Covid-19

[Trouble]

First I want to thank @davehc for injecting a little bit of humor into this thread.
Sorely needed and much appreciated.

I was somewhat reluctant to start this thread, mainly because of our focus on all things Windows 10 and my concern as to how it might fit in. So far, so good, and in keeping with how this global pandemic is intersecting with the world of technology....

It's not surprising with many working and studying remotely as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic that demand for cloud services is up. Microsoft has been monitoring that situation in regard to Office 365 and has started taking action to preserve overall performance by throttling some services.

SOURCE: https://www.zdnet.com/article/micro...fice-365-services-to-continue-to-meet-demand/

Admittedly, considerably more dry than Dave's post, but....
Just thought I would pass it along.

 

[Wolfie]

A scumbag caught out telling potential investors he has a cure for Covid-19 and promises them big returns.

Influencer who claimed he'd discovered a cure for coronavirus arrested by the FBI

 

[Wolfie]

Seems that every 100 years or so, Terra Mater/Tellus/Gaia (Mother Earth) has a "Spring Clean":

https://www.naturebegsvengeanceonaccountofmen.com/2020/02/every-100-years-1320-black-plague.html

 

[Bif]

Hi all, just wanted to drop in for a quick moment to say hi and I hope everyone is staying healthy in these unprecedented and difficult times, it's been a very stressful couple of weeks here with the ubiquitous lockdown that has felt not unlike house arrest ( not that I've ever experienced that )...tensions are high and patience running thin but we are finding many ways to cope whilst still trying to maintain a bit of normalcy. Wishing everyone strength, courage and good health, we're all in this together.
Cheers, David

 

[davehc]

Hi Bif. Thanks for contributing. Vague memories from the past. I see your profile is locked so I won't pursue it
Best wishes returned to your family..

 

[Wolfie]

A fitting tribute to all those out there doing their best keeping us safe. Please share this on forums, Twitter and your Smart Phone or other media especially if you know someone that is on the "Frontline " right now. THANK YOU ONE AND ALL:

wind beneath my wings bette midler - Search Videos

www.bing.com

 

[MrEd]

As with every calamity Mother Nature throws at us, most people are caught off-guard leading to a furious game of playing “catch-up”. The problem is this “game” could last 12-18 months and it won’t take any prisoners.
We’re all hoping that “we” get through relatively unscathed - that’s human nature.
As Trouble implies, keep a low profile, and good luck from me too.

 

[Wolfie]

Just received word from a friend who is a nurse in A&E that she has "mild" symptoms of Covid-19, she must remain isolated for 7 days and self-monitor her condition.

Prayers and thoughts to all people on the "Frontline" and to everyone around the world. Please follow the safety rules so it doesn't spread any further.

Stay safe everyone.

 

[Saltgrass]

I went out to the grocery store today and the traffic seemed to be about normal for the time of day. The only reason I even knew there was a virus threat was about 30% of the customers were wearing masks and there was a shortage of eggs..

I have seen two interviews by folks, one a Democrat State Representative, who were close to death and their doctors gave them Hydroxychloroquine plus Zithromax in three or four hours, they could breathe normally. Don't listen to folks who dismiss this drug or say this will go on for 18 months.. If there is a reliable drug to prevent death, the country could go back to normal..

Because of the way I feel personally, the lockdown may only go another couple of weeks before folks just decide to blow it off.. If 35,000 people died last year from the flu, even with a vaccine, is this virus really out of the expected realm?

What we need to do is get China to shutdown the wet markets, if that is where it is originating..

 

[Wolfie]

"If 35,000 people died last year from the flu, even with a vaccine, is this virus really out of the expected realm?".

Hi Saltgrass,

the problem with this new virus is that it is about 10 times more deadly than the flu and the death rate for flu is about 0.1% whereas the death rate with Covid-19 is (currently) 2 - 3%.

I got the info from the web, there are of course fake news posts out there and I assume that what I read is correct?.

Source:

https://eu.azcentral.com/story/news...ces-in-death-rate-symptoms-spread/5018395002/

 

[davehc]

I am with Wolfie and, hopefully, the majority of humans!
No offence, but I was disappointed to read Saltgrass's post. Unfortunately, I think it probably represents the way things are currently taking shape. People are getting tired of the restrictions and, I fear, over the current holiday, about to break loose.
As an old Grandad, I am missing visits from my family greatly, but am prepared to try and stick it out until there are more positive signs that things are improving..

There is a very enlightening blog here. It may be seen as a private opinion and observation though.

https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/f9ygr8

 

[Trouble]

Yep....
AND the main problem is we just don't have sufficient testing rolled out to give us real time accurate numbers and it will probably be a long time coming.
SO we don't know who has it, who has had it and recovered, who is contagious OR in fact any really idea as to how long a person who has it either with symptoms or asymptomatic is contagious.
EVEN the models suck, although today they seemed pretty proud of the 60,000 dead prediction, which is down from the former 80,000 which is down from the original which was 100,000 to 240,000.
Still 60,000 dead Americans sounds like a pretty big number to me. That's a bit higher than the number we lost in the Vietnam war.

while the flu has long been considered a dangerous seasonal scourge, new data on the COVID-19 epidemic underscore a frightening fact: COVID-19 is even deadlier.

SOURCE: https://www.health.com/condition/cold-flu-sinus/how-many-people-die-of-the-flu-every-year

AND I might reasonably suggest that if we don't continue to practice social distancing, stay at home and wear a face covering if you have to go out (to protect others from you)... It'll get way worse than we can imagine.

My nephew had it, was in ICU on oxygen for about 10 days.... finally got the results back from the test which evidently took most of those 10 days and was released to go home, still needing oxygen at home.

 

[davehc]

I wish your nephew well, Trouble. I have fingers crossed every morning , hoping that none of the family have caught it.

 

[Trouble]

Thanks Dave
At one point he was having so much trouble breathing that he couldn't even get enough air to talk.
Before he was discharged he was able to carry on a phone conversation from his hospital bed now that he's home he reported to be able to do some walking on his own which is a huge improvement.

Being so close to Chicago is definitely not working out well for our little northwest corner of Indiana.

 

[Wolfie]

I wish all your families well, nephews, nieces, aunts and uncles, grand parents, parents and grand children, lets not forget our brothers and sisters and friends too.

On top of that wish list, I want to wish everyone a safe and Happy Easter, I know it won't be the same this year but if we live through this, we can always celebrate whatever religious festival that takes our fancy at a later date, sadly, there will be many families around the world that won't have that option.

We will meet them all again, Dame Vera Lynn said it best!.

Stay safe everyone.

 

[Saltgrass]

the problem with this new virus is that it is about 10 times more deadly than the flu and the death rate for flu is about 0.1% whereas the death rate with Covid-19 is (currently) 2 - 3%.

That's old information Wolfie. The virus has been in this country for a while. It probably started when folks from China went home to celebrate a holiday and returned, perhaps early January. There is no way to know how many people in the US have actually had the virus and gotten over it and never knew. If you don't have a good number for folks who survive, you can't make a prediction as to a death rate..

Only time will tell, the more folks that have it and recover, the harder it will be for it to spread next time..

 

[davehc]

As you say, hard to tell. At the beginning of the scare, one of my sons, and I, had quite bad colds. Speaking for myself, I didnt think I would know how to describe my feelings, except that I felt “The end was nigh”. We are both now in good health. Covid..or...?

 

[Trouble]

It probably started when folks from China went home to celebrate a holiday and returned, perhaps early January.

According to scientific researchers who have studied the Coronavirus genome. It seems that the majority of New York infections, likely came from Europe.

Coronavirus genomes show New York's COVID-19 outbreak came from Europe months ago

The U.S. has nearly a third of the world's 1.5 million official COVID-19 cases, and New York, by itself, has more coronavirus cases than any single foreign country. But while the coronavirus outbreak started in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, most of the New York cases came from Europe, and the...

www.yahoo.com

There is no way to know how many people in the US have actually had the virus and gotten over it and never knew.

Absolutely true. We probably will not know until we are able to widely test for antibodies.

I am cautious to suggest but relatively certain that I and several other family members have had it.

The new coronavirus causes little more than a cough if it stays in the nose and throat, which it does for the majority of people unlucky enough to be infected.

SOURCE: https://fortune.com/2020/03/08/coronavirus-symptoms-covid-19-lungs-nose-throat-cough/

I had a persistent dry cough that lasted quite a while, a very brief low grade fever and extreme irritation high in the back of my throat (nasal pharynx region) which had me up in the middle of the night drinking anything hot I could produce (tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc.).
BUT
So many of these symptoms are very similar to other seasonal maladies (flu, bad common cold, even bad allergic response to some allergies), I never gave it a second thought
AND
That was quite a while before it was classified as a pandemic and states began seeing cases of what they soon began calling the "Novel" Coronavirus.

 

[Saltgrass]

As you say, hard to tell. At the beginning of the scare, one of my sons, and I, had quite bad colds. Speaking for myself, I didnt think I would know how to describe my feelings, except that I felt “The end was nigh”. We are both now in good health. Covid..or...?

You and your son would be good candidates to take the Covid-19 Antibody test. If you don't know, that is a test which shows if your system has developed the antibodies from having recovered from the virus..

I haven't been following the latest news about that particular test so I am not up to date on its availability..

 

[Wolfie]

That's old information Wolfie

Hi Saltgrass,

I really don't know what to believe sometimes as there is so much false information out there it is hard to tell.?.

Death figures are also not quite what they should be, afaik, only people dying in hospital are counted (in the UK at least), this doesn't include people in the old folks homes or those that die at home!.