My Coronavirus Diary #80



There are now 4,038,748 cases of the coronavirus here in the USA. There have been 144,304 deaths. Florida and Texas have had record deaths and hospitalizations this past week. On Tuesday, the US had more the 1,000 deaths in a single day. We have surpassed the 4 million cases mark. And it is expected that we will have more than a million cases of the virus within two weeks. After more than six months since the first case in our country and more than 140,000 deaths, the White House now states it is trying to formulate a plan of action against the virus.







VIRUS NEWS:

The president resumed his coronavirus briefings on Tuesday. It was his first since the disastrously embarrassing conference when he suggested ingesting disinfectants to combat the virus. The president conceded that things will probably get worse before they get better. He also said using a mask might be a good idea. (Change of heart? Sagging poll numbers, more likely...) Of course, during the briefing, he repeated more lies and misinformation.



Noticeably absent from Tuesday's briefing was Dr. Anthony Fauci. He was not invited to it.

Dr. Fauci has pushed back at recent criticisms of his work, stating that he is a "realist".


Dr Fauci has warned that, unlike SARS, the coronavirus is not going to disappear. The doctor will be speaking before Congress on July 31 as the pandemic will be addressed. He also thinks things should start shifting back to "normal" sometime next year...

The day before, the president tweeted out that wearing a mask was "patriotic"...but then, a few hours later, he was seen in a group of people without one.

In a recent (and interesting) interview on Fox News, the president said we had "the best mortality rate in the world" in regards to the COVID 19 pandemic...which is not true.

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi was critical of the president's seeming about face on masks and the pandemic in general and referred to the virus as the "Trump virus" (mocking his racist penchant for calling it the "China Virus" or "Kung Flu"). The term was used previously in a blisteringly brilliant political ad. The term is can also be found on the online Urban Dictionary, where it is used in the following sentence: "The Covidiot went to Trump's poorly attended, lame-ass rally in Tulsa without a mask and caught the Trumpvirus." Ha!


A studies show that the actual number of COVID 19 cases are higher than originally thought.

Remarkably, 14 states still say they have not received the equipment to deal with the virus that they requested from the federal government back in March.

A marine assigned to the president's helicopter squadron has tested positive for the virus.

Dr. Deborah Birx is warning that the virus is on the rise, despite the president's optimistic view of things.

The physician who the president has called his "guide" from Fox News, has been wrong about this virus outbreak more often than not.

An entire family in Florida (Mother, father, daughter, twin infants and a grandmother) are all sick. "It's not a hoax," the mom says.


Nurses left 164 pairs of shoes outside of the Capitol in remembrance of those nurses who have died as a result of contracting COVID 19.


Things are so bad in Texas that a hospital in the southern part of the state is triaging potential patients to gauge what their survival odds are before accepting them. A judge in the state said that the "hospitals look like war zones."  This shocking video takes a look inside hospitals there.

A new report suggests that 40% of adults are at risk for getting severe complications from the virus.

Nearly 75% of detainees at an immigration facility in Virginia are said to be positive for the virus.

A woman in Minnesota died from COVID 19 after giving birth while on a ventilator.

A 26-day-old baby tested positive for the virus during an autopsy.

A convent in Michigan lost 13 nuns to the virus.

A mother in Florida lost her son and then, 11 days later, her daughter to the virus.

A 9-year-old girl is the youngest child to die in Florida so far.

Two children in Colorado died from complications of the Kawasaki's-like syndrome related to the coronavirus.

Two boys in Texas lost both their father and mother to the virus in the space of two weeks.

'I think I made a mistake, I thought this was a hoax, but it's not,' said one 30-year-old, who attended a COVID party in Texas before he died.

Funeral homes in Texas are overwhelmed with virus victims.

As more and more lives are lost, families are airing their frustrations on the politicians they blame for this mess in obituaries.


Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, who is pushing for schools to reopen,  said that children do not spread the virus. This report corrects her.

The CDC issued new guidelines...which are now saying schools should be reopened. HUH?

Polls show that most American's do not support sending kids back to school at this time.



Rising case numbers may cause Pennsylvania to rethink reopening schools.

Educators in Florida are suing Governor DeSantis over his mandate that schools open with in-person education in the fall, even though the virus numbers in the state are worse than anywhere else in the world.



Colorado teachers may refuse to report to work if their coronavirus concerns are not met.

School buses in the age of COVID 19 will have to have seating requirements. This particular suggestions still seems too crowded to me.

The president says he is comfortable sending his son back to school in the fall.

A kids' day camp in Dallas had to close down due to a virus outbreak that some are comparing to a possible outbreak in schools should they reopen at this time.


The grocery chain Winn-Dixie has changed its stance on requiring masks following the president's call to wear them.

Facebook has suspended anti-mask groups for spreading COVID 19 misinformation.

An original World War II-era Rosie the Riveter is now making masks to combat the virus.

A doctor in Arizona has been pleading with residents to wear a mask now--instead of having to wear a respirator later.

Maskless block parties in Florida further emphasis the need for curfews in the troubled state.

Although they've been repeated over and over, these three things can help you stay safe from the virus.

The "Karen" phenomenon continues to amaze and appall. Here is a recent incident that made the news involving a "Karen" who was refused service at a pizza parlor because she refused to wear a mask. Another set of maskless Karens went off at a WalMart.



A new report suggests that even though antibodies to the virus may fade over the course of a few months, the protection from them may not fade so quickly.

Experimental vaccines being developed in the UK and China are showing promising results.

Side effects from some of the experimental vaccines could be bad, says one report.

Experimental vaccine researchers expect to have a safe and affordable vaccine ready in early 2021.

The US has reached a $1.95 billion deal with Pfizer to produce millions of doses for a vaccine...that isn't even fully developed and tested yet.

Researchers in the St. Louis area are looking for volunteers to try out their experimental vaccine.

Two Chinese nationals have been charged in an attempted coronavirus vaccine hacking scheme.

A scientist who has spent his career researching coronaviruses, may have accidentally stumbled upon a treatment.

Congressional Republicans are confident they'll be able to fund testing in another stimulus package.

President Trump has called off the Florida component of the Republican National Convention.

A Trump official was on CNN recently again promoting hydroxychloroquine for treating the virus. A doctor came on and shot the (non-medical) Trump official down about the drug.



Lawmakers are working to iron out details of a second stimulus package as we continue to struggle through the coronavirus pandemic. A report in USA Today says that black, Latino and the poor are less likely to get a stimulus check in the proposed new package.

A 27-year-old reporter details her experience with coronavirus. Yikes!

Despite the virus raging all over the country, many are still planning and going on summer vacations.

Thinking about trying to travel? Don't forget your mask...even at your hotel.

A Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant died after testing positive for the virus.

Other airlines are beefing up mask rules and health screenings.

Princess Cruises are anchored until December due to the pandemic.

DisneyWorld has tightened their mask requirements for park guests as the parks remain open in Florida. DisneyWorld employees are understandably scared they'll contract the virus and bring it home with them.

Downtown Disney is the only area open at Disneyland in California. It, too, cracked down on its mask requirements.

Due to our overwhelming infection rates, most of the world has restricted US travel (including the Bahamas). A few countries are allowing us to visit, though.

A judge was upset by video of a party boat full of people in Texas. The company that runs the boatline said they were following state guidelines.

A Texas man was in the hospital for weeks came off of the ventilator just in time for his 75th birthday.

A man from New York survived 128 days in the hospital (51 of them on a ventilator) with COVID 19.

STAY HOME SUPERHEROES, a book written by a California couple, is for young children to help them cope with life in the pandemic.

GREY'S ANATOMY (that's still on?) will be tackling the pandemic when the series returns for season 17...eventually.

A study shows that narcissistic personalities are linked to defiance of coronavirus precautions and hoarding. (Sound like any presidents you know?)

Chick-Fil-A leads the pack in fast food outbreaks in Colorado.

How safe is outdoor dining? Experts weigh in.

Despite the president's best efforts to ignore the pandemic and reopen the economy (losing thousands of lives in the process), this report suggests the economy is about to suffer again---due to reopening too quickly. Medical experts and scientists are urging the country to shut down again to gain better control of the virus.





GLOBAL:

There are more than 15,511,157 cases of the virus throughout the world. There have been 633,396 deaths.

Brazil has had more than 80,000 deaths.

Colombia has more than 200,000 cases and has had 7,000 deaths. The most impacted cities are finding their healthcare collapsing under the weight of it all.

Chile wants COVID 19 sniffer dogs to help reopen businesses.

A study suggests that one in four people in India's capitol are infected.

Australia has had their highest number of virus deaths in three months.





STATES:

The governor clearly does not want to let New York fall back into the hell it went through at the beginning of the pandemic and has had at least 27 liquor licenses suspended over social distancing violations. Bravo.New York now has a list of 31 states, which, if residents want to visit New York, they must quarantine for 2 weeks prior to being allowed in. The governor is also warning of an increase in cases in young adults...who are also spreading it.

A YMCA camp in Massachusetts had to close down due to an outbreak.

Virginia added another 844 cases on Thursday.

Hospitalizations in Georgia have tripled over the last month.

Florida's crazy high numbers keep coming. On Monday, the state saw 10,508 new cases (which Governor DeSantis casually ignored at a press conference, despite protesters calling him out). The governor, who followed the president's game plan to the letter, has been getting continued flack for his poor judgement and the explosive number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the states.


Pennsylvania added 962 new cases yesterday.

Ohio added 1,047 new cases to its roster and 30 deaths on Tuesday. The state added 1,444 new cases on Thursday.

A federal hot spot team visited Tennessee and called for a statewide mask mandate.

Indiana experienced 20 more deaths and 703 new cases on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Wisconsin broke its record and had more than 1,000 cases (1,117) reported in a single day. Again, on Thursday, the state had more than 1,000 new cases.

Louisiana added a staggering 1,700 more cases on Tuesday.

Texas' Governor Abbott says that if the virus rate doesn't come down, he may return to forced lockdowns.

Colorado is watching 15 counties closely and may scale back reopening plans as virus numbers continue to grow in the state. Outbreaks in a casino, meat processing plant and restaurants have been reported.

Idaho added 556 more infections on Tuesday. The state has halted any further reopening as the virus numbers surge there.

In Utah, the areas that were thought to be 'low risk" are seeing a rise in confirmed cases. Hospitalizations are at an all-time high while 521 new cases were added Thursday.

Arizona has now surpassed 3,000 deaths.

Grocery chains in the Tacoma, Washington area reported employees who were positive for the virus.

Alaska added 109 new cases on Tuesday. Another 68 were added Thursday.

Hawaii's case list is still minimal, but creeping slowly up. The island state now has 1,418 cases total.




CALIFORNIA:

California now has more than 400,000  cases of the virus. It overtook New York in having the most virus cases in the US. We were doing so well---what happened?

Younger people are making up 57% of the new cases in Los Angeles County.

Despite the soaring infection rates, the mayor of Los Angeles says he is not going to close anything else down.

Berkeley has had two more fatalities as of Tuesday.

More Orange County restaurants are closing due to the outbreak.

In Los Angeles, food trucks are helping local restaurants stay afloat.




LOCAL:




Valley Children's Hospital is starting to see a rush of coronavirus patients. The hospital said that even though children make up 8.7% of cases in California, in Fresno County they are making up 12%.

Sierra View Medical Center, the hospital in Porterville, is just about maxed out of space as COVID 19 patients continue to come in.

As shutdowns cause more and more to be unemployed, Fresno authorities have noticed a dramatic increase in violent crime.

A new drive through COVID 19 testing center has opened in Kings County.

More details about the 471 inmates at the Fresno County Jail have been released.

Clovis Unified unveiled its plans for virtual classes for the fall.

Local beauty salons and barber shops have re-opened...outdoors.

Citing the coronavirus outbreak, Santa Claus Lane in Clovis has closed down for good, organizers say.




CREATIVITY:

Puddles Pity Party, the sad clown who did the STAIRWAY TO GILLIGAN'S ISLAND video I shared last week, has a tribute to frontline workers. It's A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER:


Randy Rainbow has a new one--Whoo HOO!


This is creepy---and depressing--but clever and timely:



The Lincoln Project (A Republican group that is anti-Trump/Trumpism) put together this video using an actual recent interview with the president from Fox News. The music and laugh track were added and the video was edited down, but this is essentially "real". How funny--yet sad...






MAIL:

I hadn't heard from my friend Kevin in a while, so I checked in with him. Amazingly, in the midst of all of this, he has become a mortgage broker and has been going through training. In his reply, he talked about the details of the job. However, he also talked about what it is like in his situation with the virus running rampant. I've included those tidbits below:

"The office is pretty big, but they only allow a maximum of 10 people in the office per day to social distance," he said. "Masks are worn in the building. It is a large office building, but about 80 percent of the tenants have closed down due to the lockdowns. Funny how most of the offices in my building are doctors offices, but since everyone is so scared to go and see the doctor in person, even when it is allowed now, all of them have been forced to close down. So basically, my company is the only company in the entire 5-floor office building that is occupied. The rest of the company's 50 other employees work remotely, so it is full of Zoom meetings, which is another annoyance in itself. Driving to work is also easy since most people don't go to work anymore. No heavy traffic. It is just like a Sunday drive.  The parking lot outside is basically empty.

"So many states, including yours, are at an all time high these days with the coronavirus, but still people don't care. I see all my local gyms opening up and the parking lots are super full. My parents go to their office once a week, and the Asian massage parlor next door is always packed with customers. People here don't give a damn. I am actually surprised that the numbers are not very high, considering a lot of people are actually testing. An older worker who sat next to me at the new office (not super near) --  his girlfriend's mom got the virus. He quarantined for almost a month. He didn't get sick, but he's back to work now on an every-other-day basis. It IS super creepy that it is a giant office building and we are the only office there which is open."




My friend Kim, the CNA in Wisconsin, sent me a note on Monday:

"I am still doing well here," she said. "I am once again negative. Thank God! The hospital is doing okay. I have heard of more positive people not knowing they had it. None of them having to be admitted to the hospital.

"I get so mad at my brother. He does not care. He goes to the bars and runs about with no worries.   My problem is that he lives at Mom and Dad's. My dad has C.O.P.D. If he gets COVID, it would not end well. My brother is also not so young anymore. He will be 40. There is no saying how his body would react to it. It's time for him to move out.

"In other news, the stores in town are starting to mandate masks. I think that is awesome. Hopefully we will be able to slow this down a bit. The nursing home and assisted living I work at are doing okay as well.  They are not allowing visitors yet.  The assisted living my step-grandpa is at is allowing visitors. They have to wear a mask and sit outside for the visit. I'm not sure if that is a good idea, but I feel so bad for the residents. They have not been able to see family since March. I could not imagine. Otherwise family and friends are all well."




My friend David (aka Grover) and his partner, Pablo, from Australia sent me a surprise! OH MY STARS!!!!! It was an incredible, super cool tiki print. Zowie! THANK YOU and how incredibly thoughtful. Included with the accompanying note (dated June 25, 20202) was this bit about what is going on down under:

"While Australia hasn't had nearly as devastating a run as other countries, we have been quarantining," they said. "Just this week in Victoria, they wound back some restrictions as our numbers began to increase again. I'm sure we will all get through it okay. We've been lucky in that we can both still work and earn money. I know many Australians aren't as fortunate."











My friend Michael in Florida wrote about what he is experiencing there:

"I am okay," he said. "The virus has gone stupid crazy here. From March to May, we had a daily average of maybe five cases. A bad day was 14. Now it's between 100 and 200 a day. There was one day last week where we had 14 people die.

"This past weekend, I drove all of the way to Mississippi to take my daughter back (to her mom's house). She needed her braces adjusted at her dentist. She's supposed to have it done every other month, however they have been closed. I was also concerned for her health, as Florida explodes with cases. Her mom is in a much better spot than I am. She is a nurse dealing with the virus, so that's why my daughter originally came to stay with me.

"My house is quiet now, at least for the moment. My 91-year-old grandmother is flying down here this weekend, and frankly I'm pissed about it. She had planned on staying in Orlando for two weeks for my cousin's graduation. Instead, I told her to come here and stay at my house. It is bad here, but it's a lot worse in Orlando. I am dumbfounded that they are actually having a graduation ceremony.

"I still have to go to work everyday. I can't work from home. I've had watery eyes and a sore throat for the last 2 days, but I believe they're allergies, especially since I can still go running. I did 6K this afternoon, which is a new record for me.

"I've started taking up surfing. It's just me and the water on a board. I go to a private beach where there's only a few people. Social distancing is not a problem. I really enjoy the surfing.

"The virus has been a blessing and a curse for me. As you know, I love to travel and experience the world. However, I can't right now. What did happen though was getting to spend 5 months with my daughter. I even took her several times down to the beach late at night. If you walk when it's quiet out there in dark, you can find sea turtles this time of year. All together I think we probably saw a dozen. We played a lot of video games and watched anime as well. The last time I had that kind of time with my daughter, she wasn't even a year old. That is a blessing for me.

"I still have my house out in California that I have been renting out to a family. Yesterday, I found out they are all in the hospital with COVID.

"I finally found a good church out here. I don't even have to go in, as it broadcasts the service on Facebook. From what I can tell, all the churches out here are doing that.

"The bars are closed, which is good. Personally, I think we need to close completely back down again just to get Florida under control. I don't make the decisions, but I'll do my part and try to keep my distance, keep travel to the minimum, and wear a mask when I'm out. I don't wear it running, or when in my car though."




My friend Jenny sent me a quick note sharing some tragic news:

"My mother died a week ago last Thursday," she said. "Her funeral was last Thursday. It was graveside with a limit of 12 people -- all social distancing and wearing masks. I'm still trying to find out her COVID 19 results. I guess it doesn't really matter now, but the facility should know for other residents. It is just very frustrating. We are all fine. It's so strange that someone is dying and you can't be with them. For people who don't think this is serious, they need to rethink that.




A co-worker at the hospital sent me this text:

"Holy crap," she said. "COVID crazy overnight; 18 positive patients on the unit next to Rehab and two on Rehab are pending. Plus the positive patients in PICU. 21% of all tested are positive."



I forward the above text to my friend and former co-worker, Sandy, and said maybe it was a good thing she was no longer working. This was her reply:

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing," she said. "I have several family members who are positive as well. My cousin in Columbus, Georgia passed recently. She was in her late 50's
My Auntie, who is younger than me by about a year, is in Madera Hospital. She was sounding worse today when we spoke. She could hardly pant out words. We spoke of her decision to not be intubated. She was going to be speaking to doctor about DNAR (Do Not Attempt Resuscitation). The others are at various stages.

"I'm spending more time with my dad and sister with Multiple Sclerosis.  So, that's a blessing.

"I had to put my precious dog down this afternoon. This is my sweet boy (Scooter--who only had three legs). I'd carry him out in the mornings and we'd sit on the lawn. He loved the breeze and at night he used to go outside and star gaze.



"It feels like too much. I'm glad to not be working."




SHIRLEY:

Shirley has been sleeping in her corner a lot these days. On Tuesday, she woke up and was a bit stir crazy. She wanted out. But as she struggled to get out, her box apartment got wedged into the buffet table. Between the box and the cupboard on the other side, she was trapped. I had to life the box away do she could get out.


Out outside she went... She only stayed out about three hours. (I was in the house doing something, came into the kitchen at the same time she started heading for the door to come in--perhaps she saw me?) But she ate well (all of her food and most of a second helping I gave her).


On Wednesday, I was having a Zoom call. I must have been too loud, because Shirley came bursting out of her box from the secret back door she made...and went over to the corner to go to sleep.



 Silly girl...





ME:

This week, I've had to run several errands. On Tuesday, I visited the bank. I like their social distancing planning. Things are nicely spaced out. There is a security guard and a bank employee handling the customers. There are also hand sanitizing stations all over.


Signs telling customers that masks must be worn over both mouths and noses is also very welcome to me.


I made a Costco run---just getting some essentials; fruit, veggies, nuts and a bottle of pre-mixed margaritas. Ha! There were several people with masks below their noses...or blatantly pulled down below their mouths. Rude.


 As I was out and about, I noticed IHOP was really working it to score customers. I can imagine restaurants everywhere are suffering. But seeing the outdoor dining experience IHOP was trying to create was...sad.


 Essentially, it is just tables and chairs under a tent...in the stiflingly hot Valley in late July. UGH!


The other day, I was in a drive thru getting something to drink. Normally I wouldn't notice or pay attention to stuff, but I saw this guy's bumper stickers. Usually, I'd just dismiss them--whatever. But, with all that has been going on---the racial issues, protests, secret Nazi-like military police, and the president's wholehearted ignoring of the virus situation, I was appalled. Turning women's reproductive and gender identity rights into jokes about various guns (""pro choice") or liberty, guns, beer, Trump ("LGBT")  was offensive to me. 



It was Robin's birthday on Wednesday, so Ricki, Erich and I called called her (and Skye) to wish her a happy birthday via Zoom. That was nice.


On Thursday morning, I had a follow-up appointment with my primary physician. Social distancing and fewer clients were in the waiting room--which was nice.


However, the office staff--although they all had masks on, they were all pulled down below for their mouths...like this woman. GRR!



Although I have not gotten my results from my muscle and nerve biopsies yet, my primary had them. He just could not interpret them properly as that is not his specialty. He did point out this one section under the results for the nerve biopsy:


"Focal loss of large and small myelinated nerve fibers". The myelin covers the nerves and allows electrical impulses to travel up and down them---in order for your brain to communicate with parts of the body. Loss of the myelin would cause disruption of the signals from the brain. I don't know what this might mean as far as a diagnosis---or if there is any treatment. BUT... I finally have some sort of confirmation that something is truly wrong with me after all of these years of going from doctor to doctor.

My appointment with the immunologist/rheumatologist is not until August 3rd. She will be the one who tells me what is wrong with me--and what the plan, if any, will be going forward.

This puts any possible return to the hospital off again, though. The doctor extended my leave beyond the 27th (which was my return date) to the 10th of August---which is the last possible day i can return without being fired. It's extended so I have a chance to see the immunologist/rheumatologist and hopefully come up with a plan. However, I know this is just wishful thinking and I'm just treading water. There is no way I could work right now. I couldn't even work a half of a day. Unless the immunologist has a fast-acting super cure/treatment at her disposal, there's no way I will be able to return to work by the 10th. I'm as good as terminated right now. I'm okay with it--and I understand it...it's just kind of bittersweet, especially when you get notes like this from your coworkers:



Tomorrow (Saturday, July 25, 2020) is the LIFE IN A DAY filming day. I'm planning on doing it---I just have no idea what I'll do yet. Hmm.

Will YOU participate?



Stay SAFE!  Stay SHELTERED!  Stay ALIVE!



CHEERS!




Continue to the next part HERE.

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