Update from my Mom the lab virologist in Canada. Things seem to be sorted in the lab. She’s in the middle of an 8 day shift. They have got in new equipment and are up to 24 hours for test turnaround. It takes another day or two for patients to be called back with results.
She’s seeing about 50/50 for positive/negative results, which is a lot more than she was seeing a week ago. She actually thinks this is good because she thinks the right people are now coming in to be tested. Initially it was piles of people with influenza. The total number of tests coming in is not really going up though.
As of yet, the local hospitals are not too concerned about PPE or overwhelming the ICUs. We are definitely seeing an uptick in cases which was anticipated after the Spring Break vacationers returned.
I didn't want to post in the health care thread because I don't work in health care, but I'm surprised to see how there is no standard practice for PPE use. It seems like every hospital is doing something different. Would this sort of direction normally come from CDC, but it isn't? I guess I'm wondering if this is yet another failure on the part of the federal government or if this is normal.
I have seen widespread mask usage linked to the low infection rates in other countries, like Japan, where mask usage in public is the norm. I think the people advocating for widespread mask usage are seeing those numbers, but I'm concerned that that are ONLY seeing mask usage as the reason. I think they're ignoring the fact that these countries were testing more and isolating more and much earlier than the US.
ETA: To clarify, I think masks are probably a good idea. What I"m concerned about is that the fact that we reacted late is going to be ignored and instead it's going to become "we didn't wear masks and thats why this is so bad" rather than "our lack of planning and testing is the reason so many people died". I'm going to cross post this into the discussion thread because I think this might dissolve into too much chatter here in News.
I posted the link on yesterday’s thread, but the WHO recommends not wearing the masks if you are healthy.
I also think that the use of gloves is mind boggling. I’m not sure why touching every surface with gloves, or then trying to dispose of them properly and after each use would be preferable to sanitizing and washing and not touching your face.
My issue is that I don't want people taking masks that could be used by healthcare workers. Otherwise, I think it is a good idea in some situations. It certainly isn't going to hurt anything and if it helps, great. If I had one, I would wear it to the grocery store. I try to stay away from others, but sometimes people end up closer than I would like.
100% gloves are useless in this situation for the general public. They give a false sense of security and just spread germs around if you're not changing them so much more often that the public thinks. Not to mention all the A-holes who are using them around my town for stuff and then DUMPING THEM ON THE GROUND when they're done.
scout8, It's going to come down to home-sewn fabric masks, no doubt. Which is better than nothing, but not great if people won't stop touching their damn faces.
If anyone here doesn't have the ability to sew their own fabric masks, check on FB or with friends and see if someone can do a no-contact drop for a fabric mask for you. Dump it in the washer and scrub your hands before you actually use it, though. If I get through quarantine (still not sure what H was sick with) I'll ship a mask or two to anyone on this board who needs one.
I chatted with my friend who is a primary care physician last night. She said that even though she tested negative for COVID 19 she 100% thinks her entire family had it. Testing is still only 60% accurate - what I thought was interesting is that younger people (defined as 40s and below) are more likely to have a false negative come back. It’s still not known why that is. Her practice is recommending to any patients with symptoms to quarantine, even if they receive a negative result.
We were over at their house right before they showed symptoms so we got really lucky.
I can see how mask usage could help prevent the spread, especially by containing respiratory droplets in people who may be asymptomatic but otherwise cough/sneeze due to allergies. It seems like the science is pretty clear that wearing masks won’t keep you from getting sick, but widespread wear might keep it from spreading person-to-person.
My fear is that assholes will stockpile them, drive up prices and they either won’t be available for healthcare workers or will be too expensive for “civilians” who otherwise need masks for their own pre-existing conditions.
The rest of us SHOULD just stay the heck away from others, not go out, wash hands often, and not touch our faces.
My fear is that assholes will stockpile them, drive up prices and they either won’t be available for healthcare workers or will be too expensive for “civilians” who otherwise need masks for their own pre-existing conditions.
The rest of us SHOULD just stay the heck away from others, not go out, wash hands often, and not touch our faces.
In some ways this is already happening. My sister is a nurse and was telling me a couple weeks ago that her hospital (in the Seattle area) was super short on supplies and that most days she has to go without a mask.
It's frustrating and alarming and kicks up my anxiety when I think about it.
And yep, I think best practice for the rest of us is exactly what you said: staying away, staying in, washing hands, and keeping our hands away from our faces.
On the topic wearing a mask in public, a black male friend pointed out this morning that wearing a make-shift mask could endanger his life in other ways and I'm just SO FUCKING MAD that's a choice he and his son have to make. This fucking country fails to protect people at every goddamned turn.
I was up late last night working on masks and happened to see the CDC story before I went to bed, so that was kind of a nice confirmation that I'm prepared if that becomes an official recommendation. I'm shipping four today to my sister who is a nurse and requested them to wear over her n95 to prolong its life. She said she has already ordered a few from Etsy, but if she has a sizable stash, she can use a clean one several times a day or offer them to coworkers. I'll send one to my mom, who is out in public a lot more than my dad because she handles their shopping and med pick-ups. She is taking this very seriously and understands the difference between a fabric mask and an n95, so I'm not worried about a mask reducing her social distancing. Then I'll get started on more. If the CDC thing becomes a reality, I'll start offering to make them for neighbors and DH's co-workers.
If anyone's curious, right now I'm using the pattern linked below, which doesn't call for an internal wire or elastic. Many of the others do, and the right-size elastic can be really hard to come by; I managed to order some off Etsy from a wholesale place in L.A. and it's in transit. The one below is a bit more involved and takes longer, but I like that it's 100% washable fabric and doesn't require any special supplies. I sew about once a year and haven't made anything from an actual pattern in decades, but this was still very doable for someone who only knows the basics.
Post by mrsukyankee on Mar 31, 2020 8:17:28 GMT -5
I went to give blood in central London today (I'm O- so it was barely a choice though it did make me anxious). There were only 4 people on the bus on the way to the tube station and 5 on the way back. At that time of the day, it normally gets so packed that they can't even pick up people who are close to the station (within 1 mile). I could do social distancing on the tube platform and even in the tube. And Oxford Circus at 9:45am was a ghost town - it was errie.
I was up late last night working on masks and happened to see the CDC story before I went to bed, so that was kind of a nice confirmation that I'm prepared if that becomes an official recommendation. I'm shipping four today to my sister who is a nurse and requested them to wear over her n95 to prolong its life. She said she has already ordered a few from Etsy, but if she has a sizable stash, she can use a clean one several times a day or offer them to coworkers. I'll send one to my mom, who is out in public a lot more than my dad because she handles their shopping and med pick-ups. She is taking this very seriously and understands the difference between a fabric mask and an n95, so I'm not worried about a mask reducing her social distancing. Then I'll get started on more. If the CDC thing becomes a reality, I'll start offering to make them for neighbors and DH's co-workers.
If anyone's curious, right now I'm using the pattern linked below, which doesn't call for an internal wire or elastic. Many of the others do, and the right-size elastic can be really hard to come by; I managed to order some off Etsy from a wholesale place in L.A. and it's in transit. The one below is a bit more involved and takes longer, but I like that it's 100% washable fabric and doesn't require any special supplies. I sew about once a year and haven't made anything from an actual pattern in decades, but this was still very doable for someone who only knows the basics.
Etsy has lots of people selling fabric masks. I was thinking of getting a few for the family. I can see my husband being a stubborn ass about wearing one. In other countries it's common to wear masks when there is a virus going around. As always the US is miles behind. I think wearing them in public settings could be beneficial. Anything is better than nothing.
I didn't want to post in the health care thread because I don't work in health care, but I'm surprised to see how there is no standard practice for PPE use. It seems like every hospital is doing something different. Would this sort of direction normally come from CDC, but it isn't? I guess I'm wondering if this is yet another failure on the part of the federal government or if this is normal.
Like most things in healthcare hospitals and health centers can choose to use the data/research/science however they want. I’m not in admin so I don’t know the nitty gritty but there are oversight organizations (jcaho) that do require certain things for safety purposes and do inspections every year, but there isn’t an overarching organization that is telling every doctor and nurse they must wear a mask. Each organization can take info from the cdc, who, etc and decide how to apply it based on their supplies, patient population, resources, etc.
So my H got his test results back today and he is positive. He had mild cold symptoms for a week or so, no fever or anything else. He was exposed over the weekend of March 13-15 and he was tested on the 24th. We've been quarantined in our house for over 2 weeks since we knew he was exposed and I've never had any symptoms. I'm not even sure what that means as far as my potential status as a silent spreader I'm scared to go get our groceries now but am I just supposed to stay home indefinitely? Ugh.
So my H got his test results back today and he is positive. He had mild cold symptoms for a week or so, no fever or anything else. He was exposed over the weekend of March 13-15 and he was tested on the 24th. We've been quarantined in our house for over 2 weeks since we knew he was exposed and I've never had any symptoms. I'm not even sure what that means as far as my potential status as a silent spreader I'm scared to go get our groceries now but am I just supposed to stay home indefinitely? Ugh.
I've read that you start to make antibodies after a weekish, and at that point you are no longer contagious. Obviously since you are currently asymptomatic you don't know when you became contagious, but at least that's something to go off of.
So my H got his test results back today and he is positive. He had mild cold symptoms for a week or so, no fever or anything else. He was exposed over the weekend of March 13-15 and he was tested on the 24th. We've been quarantined in our house for over 2 weeks since we knew he was exposed and I've never had any symptoms. I'm not even sure what that means as far as my potential status as a silent spreader I'm scared to go get our groceries now but am I just supposed to stay home indefinitely? Ugh.
Not to alarm you he could still be infectious for a week + after his symptoms have resolved. The longer you can self quarantine the better, IMO.
So my H got his test results back today and he is positive. He had mild cold symptoms for a week or so, no fever or anything else. He was exposed over the weekend of March 13-15 and he was tested on the 24th. We've been quarantined in our house for over 2 weeks since we knew he was exposed and I've never had any symptoms. I'm not even sure what that means as far as my potential status as a silent spreader I'm scared to go get our groceries now but am I just supposed to stay home indefinitely? Ugh.
My DH got a “presumptive positive” yesterday (i.e. symptoms are consistent but there are not enough tests). Or he could have bronchitis- whatever! No one else in our family has had any symptoms.
I swear, all this is scrambling my brain. I couldn't get a file to upload, and it took a solid hour before I realized I could just reduce the file size. As soon as I did that, bam, it uploaded.
Re: masks - the ones I've been making for healthcare workers have ties. The ties will hold up better under hot washing and drying. Elastic will eventually breakdown. I've also put in a small pocket for flexible wire to use as a nose pinch. The wire is removable for washing.
I've been putting in elastic on the masks I've made for personal use, though.
Adjustable elastic that goes around the back of my head and neck (rather than my ears).
Mask covers for healthcare workers with cotton twill tape ties (they're larger than the one I'm wearing above to go over N95 masks)
I swear, all this is scrambling my brain. I couldn't get a file to upload, and it took a solid hour before I realized I could just reduce the file size. As soon as I did that, bam, it uploaded.
I was looking for my bag of walnuts yesterday to put in my oatmeal. They were in the freezer. No fucking clue how that happened.