Has anyone been able to figure out how close to 100% of the Kirkland residents have now contracted it? I believe there were only 120 people living there: 31 tested positive, 20 were still waiting on results, 3 were inconclusive, 1 negative, and at least 16 dead, but I haven’t been able to track down how many residents (without staff or first responders mixed in!) tested positive but haven’t died before yesterday.
Well, say a prayer for me as we head into the maelstrom. The virus has hit locally. News reports caution people to avoid urgent care centers and ERs and instead “if you feel sick, contact your primary care doctor”, which would be…me?
We have stocked the office with masks, gloves, Purell and Lysol. I have developed an action plan for the office (try to treat febrile or coughing patients over the phone, isolate and put masks on these people if they come in, thoroughly clean the rooms afterwards with antiviral disinfectants etc.). But…you cannot make every patient wear a mask (and you can’t use an N95 respirator for every patient). Which of the many patients with a “a cold” or “the flu” will actually have Covid-19? Who knows? Do we have access to test kits? What do you think? The kits are in the hospitals to be used to test the critically ill. We are desperately trying to get our hands on some means of testing but it will of necessity be rationed. Some of my employees are high risk, my parents are elderly and one of my fears is that I acquire a mild infection and unintentionally serve as a vector of spread. Wish me luck.
In about an hour I have to call to see if I have to go to jury duty tomorrow.
If I have to go, I wonder what would happen if I start coughing …
I know it’s not exactly the answer you’re looking for, tho.
Right after that is some more news:
My daughter teaches at a large Midwestern State University, and they are going to be working online only for at least two weeks. She’s happy she just finished doing exams.
The UK Health Minister, Nadine Dorries, has just tested positive for the virus. BBC Newsnight has just reported that she started feeling under the weather on Thursday only a few hours after visiting Boris Johnson in Downing Street. On Friday she felt worse and recognised her symptoms as being similar to Coronavirus and notified the necessary people. She was tested on Saturday and it’s just been announced. Apparently she is already feeling better however there will no doubt be some very nervous officials close to number 10.
I guess they’re gambling that if the virus, and concern over the virus, is still this bad or worse in late April, that no one will notice them canceling at the last minute because we’ll be in the throes of an apocalyptic event.
King County(greater seattle area including Kirkland) has a really worrisome daily update: Ten long-term care facilities have reported positive COVID-19 cases.
Get ready for a lot more deaths coming out of my neighborhood.
n/m
Three days ago Chicago reported a new case of covid-19
Two days ago it had two new cases
Yesterday it had four new cases.
Today it had 8 new cases.
That, by the way, are the ones that have been detected - Illinois in general and Chicago in particular are screaming that they can’t get sufficient testing kits.
Meanwhile… I’ve been feeling a bit headachey and off-color today, a bit of a cough… but hell, I’m in my fifties and have asthma, it’s nothing unusual to have a bit of a cough. And it’s still the cold and flu season. Was going to check my temperature but realized I don’t have a thermometer. And I can’t find one. Apparently they have all gone to the same places that the hand sanitizers went.
The Federal government is keeping the numbers down by simply not supplying kits. Oh, yeah, that’ll work…:rolleyes:
So WTH, the Johns Hopkins Covid-19 map no longer shows city level tracking of cases. Now it just shows state-level counts. Crap, having city or even county specificity was useful, this isn’t particularly.
**Psychobunny, **I read that Quest and another lab system will be providing tests. I think that’s nationally but I’m on my phone so it’s hard to search.
I’m guessing my university will close soon. Administration just emailed all faculty to find out whether we could do finals in a remote format. I imagine they’re trying to keep the University open for the rest of the last week of classes, though.
The allergy season isn’t helping things.
On my way to work this morning, I started feeling nasally congested and urpy. So I stop walking and ask myself, “Should I keep going? Or should I go back home?” I eventually decided to keep going. I’ve got a major deadline hanging over me. I ain’t got time to be studying no COVID-19!
But shit, man! I’m going to have to do this dance for the indeterminate future, and it sucks.
I have a coworker that everyone is pissed at. He came to work sick last week and brought in bagels for everyone. Not fresh bagels he picked up from the bakery, mind you, but leftover bagels from a non-work event he participated in. So these are bagels he touched and breathed over. (I love free food, but I didn’t partake). He coughed all the live long day and left early when he started feeling feverish. For the past week he’s been in self-quarantine. His flu test came back negative. So we’re all waiting for what’s next.
If he comes back positive, then we’ll have to be self-quarantined. It is what it is, but dayum dayum DAYUM.
What’s the status on availability of testing kits in the United States? Are they waiting until there is a Trump-connected company that can be the middle-man to provide them to the health authorities for a 5,000% markup?
Nothing much to add.
But it is important not to panic at this stage. That could be hard given constant media and Internet coverage, unnecessary closures and market mayhem.
Obey basic precautions - wash your hands often. Don’t book a cruise or trip to rural China right now. Most cases are likely mild. Most people don’t need masks. Although this outbreak is not great, it is likely overblown and optimism will triumph over fear. Consider it a lesson in what you might need on hand for a more severe emergency.
Continue to exercise and eat better.
:rolleyes:
What if I haven’t started yet? 
I just wanted to add that there is also spacing to consider. A place like the grocery store, even when busy, is safer than other gatherings of the same population due to a larger amount of personal space. A concert or sporting event or church service or happy hour generally has people much closer together.