Coronavirus, how are you preparing for it and how it is affecting you so far?

[calmissile]

Thanks Billy

[ML]

ML,

Thanks for the comments regarding your cataract surgery.
One thing I forgot to mention was that when I asked the surgeon about whether I was 'knocked out' during the surgery.  I am not sure I understand the response.  He said something to the affect that they will make me comfortable but I will be fully aware of everything.  Might feel some pressure on the eyeball, but I will be made comfortable.  He went on to explain that he may need me to move my eye during the procedure up/dn/rt/lt, etc.  Sounds kind of crazy and I did not pursue the question further.

My friend in Santa Barbara told me he did not remember anything during his procedure until he was woke up afterward.

What was your experience?  I have to admit I don't fully understand this at the moment.

You will be fully awake.  The doc will only take about 10-15 to do his job.  The longest time is spent getting your eye numbed.  The nurses will give you 5 or more drops of various things over 30-40 minutes.  Those drops will cause you eye to not feel anything during the procedure, which is good of course.

I was worried about how they were going to hold my eyelids open, but I didn't feel anything or be aware of what was holding my eyelid open.  I was not asked to move my eye at all.

The final nurse who gave me another set of drops told me she would hold my hand during the entire procedure, and she did.  But don't think I really noticed much in terms of feeling her hand holding mine.

The whole thing was sort of unreal, but because it went quickly with no pain, I would say you have nothing to be concerned about.

[calmissile]

Thanks ML

[calmissile]

Apparently most commercial labs now have the tests for the Corona antibody tests.  For those members that think they may have had the virus with minimal symptoms, you might want to contact your physician and request the test.  In my case I requested my doctor to add it to my routine blood tests done quarterly.  He did and the results came back today.  They were negative for the antibodies.  Knowing I don't have the antibodies is important to me in that it tells me I am still in the high risk category and need to remain vigilant about social distancing.

FWIW, someone at work told me about a medical supply company here that has masks, sanitizers, etc in stock. I stopped by and bought 2 bottles of Purell and two canisters of the disinfectant wipes that I will now keep in the truck and car.  We still don't have these products on our supermarket shelves.
 

[krimster2]

X27 camera clone back end with HQ optical zoom front end
and Illuminator
to be attached to AK receiver’s rail
same power bank also drives solenoid trigger pulses
and powers controller to trigger pulses
we buy 80% receivers and then do the other 20%
add color night vision gunsight
and an electronic trigger with 4 buttons
that has single shot or sets 3 different rates for automatic
fastest is 15 rounds per secong

this is a legal full auto AK
with color night vision
next week will be fitting silencers
all to be exported from USA

pic of solenoid trigger
and color night vision imager

[Shadow]

The current measures have been a blessing in disguise for me. Since about 10 years I have effectively 1 eye and in January it slowly lost vision. A visit to the eye clinic resulted in an emergency operation as the retina had let loose and theeye lense (which was replaced about 30 years ago) was floating around random.New eye lense nd 360 degree laser correction meant I was blind for a couple of days and am now slowly recovering, it will be 6 months until all is set properly.It also meant that I have to reduce my work and stay at home for extended time.Luckily the whole country decided to support me and do the same.
My vision is improving, however I need to limit my time on PC and phone in order to keep it sharp.

[LAman]

Apparently most commercial labs now have the tests for the Corona antibody tests.   

Tests which are next to worthless. Must be over 50 different tests , all never regulated for anything!!
Unfortunately, it gives people false sense of security.

[tfcrew]

My vision is improving, however I need to limit my time on PC and phone in order to keep it sharp.

But do you still wear those same glasses?........

[Shadow]

Apparently most commercial labs now have the tests for the Corona antibody tests.  For those members that think they may have had the virus with minimal symptoms, you might want to contact your physician and request the test.  In my case I requested my doctor to add it to my routine blood tests done quarterly.  He did and the results came back today.  They were negative for the antibodies.  Knowing I don't have the antibodies is important to me in that it tells me I am still in the high risk category and need to remain vigilant about social distancing.

FWIW, someone at work told me about a medical supply company here that has masks, sanitizers, etc in stock. I stopped by and bought 2 bottles of Purell and two canisters of the disinfectant wipes that I will now keep in the truck and car.  We still don't have these products on our supermarket shelves.

FYI, I was awake during the whole procedure. This was actually a great experience a there was a light atmosphere during most of the operation.

[krimster2]

plumes of smoke in the distance over the river...
silent, empty streets
Moscva death toll is 3X reported
mass graves being readied

I can see how...
fire is the devil’s favorite friend
fear is the fuel that feeds the flames
they all work together, teamwork

as the pendulum swings in this direction
a hidden counterforce is being readied
soon these forces will collide and struggle

after the fall...
after...
what will be the name of this death march
that left so many
by the side of the road
with the sunlight
in their open eyes
before the crows came and started pecking at them

[Shadow]

But do you still wear those same glasses?........

I might actually need those now. But currently no glasses until the hospital considers the situation stable. Instead all fonts maxxed out and electronig magnifying glass to read

[Trenchcoat]

plumes of smoke in the distance over the river...
silent, empty streets
Moscva death toll is 3X reported
mass graves being readied

I can see how...
fire is the devil’s favorite friend
fear is the fuel that feeds the flames
they all work together, teamwork

as the pendulum swings in this direction
a hidden counterforce is being readied
soon these forces will collide and struggle

after the fall...
after...
what will be the name of this death march
that left so many
by the side of the road
with the sunlight
in their open eyes
before the crows came and started pecking at them

Are you in Moscow now Krim? Didn't realise it would be so soon? Wasn't even sure if much in the way of planes were still flying.

[Trenchcoat]

Most economies around the world seem to be predicting that there will be around a 10 percent decline this year followed by a sharp rebound of perhaps around 7 percent as s rough overview. I definitely think we are likely to get the decline in pretty much every country but I am more skeptical of a sharp rebound. I tend to think this is more wishful thinking either that or we will get a rebound like that BUT like in the 90s under John Major high unemployment will continue a number of years. I think the high unemployment for a good many years is highly probable and something governments around the world are probably less willing to share knowledge of with the general public.

A couple of days or so ago now the UK Chancellor announced that the Furlough scheme will start winding down in June, with payments being reduced from 80 percent to 60 percent and will look to Employers to take back on the staff on Furlough that are still on their books as they reopen. It will be that of course or they will have to lay them off. So to my mind June will likely be the first indicator of rising unemployment as a result of layoffs due to the Coronavirus lockdown. From then on I'm guessing layoffs will get worse in July and August as more Employers/Employees are faced with either being taken back on or being laid off again.


In other news a 6 month year old baby died of Coronavirus in a foreign country, the youngest yet and again proof that anyone can succumb to it.

[msmob]

I thought this news item might be useful for any UK member who thought driving from Wales to Dorset and back ( frequently) was quite 'legal'..


http://metro.co.uk/2020/05/09/four-people-fined-driving-200-miles-look-boat-12677341/

Four people fined for driving 200 miles to look at a boat...

"Inspector Andy Williams said: ‘While the majority of people are complying with the restrictions that have been put in place to ensure our own safety, we are still coming across a small minority who do not seem to understand the regulations.

[BC]

As in past burst bubbles and crashes, the road back to employment will be a long one.

Companies have another chance to get rid of extra positions without affecting PR and will keep a critical eye on whom they rehire, maybe even at lower wages.

Others will move wherever jobs are, starting again at the bottom of the ladder in terms of wages and vacation.

Many will be left out for some time to come.

Time is ripe for a higher national minimum wage along with standardizing benefits like 20-day minimum vacations, sick leave and other benefits like healthcare.

[Trenchcoat]

I thought this news item might be useful for any UK member who thought driving from Wales to Dorset and back ( frequently) was quite 'legal'..


http://metro.co.uk/2020/05/09/four-people-fined-driving-200-miles-look-boat-12677341/

Four people fined for driving 200 miles to look at a boat...

"Inspector Andy Williams said: ‘While the majority of people are complying with the restrictions that have been put in place to ensure our own safety, we are still coming across a small minority who do not seem to understand the regulations.

Well if you took me off block you would be able to read my cracking reply that would all but reassure you I am doing it by the book.

My situation is that I drive around an 80 mile journey each way to work and back. My work is in Dorset, my home is in Wales, I am a Key Worker so I am apparently vital

Not my fault the EU swamped this country so full of East Europeans that Wales was the nearest cheapest place I could afford to my workplace.

[Trenchcoat]

Mighty Deutscheland is reporting a rise in cases as lockdown eases:

http://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-europe-52604676

So the report of a rise to around 1.1 or more is not good news as this is likely to be replicated in other countries as lockdown eases. A number above 1 means Coronavirus is likely to remain a persistent threat to most of the nation. It also means that post lockdown measures aren't addressing the situation well enough in Germany, that it is allowing restrictions to be too loose in some areas.

To my mind that would mean countries should start looking at big fundamental changes to the way we do things. In some respects this virus could be the driver that advances us forward into a new modern way of working that we might otherwise have lazily drifted too over many years or dacades.

My own thought is that a lot of the retail chain is going to have to shift from retail shops & supermarkets to click & collect and delivery only. I see just too many people out and about too close to each other even with the 2 meter 'minimum' guide and wearing little in the way of protective gear when I'm out and about. I on the other hand always wear a face mask, gloves etc when visiting the supermarket & DIY store

[ML]

My own thought is that a lot of the retail chain is going to have to shift from retail shops & supermarkets to click & collect

Casinos are already adapting.

They now come out to your car, take your money directly, smile and wave you on your way.

[Gator]

Time is ripe for a higher national minimum wage along with standardizing benefits like 20-day minimum vacations, sick leave and other benefits like healthcare.

This and many, many other "progressive" new order proposals will be proposed by the Democrat House as the Republican Senate and administration focus on economic recovery.  It won't  happen and these will become election issues. 

[calmissile]

Gator, agree 100%

[Confederate]

Time is ripe for a higher national minimum wage along with standardizing benefits like 20-day minimum vacations, sick leave and other benefits like healthcare.

This and many, many other "progressive" new order proposals will be proposed by the Democrat House as the Republican Senate and administration focus on economic recovery.  It won't happen and these will become election issues.

All of BC’s proposals and more could easily be funded if the USA

didn’t have huge military budgets and secret CIA budgets, but

war is very profitable for bankers and other sociopaths.

[fathertime]

All of BC’s proposals and more could easily be funded if the USA

didn’t have huge military budgets and secret CIA budgets, but

war is very profitable for bankers and other sociopaths.

agree....

Fathertime!

[fathertime]

Due to the corona virus, I'm no longer to visit my poor old pops through the window of his assisted living home...nobody is allowed on the premises at all.  He is effectively deaf so there will be no telephone calls either.  He is now alone and in the care of strangers completely. 

Fathertime!   

[msmob]

Due to the corona virus, I'm no longer to visit my poor old pops through the window of his assisted living home...nobody is allowed on the premises at all.  He is effectively deaf so there will be no telephone calls either.  He is now alone and in the care of strangers completely. 

Fathertime!   

EXACTLY, this is the cruelest feature of this pandemic and why I'm #stayingathome with my Ma who has dementia and just wouldn't 'get' why her family weren't visiting ...(

[BillyB]

A new study has modeled how a sample of COVID-19 patients who died might have been expected to fare without an infection, and the results were stark.
The study, which is awaiting peer review, estimated that the average years of life lost for a sample of coronavirus patients in Italy when controlling for a set of common underlying conditions was 13 years for men and 11 years for women.

http://www.businessinsider.com/study-finds-that-people-who-have-coronavirus-could-die-10-years-early-2020-5


The study, which is still awaiting peer review to ensure accuracy and validity, confirms what should seem obvious, but is nevertheless sobering: COVID-19 is not killing people who are already near death, rather it's claiming the lives of many people more than a decade before their time.
"Clearly, there has been a school of thought that individuals that succumbed to COVID-19 are already seriously ill with minimal years of life left to live. This quantitative assessment clears up that misconception showing that years of life lost is over a decade.

"This finding holds even after adjusting for underlying chronic conditions," he added.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/people-coronavirus-dying-10-years-earlier-naturally-study/story?id=70511494

If there's no immunity and no vaccine ever found, COVID-19 will probably be the cause of our deaths. Just a matter of time.