Coronavirus Thread

Vincenzo said:

Bergamo area Mayors claim that actually deaths from COVID-19 are hundreds more of official count, talking of their communities

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There was a medical guy from Italy explaining various reasons people don't go onto the official statistics.

The partial closure of production is postponed to 25th March, because of industrialist association pressure

On the casualties of Bergamo area, left activist talking of thousands more deaths

michael rauls said:

Well no band practice today. Looks like our singer has it.

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Best of luck to him.

Marcel said:

Same here. Our drummer has it.

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Best of luck to him.

A Dutch scientists at the university of Groningen just announce he has developed aerosol chloroquine. Says it imediatly stops the virus replicating in the lungs and there fore the damage. Says it will be ready in two weeks. Sounds like maybe not a cure in absolute terms but one in the way that really matters the vast majority of the time i.e. lung function.
Lets keep our fingers crossed this actually pans out.

Hey TheMadPenguin,

re your post#753: "Does anybody know what equipment is "usually all you need" besides a breathing machine?"

The supplies needed, for the most part, are in line with any severe illness that requires admission to the hospital. Some examples are those needed to set up an IV or blood draw with an IV:

This:
Sterile Gloves
Tourniquet
Antiseptic solution
Local anesthetic solution (maybe)
2" x 2" Gauze Pad (2x)

Plus the following if IV set-up:
IV Needle/Plastic Cannula
Tape
Transparent Dressing (tegaderm)
Sticker (stick-on label)
Saline flush (normally in pre-filled syringes)
IV Catheter
IV Extension or Cap
IV Tubing
Vent/Drip Chamber
Roller Clamp
IV Piggy Back (usually a Y-type) (1x or more)
Filter (sometimes)
IV Pump/Monitor
IV Fluids (ie Saline, Anti-Biotics, Anti-Coagulants, etc.)

Plus the following if blood draws:
IV Needle/Plastic Cannula
1-mL Syringe with a 30-gauge Needle (typical needle size, but can vary)
Adaptor
Vacuum Collection Tubes
Sticker(s) (stick-on labels for collection tubes

(I am working from memory here so I am sure I have left some bits and pieces out)

In addition, within the current environment, you can figure a relative high level of PPE will be needed. PPE will include Sterile Gloves, Masks, Face Shields, Gowns, etc. The usage rate will be a lot higher than normal.

Several friends work at one of the local larger hospital systems. When it became apparent that there was a problem brewing (beginning of March) the hospital placed an initial order of 2,500,000 masks in addition to what they normally order. They have received about 200,000 of that order to date. They use somewhere around 10,000 each day under normal conditions. They have devised a system to sterilize/recycle the masks for reuse.

Additional materials may be needed for any pre-existing/underlying conditions, varying from case to case.

As most people are aware, supplies of COVID-19 test kits are in short supply, as are the materials needed for the Labs to process the test samples.

There are also many test kits that are often used in 'normal' day-to-day operations. The pre-existing conditions in many patients will demand increased usage of these kits and the associated processing materials. Also, previously healthy patients will develop secondary infections/illnesses that will require tests to determine their natures. Testing for the pre-existing conditions and new secondary infections/illnesses will require even greater use of Blood Draws and subsequent use of IVs for treatments, beyond that required due to the simple increase in patient numbers.

The above are just a few examples.

If you're sent away from the ICU, could a CPAP help in lieu of a respirator/ventilator?

Well the first person in our company has died from the virus. Granted at another facility in another state, but still, damn...

Well, the whole of New Zealand is on lockdown as of Wednesday night. We're currently on severe restrictions.

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:

Well the first person in our company has died from the virus. Granted at another facility in another state, but still, damn...

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Really sorry to hear that. I hope there won't be another. We have been very fortunate both at our company and in our area. Nobody at our company has gotten seriously ill yet dispite our exposure to biohazards in general( one of the things we haul is trash) and between LA and Orange county last I heard there were a total of 5 fatalities after it being here several weeks.
I guess we're fortunate that for whatever reason we have been mostly spared but at the same time its heart wrenching to watch what is happening to other areas not so fortunate( if you can call it that) all over the world.

Crazy shit Chris - sorry to hear that.

I was thinking today - Many of us lived in a era where at times we lived on the brink of nuclear annihilation, now we are facing another cataclysmic scenario possibly caused by bats. Is this a bad dream?!?

FLYBOYJ said:

Crazy shit Chris - sorry to hear that.

I was thinking today - Many of us lived in a era where at times we lived on the brink of nuclear annihilation, now we are facing another cataclysmic scenario possibly caused by bats. Is this a bad dream?!?

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It does seem like a bad dream doesn't it.
Sometimes when I'm watching the proceedings I get that " is this really happening" kinda feeling.

michael rauls said:

It does seem like a bad dream doesn't it.
Sometimes when I'm watching the proceedings I get that " is this really happening" kinda feeling.

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I had that feeling when picking my son up from school today. It'll be at least 4 weeks until he gets back there

gumbyk said:

I had that feeling when picking my son up from school today. It'll be at least 4 weeks until he gets back there

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Everything is getting so crazy. Now people I know are getting sick( though none of them seriously thank God). Good luck to you and your son. Hopefully you come through this unscathed.

We're all facing a crisis inherited from China.
China got it right off the bat.
</pun>

FLYBOYJ said:

there are several distilleries here in Colorado doing this right now and giving free bottles to medical workers and first responders

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Remember those two articles I posted from the American Society of Microbiologists.

You need to active hand scrub for four minutes with the best hand sanitizers or thirty seconds with saline. Yes the testing was done with influenza A but that was, until now, the most contagious virus known.

We carry a 2 litre spray bottle of saline (water with salt added) with us and a stash of hand toweling. Slightly messy but a damned site better than hand sanitizers.

Situations Leading to Reduced Effectiveness of Current Hand Hygiene against Infectious Mucus from Influenza Virus-Infected Patients

Towards Better Hand Hygiene for Flu Prevention

FLYBOYJ said:

Crazy shit Chris - sorry to hear that.

I was thinking today - Many of us lived in a era where at times we lived on the brink of nuclear annihilation, now we are facing another cataclysmic scenario possibly caused by bats. Is this a bad dream?!?

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Interesting that you raised this because I was about to post a TED talk on just that that Bill Gates made on April 4th, 2015. He starts his talk with one of the food canisters that people stored food in during those days and finishes basically predicting what is happening now.

Sign of the times?

DerAdlerIstGelandet said:

Fauci: U.S. 'looking very closely at' severe coronavirus symptoms in younger Americans

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There is a concerted campaign here to make younger people understand the risks. They simply don't take it seriously and while they might not be at much risk themselves, they put others who are at risk in danger. The problem with such scare tactics is that they scare everyone else as well.

MiTasol said:

Remember those two articles I posted from the American Society of Microbiologists.

You need to active hand scrub for four minutes with the best hand sanitizers or thirty seconds with saline. Yes the testing was done with influenza A but that was, until now, the most contagious virus known.

We carry a 2 litre spray bottle of saline (water with salt added) with us and a stash of hand toweling. Slightly messy but a damned site better than hand sanitizers.

Situations Leading to Reduced Effectiveness of Current Hand Hygiene against Infectious Mucus from Influenza Virus-Infected Patients

Towards Better Hand Hygiene for Flu Prevention

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Sorry MiTasol, it is true that English is no my mother language, actually i don't speak English just understand some writen English, but i don't find where they tell to use saline as sanitizers, as i understand they tell the soap and water are better of alcohol based sanitizers versus virus in mucus