Share your concerns, worries, anything you want to share here...

[autumngems]

I just don't understand people. One event is cancelled, but yet another of the same type and number of people isn't. All these younger adults just don't care what health factors are at stake. Outlets still open, I'm sorry but shopping at Kate Spade or Coach isn't a necessity. I saw a post on FB last night about an elderly woman that went shopping and people keep stealing things out of her cart and another about a lady locally that went to put her cart back in the bin and someone tried to get in her trunk and take her groceries. It's just plain madness.

 

[MarionC]

I live in Coastal NC. My daughter and future son-in-law work for a vacation rental company in a popular beach town cleaning and inspecting vacation rentals. They have seen rentals jump 70% in the last 2 weeks. (kids out-of-school) so everyone going to the beach. I am worried sick what people could be bringing to these rentals. I wish they would close down the beach and rentals until all this is gone because people just aren't listening and owners just want to make money on their rentals and the hell with people getting sick. I know they have closed access to the outter banks already unless you live there, I wish they would do the same all along the coast.
I work for the Govt. and we were closed Mon & Tues but back to work today and on a military base you can't really distance yourself from others much.
My anxiety is at it's max and I have suffered relentless upper GI issues the last 2 weeks and I think it's due to the stress and anxiety, meds are not working for it and Doctors aren't taking appts.
There, needed to get that out, thanks for starting this thread.

I just wanted to say hello. I live outside Raleigh. I am currently in a resort town in France and we are having some of the same issues. People from the big cities have homes here and they are coming down here as a haven. But their presence as potential carriers adds an unknown element to an otherwise fairly stable situation.
Your situation there sounds much more complex with all the renters! I wish you safety and good health!

 

[missy]

Meant to post this here but accidentally posted it in another thread. So trying this again. LOL.


Food for thought?

Stanford researchers: what if we're wrong about coronavirus?
If you're following the coronavirus pandemic (and who are we kidding, you are), the journal Nature just published a news article you might find interesting.

Titled "The Coronavirus Pandemic in 5 Powerful Charts," one of the most compelling graphs tells us just how contagious COVID-19 is.

Carriers appear to spread the coronavirus to between 2 - 2.5 other people on average. This is called the reproduction rate. By contrast, the flu has a reproduction rate of 1.

As a result of the accelerated reproduction rate, more people get infected faster. This "blitz" overwhelms hospitals and the shortage of ICU beds can cause fatality numbers that are tragic.

Dividing the total number of cases by the total deaths gives you the fatality rate, a truly terrifying number to see splashed across CNN headlines and all over Twitter. The WHO has estimated the coronavirus fatality rate to be as high as 3.5%. We hear Italy has a fatality rate that is much worse, hovering around 5 - 8%.

The elevated fatality rates spread panic, and some of that fear is undoubtedly justified.

After all, a virus that moves with incredible speed can flood intensive care units with an unmanageable number of very sick patients all at once. This is why the public service message has been "flatten the curve." If we slow the infection rate, we have the resources to handle coronavirus cases that require hospitalization.

Good news in numbers from around the world

However, now that authorities know what they are looking for, many countries have the coronavirus under control.

The news out of Korea continues to be very positive. According to the Korean CDC data from today, there have been a total of 8,565 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 91 fatalities in the entire nation.

Germany has seen 27 deaths despite having 10,082 cases.

There have been 3,245 fatal cases in all of China due to coronavirus as of today, but there were zero deaths from coronavirus in China yesterday. To put this in perspective, as of today, there are about 10,000 fewer coronavirus deaths in all of China than swine flu deaths in the United States from the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak (my source here is the CDC).

The now famous Dr. Fauci, writing in the The New England Journal of Medicine, and looking at data from Wuhan, has estimated that the total fatality rate for this virus will end up well below 1%. To quote Dr. Fauci:

"If one assumes that the number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic cases is several times as high as the number of reported cases, the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1%. This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%) or a pandemic influenza, rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS."

The Journal Nature published a new study, also based on data from Wuhan, which estimates the symptomatic fatality rate at 1.4%. This is the rate of fatality in symptomatic people, but as the Dr. Fauci quote above details, the "number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic cases is several times as high as the number of reported cases."

Where does this ultimately leave the fatality rate for COVID-19?

Much, much, much lower than is reported in the media, that is for sure.

What about Italy?

Italy is having a terrible time with this virus. The fatality rate has been reported as high as 8%, but Italy is only testing people who are very ill, which means their reported mortality rate is almost meaningless.

Bing's COVID-19 tracker shows a total of 35,713 cases in Italy, with 2,978 fatal cases. This is a tragedy and provides ample reason to take this virus very seriously.

However, what if 1/5 of the residents of Milan had COVID-19? What would the mortality rate be then? What will it ultimately be when we factor in the reality that most cases do not show symptoms and that our fatality rates are based on tracking only the very ill?

Enter Stanford

Those are some of the questions posed by John P.A. Ioannidis, MD, DSC in an excellent article he wrote for Statnews titled: A fiasco in the making? As the coronavirus pandemic takes hold, we are making decisions without reliable data. His article got my attention because Dr. Ioannidis holds the C.F. Rehnborg Chair in Disease Prevention at Stanford University where he is a professor of medicine, professor of health research and policy, and professor of statistics at the School of Humanities and Sciences. In other words, he is a heavy hitter.

I will let you wrestle with the open question as to what is the best policy for dealing with COVID-19. For what it's worth, I am social distancing and following all the recommended protocols to flatten the curve.

However, it is worth considering these quotes from Dr. Ioannidis as you decide how much headspace you want to invest in the stress and anxiety that have a hold on our country right now:

"Reported case fatality rates, like the official 3.4% rate from the World Health Organization, cause horror — and are meaningless. Patients who have been tested for COVID-19 are disproportionately those with severe symptoms and bad outcomes. As most health systems have limited testing capacity, selection bias may even worsen in the near future."


"The one situation where an entire, closed population was tested was the Diamond Princess cruise ship and its quarantine passengers. The case fatality rate there was 1.0%, but this was a largely elderly population, in which the death rate from Covid-19 is much higher. Projecting the Diamond Princess mortality rate onto the age structure of the U.S. population, the death rate among people infected with Covid-19 would be 0.125%. But since this estimate is based on extremely thin data — there were just seven deaths among the 700 infected passengers and crew — the real death rate could stretch from five times lower (0.025%) to five times higher (0.625%)."


"Reasonable estimates for the case fatality ratio in the general U.S. population vary from 0.05% to 1%."


"Although successful surveillance systems have long existed for influenza, the disease is confirmed by a laboratory in a tiny minority of cases. In the U.S., for example, so far this season 1,073,976 specimens have been tested and 222,552 (20.7%) have tested positive for influenza. In the same period, the estimated number of influenza-like illnesses is between 36,000,000 and 51,000,000, with an estimated 22,000 to 55,000 flu deaths."

What if we are wrong about the coronavirus?

If like me, you're monitoring your throat for any sign of soreness, and in weak moments imagining yourself shuttled away in an ambulance to a tent hospital, it's worth considering that other more optimistic side of this pandemic coin.

Be well,

John O'Connor
Founder
Gene Food, Inc.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMe2002387?articleTools=true&mc_cid=2c6662912b&mc_eid=265ede77b6

Estimating clinical severity of COVID-19 from the transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China - Nature Medicine

An estimation of the clinical severity of COVID-19, based on the data available so far, can help to inform the public health response during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

www.nature.com

The coronavirus pandemic in five powerful charts

From papers published to carbon emissions to confirmed cases, these data reveal an unprecedented viral outbreak and its impacts around the world.

www.nature.com

 

[Matata]

Seeing more posts on groups I belong to from recently unemployed people who are desperately trying to rehome their pets because they won't be able to feed them in the near future or provide medical care if it becomes necessary. I can't even.

 

[lyra]

That's really sad @Matata. Our shelters are closed except for some staff. No adoptions. I imagine at some point they might have to make harsh decisions too. I don't think we'll have veterinarians at work either soon.

 

[missy]

Seeing more posts on groups I belong to from recently unemployed people who are desperately trying to rehome their pets because they won't be able to feed them in the near future or provide medical care if it becomes necessary. I can't even.

That's really sad @Matata. Our shelters are closed except for some staff. No adoptions. I imagine at some point they might have to make harsh decisions too. I don't think we'll have veterinarians at work either soon.

Ugh how awful. The rescue groups here are holding strong and still open for adoptions and in fact getting more foster homes since more people are working from home and willing to foster.

@lyra are there any links you can share so those of us who want to donate can help the rescue groups in need? Thanks.

 

[lyra]

@missy Unfortunately the city where I live doesn't even have an SPCA. There is a city shelter only, and a few cat shelters that are privately run. But with vets also closing or reducing hours and intakes, it's going to be a losing situation.

I think it's the same across all of Canada.

 

[Slickk]

That's really sad @Matata.I don't think we'll have veterinarians at work either soon.

My friends husband is a vet (my vet) and they found out today he is considered essential personnel so he is still working.

I’m just speechless over all of these stories ...

 

[missy]

@missy Unfortunately the city where I live doesn't even have an SPCA. There is a city shelter only, and a few cat shelters that are privately run. But with vets also closing or reducing hours and intakes, it's going to be a losing situation.

I think it's the same across all of Canada.

I’m so sorry @lyra, that’s awful. I’m hoping the veterinarians in the USA stay open. Just as I’m hoping our physicians are available as necessary.

My friends husband is a vet (my vet) and they found out today he is considered essential personnel so he is still working.

I’m just speechless over all of these stories ...

I agree. They are essential.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

My husband is also considered essential and emergency management to restore electricity in the event of a storm. The biggest concern is during hurricane season but that is several months away.

Unfortunately not everyone can stay home, Pandemic or not we still need water, electricity, police to keep us safe, life still goes on.

 

[Babyblue033]

Hang in there. It might take you a bit of time to get into a good routine but you will. Hugs.

Thank you. You're right, I think I just need to find the right routine. One that incorporates my kids more into my day somehow. I want to make the best of being able to be there for my kids, instead of leaving for work at the crack of dawn and barely making it home for dinner time.

Every job is important. Everyone helps make our world go round. A bit of normalcy is very much needed now. Please remember that when you get down.

FWIW, I would love some hair color about now.

I can use some shampoos myself. It's been forever since I had to buy my own shampoo (I've worked here for over a decade) and just so happens I'm all out. LOL.

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

I was in the watch and see how it goes camp originally. I just tried to make sure we washed our hands extra and stayed away from other people even more than we usually do. But now it's getting more difficult to feed my child and I am starting to be anxious and angry. We live on a lower enlisted persons salary. That's all we have. With people "stocking up" we could not even buy all the regular groceries we needed last week and we have even less to fall back on this coming week than we did last week and I am upset. I already normally eat 2 meals to make sure my child has food even if it's not the kind crunchy moms would endorse. And I will go down to .5 or 1 meal if i have to so she can eat. I've done it before when we were homeless with my mom when I was a teenager. She and i shared a single dollar meal burger to make sure the other kids ate. But it wasn't good for us. And I am now terrified of going there again. And I have a cold and allergies on top of it. So this is all very fun.

This breaks my heart. I've heard grocery stores and Costco are hiring, perhaps a second income could help? This might be bad financial advice, but can you open a credit card and just use it to buy food for now? Definitely try a local food bank as well, they are there so that everyone who needs a meal can get one.

 

[missy]

So pissed off right now. My DH called his allergist’s office for renewal on his asthma meds. Can you believe they said only if he does a video chat. You can’t get an allergy shot on video. What a freakin money grab. I’m livid. There’s absolutely no reason he needs to do the call. They just want to bill insurance and are holding is med refills hostage. .#furious #fraudulent

 

[missy]

Sharing this here. Hope you find it helpful.


“

A note on managing stress, anxiety and fear during difficult times.

“I thought I would share some practices to help all of us manage our fear and anxiety during difficult times.

What is fear? Fear is our mind projecting to us that something bad is going to happen in the future. Nothing can happen in the future. Things only happen in the present moment. Ask yourself a simple question? Is every ok right NOW? How about NOW? And Now? The answer is at this very moment, the only moment that truly exists, everything is just fine.

Our mind filters things through three perceptions, memory, expectation and emotion. So how do we control these filters? The answer is creating space between our thoughts and ourselves. We become the observer of our thoughts instead of thinking, that we are our thoughts. We are not our thoughts! Life does not happen to us, it happens around us! We are not victims but participants.

Once we become the observer of our thoughts we have time to choose how we react to our thoughts. Accept what you are feeling. Welcome your feelings even if they seem uncomfortable. I will literally talk out loud to myself, “hello uncomfortable thought. Come in and stay as long as you like.” I like to picture a window and stress is the wind. Do I want to keep the window closed and see how much pressure it can endure before it breaks, or open it and let the wind simply pass through?

Finally, in moments of difficulty, stop and take a deep breath. Feel the coolness of the air flowing through your nostrils. As you exhale, visualize the tension and stress exiting your body. Do this as often as necessary.

There is an old saying, “at the bottom of the deepest roughest ocean, there is stillness.” We all possess the place deep within where stillness and peace exist.

May all of us discover this place. “

Dean

 

[lyra]

I am terrified of my husband getting sick. He has respiratory issues. I'm only going to put this here once. It is my biggest fear, that something happens to him. Obviously he's trying to shield me, because today he told our oldest daughter where to find all of his important papers, insurance, that sort of thing. I can't really think about this, so I'm just going to distract myself now.

 

[missy]

I am terrified of my husband getting sick. He has respiratory issues. I'm only going to put this here once. It is my biggest fear, that something happens to him. Obviously he's trying to shield me, because today he told our oldest daughter where to find all of his important papers, insurance, that sort of thing. I can't really think about this, so I'm just going to distract myself now.

Same. I am terrified of my DH (also respiratory issues) getting ill. And just watching news now and they say males are affected twice the rate of women.
I am repeating the mantra one day at a time and deep breaths.

(((Hugs))) to you @lyra and praying all our families stay well.

 

[stracci2000]

Sharing this here. Hope you find it helpful.


“

A note on managing stress, anxiety and fear during difficult times.

“I thought I would share some practices to help all of us manage our fear and anxiety during difficult times.

What is fear? Fear is our mind projecting to us that something bad is going to happen in the future. Nothing can happen in the future. Things only happen in the present moment. Ask yourself a simple question? Is every ok right NOW? How about NOW? And Now? The answer is at this very moment, the only moment that truly exists, everything is just fine.

Our mind filters things through three perceptions, memory, expectation and emotion. So how do we control these filters? The answer is creating space between our thoughts and ourselves. We become the observer of our thoughts instead of thinking, that we are our thoughts. We are not our thoughts! Life does not happen to us, it happens around us! We are not victims but participants.

Once we become the observer of our thoughts we have time to choose how we react to our thoughts. Accept what you are feeling. Welcome your feelings even if they seem uncomfortable. I will literally talk out loud to myself, “hello uncomfortable thought. Come in and stay as long as you like.” I like to picture a window and stress is the wind. Do I want to keep the window closed and see how much pressure it can endure before it breaks, or open it and let the wind simply pass through?

Finally, in moments of difficulty, stop and take a deep breath. Feel the coolness of the air flowing through your nostrils. As you exhale, visualize the tension and stress exiting your body. Do this as often as necessary.

There is an old saying, “at the bottom of the deepest roughest ocean, there is stillness.” We all possess the place deep within where stillness and peace exist.

May all of us discover this place. “

Dean

Who is "Dean"? This sounds exactly--almost word for word-- from Eckhart Tolle.

 

[missy]

Who is "Dean"? This sounds exactly--almost word for word-- from Eckhart Tolle.

Could be...he's the owner of Dean Natural Food Markets at the Jersey Shore. It's a very crunchy store that we love to go to when we are down the shore.

 

[stracci2000]

Could be...he's the owner of Dean Natural Food Markets at the Jersey Shore. It's a very crunchy store that we love to go to when we are down the shore.

Oh, I see! And it is very good advice indeed. Although the concept can be a little hard to wrap your brain around, at first. Eckhart Tolle's books really helped me cope when I was going through a divorce.

 

[chrono]

I don't want to think too much about the economy right now but I am sure a great depression is on the heels of this CV pandemic. We had planned to head to Asia this year but put that on hold. Then we planned to use that money to fix the deck but even that is on hold right now as it seems unwise to spend on anything else other than the most immediate need and necessity.

 

[luv2sparkle]

We have three adult children living with us, and for that I am thankful. I am also thankful my DH officially retired on 2/14. I cant even imagine how the department is handling all the cases right now. Before he went on injury, we rarely got more than one day off at a time. Recalls were a constant fact of life.
My daughters husband will be soon laid off. We mailed her a huge box with diapers, TP and paper towels because she has been unable to get any. We were able to go to a local store and find two boxes. I imagine we will be helping them financially in the coming months and I am thankful we will be able to do that.
Trying to look for the good in all of this, otherwise I will start to worry. I try not to spend too much time looking at the new either. I am a hoarder - I have hoarded quilting kits for such a time as this, lol.. I have enough projects to keep me busy for a year.

 

[luv2sparkle]

@MeowMeow, I wish we had a way to get in touch with each other. I would gladly bring you what I have. Thinking of you and hoping someone in you circle of friends and family can step up and help you guys. Big hugs.

 

[redwood66]

I'm worried about my 98 year old grandmother who lives alone away from most family.

On another note, people are such a-holes. DH just told me he had his head screamed off in the store (Lowe's) today because he was holding the last pack of N95 masks for the local fire dept. WTH?

 

[YadaYadaYada]

In Connecticut:

"Gov. announces Stay Safe, Stay Home policy, ordering non-essential businesses to close, those over 70 to stay home. Essential businesses would include: food, grocery stores, healthcare, pharmacies, gas stations"

Not sure how the state expects lower income folks to survive now that they can't work. Bills won't stop coming, children still need to be fed, some adults financially support their elderly parents and have just lost their income. Yes they can file unemployment but that isn't instant, there is supposed to be help coming in the form of a stimulus check but that will also take weeks.

 

[jaysonsmom]

On top of all the COVID-19 craziness, I'm stressing about my 17 yo's college admissions. He applied to 7 schools total. He was deferred from 1, accepted in 2, waitlisted from 1.

Two more decisions come out today and another next week. Mind you, he has excellent GPA and SAT's in the 99th percentile. The fact that he is even waitlisted is CRAZY. I knew being Asian male applying into STEM major and in California was going to be super competitive, but if he doesn't get into one of his top choices, I'm going to go nuts by next week. Thanks for hearing me out.

 

[missy]

On top of all the COVID-19 craziness, I'm stressing about my 17 yo's college admissions. He applied to 7 schools total. He was deferred from 1, accepted in 2, waitlisted from 1.

Two more decisions come out today and another next week. Mind you, he has excellent GPA and SAT's in the 99th percentile. The fact that he is even waitlisted is CRAZY. I knew being Asian male applying into STEM major and in California was going to be super competitive, but if he doesn't get into one of his top choices, I'm going to go nuts by next week. Thanks for hearing me out.

Good luck to your son @jaysonsmom. I hope you get good news.

 

[missy]

I'm worried about my 98 year old grandmother who lives alone away from most family.

On another note, people are such a-holes. DH just told me he had his head screamed off in the store (Lowe's) today because he was holding the last pack of N95 masks for the local fire dept. WTH?

Crazy. Unbelievable.

And I hope your grandmother stays safe. That is very hard to be so far away.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I just need to whine a little.
Since I was a teen I’ve always had terrible debilitating menstrual cramps and flows so heavy I got anemic. Things have gotten a bit better with age but I learned over the years to combat it with around the clock painkillers (Tylenol, ibuprofen, Aleve) the second I started to feel a twinge so that I could stay ahead of it and remain functional.

But now with covid I don’t want to risk accidentally masking a fever since I work as a doctor at a hospital seeing patients. So no otc painkillers for me. Am so owwwwwwwwww. Took a microwaveable heating pad to work today and drank hot tea when I could. Good news is it should only be a 2-3 day thing.

It just sucks. Ok. I’m done whining.

 

[missy]

I just need to whine a little.
Since I was a teen I’ve always had terrible debilitating menstrual cramps and flows so heavy I got anemic. Things have gotten a bit better with age but I learned over the years to combat it with around the clock painkillers (Tylenol, ibuprofen, Aleve) the second I started to feel a twinge so that I could stay ahead of it and remain functional.

But now with covid I don’t want to risk accidentally masking a fever since I work as a doctor at a hospital seeing patients. So no otc painkillers for me. Am so owwwwwwwwww. Took a microwaveable heating pad to work today and drank hot tea when I could. Good news is it should only be a 2-3 day thing.

It just sucks. Ok. I’m done whining.

Ugh that is very unpleasant, I'm sorry. Period cramps are no fun. Can you get the stick on heating pads? When I had painful cramps and had to go to work I would use these stick on heating pads that alleviated my cramps...I believe they are still in existence. Hope you feel better soon.

 

[lyra]

@MakingTheGrade Reading your post reminded me how awful it used to be to have a period. I'm so glad I became post menopausal at 50. Such a relief. My oldest daughter suffers terribly too. All the stress and pain. *hugs*