Please Pray For Our Country & Do Your Best To Limit Your Activities

[GoDadGo]

We all know that we are dealing with a Pandemic that may hit our country very hard.

Please stay home if at all possible and practice the best hygiene you can.

We need to do our best to stop the spread of this deadly disease.

God Has Blessed Us Before So Pray Hard & Repent!

Please don't put other at risk unnecessarily.

May God Bless America Once More!

Please Limit Your Activities!

I Am A Sinner Too!

Please Pray!

[Gumball]

Amen.

[Kmcallahan]

We all know that we are dealing with a Pandemic that may hit our country very hard.

Please stay home if at all possible and practice the best hygiene you can.

We need to do our best to stop the spread of this deadly disease.

God Has Blessed Us Before So Pray Hard & Repent!

Please don't put other at risk unnecessarily.

May God Bless America Once More!

Please Limit Your Activities!

I Am A Sinner Too!

Please Pray!

I agree, Amen!

[1932]

Yes

[caesarmascetti]

This too shall pass.

[GoDadGo]

The Corona Virus Has Caused New Orleans To Be Classified As A Hot Spot!

Mardi Gras Was February 25th So This News Isn't A Big Surprise!

All Bars Are Closed, But Restaurants Are Doing Take Out!

If You Have A Trip Planned For NOLA, Cancel It!

All Mississippi Gulf Coast Casinos Now Closed!

Pray Hard & Practice Good Personal Habits!

Be Careful Out There Gang, It Is Serious!

[chmhasy]

Amen

[Joecobr]

GoDad, best place to be right now is in a paint booth with a MKIV!

[frankb]

Amen, GoDad!

[Real time recon]

Amazon announced today their hiring 100,000 new employees to keep up w/demand.

[rich grsc]

So did everyone forget that two years ago,2017-2018, the flu killed 49,000 people, just in the USA?

[Papa]

[Rant on] This whole thing has been a case study on phycology. First, the fear mongering that the media caused by trying to sensationalize the situation. Yes, it's spreading rapidly and we have no way to reduce the impacts of this virus like we have in place for influenza, but put in perspective, this is no worse than any other viral outbreak. Remember SARS, MERS, Avian Flu, Swine Flu, Ebola, etc.? Those all came and went (from a media frenzy perspective), as will this one. If it doesn't, and it is as persistent as influenza, by next year we'll have another vaccine to start getting annually to stem the widespread effects. The real concern in my opinion isn't the virus itself as much as the fear that our wonderful media, including social media, spread early on without much in the way of factual information. Next, why the irrational hording on products that aren't in danger of becoming scarce? The only reason you don't see toilet paper on the shelves is because a few people felt compelled to buy more than they could possibly need, which triggered more panic in others, causing them to buy what they could until the shelves were empty. Now, as soon as there is any new stock delivered, people are driven to buy as much as they can and the snowball effect is hard to stop. You want a good laugh? Go check out the current eBay listings for toilet paper. Would you pay nearly $200 for a 12-roll package of toilet paper? Good grief people! How did the human race survive before we had toilet paper? The real problem is that people that actually need the items now can't get them because others that don't need 100 rolls of toilet paper or 10 gallons of milk, etc. have cleared the shelves.[Rant off]

Be smart guys and don't let this thing get the best of you! The smarter you make yourself and others around you, the less impact this thing will have in the long run.

[GoDadGo]

Papa Dave,

I totally get where you are coming from; however, when AIDS came on the scene we lost 10-12 individuals that I worked with. While these fellows were all "Light In Their Loafers" they died none the less.

My sister in law is an ICU nurse where one of "Those" patients is being treated. The fellow is on a ventilator at the present time.

https://www.nola.com/news/coronaviru...7f71d169a.html

Things only become serious when they touch us personally.

The Big Question Is; Do We Want To Be Touched?

Stay Healthy Papa Dave & I Pray We All Stay Healthy Too!

Steve

[Papa]

Sorry -- Back again with a bit of data that my financial advisor pointed me to when I met with him a couple of weeks ago as this had just started to impact the financial markets:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=124268&d=1584543183

Typically, the market is driven by uncertainty in these situations and rebounds quickly. In this case, it may be more than just the uncertainty of this virus, but that combined with the fact that many experts believed we were due for a major market correction and we are in an election year (typically impacts the markets). Regardless, my advisor's advice to me was to stay the coarse, which is what I'm doing. Trying to adjust your plans in this volatile financial climate will not do you any favors. If you react after the fact, you loose.

[Papa]

Papa Dave,

I totally get where you are coming from; however, when AIDS came on the scene we lost 10-12 individuals that I worked with. While these fellows were all "Light In Their Loafers" they died none the less.

My sister in law is an ICU nurse where one of "Those" patients is being treated. The fellow is on a ventilator at the present time.

https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_35531ff4-66d9-11ea-95b0-7797f71d169a.html

Things only become serious when they touch us personally.

The Big Question Is; Do We Want To Be Touched?

Stay Healthy Papa Dave & I Pray We All Stay Healthy Too!

Steve

Steve,

I don't disagree that this is serious and we need to be careful. My mother-in-law that is living with us is 84 and we definitely don't want her contracting this virus. We've made changes in how we interact with the world around us as a result. I'm not down playing the seriousness of this, but just saying it shouldn't be causing people to panic, but rather to adapt their habits in an informed and educated way. I'm working from home to minimize my exposure and have stopped going out unnecessarily. When I do go, I'm more aware of my surroundings. HIV-AIDS was similar when we were first made aware of it in many ways. It's still out there, but how do you look at it today vs. how you looked at it in 1981?

Here is some data from the CDC on HIV/AIDS that helps make my point.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/factsheets/todaysepidemic-508.pdf


Dave

[FFRWRX]

[Rant on] This whole thing has been a case study on phycology. First, the fear mongering that the media caused by trying to sensationalize the situation. Yes, it's spreading rapidly and we have no way to reduce the impacts of this virus like we have in place for influenza, but put in perspective, this is no worse than any other viral outbreak. Remember SARS, MERS, Avian Flu, Swine Flu, Ebola, etc.?

Yes I remember SARS. It killed about 800 people. This one has killed 10X that many already and is still ramping up.

[GoDadGo]

The point of this post was to get folks to Pray, Practice Good Hygiene & Social Distancing during this tumultuous time.

This Is Not A Politically Motivated Thread!

[Papa]

Yes I remember SARS. It killed about 800 people. This one has killed 10X that many already and is still ramping up.

I'm sorry, but I'm an engineer and tend to want data to help me assess any situation. Right now, people are reacting out of fear, not fact. Every year, 10's of thousands of people die from influenza and that's with vaccines and treatments available, but we don't shut down because of it. I'm not saying that this virus isn't dangerous and we really don't know the full extent of what it will ultimately do. I'm just saying to seek the factual data, and don't accept sensationalized reports that don't have context as a basis for how to respond.

I apologize for derailing Steve's thread and his good intentions and with that, I'll leave it alone.

Dave

[GoDadGo]

I'm sorry, but I'm an engineer and tend to want data to help me assess any situation. Right now, people are reacting out of fear, not fact. Every year, 10's of thousands of people die from influenza and that's with vaccines and treatments available, but we don't shut down because of it. I'm not saying that this virus isn't dangerous and we really don't know the full extent of what it will ultimately do. I'm just saying to seek the factual data, and don't accept sensationalized reports that don't have context as a basis for how to respond.

I apologize for derailing Steve's thread and his good intentions and with that, I'll leave it alone.

Dave

Engineers Solve Problems!

They seek logical solutions to complex situations.

The thread was NOT derailed at all, just given a different perspective.

[FFRWRX]

I'm an engineer as well which is why I gave you facts. Look them up. If you choose to ignore them to play down the severity of this virus there is nothing I can do about it. Steve made his comment to me about this not being a politically motivated thread because I stated that Trump played down the severity of this a month ago and has since changed his tune. Those are facts as well so I don't see that I'm being out of line to state them here. My main point is that we have to be very careful not to play this one down. It is proving to be far worse than anything we've seen in our lifetime.

[skidd]

Comparing the death rate of COVID19 to Influenza is focusing on the wrong numbers.
It's not about what kills more.. it's about which one has the capacity to overload our medical system.
Influenza with vaccines is more-or-less under control with that regard. We understand it, we have effective measures in place to minimize its impact, and the medical capacity to handle it.
COVID19... not even close. We have none of the above. We need to slow its growth to manage the impact on our health care system. It's really just that simple.

This recent video does a good job of explaining the system overload issue. Worth the couple of minutes to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgBla7RepXU

Doing our part as a nation.. and a community is the right thing to do. Social Distance, washing hands, staying inside unless really necessary.
We all want to be able to look back at this and say "wow.. that was not as big a deal as it could have been".
instead of "dang.. we should have taken drastic measures sooner".

[Real time recon]

And they laughed at " preppers" :)
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[GoDadGo]

Pray, Practice Good Hygiene & Social Distancing!

.............Let's close this thread out with all three.

[ptstew]

Comparing the death rate of COVID19 to Influenza is focusing on the wrong numbers.
It's not about what kills more.. it's about which one has the capacity to overload our medical system.
Influenza with vaccines is more-or-less under control with that regard. We understand it, we have effective measures in place to minimize its impact, and the medical capacity to handle it.
COVID19... not even close. We have none of the above. We need to slow its growth to manage the impact on our health care system. It's really just that simple.

This recent video does a good job of explaining the system overload issue. Worth the couple of minutes to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgBla7RepXU

Doing our part as a nation.. and a community is the right thing to do. Social Distance, washing hands, staying inside unless really necessary.
We all want to be able to look back at this and say "wow.. that was not as big a deal as it could have been".
instead of "dang.. we should have taken drastic measures sooner".
Great video. Thanks Skidd.

[David Hodgkins]

I'm working from home, wife is working from home, one daughter who is a school counselor is out until fall, my youngest got on a plane and came home from Alabama (roll tide) and I drove to San Francisco to get my son and got out literally 5 minutes before they closed the bay bridge to enforce a city-wide lock-down. Everyone is already going stir-crazy after one day! My son couldn't understand why we wouldn't allow him to visit any friends. The only way I know of to defeat this thing is for EVERYONE to hunker down to eliminate community transmission.

These are very weird times, unlike anything I've ever seen or read about in history. Basically the whole planet is fighting this thing.

I do think (hope) that this will pass relatively quickly, as in a few months.

I'm really hoping this thing will be done before summer! HB is rescheduled to September 12 and I wanna see my FFR buddies!

:)

[R. Button]

To help put this "flu" into perspective...
This Coronavirus is way bigger than the seasonal flu. Depending on how it mutates this can get really scary quickly!
I don't even think the news people understand why either. I didn't till my wife, an ICU/CCU ER Transplant nurse with multiple degrees and been published too, explained it in more detail to me. This has to do with genetics! Specifically the RNA sequencing. That's what this is, a RNA sequence, that mutated, and jumped from an animal ( their best guess is from a bat based on genetic information) to humans. The flu is ALL HUMAN VIRUS. The DNA/RNA chains the comprise the flu virus - the human immune system, has a chance at developing an immunity to them, thus by each cycle of the flu your own body has tried to build up a defense against them. You can get a flu shot - people have mixed feelings about that or hope your body has improved it's immunity based on exposure before the next wave of flu appears.

This was what Britain was planning on doing. We'll let people be exposed to the virus, build up their own immunity, which will stop the spread. Then someone explained to the PM how wrong he was and they have suddenly changed course and it's lock down! What changed his mind?

Sorry but we have to go back to class...
Novel viruses come from the animal populations, both wild and domestic. Veterinarians have for years dealt with these viruses. So seems now animal viruses have mutated and transferred to humans. Thus you have to understand DNA and RNA, that you may have had to learn back in high school or that morning biology class you had at college, in the morning. - that you often slept through!

First a quick comments on DNA & RNA... not a science class just a bit to help understand this new virus
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is THE core of what identifies us as a human. It's now a well documented chain of what we call genes that make up all the attributes of what we call humans. It's very stable as it's a dual string of genes connected together wrapped around each other. Currently we consider DNA as unchangeable - but science may push that term to allow some changes, in our children's future lives. DNA stays - unchanging - but it needs a messenger to manage the creation of proteins, something that can carry genetic information and also generate the proteins we need. That messenger is RNA (ribonucleic acid) which can act as a messenger. They tag RNA with a number of different tags depending on what it's to do. But I'm not trying to put you to sleep yet.... DNA "gives" to the single string RNA the genes needed to perform the task. Note I said RNA is a single string - also rather unstable. It can easily mutate.

Now this RNA virus in an animal mutates and "jumps" to a human. The human body has no way to deal with this virus as this is an animal virus and the human body is not programmed to handle RNA from outside it's species! So this virus can mutate and create proteins that this new "host" has no way to deal with.

How the human body deals with it is like what one Italian Dr said, You just came to the wheel of life. We're going to spin it and see what's going to happen to you. It's been said if you are young in good health you will be fine, if you have other underlying medical issues you have a greater risk, and age also seems to factor in. As more are affected we are hearing reports of people that are the exception. Hence it's the wheel of life we're on and no one knows what is going to happen.

A common question what happens to all those that have "recovered" from it? Did they become immune to catching it again - nope reports out of Japan and China are beginning to point otherwise. ( https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/03/15/can-you-get-infected-by-coronavirus-twice-how-does-covid-19-immunity-work/#135472795c0f ) And most doctors expect to hear of more as other doctors begin to to have time to fill in reports and more statistics. We have very weak information now as medical staff are focused on saving lives not in filling in the details for reports.

This is a virus that can mutate and already has, BUT more importation we're messing with the genes that define us as human. We may not know for maybe a generation what affect this virus has on the human population.

And just as I know you like to read... and look at pics! :)
And from all the news that fit to print - The New York Times has an good article on the virus also;
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/11/science/how-coronavirus-hijacks-your-cells.html?fbclid=IwAR0uJEg-RNL3KFdwvGSf7YN4eKabKeeKuNKGFbd5eTVW7CcHNwl2Q88wJN k

And if you want all the more details here is a Scientific American article
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-coronaviruses-cause-infection-from-colds-to-deadly-pneumonia1/?fbclid=IwAR12iuJIgFU9TRuGTjTzKTIIvek6X-nOfrl_FLoubZ_sskGjuYLL8ZTtM60

It's not going to be the deaths it causes now but the longer term affect that the virus may have.

[GoDadGo]

Okay Mr. Button, Now I'm Really Praying Harder Than Ever!

[FFRWRX]

Thank you Mr. Button, excellent information. I really appreciate the explanation.....I almost understand it. Scary stuff to be dealing with.

[Cobradavid]

And they laughed at " preppers" :)
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Only one beer for all that meat? Not very well prepared! :)

[Cobradavid]

“Feed your fears and your faith will starve. Feed your faith, and your fears will.”

― Max Lucado, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

[rich grsc]

124288124289
Everyone should pray as much as they need. It's a comfort to the mind and soul, relieving anxiety and stress. But prayers have never cured a disease, that's medicine and science.

[Jazzman]

Right With you Dad! I will not be ruled by a spirit of fear, but an unshakable confidence that we will overcome this obstacle like every other! We are Americans! We work the problem. We find answers. It's what we do!

[FFRWRX]

But prayers have never cured a disease, that's medicine and science.

Thank you for being brave enough to say what I’ve been thinking all along.

[rely]

are they mutually exclusive or possibly intertwined?

[Mark Eaton]

My perspective: I am a general surgeon in southern Oregon and our hospital is the regional medical center for northern CA and southern OR. We are the second highest acuity medical center in Oregon and normally receive transfers from all over our region. We do not have a fall back hospital that we can count on in this situation. My group of 8 surgeons provides all the general/trauma/vascular/pediatric surgical care for our hospital. We have been working with administration and are prepared for the worst. We have cancelled all elective surgery and are only performing emergent or semi-emergent surgery. We met this morning and discussed our strategy. Depending on how this hits us it is possible all eight of us may contract full Covid 19 infection. Because we, the surgeons, are a limited resource we will not have the ability to quarantine ourselves. We will work with full blown infection as long as each of us is physically able. We have the proper gear to prevent spreading it to the patients.

Never the less, we have resolve and will stand strong and take care of our community no matter what.

[MSumners]

My perspective: I am a general surgeon in southern Oregon and our hospital is the regional medical center for northern CA and southern OR. We are the second highest acuity medical center in Oregon and normally receive transfers from all over our region. We do not have a fall back hospital that we can count on in this situation. My group of 8 surgeons provides all the general/trauma/vascular/pediatric surgical care for our hospital. We have been working with administration and are prepared for the worst. We have cancelled all elective surgery and are only performing emergent or semi-emergent surgery. We met this morning and discussed our strategy. Depending on how this hits us it is possible all eight of us may contract full Covid 19 infection. Because we, the surgeons, are a limited resource we will not have the ability to quarantine ourselves. We will work with full blown infection as long as each of us is physically able. We have the proper gear to prevent spreading it to the patients.

Never the less, we have resolve and will stand strong and take care of our community no matter what.


Agreed Mark,
Our group has accepted that we will all likely be infected and can only try to limit the spread as much as possible.
Normally I would stay away from comments I've read above but I'll make one remark.
You can ignore the quoted numbers on confirmed cases as representing reality. We do not have adequate testing supplies to come anywhere close to testing suspected cases.
Good luck Mark

[GoDadGo]

Mark & Mark,

I think we need to not only pray for our country, but more importantly to pray for those like you who are working day and night to get us through this most uncertain time.
May God Be With You Along With All Of The Medical Miracle Workers Of The World!
Good Luck, Stay Healthy & God's Speed!
We will be praying for you all.

Steve

[Real time recon]

And they laughed at " preppers" :)
124275124276

Cobradavid....Your right.But with a fruit press who needs beer.:)124311124314124315

[GoDadGo]

Cobradavid....Your right.But with a fruit press who needs beer.:)124311124314124315

Dude,

I want to party with you when this is all over.

Steve

[NiceGuyEddie]

March 19:

My situation is not that bad.

My workplace in San Bernardino County, California falls into the (current) "under 50 employees" thing. We are OPEN and running. We actually have two buildings so it's 25 or so each building. It's a factory - half of it is outdoors. The large garage doors are open, plenty of open air.

Everyone is being extra careful - no handshakes, and if anybody would be the slightest sick, they would NOT come to work. So far no problems at all.

I'm enjoying no traffic. People are a little kinder to each other than say 20 days ago. Food stores are sparse, but OK. Most restaurants are open, but to-go only.

My biggest problem? T-mobile gave everyone unlimited data until May 1st. Ever since, after 6pm my phone hardly works at all, not even text messages.

If I run out of toilet paper, I can always use my stock portfolio.

[cv2065]

Agree with a lot of what has been said, but I will say that IMO, the media has fed the hysteria to ridiculous levels. I have some employees that don't want to work with another co-worker, because they have a headache. I have another who's dad was feeling ill, and she decided to leave work for a few days. Now those at her location want time off because they feel they somehow have become infected with something. I read an article about a crying mother of 4 that couldn't get diapers at her Walmart because of the hoarders, followed by a what if water and power were shut off comment. I'd say even a bigger tragedy are hospitals being overrun with the hysterical that might only have a sinus infection or flu, where those that need real medical attention due to heart issues, etc can't get it. We have 8 deaths in Florida, out of 21 million people. I say take every precaution you can, just as you normally 'should' in day to day interaction, but to shut down the entire country seems a bit misaligned to me. But who knows. One thing is for sure..I'm investing in the market here shortly....

[GoDadGo]

A very well known Saint now has this ugly bug.
Hopefully he and others will be better sooner than later.

https://twitter.com/seanpayton?lang=en

Yes, our beloved Head Coach, Sean Peyton, is using local celebrity status to urge people to do the right thing.
Gods Speed Coach Peyton, Gods Speed!

[Real time recon]

Got a sneaky GUT feeling this Cong-Flu is just a 'dry run' for something even More deadlier coming .

[Ponymedic]

Mark,
First of all Good Luck
I work at a hospital in NY that has the 2nd busiest ED in NY and the 22nd busiest in the country on a good day. I can echo that the challanges ahead are huge,in resources, space, and providors. The road ahead will be very difficult and the choices that will need to be made near impossible but we as a people will get through and be able to cruise again

[rsw81]

My perspective: I am a general surgeon in southern Oregon and our hospital is the regional medical center for northern CA and southern OR. We are the second highest acuity medical center in Oregon and normally receive transfers from all over our region. We do not have a fall back hospital that we can count on in this situation. My group of 8 surgeons provides all the general/trauma/vascular/pediatric surgical care for our hospital. We have been working with administration and are prepared for the worst. We have cancelled all elective surgery and are only performing emergent or semi-emergent surgery. We met this morning and discussed our strategy. Depending on how this hits us it is possible all eight of us may contract full Covid 19 infection. Because we, the surgeons, are a limited resource we will not have the ability to quarantine ourselves. We will work with full blown infection as long as each of us is physically able. We have the proper gear to prevent spreading it to the patients.

Never the less, we have resolve and will stand strong and take care of our community no matter what.

Glad to see I'm not the only physician building a car ;)

I too thought this was a media driven fear mongering no big deal virus a month ago. The data has proven otherwise. We owe it to ourselves, our families, and our neighbors to adhere to social distancing. If we don't, we'll be heading toward government mandated lock down like war time.

What honestly pisses me off is the hoarding and stealing of materials needed to provide care. My hospital can't get a hold of enough N95 masks because someone is sitting on boxes of them in their basement next to the throne of toilet paper. Just yesterday, someone stole 60 thermometers from our supply closet. Who needs 60 thermometers??!!

So yes, please pray, please stay home, and please please please if you have an excess of N95 masks in your home, donate them to your local hospital. They need them more than you do as we put ourselves in harms way daily during this pandemic.

[initiator]

I'm an engineer, too, and feel comfortable giving my opinion on matters of energy, machinery, thermodynamics, and related.

For matters of medicine, I listen to the health care professionals. Not the media, not elected or appointed politicians, not engineers.

Thank you to all the doctors, nurses, and other professionals doing your best on our behalf. 'Hero' is an over-used word, but you're heroes to me.

[glastron351]

I usually stay away from topics like this but feel the need to chime in...

First of all a big thank you to Mark and the other surgeons/health care professionals who are out their on the front lines day and day out. We as a society all owe you a special appreciation for your sacrifice and effort.

Yes, I too am very upset with the wachos and hoarding/stealing out there. Speaking with my sister tonight (an RN who's ward has been designated a COVID-19 isolation ward) this particularily hits home as they too are experiencing a shortage of N95 masks and other challenges.... Common sense and courtesy hopefully will prevail here.

As an operator in hydro electric power station I have no problem expressing my opinion on generation and power stations, but am more than happy to refer advice on medical situations to our health care professionals....so again thank you!

my two cents - regards to all. John

[RBachman]

I usually stay away from topics like this but feel the need to chime in...

First of all a big thank you to Mark and the other surgeons/health care professionals who are out their on the front lines day and day out. We as a society all owe you a special appreciation for your sacrifice and effort.

Yes, I too am very upset with the wachos and hoarding/stealing out there. Speaking with my sister tonight (an RN who's ward has been designated a COVID-19 isolation ward) this particularily hits home as they too are experiencing a shortage of N95 masks and other challenges.... Common sense and courtesy hopefully will prevail here.

As an operator in hydro electric power station I have no problem expressing my opinion on generation and power stations, but am more than happy to refer advice on medical situations to our health care professionals....so again thank you!

my two cents - regards to all. John

John,

I'm an Engineer/Project Developer (retired), specializing in energy and thermo. My wife and son are both MD's (Joanie is a Dermatologist in SC and our son is a pathologist in New Orleans.) My wife still sees patients but has restricted it to those who haven't traveled and have no symptoms as-well-as dong the curbside/parking lot waiting room thing where they come out and get the patients into a room to maintain separation and reduce cross contamination. She has limited her work to 3 days a week and is seeing primarily surgical patients (lots of melanoma/cancers down here). My son isn't worried because he doesn't see patients, and is practicing proper safeguards. He's also young, exercises religiously, and is very healthy. At the moment, I think the hysteria is purposely driven for media ratings. As an engineer, devoted father and husband, I follow the guidelines and recommendations from the most reliable and credible sources, which is doing exactly what the heck my wife tells me to do. LOL.

[Jkviper]

I am not a medical professional and like many I thought this was overblown by the media. At this point, I have totally changed my mind. My daughter is a surgical nurse at a major NJ hospital and she will be reassigned to the ER this week, I can tell you there is a shortage of masks already. Supposedly 3600 were stolen from the loading dock, but Who knows what is true. Amazing that two weeks into this we are already out of supplies, and I am very angry about the hospital not able to protect their staff. Inexcusable.

So I am going to put my kit car skills to work and make some masks for my daughter, I have a large roll of felt/fleece that I was planning on using as an automated fish tank filter and now will start making masks. My question to the medical professionals on the forum. Would 50 micron fleece folded over twice with folds provide a good level of protection? The fleece is also washable with bleach so if this is a good solution I’ll make a bunch.

Thanks for your feedback.

[skidd]

https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/90033985_10220874646963528_3698809441425031168_n.j pg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=8024bb&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=flkcgnm5vcYAX9b1eaG&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-1.xx&_nc_tp=14&oh=c9ef81adf1f28d9c7500922cd877820c&oe=5E9B6989

[Papa]

It seems my rant struck a nerve and I wanted to follow up because I feel some have taken my comments the wrong way. Let me try to clarify what my comments intended to convey.

I believe that the media was very irresponsible in its initial reporting about COVID-19 and I continue to see alarmist headlines and questionable reporting by many.

Example:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/this-system-is-doomed-doctors-nurses-sound-off-in-nbc-news-coronavirus-survey/ar-BB11tMzK?ocid=spartandhp

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=124470&d=1584803449

This headline is extremely misleading and when you read the article, you see where it tries to convey a sense of "doom" based on a very narrow perspective of a small set of survey results taken completely out of context. The facts in the article are that healthcare workers are at an extreme disadvantage due to a lack of N95 masks and other items. What isn't offered in the article is why there is a shortage and what's being done about it. The shortage was created out of a panic response caused by the initial media reporting that focused on sensational headlines and incomplete information.

This image is meant to make people feel like they can't get into the stores:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=124471&d=1584803458

I'll just say that my Sam's Club store looks exactly like that every single day and has for years five minutes before opening the store each day. Five minutes after the doors are opened to the public, the line is gone and the 20-30 people are in a mostly empty store.

The actions that we are all being asked to take are based on a pre-determined scenario that was laid down years before in the event that we were faced with a pandemic such as COVID-19. Instead of the media describing the actions and explaining why they are being taken, they simply focus on the sensationalized aspect: "Millions Told To Shelter In Place." "Death Toll Continues To Rise." Yes, these are facts, but without context, they don't do much to alleviate the fear and panic that is causing unnecessary shortages in items like the masks that our healthcare officials need. I was in my grocery store yesterday and saw people wearing gloves and they had masks, but the masks were not over their nose and mouth. They were just hanging around their necks. Why? Because they feel like they are in control by having one and that maybe they are smarter than all those without them. It's irrational, but humans are irrational creatures.

The media could be doing so much more to educate the public, and to some extent they have started to do so. However, I continue to see headlines like the example and that isn't what we need right now. People need to know what to do and why. Educating the masses will go a long way in preventing the unnecessary fear that leads to panic and hording, which creates shortages of critically needed items where they are needed most. The video that was posted earlier in this thread does a great job of explaining the calculus that drives the actions we're all being asked to follow as well as what could happen if we fail to take these actions quickly.

Like many have said, I'm not an expert in this area, and I'm heeding the advice of the experts. All I'm asking is that people start using their heads and not simply reacting to everything they see in the headlines. Be safe, be smart, and we'll all get through this.

[chmhasy]

Here is a nice map that I found of COVID-19 confirmed cases, deaths, and recovered
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Also for those that do like to pray. Every Tuesday night at 7:00pm EST a world wide prayer meeting streaming http://tsc.nyc/webcasts/tuesday-7pm/

[cv2065]

Here is a nice map that I found of COVID-19 confirmed cases, deaths, and recovered
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Also for those that do like to pray. Every Tuesday night at 7:00pm EST a world wide prayer meeting streaming http://tsc.nyc/webcasts/tuesday-7pm/

Thanks for that. Puts some things in perspective. Unfortunately, the reported COVID-19 mortality rates do not include an assumption for those that have already been infected and recovered on their own with little to no symptoms. If influenza was reported this way, the mortality rate would be somewhere around 10%.

[Murd]

Thanks for that. Puts some things in perspective. Unfortunately, the reported COVID-19 mortality rates do not include an assumption for those that have already been infected and recovered on their own with little to no symptoms. If influenza was reported this way, the mortality rate would be somewhere around 10%.

I also usually stay out of these types of discussions.
Unfortunately I think if you are speaking like this you have not educated yourself on this virus. I think most on here understand what exponential means.
Please do everyone a favor and educate yourself on how this spreads and the rate. Less than two weeks ago there were 500 cases in the Usa. Now over 20k. There were 2000 new in New York yesterday.
Understand the rate of hospitalization. That’s the danger is overwhelming the medical system.
The danger isn’t you getting it and getting sick or dying, it’s the 3 people you infect, and the 3 each of them infect, and on and on and on before anyone knows they have it.
Everyone has to stay away from each other now.
The world isn’t shutting down just in case, this is the real deal and the pain and suffering will be much more than the financial hit everyone will take.

[egchewy79]

as a physician working in close contact with the face (ear, nose, throat- head and neck surgeon), we are at a high risk of contracting the virus. some of the evidence from china and europe shows that nasal surgery with an infected individual is extremely contageous. many of the physicians dying in china are ENTs and ophthalmologists. we too are very short on n95 respirators. one of our local engineering firms have devised a way of sterilizing the used masks. what infuriates me is the CDC's recommendations to use bandanas and scarves in the event of mask shortages. as one physician noted, this is like sending troops to the front line of a war wearing t-shirts and flip flops. we are asking our community to consider donating any PPEs or n95 respirators to their local hospitals. we have cut down our elective clinic schedules and OR cases, but I am still at risk. I'm not worried about contracting the virus myself, but am scared of giving it to my family, my parents, my patients, MIL, etc.
best of luck to any of the medical providers out there as they are truly on the front lines of this war. stay healthy and keep fighting the good fight.
for all others, please heed the warnings of social distancing and self quarantining as this will help us "flatten the curve" and spread out the infections over a longer period of time to avoid overwhelming our medical system. italy was not so lucky. china has already limited their spread through an aggressive quarantine. local and national leaders need to be aggressive with public policy so we don't see millenial and gen z idiots flooding miami beach because they want to party for spring break.

[rsw81]

as a physician working in close contact with the face (ear, nose, throat- head and neck surgeon), we are at a high risk of contracting the virus. some of the evidence from china and europe shows that nasal surgery with an infected individual is extremely contageous. many of the physicians dying in china are ENTs and ophthalmologists. we too are very short on n95 respirators. one of our local engineering firms have devised a way of sterilizing the used masks. what infuriates me is the CDC's recommendations to use bandanas and scarves in the event of mask shortages. as one physician noted, this is like sending troops to the front line of a war wearing t-shirts and flip flops. we are asking our community to consider donating any PPEs or n95 respirators to their local hospitals. we have cut down our elective clinic schedules and OR cases, but I am still at risk. I'm not worried about contracting the virus myself, but am scared of giving it to my family, my parents, my patients, MIL, etc.
best of luck to any of the medical providers out there as they are truly on the front lines of this war. stay healthy and keep fighting the good fight.
for all others, please heed the warnings of social distancing and self quarantining as this will help us "flatten the curve" and spread out the infections over a longer period of time to avoid overwhelming our medical system. italy was not so lucky. china has already limited their spread through an aggressive quarantine. local and national leaders need to be aggressive with public policy so we don't see millenial and gen z idiots flooding miami beach because they want to party for spring break.

Well said Chewy... be safe out there.

[cv2065]

I also usually stay out of these types of discussions.
Unfortunately I think if you are speaking like this you have not educated yourself on this virus. I think most on here understand what exponential means.
Please do everyone a favor and educate yourself on how this spreads and the rate. Less than two weeks ago there were 500 cases in the Usa. Now over 20k. There were 2000 new in New York yesterday.
Understand the rate of hospitalization. That’s the danger is overwhelming the medical system.
The danger isn’t you getting it and getting sick or dying, it’s the 3 people you infect, and the 3 each of them infect, and on and on and on before anyone knows they have it.
Everyone has to stay away from each other now.
The world isn’t shutting down just in case, this is the real deal and the pain and suffering will be much more than the financial hit everyone will take.

I understand what you are saying, but you need to re-read my post, as you are missing my point. I was merely pointing out the way the reporting is to the public, not the way the virus spreads. Reporting without including all of the variables that apply to what we've 'normalized' as a society is irresponsible and 'seems' to parallel with an additional agenda. Not looking for a negative dialogue...just highlighting an opinion.

[Murd]

I’m not trying to be a jerk, I Don’t know if you are following the numbers. Not the news, the numbers. Usa has now taken the number 3 spot in the world for most cases (25000) behind Italy (53000). They had less than a third of that a week ago and they’ve already been under lockdown how long? Couple weeks?
Its not the flu. It’s not comparable to the flu. Unfortunately that was a big talking point in certain circles until a couple weeks ago.
The death rate isn’t the issue, It’s the hospitalization rate.
The agenda is keeping the numbers to a level the health system can even try to handle. This isn’t an American problem, it’s a world problem. Here in Canada and the USA we have the luxury of being weeks behind the rest of the world in the spread. Learn from their mistakes.
Our parents and grandparents left to fight a war, we’re being asked to stay home for a few weeks.

[cv2065]

I’m not trying to be a jerk, I Don’t know if you are following the numbers. Not the news, the numbers. Usa has now taken the number 3 spot in the world for most cases (25000) behind Italy (53000). They had less than a third of that a week ago and they’ve already been under lockdown how long? Couple weeks?
Its not the flu. It’s not comparable to the flu. Unfortunately that was a big talking point in certain circles until a couple weeks ago.
The death rate isn’t the issue, It’s the hospitalization rate.
The agenda is keeping the numbers to a level the health system can even try to handle. This isn’t an American problem, it’s a world problem. Here in Canada and the USA we have the luxury of being weeks behind the rest of the world in the spread. Learn from their mistakes.
Our parents and grandparents left to fight a war, we’re being asked to stay home for a few weeks.

Yes, following the numbers as well. Italy is especially troublesome. If anything, it will forever change how and who we do business with globally. Which is not a bad thing.

[ptstew]

Like so many of you, my wife and I are heeding the direction to hunker down. Rather than being with our two, young grandchildren almost every day, we are only able to talk to them from our porch. It’s kind of boring for them. Sad. The irony of all this is that the more successful we are in containing this virus the more we’ll start hearing from the naysayers when it’s all over how unnecessary all these precautions were. Let’s hope they have a lot to complain about. Thanks both to all those essential people out there who are keeping us going and also to those who are staying home.

[GoDadGo]

The irony of all this is that the more successful we are in containing this virus the more we’ll start hearing from the naysayers when it’s all over how unnecessary all these precautions were. Let’s hope they have a lot to complain about.

Your Statement Screams Volumes!

My friend Mike's daughter and future son in law are quarantined because of a fishing trip where that future son in law's brother came down with the bug last week.
Both are Bar Pilots so who knows were this young fellow got it because both are hopping on and off ships each and every day near the mount of the river.
Mike's irony is that he owns a small grocery store in New Orleans, so he's staying away from all of the folks that he loves so very much.
He's got his Mom & Dad locked down since they are both in their early 80's, but that is tough because they are an active pair.
His step daughter has CF, like Dave Smith's daughter Jenny, so she's locked down too because she's got serious issues.
My pal is simply trying to keep every body fed, his family and staff healthy, and his grocery little store open.

If we all avoid stupid behavior, and pray in the process, we just might minimize this Pandemic!

[MPTech]

We're practicing social safety / self-isolation and praying.
Just wanted to share some good news, since we don't get much of it from the media.
I received an email from Harbor Freight today (I'm already a customer and will continue, but wanted to share):

So we’ve decided to donate our entire supply of the personal protective equipment items listed below to front line hospitals with 24 hour emergency rooms in the communities served by our stores.

• N95 Masks
• Face Shields
• 5 and 7 mil Nitrile Gloves

We need more good news.........

[Real time recon]

Malaria pills might hold the cure ,per news https://www.foxnews.com/media/toxicologist-reacts-after-trump-announces-fda-making-anti-malaria-drug-available-to-test-covid-19-treatment

[GoDadGo]

Malaria pills might hold the cure ,per news https://www.foxnews.com/media/toxicologist-reacts-after-trump-announces-fda-making-anti-malaria-drug-available-to-test-covid-19-treatment

Real Time,

A friend of mine is an HR Director at a hospital in New Orleans.
He said that they doctors there have been using that drug and it "Seems" to be helping.
Hopefully things will improve sooner than later.

Steve

[Papa]

Real Time,

A friend of mine is an HR Director at a hospital in New Orleans.
He said that they doctors there have been using that drug and it "Seems" to be helping.
Hopefully things will improve sooner than later.

Steve

Steve,

Any good news we get right now is welcome. As I learn more and keep trying to understand the severity of this virus, I have to admit that I significantly underestimated the seriousness of this thing. I'm still not panicking, but I'm considering every aspect within my control to be sure my family is able to get through this.

Dave

[rsw81]

Malaria pills might hold the cure ,per news https://www.foxnews.com/media/toxicologist-reacts-after-trump-announces-fda-making-anti-malaria-drug-available-to-test-covid-19-treatment

Yep! It's not well studied, but anecdotally hydroxychloroquine +/- azithromycin are showing good results abroad and are being utilized in NYC and Seattle with promising results. We'll see where the data leads us! They are reporting undetectable viral loads after 6 days of treatment, which would be life changing for the entire country!

[Real time recon]

Yep! It's not well studied, but anecdotally hydroxychloroquine +/- azithromycin are showing good results abroad and are being utilized in NYC and Seattle with promising results. We'll see where the data leads us! They are reporting undetectable viral loads after 6 days of treatment, which would be life changing for the entire country!

up to 10 million pills are on the way :) https://www.israel21c.org/israels-teva-donating-potential-covid-19-treatment-to-us-hospitals/

[SSNK4US]

A man and his wife took chloroquine without the hydroxy in front of it because they heard “chloroquine” mentioned in a trump news conference. He died yesterday? Today? His wife is in ICU?
Please be careful with names of drugs being thrown around.... ya never know who’s listening :(

Kurt

[TrevorP]

The stupidity amazes me. Who would take something used to kill parasites in your pet fish because you heard a drug name in a news conference. Really

[initiator]

The stupidity amazes me. Who would take something used to kill parasites in your pet fish because you heard a drug name in a news conference. Really

It's easy to dismiss people as stupid, but the reality is people are scared and panicky. That makes it easier to make a big mistake. Not trying to excuse someone for drinking aquarium cleaner, just remember everyone is trying to do their best. Be compassionate.

[GoDadGo]

I found the article in case anybody wants to read it.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/health/arizona-coronavirus-chloroquine-death/index.html

Heck, I chopped my pinkie off of my left hand on Apirl 23, 2017 by not paying proper attention to what I was doing so stuff happens.
It's been reattached so I can still count to 10 so now I really watch my pinkies and all my other finger too.

https://youtu.be/QyMN73IW6I8

My point is was all make bad decisions and some of us pay for them with our lives, others with their pinkies.

Fear & Panic Never Help Us, Do They?

[GoDadGo]

Hey Gang,

If you have some time for a few extra prayers, please take the time and say them.
Our ill family members of our country and the world could really use them.

Steve

[GoDadGo]

Mardi Gras Seemed Like So Long Ago, But It Ended February 25th, 2020.

Here is where we were in the Big Easy according to CNN when over a 1,000,000 people came to New Orleans to party like it was 1999:

From CNN's Michael Nedelman / February 25,2020

The US 14 cases include eight in California, one in Massachusetts, one in Washington state, one in Arizona, two in Illinois and one in Wisconsin. Among these cases, there are two instances of person-to-person transmission: one in Illinois and one in California.

As of today, April 3,2020, here are the numbers in my little state of Louisiana:

9,150 Cases Reported
...310 Deaths Reported

1,639 Reported COVID-19 Patients in Hospitals
...507 of those on ventilators

My point is we never know what the future will bring so please do what you can to save every life you can by limiting the spread.

Lets Hope & Pray That This Plague Passes Us All Sooner Than Later!

Steve

[KDubU]

I can only imagine how many from Mardi Gras attendees are infected and either don’t know it or won’t know it because they can’t be tested. An unbelievable cluster this has been and the impact will be huge. I don’t agree with the possible bounce back with the economy, it just does not happen that way. Over the next 6-12 months I think we will see things we did not imagine with massive layoffs that are permanent, not “furloughs” as some are using. Consumer spending will not rebound as too many will either be out of work or be minding their money as overall business will be down for everyone. I stopped all spending by me a my wife a month ago other than food and pay the bills. I will not be opening up the purse strings likely for 12-18 mths depending on how all this plays out. Just got to hope I can stay employed.

[David Hodgkins]

I'm moving this thread from roadster to Off Topic.

Please avoid politicizing this thread!

:)

[GoDadGo]

Please avoid politicizing this thread!

:)

Amen David & Stay Safe!

Again, Lets Hope & Pray That This Plague Passes Us All Sooner Than Later!

[mike223]

Just got to hope I can stay employed.






I'm moving this thread from roadster to Off Topic.

Please avoid politicizing this thread!

:)


No worries - it's beyond political insanity now - it's mass hysteria.

We've currently put 10,000,000 Americans out of work, and borrowed (or printed, or digitized) $2,000,000,000,000 over <7,000 deaths.

We could not possibly afford to do that over 10,000,000 deaths.


Not a big FDR fan, but I offer his words of wisdom from a far different time:

"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself"



And this complete fear driven insanity is likely to leave any survivors with nothing to do but hoe their rows, and hope to gather enough to make it through next winter.


We're all going to have to stand up, accept some risk (and danger) and get back to work, or suffer the consequences.



I hate to say it, but I'm speaking truth.

[Fman]

No worries - it's beyond political insanity now - it's mass hysteria.

We've currently put 10,000,000 Americans out of work, and borrowed (or printed, or digitized) $2,000,000,000,000 over <7,000 deaths.

We could not possibly afford to do that over 10,000,000 deaths.


Not a big FDR fan, but I offer his words of wisdom from a far different time:

"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself"



And this complete fear driven insanity is likely to leave any survivors with nothing to do but hoe their rows, and hope to gather enough to make it through next winter.


We're all going to have to stand up, accept some risk (and danger) and get back to work, or suffer the consequences.



I hate to say it, but I'm speaking truth.

Amen, someone had to come out and say it. I work for the fire department and have been exposed to Covid many times now, still surviving at this point. There is a good chance I will get it, if/when I do then I will ride it out and move on... and if I die I guess it is my time to go. I cant live my life in a bubble. I definitely do what I can to prevent getting it or spreading it to anyone else.

Another issue this Covid panic is causing other than possibly creating a great depression for our country is people are not receiving medical treatment for other life threatening issues. We had a walk in medical aid at my fire station I work at yesterday for 54 year old male with cardiac problems, he was in SVT. After assessing him he told us they have indefinitely delayed his ablation surgery because of Covid. He also had to be transported to the ER in a petri dish ambulance and visit the emergency room increasing his exposure to Covid.

I think what the public has forgot is less than 1% of people who get Covid 19 die from it, for most it is like getting the flu which sucks but definitely not a death sentence. Last year 60,000 people died from pneumonia, and another 60,000 died from the influenza. Death happens every day in our country, 680,000 people die every year from cancer, 37,000 people every year die from car accidents. The list goes on and on.. could you imagine if the government told people to stop driving your car because too many people die from vehicle accidents.

We can only hope Trump sends people back to work sooner than later, my daughter has lost her job and is now living with us until she can return to work. Sure she can collect unemployment which helps but most Americans want to get back on with life, return to work and be productive again. Like Trump said "Our country was not built on being idle".

Sorry, my rant is over... hopefully I did not offend anyone but this Covid panic/lock down is ruining this country.

[Rsnake]

Well said Fman! Couldn't agree more with you. Every day 90 people die in motor vehicle incidents and 120 from suicide.
Thanks for your sacrifice being a first responder!

[GoDadGo]

Gentlemen,

I asked for folks to pray for our country and our people; that is all.
If you don't want to pray then that is okay, but is the almighty dollar more important that our neighbors?
Our Fathers, Uncles and Grand Fathers went off to war and we were just asked to stay put for a little while.
Again, I asked for folks to pray and if they don't want to then that is okay.

Steve

Note:TThis Lady Worked For My Pal Brion S. In New Orleans In Their E.R.
..........https://www.fox8live.com/2020/04/02/frontline-er-nurse-dies-coronavirus-remembered-smiling-caring-nurse/
..........He said she was one of the kindest people he had ever had the opportunity to work with.

[Fman]

GoDadGo, people are praying, myself included.

[mike223]

Gentlemen,

I asked for folks to pray for our country and our people; that is all.
If you don't want to pray then that is okay, but is the almighty dollar more important that our neighbors?
Our Fathers, Uncles and Grand Fathers went off to war and we were just asked to stay put for a little while.
Again, I asked for folks to pray and if they don't want to then that is okay.

Steve




Steve,


I hope you know I wasn't making an attack on you, or prayer, or any of that.


It is self evident to me that what we are doing right now is collective suicide.


Putting 10,000,000 people on unemployment in the last two weeks? - hide and watch next weeks' numbers, and the week after that.

Compare it to covid19 death rates, hopefully in perspective.



As far as I'm concerned - anyone who "knocks it all over" is responsible, to God, for feeding the survivors.


We can not continue down this path - it is completely unsustainable.


JMHO


And for what it's worth - I hope I'm wrong.


Good luck and prayers for all of you.




P.S. And if we can't discuss it freely here, among people we trust; - then where exactly are we supposed to discuss it with other thoughtful people?