COVID-19 Outbreak (Update: More than 2.9M cases and 132,313 deaths in US) (8 Viewers)

[Saint_Ward]

I bring news from Costco.

I went tonight after work. I noticed the parking lot was under half full. I filled up with gas, with no line at all. $1.69!!

The main entrance had walls of shopping carts used to make a barrier and a single point entry. Shoppers were asked to come in one at a time, an associate would hand you a paper towel, another would spray the shopping cart handle with a disinfecting spray. You could use the paper towel to wipe it down, or I guess let it air dry.

They had signs all over about keeping 6 feet from others for social distancing. They removed the first wall of goods to give more space for the cashier lines. They had every other line closed and yellow tape on the ground in 6 foot increments.

Basically they were pretty well stocked. A few items were gone. No TP (they said they get it in the morning, and by the night it's gone. No Paper Towels. No napkins. A metric ton of bottled water. Still out of most disinfectant. They had the big clorox spray with the 2 gallon refill package. And they had some clorox wipes. Luckily, they were hidden under the cardboard, and I got one of the last few left. The kirkland brand disinfecting wipes were long gone. I prefer those.

The soft soap refills were gone still, but I got a 4 pack of the special hand soap. They were hidden near the check out lines where the meds are.

Lots of food and bread were there. Not picked bare like before. Customers were limited to one package of eggs and one gallon of milk. Lots of gluten free bread, which is great for my wife. Got two packages, since that brand lasts for like 3 months.

Cashiers have clear plastic shields at the register to better protect them from having people cough or sneeze at them. Even though my cashier said, it makes it really hard to hear, especially if people are wearing masks.

I bet the weekend will be stupid, but a week night was a breeze. I've never been in such an empty Costco.

I was able to get ground beef, they had the premade food too, but I didn't get any. They had the 10lb pound bags of potatoes, big bags of onions, etc.

 

[DaveXA]

I had some food delivered to my house today. Nice guy, he just got back from being on Spring Break in Florida. It wasn't really his spring break but he was off of school and was already in Miami since he went on a cruise the week before so he decided to stay another week and party. Said that this was all overblown, nobody at the restaurant he works at thinks this is a bigger deal than the flu. Said he's been really busy delivering food though, I was the 54th house he had been to just today. He mentioned everyone had been great and he has over $100 in cash just from tips. The restaurant's drive through has been slammed as well. They are serving 110 cars per hour. Said the girl at the register has touched 880 credit cards or cash in her 8 hour shift. The 8 other people working the restaurants have to change their gloves at least once an hour. None of them have been tested, none have had their temps checked so they're all just hoping nobody is carrying the virus while asymptomatic like most young people are. There's no way anything could go wrong.

:Hihi:

You made me look.

 

[bclemms]

Wuhan —> New York.

 

[mb504]

Mardi Gras Day was February 25, but the first parade night on St. Charles Avenue was February 15. The mayor changed Mardi Gras rules during the parades to eliminate tandem floats after two people literally died at parades and was lambasted for being a tyrant. Now you're saying she should have canceled dozens of parades because there were cases in Washington? That the federal government said was completely contained and there were zero cases? That as recently as two weeks ago at least half of the country was saying was just the flu? The New Orleans Health Department was supposed to recommend things that the freaking CDC was not? I am not a fan of hers at all for many reasons, but come on man.

 

[Saint_Ward]

Have to subscribe to view fyi.

Here's a section. I didn't have to subscribe.

Now, let’s examine the full causal chain that would have to exist for you to get sick from a contaminated Amazon package at your door or a gallon of milk from the grocery store.

In the case of the Amazon package, the driver would have to be infected and still working despite limited symptoms. (If they were very ill, they would most likely be home; if they had no symptoms, it’s unlikely they would be coughing or sneezing frequently.) Let’s say they wipe their nose, don’t wash their hands and then transfer some virus to your package.
Even then, there would be a time lag from when they transferred the virus until you picked up the package at your door, with the virus degrading all the while. In the worst-case scenario, a visibly sick driver picks up your package from the truck, walks to your front door and sneezes into their hands or directly on the package immediately before handing it to you.
Even in that highly unlikely scenario, you can break this causal chain.

In the epidemiological world, we have a helpful way to think about it: the “Sufficient-Component Cause model.” Think of this model as pieces of a pie. For disease to happen, all of the pieces of the pie have to be there: sick driver, sneezing/coughing, viral particles transferred to the package, a very short time lapse before delivery, you touching the exact same spot on the package as the sneeze, you then touching your face or mouth before hand-washing.
In this model, the virus on the package is a necessary component, but it alone is not sufficient to get you sick. Many other pieces of the pie would have to be in place.

So this is what you can do to disassemble the pie — to cut the chain.

You can leave that cardboard package at your door for a few hours — or bring it inside and leave it right inside your door, then wash your hands again. If you’re still concerned there was any virus on the package, you could wipe down the exterior with a disinfectant, or open it outdoors and put the packaging in the recycling can. (Then wash your hands again.)
What about going to the grocery store? The same approach applies.

Shop when you need to (keeping six feet from other customers) and load items into your cart or basket. Keep your hands away from your face while shopping, and wash them as soon as you’re home. Put away your groceries, and then wash your hands again. If you wait even a few hours before using anything you just purchased, most of the virus that was on any package will be significantly reduced. If you need to use something immediately, and want to take extra precautions, wipe the package down with a disinfectant. Last, wash all fruits and vegetables as you normally would.

 

[Saint_Ward]

For New Orleans or the USA? New Orleans I'll agree.

USA, now so sure about that. We're going to have a really long curve.

USA, but you're right, the lag with some states will possibly extend this out. I am just saying "best case".

Florida, NYC, Chicago, Ohio, Washingon State, etc all at least closed schools almost two weeks ago, or more. That's a big help.

Currently here in South Florida, we've been mostly staying at home. I'd say 25% of folks are still doing a somewhat normal routine, and even that is with a lot of attention to sanitizing, washing hands, and keeping 6 feet away. Only a couple idiots.

 

[DaveXA]

Mardi Gras Day was February 25, but the first parade night on St. Charles Avenue was February 15. The mayor changed Mardi Gras rules during the parades to eliminate tandem floats after two people literally died at parades and was lambasted for being a tyrant. Now you're saying she should have canceled dozens of parades because there were cases in Washington? That the federal government said was completely contained and there were zero cases? That as recently as two weeks ago at least half of the country was saying was just the flu? The New Orleans Health Department was supposed to recommend things that the freaking CDC was not? I am not a fan of hers at all for many reasons, but come on man.

I agree that the mayor was not really in a position to make that call in the sense that without hindsight, most people would not think of canceling it. Not mad at her for that decision. But her recent comments were not a good look either.

That said, without the benefit of hindsight, I'm not sure what could have been done different, but we were questioning why there wasn't any testing available leading up to Mardi Gras? Had a ramped up effort started a few weeks sooner, I have no doubt numerous cases would have been found and containment to some degree would have been feasible. And further, maybe Mardi Gras gets a different look. The timing couldn't have been much worse unfortunately.

 

[Merl]

Does this mean I can have my vacation in April then?

I am on vacation next week. I had planned to go to Chattanooga and go through a few of the civil war battle sights and a few other things but now it will be a staycation. I will likely catch up on a few TV series and movies I want to see, Sleep, clean the apartment, sleep, play fetch with the cat (yes, she likes me to throw a toy so she can bring it back and will paw and scratch until I throw it again), sleep, and sleep some more.

 

[LuvNOLA]

Bill Gates is speaking on CNN right now...…...excellent.

His foundation is funding a vaccine. He is looking at late May/June to get back to somewhat normal. As far as Easter time frame......no way.

 

[Saint_Ward]

I have plans to go to Universal in early May... I'm going to see what the next two weeks looks like. I wonder if they'll extend my annual pass, since they've been closed. Maybe I'll go in June or July..

My wife's mom is wondering if she should cancel her flight to see us in late May, for our boy's graduation (if they still have it??). Might be too early, and I bet they'll just offer credit, not $$$.

 

[PurpleBlack&Gold]

Update on my cousin. Her xrays were clear, they tested her and treated her with meds for an ear infection. She was sent home to quarantine until her test results come back. She said she has a runny nose so I told her that was actually a good sign.

 

[RazorOye]

Canada’s head of health releases stats based on the testing that’s been happening the past couple of months.

6-tweet thread

 

[superchuck500]

I'm sure you are right. I read that information in some article which obviously had it wrong. My mistake.

At any rate, there was no indication that it was anywhere near here at the time. And apparently there were no death in the U.S. until 4 days after Mardi Gras. Anyway, the point is that by the time Mardi Gras was ending the entire thing was really just getting into the national consciousness. In fact, I didn't know much of anything about it until a few days after Mardi Gras because work was keeping me too busy to see much news. I'm sure others knew more, but the vast majority of people thought it was just something people who had actually gone to China had gotten. Obviously that wasn't the case.

Yeah I think historically that’s right. But it was in error based on blunder and arrogance - but certainly with respect to the local decision about Mardi Gras, you’re right that there was no analysis at the time that would have suggested taking action.

But it’s also fair to point at Washington for not only missing the boat on preparedness but actually foolishly rejecting even the idea of preparation.

 

[LuvNOLA]

I bring news from Costco.

I went tonight after work. I noticed the parking lot was under half full. I filled up with gas, with no line at all. $1.69!!

The main entrance had walls of shopping carts used to make a barrier and a single point entry. Shoppers were asked to come in one at a time, an associate would hand you a paper towel, another would spray the shopping cart handle with a disinfecting spray. You could use the paper towel to wipe it down, or I guess let it air dry.

They had signs all over about keeping 6 feet from others for social distancing. They removed the first wall of goods to give more space for the cashier lines. They had every other line closed and yellow tape on the ground in 6 foot increments.

Basically they were pretty well stocked. A few items were gone. No TP (they said they get it in the morning, and by the night it's gone. No Paper Towels. No napkins. A metric ton of bottled water. Still out of most disinfectant. They had the big clorox spray with the 2 gallon refill package. And they had some clorox wipes. Luckily, they were hidden under the cardboard, and I got one of the last few left. The kirkland brand disinfecting wipes were long gone. I prefer those.

The soft soap refills were gone still, but I got a 4 pack of the special hand soap. They were hidden near the check out lines where the meds are.

Lots of food and bread were there. Not picked bare like before. Customers were limited to one package of eggs and one gallon of milk. Lots of gluten free bread, which is great for my wife. Got two packages, since that brand lasts for like 3 months.

Cashiers have clear plastic shields at the register to better protect them from having people cough or sneeze at them. Even though my cashier said, it makes it really hard to hear, especially if people are wearing masks.

I bet the weekend will be stupid, but a week night was a breeze. I've never been in such an empty Costco.

I was able to get ground beef, they had the premade food too, but I didn't get any. They had the 10lb pound bags of potatoes, big bags of onions, etc.

Good deal.....glad you had good luck. One thing I forgot to mention is their tons & tons of fruits are as beautiful and well stocked as ever.

 

[superchuck500]

Good deal.....glad you had good luck. One thing I forgot to mention is their tons & tons of fruits are as beautiful and well stocked as ever.

I heard a farmer on the radio yesterday saying "look, the farm life is fundamentally one of social distancing - it's just how we live. We're gonna keep on producing food for American tables just as normal."