not alone. Even the 20 somethings on Reddit are holding their finger to the wind where he is concerned.
Animal Lover
Gates has billions. Surely enough to see to it that his home country has enough ppes for medical staff et al. He has touted these Pandemics blah blah de blah for years. Just YouTube it.
When people cry, he comes running, but not to help. Fox in the hen house fable I think.
He wants you and me to continue to fund a defunct organization that sat on information about this deadly virus all the while we are mostly unemployed and having to make life threatening grocery store runs weekly? Gates can do the donating from now own. Trump is right to question the WHO. Now and forever. Im tired of paying for these pet global organizations that don't have my country's best interest at heart.
The Gates Foundation has donated millions for treatment and vaccine development for the coronavirus both in the US an abroad. Unfortunately viruses are easily spread and don't respect borders as humans are the hosts and humans travel.
I don't dispute they could do more for the American population but the foundation's focus is on underdeveloped countries.
WHO supposedly answers to the UN. The US is the primary funder of both entities and has a large voice. Also these organizations serve to advance our interests although we have many disagreements with them at times.
Everyone made mistakes in underestimating the virus from WHO, Trump and democratic politicians. That's not including the European, African or Latin American countries who downplayed the pandemic.
Newsweek had an article that starting from the Bush administration continuing through Obama and into Trump, American presidents didn't pay much attention to WHO. China did though and was able to get leaders favorable to their interests installed in the upper echelons of the organization. The coronavirus focused Trump's attention on WHO. He also has an election this year and wants the focus to be on WHO's missteps, not his.
>>>I don’t give a flying piece of baloney what you think<<<
I didn't think I would laugh on a virus blog, but you made chuckle big on that remark. I am going to steal it! LOL
WHO said the Covid-19 on March 11. An investigation should look into why it took that long.
As far as politics goes ,Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio, a Republican was very early in taking action as was Governor Gavin Newsom and Governor Inslee both Demoncrats. I think Dewine was the earliest to recognize the danger of all the governors.
A new study argues that city subways and buses were a “major disseminator” of the coronavirus in the Big Apple.
The paper, by MIT economics professor and physician Jeffrey Harris, points to a parallel between high ridership “and the rapid, exponential surge in infections” in the first two weeks of March — when the subways were still packed with up to 5 million riders per day — as well as between turnstile entries and virus hotspots.
“New York City’s multitentacled subway system was a major disseminator — if not the principal transmission vehicle — of coronavirus infection during the initial takeoff of the massive epidemic,” argues Harris, who works as a physician in Massachusetts
Not exactly a surprise....
Sean Hannity expands on this You can hate Fox and Hannity but this looks true to me.
A certain commenter took it on themselves to attack and attack and be nasty about Florida and even personal commenters and then when people started noticing the inappropriate behavior and standing up to it,, went and whined to the blog owner about how she was being treated inappropriately. Which, interestingly enough, the owner never got involved when this commenter was being so nasty and attacking people.
Let’s make one thing clear, when you push around and abuse people and then they begin standing up to you and force you to back off, that goes with a certain behavior. It can be described in three words.
Classic Bully Behavior.
Stop being a jerk. Everyone else on here can be respectful and is. Except you.
And lololol many DM comments reflect this. As in fork out your own mega-bucks to this malignant UN cause that is obviously so near and dear to you and Melinda. You can't take it with you Bill, so keep the WHO luvvies in the green. As in green cash. Mark down Bill and Melinda as down the self-awareness scale along Haps and Megs
A large multi-generation family gathering and cookout in a public park.... I could see a possible virus spread with all the kissing and hugging. So maybe ban this for the duration but when couples, small groups want to go to the beach, swim and go to other parks, this is all good and healthy and works against any virus. Getting sun and fresh air is anti-virus.
Florida shut down the beaches to make people go the hell home and stay there for awhile.
My former DIL called and told me that I should be an infection control specialist because I'm more stringent about infection control than any hospital that she's ever worked at.
A Delaware headline was that a million local chickens were disposed of because the chicken processing plants had only half their usual workforce.
I agree. You should be on some type of advisory committee at the least. You could make YouTube videos on how we all should sanitize and stay safe. The infection rate would be lowered instantly. Perhaps even a position on the US’s alternative to the WHO?
Each time you do a system upgrade it will revert back, along with all of your other customized settings.
Also very curious about why the anti-parasitic drugs (hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, doxycyclene) seems to be working to treat a virus? Has anyone heard why they think that might be? Nephew mentioned in his first email that liver failure drugs also seemed to help.
Nephew said there is data coming in that shows the virus runs a very specific course; peaks in 6 weeks, and by 8th week cases drop dramatically. This seems to hold true regardless of how severe the quarantine rules are. Said in his experience, the hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin/zinc sulfate combo works well. In his opinion, the exact antibiotic (within a certain class) doesn't matter as much as the zinc sulfate. (This could vary region to region, even case by case, but he personally feels zinc is an important piece) Thinks lifting of restrictions should be left up to local authorities/medical staff. He also said that given the extremely low incidence in my state, and zero incidence in my county and surrounding counties that I could give his Memaw ( my mother) her car keys back in a week or so, as long as the numbers statewide kept trending down. Our county shares a border with another state, so I am also tracking the numbers in the two counties we border there. ( My mother doesn't drive any further than the grocery store, and never without one of us with her, by the way. And I am not letting her go in the stores for awhile, regardless)
He does not think people need to stay inside before a vaccine is available. Says the long term effects being spoken of are very common with any severe respiratory condition, and probably have nothing to do with the virus specifically. (So you'd have to get a really bad case, to the extent that your lungs were seriously damaged)
China and WHO, however, lied their titties off about everything from the get-go, and that makes me SO angry!
I want to apologize to you personally for offending you. I don't mean to bad mouth people individually when I pop off about certain situations.
The increase of cases in South Dakota were primarily all at a food processing facility which would have been open anyway. My governor shut down schools, restaurants, state parks, and asked people to work from home if they could, but did not order anyone to stay home. He did ASK everyone to stay home as much as possible, and not travel. We have less than 2000 cases state wide, and less than 50 deaths, most of which were across three nursing homes in one county. There is no need to shut our state down.
I've wondered. I think I've shared that people my age in Florida aren't supposed to be outside in the sun unless fully covered per our dermatologists, and all the pale people here get cancerous skin lesions removed. So many of the people that become ill with fatal outcomes are in retirement facilities and, if they are feeble, may not spend much time outside and, since so many of them are from the north, they may not like the heat and humidity.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8223177/Rod-Stewart-75-hits-beach-vibrant-shirt-shorts-combo-LA-lockdown.html
It’s hard keeping track of all the information out there so...
Here are the official Coronavirus guidelines:
1. Basically, you can't leave the house for any reason, but if you have to, then you can.
2. Masks are useless, but maybe you have to wear one, it can save you, it is useless, but maybe it is mandatory as well.
3. Stores are closed, except those that are open.
4. You should not go to hospitals unless you have to go there. Same applies to doctors, you should only go there in case of emergency, provided you are not too sick.
5. This virus is deadly but still not too scary, except that sometimes it actually leads to a global disaster.
6. Gloves won't help, but they can still help.
7. Everyone needs to stay HOME, but it's important to GO OUT.
8. There is no shortage of groceries in the supermarket, but there are many things missing when you go there in the evening, but not in the morning. Sometimes.
9. The virus has no effect on children except those it affects.
10. Animals are not affected, but there is still a cat that tested positive in Belgium in February when no one had been tested, plus a few tigers here and there…
11. You will have many symptoms when you are sick, but you can also get sick without symptoms, have symptoms without being sick, or be contagious without having symptoms. Oh, my..
12. In order not to get sick, you have to eat well and exercise, but eat whatever you have on hand and it's better not to go out, well, but no…
13. It's better to get some fresh air, but you get looked at very wrong when you get some fresh air, and most importantly, you don't go to parks or walk. But don’t sit down, except that you can do that now if you are old, but not for too long or if you are pregnant (but not too old).
Continued b3low...
14. You can't go to retirement homes, but you have to take care of the elderly and bring food and medication.
15. If you are sick, you can't go out, but you can go to the pharmacy.
16. You can get restaurant food delivered to the house, which may have been prepared by people who didn't wear masks or gloves. But you have to have your groceries decontaminated outside for 3 hours. Pizza too?
17. Every disturbing article or disturbing interview starts with " I don't want to trigger panic, but…"
18. You can't see your older mother or grandmother, but you can take a taxi and meet an older taxi driver.
19. You can walk around with a friend but not with your family if they don't live under the same roof.
20. You are safe if you maintain the appropriate social distance, but you can’t go out with friends or strangers at the safe social distance.
21. The virus remains active on different surfaces for two hours, no, four, no, six, no, we didn't say hours, maybe days? But it takes a damp environment. Oh no, not necessarily.
22. The virus stays in the air - well no, or yes, maybe, especially in a closed room, in one hour a sick person can infect ten, so if it falls, all our children were already infected at school before it was closed. But remember, if you stay at the recommended social distance, however in certain circumstances you should maintain a greater distance, which, studies show, the virus can travel further, maybe.
23. We count the number of deaths but we don't know how many people are infected as we have only tested so far those who were "almost dead" to find out if that's what they will die of…
24. We have no treatment, except that there may be one that apparently is not dangerous unless you take too much (which is the case with all medications).
25. We should stay locked up until the virus disappears, but it will only disappear if we achieve collective immunity, so when it circulates… but we must no longer be locked up for that?
P.S. And it is ok if you socialize with CERTAIN people. Just don't socialize with OTHER people. And make sure you say you're practicing social distancing at ALL times.
It all makes perfect nonsense.
Have a happy quarantine day!
Damn straight you need to be careful, girl. Especially given where you are, on top the other factors. I am hoping against hope that all y'all in NJ/NYC will soon start getting better news. I read somewhere that (way before this plague descended) they have robots with infrared (I think?) that they can send into places to completely disinfect hospital rooms, etc. I wonder of they could start routinely doing this in the subways?
We're trying to figure out if we need to apply online for her stimulus check.
Which, while we're on the subject, I am sort of put out about. I really feel like they needed to figure out who actually needs the money! My husband and I have not been in the least bit affected financially, and neither has my mom, or anyone else up and down our road. (I know this because I am related by blood or marriage to just about all of them, lol) My husband and I (and mama) are going to spend every dime in local places that were closed down during all this, and we have been hiring people we know who were laid off to do odd jobs and housecleaning (Which I could TOTALLY get used to, I must say) but I really feel like they should have been able to target people who were laid off, furloughed, etc.
Thank you for the advice on disabling auto. Sadly, I do not have an iphone. I also loved your FB commentary. All so true.
We are all looking for people to blame about lack of preparedness and I would like to add to an ever growing list, our do nothing Congress. Most have been in place for at least two decades and they pass the laws and write the checks. I think someone should look into past bills passed to see if and when funding for PPES was alloted, discontinued, slashed, etc. Congress has been well aware of this impending threat for a long time. Their negligence will hopefully be exposed.
Street reporting today- Our grocery stores are only letting in a few at the time all over town per the Governor's request. Most are wearing masks and food is plentiful. We now have app. 70 cases in our county with around over 100 deaths statewide. I happen to be friends with one of the higher ups' sister and she called today to let me know that they are not releasing how or where these people contracted the virus. My guess is quite a few are from the grocery stores. Hence, the Governor's request.
On an interesting note, my friend saw a huge bobcat in her fenced in back yard! Like everyone else we are seeing more wild
life.
About the stimulus check, some in my neighborhood have received theirs but we haven't yet.
There's still no vaccine for HIV, but there are very effective treatments where people can live a normal live span. I also believe there's preventive medication.
@ Ian's Girl
If someone receives SS they don't have to do anything, the IRS can access their SS record and either direct deposit or mail the check.
I’m late posting this but Miami-Dade is now under mandatory mask regulations in areas where social distancing is not possible. From what I have seen, people are following this mandate. A friend of ours works at Publix and she mentioned that at her store a police officer was checking to see if shoppers did have their masks.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article241864981.html
From the NY Post: https://nypost.com/2020/04/15/mit-study-subways-a-major-disseminator-of-coronavirus-in-nyc/
Not exactly a surprise....
..................................
The fact that the subways spread the virus in NYC has already been discussed on this blog multiple times. It IS rather obvious.
And both Charade and myself - both residents of NY/NJ - have spoken about this as well.
My personal opinion is that rather than blame, we should learn quickly and try harder to make sure that the next decision made is a better one. Sharing experiences, advice and helpful tips on blogs is a great way for people to empower themselves across the world and take personal responsibility for staying safe and surviving. When we have beaten the virus we can have a look at our leaders and politicians and show them with our vote what we value and what we expect of them.
A quick update from South Africa ... Stats posted just before midnight, 16 April:
Deaths: 48 (1.8% of those infected)
Confirmed cases: 2 605 (2.7% of those tested)
Recoveries: 903 (just under 1%)
Tests done: 95 060 (about 2% of the population)
The spread of the disease follows urban patterns but a few hotspost that are emerging (e.g. the virus has raced through a prison in one province). The death rate is different in the three epicentres in the country and that is interesting. Gauteng has the lowest (the most crowded but also the most affluent; KZN has the highest (that province is like a death trap ... HIV/AIDS is rampant there, especially among young women and patriarchy and 'blessers' are rampant in that culture).
blessers are older men (usually with at least one wife) who also collect very young girlfriends. They are not paedophiles as the girls are not prepubescent. The girls get gifts, get to eat in restaurants and some even get an apartment to live in. It is not illegal and these men are hugely admired by many in South African society, but the practice flourishes where patriarchy and toxic masculinity flourishes; i.e. KZN.
Swampwoman,
I’m late posting this but Miami-Dade is now under mandatory mask regulations in areas where social distancing is not possible. From what I have seen, people are following this mandate. A friend of ours works at Publix and she mentioned that at her store a police officer was checking to see if shoppers did have their masks.
There were more people wearing masks in my county. Maybe 25% in Home Depot, 90% in Walmart. SwampMan and I have been wearing masks for over a month, but there are very few positive in our county. That's about to change, I believe, because staff tested positive for the Chinese Plague at an area nursing home, and brought it in to two patients (so far). (Nursing homes have been off limits to even visits from family for over a month.) It won't take much for that facility to spontaneously combust with cases.
With your population, though, you don't have *that* many positive in comparison to how many of you there are.
Super busy again today. Almost no one wearing masks. One lady came in, coughing away into a Kleenex held over her mouth.
Most customers are tired of staying home so they aren’t. Tons of people in washing their dogs in our self serve wash. People buying fish, hamsters, and ferrets like crazy.
The phone is ringing off the hook for curbside pickup. If only those people knew how exposed we are to everyone’s germs.
Still no stimulus checks for hubby and I, even though we qualify. The site says it can’t determine if we qualify. We owed taxes in 2018, paid off. We will owe 2019 and are prepared to pay it off. So who knows.
It all just kind of really sucks right now. I am overwhelmed and sad.
I feel so much better than I did at the start of the week, but still a little puny.
I don’t believe a darn thing from the Chinese government and feel very strongly it originated in one of the Wuhan labs. Not going to dive too deep down the political well, but I was glad the WHO money was stopped.
Oh, and we haven’t received a check yet, but I have many friends who have.
Y’all have a great day!!