Encouragement Thread - If you need support let’s help

[year1buick]

2 hours ago, Continental said:

In all the reading, all the updates, all the publicity, all the wrong turns and unknowns about this virus, I have never once pondered whether lava kills it.   Now it has me thinking that when the Yellowstone Caldera blows, wherever molten rock lands, it will kill the Coronavirus. 

However, I think Forbes left a bit of a hole in their article because now I'm wondering if a pyroclastic flow also kills the Coronavirus. 

Or perhaps the article was really supposed to be about Lava hand soap and it sort of took a wrong turn - that soap does wonders when you think you'll never get your hands clean.

Reading “pyroclastic flow” reminds me of the time, during a lecture in an undergrad geology elective, the professor stopped everything down to figure out the Scrabble points for “pahoehoe.” (I forget the amount. Plus, bonus tiles would make a big difference.)

[N.E. Brigand]

5 hours ago, Sutasaurus said:

As for the actual numbers infected/deaths could very well be twice what we’re being told. We won’t know the whole truth until mass testing is put in place.

Today's new numbers in the U.S. are pretty bad, with the single highest daily death toll so far (2,900), BUT some of that appears to be due to reporting lags (Pennsylvania reported a huge number of deaths today, probably covering several days' backlog), and the seven-day rolling average still suggests that the nation's COVID deaths peaked about a week ago. New York clearly peaked two to three weeks ago, at roughly 750 deaths per day. That state's daily numbers have been slowly declining since then to about half the peak. Now as you say, these are only the official numbers, and the real numbers are expected to be something like 50% higher than that (just as with the flu, where the official count during any given season is in the range of 5,000-15,000 and only gets revised up to the higher numbers after the fact), but there's no reason to believe the curve is notably different.

So again, there is reason to believe things are starting to look up. I am mildly encouraged.

[N.E. Brigand]

2 minutes ago, year1buick said:

It should probably say “inactivate” or something like that when referring to viruses, since they’re not alive to begin with. Bacterial spores can stay viable in extremely harsh environments, for very long times. Not all can form them, however. If I recall correctly from my bacteriology classes, just the clostridium and bacillus genera. But both include some “fun” species. (Dentists and Mds have to think about Clostridium difficile, for example, when prescribing clindamycin or certain long term antibiotics.)

Eight years ago, my mother had open heart surgery. It went well. But she ended up staying in the hospital nearly a week longer than expected because of a C. diff. infection.

Good point about spores. They probably can even survive in the near-vacuum of space, right?

[JimF-LowBari]

1 hour ago, Ghost said:

Don't blame the dog.  They were just waiting to "take a leak" to another location.

Typical Bichon, their best friend is the last person who said “Hi”. Likes to chase the varmints in our yard but not catch them. Other year she saw a pregnant squirrel 30 feet from the nearest tree. Poor thing could barely run and was walking by the time it got to the tree. Of course dingus stayed a foot off the squirrels butt which meant she “ran” slower and slower to match how slow the squirrel was going. 😆

[JimF-LowBari]

1 hour ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Today's new numbers in the U.S. are pretty bad, with the single highest daily death toll so far (2,900), BUT some of that appears to be due to reporting lags (Pennsylvania reported a huge number of deaths today, probably covering several days' backlog), and the seven-day rolling average still suggests that the nation's COVID deaths peaked about a week ago. 

Agree PA was going downward then started reviewing older possible cases early last week which mean daily updates bounced around. catching up on deaths now. Saw my zip code went from about 64 to 82 cases since I checked few days back. Have 3 long term care facilities within the zip code so hoping increase is just better testing. 

But... another week we should see if any of the protesters (no masks or social distancing) start getting sick... 

Edited April 30, 2020 by JimF-LowBari

[N.E. Brigand]

11 minutes ago, JimF-LowBari said:

But... another week we should see if any of the protesters (no masks or social distancing) start getting sick... 

There really weren't that many, so with luck, there won't be a large increase in cases due to that.

[year1buick]

1 hour ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Eight years ago, my mother had open heart surgery. It went well. But she ended up staying in the hospital nearly a week longer than expected because of a C. diff. infection.

Good point about spores. They probably can even survive in the near-vacuum of space, right?

Yeah, C. diff is can cause life threatening complications. 

I saw something once about spores being recovered— and reanimated— from a deep underground a salt deposit, that had been there for God knows how long. After the sun goes red giant, they’ll be the last to go.

[JimF-LowBari]

27 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

There really weren't that many, so with luck, there won't be a large increase in cases due to that.

Believe a few thousand protestors but since it was so close to my home just “had” to get my digs in there. At least you can’t enter a business without a mask now which makes me feel better. Now if people would learn mask goes over mouth AND nose (saw that tonight). 😖

I wear a bandana folded over into a triangle, tie it tight in the back and tuck bottom corner in neck of my shirt. And glasses hold it down up top. Fits tight and with rewashing beats worrying how many times a mask (if you can find one) will last

Edited April 30, 2020 by JimF-LowBari

[HockeyDad]

11 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Believe a few thousand protestors but since it was so close to my home just “had” to get my digs in there. At least you can’t enter a business without a mask now which makes me feel better. Now if people would learn mask goes over mouth AND nose (saw that tonight). 😖

 

Well, likely more people were out and about watching Blue Angels and Thunderbirds flyovers  without proper social distancing. And as the flyovers  are continuing in cities across America, more still to come. So I wouldn’t just pick on one group. Also I see Remdesivir is showing promise. So much so that Dr Sexy err Fauci is excited about it. And so much so that even the NYT says it shows “modest benefits”.  Coming from that source it’s practically a ringing endorsement!  Interesting that none of you mentioned it. This is the encouragement thread after all. 

[N.E. Brigand]

51 minutes ago, HockeyDad said:

Well, likely more people were out and about watching Blue Angels and Thunderbirds flyovers

I used to work for a company that produced air shows. It was pretty nifty having the Blue Angels parked right outside our office windows.