I’ve been out nearly every day since we were told to stay at home to the extent possible, mostly to shop or get exercise, practicing safe distancing and all that, but have started wearing a mask for when I’m likely to be around others indoors. It’s just a basic dust mask you’d normally use when doing yard work or cleaning the house, but it’s all I’ve got for now and surely better than nothing. Hell, I’d wear a paper coffee filter if it was all I had. I’ve got a stash of them I never threw out when I started using gold filters years ago and they actually fit pretty well, only needing some way to keep them in place.
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That’s pretty much ALWAYS recommended, since you’re going to be touching things when you’re out, even if only your door knob or handle and your car.
Are you sure about that? Isn’t there an in-between stage where it’s neither a droplet nor vapor, but micro-droplets that can reach further than 6 feet? Is this based on reliable studies? Hell, even when I’m wearing a mask, if I pass by anyone, I try to hold my breath for several seconds before and after, and look away. There’s also the risk of droplets or whatever landing on your clothes, you touching them, and transferring it to your face. All the good practice in the world can’t prevent facial touching that’s second nature and hard to catch 100% of the time, thus the need to do other things to mitigate the effects of this, like staying well beyond 6 feet away from others. Even if not necessary, it doesn’t hurt.
Reported symptoms vary so much that there is no way to know who has COVID-19 without testing. I got sick in January, doctor told me it wasn’t the flu but “some virus.”
Both my boss and my secretary had the same nasty cough for weeks in January-February, but they saw doctors who diagnosed it as acid reflux. That seems a bit coincidental to me now, although neither reported fevers.
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I prefer thumb tacks. For other people that is. Like Trump.
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I had very mild flu-like symptoms for the first time in years if not decades in January. Probably too early for it to have been covid-19 as I was in NYC, but I had traveled overseas in December (but not to Asia), so who knows. At some point, if possible, even if not symptomatic, I hope to get tested.
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Even if you had fever, dry cough, shortness of breath and general prostration without significant upper respiratory symptoms, if you weren’t tested for the virus at that time, you can’t know you experienced COVID-19 without a post-recovery serological test for antibodies. Which is not yet available. Assume nothing, take the long view and be wary until a vaccine is available.
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Makes one wonder if this is a strategy of other countries to further undermine the US, as well as fortifying their own response to the pandemic. Win-win, for them 
Just like those that would go to these megachurch services over the next couple of weeks, they will be posthumous Darwin award winners who will die off before they can wreak much havoc.
Christ says to love all our neighbors as G-d loves the church, but I don’t know if morons are part of that bargain anymore.
The mantra for that is, your rights end where my life is affected - if you don’t want the vaccine because it ‘might’ cause autism or whatever your Walmart-degreed medical celebrity tells you, then fine. But stay away from me and mine. Just don’t even start with me.
Schiff is trying to start that investigation, but the GOP is already screaming ‘TOO SOON’ like this is some kind of isolated shooting.
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It has to be started under the guise of an attempt to uncover “inefficiencies” that could be improved, and potential corruption and malfeasance “at local levels”, cough cough. Under the radar, for now, mushrooming at the appropriate time.
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Exactly what I’m doing, just saying that I MIGHT have had it (but probably not) and intend to get tested once it’s possible and makes sense. Obviously I’m doing what everyone should be doing.
An aside, but is it just me, or are others noticing how animals are noticing how things have changed, especially feral cats? The ones in my neighborhood seem to be a bit confused as to what’s going on. Cats, being both hunters and prey, have very attuned “situational awareness”.
Yes, me too. Dec-Feb both my wife and I had nasty colds. If only there were available tests!
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I wrote an email to the pastor of the Life Tabernacle church a few days ago when I heard they were holding packed indoor worship services:
Re: A Modest Proposal
Dear Pastor,
May I suggest your members start handling rattlesnakes to show their devotion? At least rattlesnake bites are not contagious to others who do not share your beliefs.
Sincerely,
Jonathon Swift
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A note on testing. It’s certainly better than not testing, but it should be kept in mind that the PCR-based test is not trivial to run and there is a significant false negative rate (the false positives are probably very low). The biggest variable is the nasal swabbing, which is invasive and some patients may not be able to hold still enough to do it well.
I also had flu-like symptoms in January - minus a fever. But it felt different than any other flu I’ve had - bad chills, sore throat, slight trouble breathing. Lasted 2 weeks with 2 more weeks before I had my full strength back. But my partner did not catch anything from me - so who knows?
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“Most of the people who were thought to be asymptomatic aren’t truly asymptomatic,” said Van Kerkhove.
That’s the meat of it. There’s a lot of good info info in this article, and it’s important to remember just because you’re not shaking someone’s hands doesn’t mean you’re not using the same doorknob or handrail as them and we know the virus can survive for hours to days depending on the surface. There’s going to need to be a change in societal habits until (if not permanently) a vaccine is well established, that’s a long ways away.
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FDA has just approved the first antibody test https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/02/health/fda-coronavirus-antibody-test-authorization/index.html
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