Here in the deep blue part of Florida I feel your pain. Tallahassee is doing their damnedest to prevent us from managing anything locally, but most especially COVID.
When it looked like I might be transferred to Dallas I was nosing around uptown Dallas, Turtle Creek, or in Fort Worth near TCU as literally the only plausible living areas in a conurbation of 9,000+ square miles and close to 7 million people.
So many people I know have now tested positive that it’s probably getting close to 20%. But I know a lot of teachers and people who are generally exposed to viruses a lot.
My brother wasn’t feeling well while he was at work Wednesday; tired, but no coughing or fever. Saturday he was still sick so he went to the clinic, and he tested positive for Covid. So they tested his wife and their twin teenaged daughters, and they also tested positive.
I know a ton of people who have had it, mostly recovered, one aunt who passed away (I posted about her way upthread). The most concerning to me is my friend and her family (husband, two teenagers) who recently tested positive and have since recovered. Their symptoms weren’t too bad - she described it as a mild flu or severe cold: fatigue, congestion, low fever, sore throat. They were all over their symptoms within about a week and have since had confirming negative tests. The concern is that they are almost completely locked down. Both parents work from home and kids are doing virtual school. They’ve done grocery store visits and not much else. Everyone else I know who has gotten covid has had a pretty clear idea of where it came from or at least knew they had been in close contact with strangers in sketchy circumstances. My friend is pretty baffled. It seems so unfair that people who are following all the rules get it, but the people I see posting travel & get together pics on facebook have escaped.
I hope he has told his employer so they can take appropriate steps with everyone else who was exposed to him.
I’m sure he has. I’m not sure exactly what his current work situation is (we hadn’t spoken in a while, but I know he had changed jobs fairly recently) but he’s pretty responsible. One of my other nieces is immune-compromised, so the family Christmas had been cancelled. If it hadn’t, there would have been a super-spreader event.
Update on my sister and her family:
Everyone in her family recovered with minimal symptoms except my sister.
Unfortunately, she has had intense, continuous, sharp chest pain since coming down with the virus. She hasn’t been able to sleep or work in the last month. She has seen a cardiologist, and they think it may be pericarditis. She’s getting a chest CT and echocardiogram tomorrow.
Note that my sister is in excellent shape with no co-morbidities. She’s also only 39 years old.
Lost another family member to Covid, on Christmas day no less. Also, an entire extended family of my relatives (Grands, kids, grandkids) now have it, but no one’s hospitalized yet.
Hell of a Christmas this year. [deleted pit-worthy snarl about every eff-ing thing about 2020]
As of today I have had several cousins and their children test positive. All had mild symptoms except one who is older, and she was down for several weeks but never hospitalized. My brother’s wife’s family has had 11 family members including her daughter and her children. In my SIL’s family I’d say most have had mild-to-moderate symptoms. Thankfully no deaths.
One of my SIL’s niece is a hospital nurse who has really had a rough go of it. She hasn’t been sick, she’s just seen many people suffer horribly and some have died.
And I still have family members who refuse to accept the reality that we are in a pandemic. They are currently outraged that the zoo has closed “thanks to the Demon-craps”.
One of my close friends from work has now tested solidly positive after a couple days of flu-like symptoms. So far the symptoms are on the mend, but he just picked up a 2- week hotel-room quarantine. I warned him that any re-worsening was a big deal and to seek professional help ASAP.
Of course he’s on the road when this happens.
Another coworker I worked with early in Dec just found out he’d been working with a positive COVID guy later in Dec. So he’s now entering the test & quarantine flail too. Looking at the timing, I can’t be affected by this exposure, but I’ve got plenty of chance to get hit by another.
That was from 12/20/20.
This morning: His eyes opened and he raised his head when family entered the room. Tried to communicate, couldn’t due to trach. He is still on the vent and ECMO, but ECMO is turned off. Hoping to remove him from it next week, and hopefully he’ll start physical therapy to learn how to communicate. His O2 rates are still not stable, but are much better.
Good news!
Just learned that a very good friend of mine had to be transported by ambulance to IC, critical condition. Older, diabetic, overweight, hypertension, just plain out-of-shape…and one of the nicest souls I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. No idea how this is going to play out, but at least he has good insurance coverage.
A friend of mine in Great Britain was diagnosed back in December but is doing well right now. An acquaintance of mine got Covid last week and is in the hospital on a ventilator and isn’t expected to survive. It’s likely he gave his entire family Covid as his wife, daughter, and grand daughter all have it now. The daughter and grand daughter aren’t doing too badly but their mother is struggling through her situation isn’t as dire as his.
I’m having mixed feelings. This is a group of people who are Trump supporters and believed the “hysteria” surrounding coronavirus was some hoax to discredit the president and get us to accept communism or something. They continued to go to large gatherings such as church and eschewed masks and even though his job consisted of traveling he refused to take precautions. So, yes, I’m angry at him because he didn’t take this seriously and it’s hurt him and other people he loves. And I’m angry at the current administration who not only refused to take the pandemic seriously but actively sabotaged those that did. But I still feel bad. he doesn’t deserve to die for this.
I had previously talked about my brother and his family all testing positive for Covid. Today one of my nieces was taken to the ER. It turned out to be pneumonia and she was sent home with antibiotics, but obviously this was a big scare. Particularly because (assuming I understood the Facebook posting correctly) her mother wasn’t allowed to stay with her in the ER because she is 18. Apparently only children are allowed to have someone stay with them in the ER.
Depends on the ER and on other stuff. A lot of emergency rooms are restricting access now due to covid, and some are only allowing an accompanying person if the sick person isn’t competent (legally) on their own.
I recently spent a lot of time with my mom in the emergency room (she fell) and at the time, local places were allowing no more than one accompanying person. But i had to call and check.
I recently found out that one my nephews had it but he got better. His wife is a pharmacist and she didn’t catch it.
Follow-up… My friend is not expected to survive. The doctors say he could pass tonight, or in up to two days, but it’s so serious, he can’t be saved. He’s unconscious now, and is not expected to awaken.
He’s a good soul, and had a good run. A successful, loving marriage and two very worthy adult sons. Also he had a life insurance policy from his workplace, so his widow will have a small financial cushion going forward.
@Trinopus: I’m sorry for your impending loss. He sounds like a good man.
For context:
The former guy is now done quarantining. At worst he was sleeping 18h per day, and mildly uncomfortable. Now he’s apparently fine. Not sure exactly how they figured out he’s OK to go out; apparently something like 2 or 3 days with no fever despite taking no fever reducers.
The latter guy seems to have not caught it.
Just heartbreaking. My condolences to you.