Mostly Apolitical Thread for Discussing/Venting our Rational/Irrational COVID-19 Fears and Experiences in 2020

Karl, maybe so but perhaps only if it gets closer to home in a way I don't really want to wish for! some of his coworkers are smart people who work on bio-adjacent stuff so I'm hoping they'll have thoughts on the matter

I would like to both thank and curse this thread, the latter for encouraging worry spirals, but it's also nice to be around fellow worriers online since the 1 person I ever talk about personal stuff with irl thinks I'm a lunatic & actively ruining his life by voicing any worries at all

(felt quite anxious about things earlier and also cursed the interview with a survivor saying she'd mainly just felt run down, so those of us who feel run down just from worrying about it can now also have an exciting vicious spiral of worrying more that that means they already have it and are infecting their loved ones, etc)

in orbit: *solidarity elbow bump or maybe only a mimed elbow bump from 3m away*

Update: I predicted that his clients would stop asking him to come to their homes to do his restoration work but one of his clients just asked him to come fix something. He said, "My girlfriend won't let me out of the house for two weeks but I'm not taking this thing too seriously" and she said, "Oh no, my daughter is a doctor. You should absolutely take it seriously, but I've already been self-isolating and it's very safe" but she STILL WANTS HIM TO FIX SOME BROKEN FURNITURE DURING A PANDEMIC. People really are amazing.

io, I believe I'm in the same county, and I'm not going anywhere! Well, except work.

Work finally made the call to send us home for two weeks. Of course I’m a bit nervous as I now have a sore throat and my wife’s temperature is elevated

wow, io! people are amazing, indeed.

I'm also not feeling like my work is taking it that seriously yet either: lots of talk by management about us working extra hard to get contingency measures in place for next term's teaching but all staff still supposed to come into the office, still got a big meeting booked on Tuesday

the latest email about it said that the latest govt advice was that potential cases would not be treated any differently depending on whether the person had recently been to a(nother) affected country, which makes sense as we have several student cases here already and I hope will mean there'll be more widespread testing (although the email said something confusing about "no testing for suspected cases in the community" which I hope I'm just misunderstanding?)

but my work's spin on this was that, ahem, "Please note that this also means that anyone who has been self-isolating without symptoms because of their return from overseas or because of contact with a confirmed case can now immediately return to their normal activities", which, really, do we really want to tell people who've been in active contact with a confirmed case of something apparently infectious before symptoms show up, "hey, get yr ass back in work, the boss says no more excuses!"?

It’s challenging for us to stock up on food all that effectively so it’s likely someone will have to go to the grocery store every day or two for the duration, as usual, but we’ll see.

this is maybe a weird thing to think but i'm glad that i know how to make bread, that i have a live starter in my fridge, and a fuck of a lot of flour in the pantry. what a weird time. i even picked up some branches today on the way home from the park. i have a barbecue in the back, who knows, that wood might come in handy (??)

best wishes to everybody and their loved ones.

so both our theme park chains are showing their asses rn.

So Universal Studios, where my brother works, originally made it sound like they were closed for two weeks and they'd pay their employees. then later on they sotto voce revealed that "essential" employees still needed to come in. which include people like my brother, who is an actor on contract and will have nobody to act for. supposedly they're all going to be asked to do cleaning duties, but I suspect the real motive is knowing not everybody is willing to come in and then they won't have to pay. the local paper ran an article on it and I'm hoping it explodes.

they went on with their Mardi Gras concert tonight. the main band cancelled. they replaced them with FLO RIDA. seriously what fucking year is it? who the fuck is going to show up to that shit where it'll actually generate income for you? and my brother had to come in to MC the show. he wasn't happy.

Disney, on the other hand? read this: https://insidethemagic.net/2020/03/disney-world-cast-members-walk-out-of-epcot-mid-shift-ba1/

If you ever visit my fine city/state, please boycott these parks.

an ACTOR is essential? ok.

i was ranty about my public sector employer- the one that shut down the schools- telling us "come in unless you cant" on thursday

im coldly furious about not seeing that revised as of tonight.

we were informed we will receive comp time for performing "mission critical" duties. which to me signals working from home it's ok to not really work. i have to do about 12 hours of mission critical duties in a jail next week and will probably do about an additional 10 at home.

an ACTOR is essential? ok.

― forensic plumber (harbl), Saturday, March 14, 2020 9:40 PM bookmarkflaglink

that's the part that infuriated me most. but it most likely has to do with his salary, which is higher than what the hourly non-contracted employees get, so they would enjoy not having to pay it.

this is a weird thought but I am mostly glad I am only responsible for feeding myself and not anybody else, since my go-to stuck at home cooking does not necessarily intersect with things anyone but me wants to eat

(no, I didn't hoard anything, I bought a normal week's worth of groceries, maybe more beans than usual but the store was nowhere near close to being short on those)

otm

btw people trying to conserve toilet paper should probably not be stocking up on beans tbqh

Wow, my town here in New Jersey has now gone on total lockdown: public schools, playgrounds, gyms, health clubs, movie theaters were closed yesterday, and today they announced bars will close, restaurants can only open for takeout/delivery and there is a 10pm curfew. So far one confirmed case in the town.

Oh, uh, hey neighbor

Hey! I was out walking around yesterday evening, and there were lots of people out in bars and restaurants. Guess we won't be seeing that for a while.

The company I 'contract' for is stoopid about everything -- especially for a massively successful publisher -- so I know this working from home crap is going to be a major shitshow. Hence I am going into the office for as long as it's feasible.

People out today too having drinks and nachos etc at all the sports bars... not sure most places here are going to survive on takeout only.

Also saw they literally wrapped the playgrounds with tape

Now would be a great time for ppl to foster cats and dogs - if you’re stuck at home anyway, can’t keep a pet long term, you could take some of the burden off local shelters AND have an adorable temporary animal companion to keep you busy.

Pets are great for reducing anxiety too

i have literally never listened to a podcast but i feel like the only way we can get through this is with an achill boys podcast

achill boys won't blow you away
but you know that they'll craic

I suspect I might have this. Started with a mild fever, sore throat and chest pain on Thursday and got a bit worse on Friday. Felt better yesterday though, and today I'm almost back to normal. Haven't been going out obviously and don't plan to do so for the next days. I live in Berlin where public life has basically been put on hold, which makes it a bit easier to deal with the isolation since it's the same for everyone. Still sucks though.

Hold tight groovemaaan!

Took me three supermarkets yesterday to get bread, milk and eggs. No TP to be found.

My brother is a manager in Lidl - I'm going to look for insider information on supply drops.

No grocery store trouble at our supermarket this morning, but the cashiers are worried for their health.

I expect the army to be sent in soon.

Realising that there's no bran cereal for the last week in the local LIDL. finding that difficult to correlate with the TP rush. Or are people buying up bran cereal so they get their own rush and need to work their way through their surplus TP?
Otherwise surprised that this amount of panic requires extra roughage to help things along.

Went to a wedding last night. Everybody was elbow bumping (and Kung Fu fighting).

Calmly doing some WFH today as I usually do. I'll also be going into the office tomorrow. I hardly expect anyone to come by at all, and will just see two or three colleagues there, so I'm ok with that.

With school expected to be closed anyway from tomorrow on (on Thurs gov decided against it, schools took it upon themselves to close anyway) quite some colleagues of me and of s/o at work will have to stay at home I suppose.

We had childcare figured out or a week of spring break, but not a month of it, for a disabled kiddo who requires nearly constant supervision.

We know we're very fortunate and that it could be way worse. My employer is (however grudgingly) allowing remote work, and my wife's job is mostly remote, but still. I fully expect it to be exhausting. There will likely be some conference calls with shrieking banshees in the background. The clink of ice in a tall Maker's & ginger. Occasional yowls of cats. "Woops, didn't realize I was on mute." Nothing significant getting done, minor white lies on the timesheet.

via a friend's FB feed, a registered nurse's advice on how to treat yourself/what to do if you get the virus:

"You basically just want to prepare as though you know you’re going to get a nasty respiratory bug, like bronchitis or pneumonia. You just have the foresight to know it’s coming.

Things you should actually buy ahead of time (not sure what the obsession with toilet paper is?): Kleenex, Acetaminophen (Tylenol) in 325 mg tablets, Ibuprofen (Advil) in 200 mg tablets, Mucinex, Robitussin or whatever your generic cough medicine of choice is (check the label and make sure you're not doubling up on acetaminophen - some brands like DayQuil have it included and you don't want that). You want a cough medicine with both a cough suppressant and expectorant. Vicks vaporub for your chest is also a great suggestion.

If you don’t have a humidifier, that would be a good thing to buy and run in your room when you go to bed overnight. (You can also just turn the shower on hot and sit in the bathroom breathing in the steam). If you have a history of asthma and you have a prescription inhaler, make sure the one you have isn’t expired and refill it/get a new one if it is.

This is also a good time to meal prep: make a big batch of your favorite soup to freeze and have on hand. Whatever your favorite clear fluids are to drink (Sprite, juice, ICE waters, Fresca, whatever floats your boat), stock your pantry with those. Maybe get some nice soothing tea too!

For symptom management, use the meds I mentioned. For a fever over 101, alternate Tylenol 650 mg and Advil 400 mg so you’re taking a dose of one then the other every 3 hours.

Drink A TON, hydrate hydrate hydrate. Rest lots. You should not be leaving your house except to go to the doctor, and if you do, wear a mask (regular is fine, you don’t need an N95).

You DO NOT NEED TO GO TO THE ER unless you are having trouble breathing or your fever is very high (over 103.5) and unmanaged with meds. 90% of healthy adult cases thus far have been managed at home with basic rest/hydration/over-the-counter meds. We don’t want to clog the ERs unless you’re actually in distress. The hospital beds will be used for people who actively need oxygen/breathing treatments/IV fluids.

If you have a pre-existing lung condition (COPD, emphysema, lung cancer) or are on immunosuppressants, now is a great time to talk to your PCP or specialist about what they would like you to do if you get sick. They might have plans to get you admitted and bypass the ER entirely.

One major relief to you parents is that kids do VERY well with coronavirus— they usually bounce back in a few days, NO ONE under 18 has died, and almost no kids have required hospitalization (unless they have a lung disease like CF). Just use pediatric dosing of the same meds."

My career is in Infection Prevention and cannot stress enough the importance of proper hand hygiene. Washing with soap and water is best (sing Happy Birthday twice!) and sanitize when no water is available.
Plus (and this is hard...), do not touch your face!"

That is helpful, morbid.

Just want to note that Acetaminophen (Tylenol) doesn't play well with alcohol. So if you are a heavy drinker (or are drinking heavily to get through this time) be careful.

Oops, meant morbz not morbid (posting from stupid kid Kindle), sorry

Alcohol also not great for immune & respiratory health so I’m probably not gonna drink the beer I bought

Alcohol is the worst for me when I have a cold. Tylenol is Paracetamol?

yup

One beer is fine imo. No need to overdo it.

Idk how much credence to give this but maybe take Tylenol instead of Advil if you have it?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/14/anti-inflammatory-drugs-may-aggravate-coronavirus-infection

I also answer to morbid, Puffin

I believe I was warned off Advil when I got cancer

tbh my favourite bit of the guardian piece is this comment from the french education minister: “this coming period is not one in which the youngsters don’t have to work”

I had hesitated to post a fb thing here from a couple of days ago but it's from a friend (reg nurse too in CA) whom I trust and I think it gives good advice:

Fellow citizens, you may develop symptoms and want to be tested.

You may not get tested. It’s very likely you won’t given government malfeasance.

Assume you’re positive and behave as though that were your result for the sake of others.

The presence or absence of a test will not benefit or harm you as an individual. It will not determine your treatment or necessarily your recovery.

The tests are to help us collectively find outbreaks and make better and more targeted epidemiology decisions to hopefully reduce the rate of transmission and deploy the right resources in the right places.

Engage in:

Self isolation, supportive care, nutritious food, fluids, rest, handwashing, mask, watch for worsening symptoms. Use sunlight and good ventilation to the outdoors. It’s old school and always fantastic.

Talk to people you love and who love you right back via phone text and FB so you feel loved and not alone.

You don’t need to go to the emergency room unless you need to go to the emergency room.

The emergency room is not the place to go because you sort of don’t feel well and are anxious or curious about getting tested.

The emergency room is for shortness of breath or a fever you can’t bring down with acetaminophen or any other potentially life limiting symptom.

Don’t panic: 80 percent of people have mild to moderate symptoms which will resolve.

Let’s breathe.

So apparently paracetamol is flying off the shelves faster than toilet paper now.

tbh my favourite bit of the guardian piece is this comment from the french education minister: “this coming period is not one in which the youngsters don’t have to work”

Children don't seem to have a hard time with coronavirus, so I say we should be training them up to drive buses and dig roads etc.

He was talking about a 'continuité pédagogique à distance', i.e. switching to online courses.

They can fit that in in between driving buses and digging roads.