As I write this, there are 926,095 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the world. Sometime today, it will top a million. The US tops the list of countries with cases of the virus. Today we crossed the 200,000 mark and now stand at 210,271. There have been 46,252 deaths globally, of which 4, 669 of them have been here.
Yesterday the president and the White House unveiled a model that says, over the course of the next two weeks or so, it expects 100,000 to 240,000 deaths here in this country alone. And this was a best-case scenario. New York's death toll doubled in just 72 hours. The number there now totals 1,941. Just minutes ago, Florida's governor finally put a shelter-in-place order into effect. We are in for a very ROUGH and SCARY several weeks. The numbers will be bigger, I'm guessing and the lock downs will last well beyond this two week period.
A report I read said that even though we are social distancing and locking down areas, people still aren't totally understanding and transferring the virus to others when they are asymptomayic. A normally, healthy looking individual can hug grandma and give it to her. A report from Iceland shows that 50% of those who tested positive were asymptomatic. I know it's hard, but for the time being people really need to stop hugging, kissing, touching, ANYTHING.
And other still deliberately risk infecting others as this man allegedly did in a New York hospital, where he is supposed to have been knowingly showing symptoms, but lied about them to get access to his wife who was having a baby. GEEZ!
My Representative (I didn't vote for him) Devin Nunes is still out there pushing for people to go back to work and kids to school, saying all of these lock down precautions are over kill and the economy is in jeopardy. Geez, I hope people remember this and he loses in November. Profits before people... Shameful!
At work, my co-worker friend Jerry sent me a photo showing employees having their temperatures taken before being allowed in for work. (FINALLY!) While I'm glad the hospital is doing that, I feel that the social distancing issues (such as the line shown here and the nurse-to-nurse reporting in the morning) should be addressed.
To my nursing peeps out there, my friend Mikey in Iowa sent me this photo. A nurse made herself a headband with buttons on the sides to hold the ear loops in. Brilliant idea as, after 12 hours, those loops can really dig into your skin and hurt.
My friend Art in Boston, asked me what he thought about the idea of wearing a mask or not wearing a mask. He sent me videos showing various authority figures arguing both cases. One with the Surgeon General saying not to wear them was from early March (March 2). Another, dated yesterday, has the CDC advising people to wear masks. I found another dated from yesterday as well. Initially, people were panicked and buying masks---leaving the medical profession in short supply. Officials are now thinking that those who are asymptomatic are spreading the virus and should be wearing masks as a precaution. They do NOT need to be the N95 variety (that hospitals so desperately need), but general face masks. The doctor in the video I posted yesterday summed it up best, I think. If you have a mask, wear it. If not, do NOT be freaked out. If you are practicing social distancing, proper protective hand hygiene and not touching your face, you should be fine. Let the hospitals have the N95s, please.
My friend John sent me a video showing what life is like in lock down China. It was far more strict there, but apparently far more successful. China's death numbers have dropped as have their infection rates. The US has more than double the number of infected than China does. The video is interesting (but there are annoying commercials that pop up throughout) about life there now during this crisis.
Back here in the states, my friend Anna forwarded this video to me. It has some language. It's just an Asian-American girl rapping about how bored she is.
I realize that people are bored. It's a tough situation, but they will have to deal with it if they want to keep themselves and their families safe. I looked online. Many, many websites have popped up with things for families and children to do while they are home and/or social distancing. One such thing made headlines just today, when J.K. Rowling started a HARRY POTTER AT HOME website to help kids (and fans of the fantasy series) keep active while holed up at home.
(I've not been bored at all. In fact, the days still seem too short to me. The only time I've been really "bored" thus far was when I was wading my way through this 7-movie DVD set of bad shark movies (and one alligator flick). With titles like SANTA JAWS and ZOMBIE SHARK, you could see what my attraction was---but also understand why I was sooo disappointed and BORED. Ha!
My leg situation remains the same. I feel bad not being at work. When the virus situation first started, I was terrified. However, as I calmed down, I came to realize that working at a children's hospital was "safe". Most children who get this are fine and require no hospitalization. (Although some kids do get sick. Two healthy teens died in the UK just yesterday and a 6-week old baby died after getting infected.) It's their parents who, when they get sick, end up in the hospitals...and they would be going to other hospitals...not mine. The timing of my legs was bad, but not my fault. I am there with my nursing "family" in thought, in my heart and spirit.
My consultation with the doctor (done via phone) went well. The appointment had been made weeks ago. The doctor is also an endocrinologist, so in addition to doing a biopsy of my muscles, she will thoroughly check my endocrine system for issues. The doctor also works with a rheumatologist, so I have hope there in case this turns out to be an auto-immune thing. But all of this has to wait until the virus is contained and the hospitals are freed up. But I am optimistic.
I ventured to the store yesterday. (A quick trip to the store is NOT the same as 12 hours on my feet helping patients). I actually made two trips. The first was to Office Max. (I was surprised they were open.) I have to print up papers for work to give to my doctor--and my ink cartridges were dry. I mention this because, as I walked up to the door, they had a sign showing which products were currently in stock. One of which was toilet paper. Toilet paper? At Office Max? Apparently so. (And who'd have ever thought to look there?). One lady was buying two big blocks of it, which made me wonder what she ate that she could possibly need so much.
While at the store, I noted that the supply of water was good. There were limited amounts of eggs. However, the toilet paper and paper towels (not that I needed any) were all gone, as was the hand sanitzer, the bleach and almost all of the cleaning supplies. The zinc was sold out as well.
My mother sent me an article about the food supply chain and how the COVID 19 outbreak has slowed things down. Don't panic. Basic needs are still available and will remain available (Toilet paper is being made 24 around the clock now! Really!). Somethings that are imported from elsewhere may be in short supply for a while.
At the store, I wore my mask, of course. (A few other shoppers were also). When I got home, I sanitized my hands and wiped down the groceries as well as the door handle and steering wheel--just in case.
Washing your hands really is the best safeguard against getting the virus. The photos below illustrate this.
Stay safe. Stay sheltered. Stay ALIVE.
CHEERS!
To continue, click HERE.
Comments