[Rancid]

So last thursday we have 187-ish cases in my area. now we're at 268. In this time, the claim is more testing is being done.

I'm sure it's too early to tell, but looks like our R0 is more than 4 days?

[MadMonk]

Sweden has regained our decades old posture - we are going aggressively neutral against COVID-19!

Long have we remembered our glory days, when Europe's industrial economy was lying in ruins from WW2 and our untouched industries could seize the markets from stupid people fighting wars for no benefit. 1950-1970 saw the expansion of the Social-Democratic Swedish Empire to the height of influence and world renown. Nations trembled before our self-righteousness!

*Deaths from the virus jumps from 110 to 146, largest increase to date*

Riiiiight, I knew there was a catch with this plan.

[B0ycey]

@MadMonk, if I remember correctly you're from Sweden right? What is the overall opinion in not being in lockdown yet when your Scandinavian brothers are?

[MadMonk]

Public opinion is split and it will come down to how bad this is going to get. Every day now I see more and more people covering their faces when out and about. There are debates and press conferences every night which in general have carried the message of "keep calm and carry on but take additional precautions". Over the past week this sentiment has been increasingly challenged by a great deal of the medical community, the "pressure" on the intensive care units have doubled during that time.

The largest headlines are still how many are going to become unemployed, how to we support them and how do we save as many jobs as possible. But the tide is turning with stories from hospitals and warnings that Stockholmers should not travel to other parts of the country.

[Rich]

Well if the population is to be confined for months on end it would be good to see our governments getting their priorities straight and putting some public investment into AMDs graphic drivers.

[Rancid]

NYC is reporting that their doubling rate has slowed to 6 days as opposed to 2-3 days last week. The medical system is still getting hammered, and they are asking for healthcare workers in other states to go to NY to help if they can.

[Kaiserschmarrn]

Columbia Medical Center chair of department of surgery writes one of these notes every day. Yesterday:

COVID-19 Update from Dr. Smith: 3/29/20

Each day during the COVID-19 crisis, Dr. Craig Smith, Chair of the Department of Surgery, sends an update to faculty and staff about pandemic response and priorities. Stay up to date with us.

Dear Colleagues,

The slope of the new-case curve is steady. As long as that remains true, and for some period after the peak, we will be dealing with ED and ICU demands that are beyond anything we have seen in our lifetimes. NYP, NY State, and federal surge efforts should help with capacity, but not today. Regardless, the most precious limiting reagent will still be our people. Non-COVID-related surgery continues to be done, but priorities are certain to become even more narrowly defined, which means that our colleagues in the Department at all levels are doing a small percentage of what they usually do. Attending surgeons, residents, NPs, and PAs have been voluntarily going over the top every day to work in relatively unfamiliar, demanding, and stressful roles. It is possible that everyone will have been redeployed by the time the pandemic ebbs. I’m sure you recognize that COVID-19 will continue to infect health care workers at a significant rate. That contributes to the demands for redeployment, even though mitigated by the COVID+ people who are just beginning to return.

Today I don’t want my parables and literary flourishes to get in the way of the redeployment punchline, which is this: we will not leave you alone out there! I want everyone who has been or soon will be redeployed to know that we are processing our roster every day to match people to the requests coming in. We are responding as quickly as possible. We will keep pumping out people as long as we have people to pump. I hope we frontload this process enough to create some slack in the first week or so. Redundancy will cushion the inefficiencies and stresses accompanying sudden transition into unfamiliar and demanding roles, and will allow us to thoughtfully titrate duty hours to match the mental and physical demands of each assignment. Even if we reach a point when everyone has left the trenches, energetic redeployment now should also delay a time when extending working hours becomes the only way to meet demand. With a little luck we’ll never reach that point, but it would be unrealistic not to recognize that we might.

The New York Times features a full page of COVID-19 obituaries today. That will continue for a while. The first Western expedition to traverse Africa, covering 7,000 miles over 3 years, lasted from 1874 to 1877. The dangers, privations, and assaults by disease were biblical. It started with 228 souls (including 36 women and 10 children). There were a few recruitments and desertions along the way, and 114 died—50% mortality. They managed to bring 108 souls home. It would have been 105, except that 3 children were born on the journey and survived to the end. Life finds a way.

Craig R. Smith, MD
Chair, Department of Surgery
Surgeon-in-Chief, NYP/CUIMC

----------------------------------------------------

Austria will introduce compulsory mask wearing in supermarkets and possibly other confined spaces. Not today though, as there aren't enough masks.

Protective masks in the supermarket: expansion possible

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) once again committed the population to the stricter regulations to deal with the Corona crisis. "I would like to offer an alternative, but there is no alternative," he said Monday evening in a "ZiB" special from ORF. The head of government hopes to be able to give a prospect of possible easing in the event of a relaxation in a week.

The Chancellor still sees no concrete signals that the restrictions in public space can be relaxed. "The truth is that the hard times are ahead," he said again.

The fact that the government has agreed to wear masks in supermarkets is due to the exchange with Asian countries, Kurz said. "We will all learn and practice this in the supermarket," the Chancellor hopes.

It is also possible to extend the obligation, for example to include public transport or heavily frequented places. It also depends on the discipline when restrictions on trade are carefully relaxed.

Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler also said that these measures to prevent the spread of corona could also be considered for other "particularly frequented places".

Where many people come together, the "mask" would probably also make sense when going for a walk, Kogler noted - while you don't need it "in the country where there is no one far and wide". In addition, if it works well in supermarkets, mouth and nose protection could be a "model" for the other shops that are currently closed.

[Drlee]

Same objective, different routes. If you are so damn concerned for needless deaths, you best be calling for more strict measures.

I do call for MUCH stricter measures. If I was in charge, for example, we would not follow Trump and Governor Ducy's preposterous rules and allow Golf Courses and Gun stores to stay open as essential industries. I would not have the city buses running with all of their seats. I would have the cops stopping people and finding out why they are out and about. I would not allow restaurants to be open. Sure the dining rooms are closed but they have kitchens filled with workers working cheek to cheek. I would require EVERY available factory to make ventilators, gloves, drugs, masks, and gowns. I would have congregate treatment centers already up and running or awaiting their first patients. I would restrict travel to necessary trips and none in and out of areas like New York unless accomplishing a critical function. I would close all schools and universities and give no exceptions to private schools like the murdering Liberty University which is remaining open in defiance of reason, not to mention the law.

I have been calling for more to be done since January. Go back and read my posts.

[Rancid]

Austria will introduce compulsory mask wearing in supermarkets and possibly other confined spaces. Not today though, as there aren't enough masks.

I'd imagine that by the time there are plenty of masks, we will have been past the global peak of this.

[Kaiserschmarrn]

Sweden has regained our decades old posture - we are going aggressively neutral against COVID-19!

On the other hand, Switzerland for the first time in centuries has foregone its neutrality, joined the western alliance and is at war with Covid.

Iceland is another country which has bucked the trend of strict lockdowns.

Do you happen to have an age distribution of Swedish cases?

I'd imagine that by the time there are plenty of masks, we will have been past the global peak of this.

The Austrian chancellor is talking about the surgical masks which would be dispensed at supermarket entries and you can only enter if you wear them. The protection would come from the fact that everyone inside wears a mask. That's my understanding at the moment.

There are instructions everywhere on the Internet now on how to make similar ones at home which might be less effective but still work to reduce infections between people.

I have to say though that it is the most ridiculous thing that we haven't yet produced all the masks we might need. They are not hard to make!

[Rancid]

Health and Human Services in the US is saying that the US has tested 1 million people to date, and is now testing 100,000 daily.

Hopefully they aren't using the knock off Chinese test kits.

The WHO is also stating that you should not wear a mask, unless you are sick.

[Kaiserschmarrn]

Yeah, I've seen several reports of European countries no longer using Chinese tests because they don't work. At least one reported issues with Chinese masks as well.

Edit:



-------------------------------------------------

In other news, the King of Thailand is isolating with his harem in Bavaria where he rented an entire hotel. All hotels in Germany are closed but an exception was made in this case because king and harem are regarded as one homogeneous group.

[Rancid]

Yeah, I've seen several reports of European countries no longer using Chinese tests because they don't work. At least one reported issues with Chinese masks as well.

Edit:



-------------------------------------------------

In other news, the King of Thailand is isolating with his harem in Bavaria where he rented an entire hotel. All hotels in Germany are closed but an exception was made in this case because king and harem are regarded as one homogeneous group.

Yea, I'm trying to find information on if the US tests are the Chinese knockoffs or not. Can't find any.

As for the King of Thailand, that must be hell. I already have one wife to deal with. Imagine many.

[Godstud]

@Kaiserschmarrn The King of Thailand is married to a single wife(Suthida https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suthida), and does not have a harem(In fact, he fired his consort last year for trying to sabotage his marriage). He's remarried several times but he has only one wife. People who post this really are not well informed and simply throwing poo. This is not Saudi Arabia.

As for the King of Thailand, that must be hell. I already have one wife to deal with. Imagine many.

One wife. See above.

Rich men or Kings, might have a "second wife", which are, in essence, consorts, or usually it's an affair(if not publicly known). This is culturally acceptable... to a degree. Times are changing.

At least he's social distancing, unlike other leaders of countries.

[Drlee]

Regarding masks.

I would never presume to contradict what the WHO says. And certainly not the CDC. You should always do what they say to do. They say the public does not need to wear a surgical mask and particularly not an N-95 mask. Health care workers do need these. This is the advice you should heed.

I have a source for both kinds of masks from China. They are not approved in the US. 3M, the manufacturer of N95 masks in the US says that Chinese masks are the equivalent of their own masks for all intent and purpose. They are also readily available in the US and labeled KN95. Most hospitals will not use them. The lovely Trump administration would rather have American health care workers in serious danger than to use a "Chicom" KN95 mask. So the hospitals are afraid to use the same masks the Chinese doctors use because they are afraid they will get sued. So some medical professionals are making masks out of T-shirts.

My personal knowledge of masks is less than nothing other than I have been trained to wear them and to some extent when. Did I say that I know nothing about these KN95 masks. I did huh. So you should do what 1) Your personal doctor says to do. 2) what the local public health authorities say to do. 3) What the CDC says to do and my less than nothing knowledge should not sway you either way.

On Thursday I have to go to the bank to conduct some overseas business. I have an appointment with them at 2PM. I will be in a bank across the desk from someone I do not know. That is the setup.

By my garage door I have four items worth mentioning at this point. I have some KN95 respirators that are not NIOSH certified but are Chinese certified. I have some exam gloves. I have some surgical masks that are from China. I have a lot of hand sanitizer. I am over 65 and have at least one co-morbidity.

I will not tell you what I recommend. I recommend you do what the folks above recommend. But you tell me. What should I do? I think you can guess what I am going to do.

By the way I saw and promptly rejected the Dutch tweet about 600,000 supposedly defective masks because of poor fit. I rejected it because according to the Trump administration I would be better off with an old t-shirt than with a slightly poorly fitting respirator.

I look forward to the one or two of you who might offer advice. I would also be interested in what you would do in the same situation.

On edit.

I do have US NIOSH N95 masks that I use with scrubs and gown etc, when I am at the clinic. I bought a personal supply some time ago. I am interested in what you think about the above.

[Atlantis]

[Rugoz]

At least he's social distancing, unlike other leaders of countries.

Your king is a pathetic loser.

[Rancid]

Your king is a pathetic loser.

Godstud doesn't have a King. He has a Queen since he is Canadian, and if I recall, Canada is still loyal to the British Crown.

[Godstud]

#NotMyKing ( I never voted for him!)

God save the Queen!

[foxdemon]

MedCram has an interesting discussion on the possibly that this nasty little virus stuffs around with the human immune system. If so, it would offer explanations of some features of the disease, such as why kids aren’t so affected, why a cytokine storm at the end, why so much asymptomatic activity.

Also discussed is temperature therapy and how it might help the immune response to this disease.

The practical take home message for do-it-yourself types, like @Ter , is they now need to install a Finnish sauna.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EFRwnhfWXxo