Some of us stock up on gin and tonic!
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An hour ago Maryland Governor Hogan announced actions under a state of emergency. Schools will be closed statewide for two weeks during which time all school buildings and vehicles will be sanitized. The National Guard is being mobilized. All gatherings in excess of 250 people (which I think is a permit threshold) are cancelled. There are a few other minor things. It all seems very organized with consistent guidance coming from various state agencies and pointers to other resources like CDC guidance.
We’ve had 12 cases of COVID-19 confirmed. Contact tracing shows all of those were brought in from foreign travel or US travelers from COVID-19 hotspots. No community transmission to date. I suspect our Governor is motivated by avoiding becoming another hotspot.
I have some boat calls tomorrow - it will be interesting to see what grocery parking lots look like on my way past. N.B. my work is usually socially distant. I drive to a marina, park, walk to an empty boat, perform tasks, and go home.
No change in plans here for me - lots of cooking this weekend because that was the plan before. Lasagna, tomato aspic, broccoli soup.
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I’m so sorry. I don’t have any experience with this, but it sounds awful. We deal with a lot of upper respiratory infections that tend to move into the lungs in our house. What have been recommended to us are saline sprays to help thin mucus, steamy showers/baths, and vaporizers. We adults add Mucinex (mucus thinner/ expectorant) to the mix. But the cool-mist vaporizer for sleep really helps a lot - maybe worth a try? Also consider a home/room humidifier for daytime.
Here’s wishing you a speedy recovery, dear @Harters.
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Every one of us has someone whom we owe orders of magnitude more than we can ever repay. These people gave of themselves freely and without expectation of repay. So, yes, we just have to do it again.
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My doctors are all at the same hospital. I take Coumadin, with 90-day refills delivered by mail. Federal BC/BS. The doctor reauthorizes it annually. But INR tests are a must (unlike with Xarelto, I understand), and the anticoagulation clinic will “fire” noncompliant patients.
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Enjoy good health and the trashy crime novels!
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I shall do my best with those objectives, retrospek.
Our government says it is following the science on this matter but my concern is that seems to be bringing different conclusions to several other European countries which are also following the science. But, on this small cold wet island off the coast of Europe, we have now officially moved from containing the virus to delaying it (with the intent that the “peak” will be smoothed down allowing hospitals a better chance to cope over the coming period. The new advice is that anyone displaying even minor symptoms should self isolate for 7 days. And, in a move that effectively buggers up my 70th birthday present to myself, folk with compromised health (I’m a diabetic with COPD) are advised not to go on cruises. That’s scheduled for late May so we’ll see how things pan out. I’m almost hoping the cruise line cancels sailings so I won’t have to hassle with the travel insurance company.
On the horizon, I think we can expect more self isolation guidance in the near future. It’s already being trailed that, as the virus takes hold, maybe from a couple of weeks hence, elderly/vulnerable people will be told to, literally, stay at home - perhaps for several weeks. It will make the logistics of food shopping much trickier.
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Last night, the president was on TV, blah blah blah… have the impression he is in campaign for EU president. Guideline is still vague for self-isolation. Nothing really to calm down the fear and the lack of test kits. Nothing to ease the pressure for people working in medical area or hospital.
From the news, we learn that many people who came back from high risks area (Lombardy etc.) with symptoms were rejected to be tested because they were not sick enough. Some enterprises need to see the certificate that you are negative if you have been traveling, but couldn’t obtain anything and refused to be back to work. Government claimed that test kits were reserved to the needy. But the reality seems that hospital was overcharged with patients and they prefer an ostrich politic that of no confirmation cases, everything is fine. You self quarantine yourself and the virus will go away on its own.
The guidance here is to have people over 70s avoid going out at all, but nothing to propose shopping if they live alone. Just no visit is allowed in retirement homes and working children shouldn’t ask the elderly parents to babysit their young kids when school will be closed starting next Monday.
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I think you should by all means avoid the cruise trip for the time being, especially someone with diabetic and respiration problem. The stress of quaratine on a ship is awful.
We have planned a short trip to Saint Petersburg in mid May, now everything is unclear. So far, there are travel restriction for EU travellers to Moscow, but government advice is against the whole country, with the unknown harsh quarantine conditions in Russia.
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That’s actually one of the arguments put forward by UK authorities against closing schools at present. The argument runs that, whilst this may increase the number of children who catch the virus, they will not be badlky affected. But, if grandparents are caring for those children, then the vulnerable older people are put at greater risk. Makes sense to me so far.
Sounds familiar.
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UK government has announced that testing will now only focus on identifying cases in hospital. I do not know what is the logic of that change of policy. A consequence is that they will no longer have data about the spread of the virus - although I suppose that, if the virus is now going to be widespread in the community, having data may no longer be important.
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The tests are all different in every countries and the policy to test as well. In S. Korea for example, they test the maximum of suspicious cases, to contain the virus, and maybe the reason for an explosion of cases in a short while but becomes more stabilized now.
In case of France, the Figaro reported the test is invented by the Pasteur Institute and they are still artisanal and cannot be mass produced, only 1000 - 2000 is available each day as the labs need several hours to deliver the test.
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Anyone who is interested, you can see the cases in each country. Click on the country you can see the graphs and the curves. If you are good in analyzing data, you can see approximately at what stage the outbreak of the virus.
It’s official:
Metro Detroit is in widespread panic mode. I dropped our youngest son off for his work shift at a national grocery store just before 8 AM this morning. The parking lot for the store was at least 3 / 4 full of cars, SUVs and pickups. Then drove by my normal morning 7 Eleven stop. Just four cars parked in front of the store. The 30, or so other parking spaces were empty. Very, very uncommon for 8 AM on a weekday.
Moments later I glanced into the parking lot for Travis Diner, one of metro Detroit’s most popular Greasy Spoons. Restaurant was nearly deserted, just two cars in its ample parking lot. Then around the corner to drive by a Kroger. The store parking lot was at least five-eighths full. Onward, east and south I stopped at a 7 Eleven I frequent very rarely. I was the only customer in the time it took to pour and prep two coffees for takeout. In the homestretch toward our house, passed another Kroger. Its lot was probably 90% full, with a score or more idling cars waiting for an open spot.
I’m guessing, by tomorrow, there won’t be a roll of toilet paper or crate of drinking water for sale anywhere below mid-Michigan.
Wonder what its going to be like over the next two weeks…
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An update from the Harters bunker.
Mrs H went to the supermarket where all seemed generally normal, with plenty of stock of the vast majority of things. However, there was no toilet paper, very little other paper products like tissues and kitchen rolls and very little flour. So, nothing to worry about so far.
This is also a time when I appreciate the National Health Service. It’s an organisation easy to criticise. As a COPD patient, I have access to the Community Respiratory Team of doctors, nurses and other specialist healthcare people, based at the local hospital. Worried about my continuing cough, I rang them earlier in the week and they sent a nurse to check me over. They’ve now just rung me to tell me the sputum sample that she took has tested as “clear”, so that’s good news as such. Means that the cough is, most probably, a hangover from the initial chest infection so should clear in due course. However, she’ll issue a request to my GP to change one of my inhalers for one including steroids - should be ready to collect from the pharmacy on Tuesday. This is all “joined up” action, none of which we pay for except through general taxation.
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Apparently I live in the county that is the epicenter of the outbreak in Pennsylvania. So schools are closed, day cares are closed, rec centers and gyms are closed. I had to stop at the local grocery store today . . .it was crowded, but nobody seemed panicked. Fortunately cleaning supplies, toilet paper and eggs (?!) weren’t on my list. But they had plenty of bread, bottled water, etc.
ETA: Local malls are closed! Now I know it’s serious.
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Sorry to hear this @gaffk.
I live in one of the Massachusetts counties near, and part of, Boston that are the epicenter for our state. I just returned from my regular grocery shop. For the first time in my life I saw many items wiped out. Most of the frozen veggies, dried beans, dried pasta, canned tomato products, laundry and dish soap were gone. Big holes in the frozen entrees section. Not a single jar of peanut butter on the shelf. Pickings were slim in the packaged bread aisle.
Yet there was plenty of fresh milk, a decent selection of chips (but not tortilla chips), and lots of fresh produce to be had (a few items like carrots were depleted).
Based on how hard shoppers had hit staples such as dried beans—which I’ve never seen almost completely sold out—my hunch is that folks plan to hunker down for awhile.
The store staff was incredibly helpful and on their toes in the checkout lanes. Both vendors and store employees were busy restocking the available goods as fast as they could. Once again, I must salute the hard-working team at my local Market Basket stores. They know how to throw down when it matters.
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Yes, for the first time in memory every lane was open even though no blizzard is forecast. Glad laundry and dish detergent aren’t scarce here, as they were on my list.
I still want to know what people are doing with all that toilet paper 
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