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How has COVID-19 impacted you?

Thoughts said:
@CMontoya79 is a N95 mask required? Or can surgical mask be used. I saw where they required ATLEAST a surgical masks and hospitals have placed them on droplet precautions unless respiratory therapists do breathing treatments which can aerosolize it, in which they use a N95. Will a surgical mask work?
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the mrs just said they will work
and they are now doing meter dosed inhalers with a spacer

if nebulizer is used, then n95

ER nurse in RI
 
It’s gotten so bad that I actually cleaned out the chest freezer in the garage and have ordered oil and oil filters to change the oil in the lawn tractor. Next I’m going to be taking an inventory of how many bullets and shotgun shells I have, cleaning all of my firearms and converting my old vinyl records to digital via a turntable I have that connects to my computer. Wow I might even help my wife clean the lower level.

all worthwhile endeavors to be sure, but never really had the time or inclination.
 
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Thoughts said:
@CMontoya79 is a N95 mask required? Or can surgical mask be used. I saw where they required ATLEAST a surgical masks and hospitals have placed them on droplet precautions unless respiratory therapists do breathing treatments which can aerosolize it, in which they use a N95. Will a surgical mask work?
Click to expand...
Not sure. One thing I know is, there seems to be a real supply shortage and that could make things worse, fast.
 
My internet has been spotty the last three days (more off than on -- I hate internetting on my phone) (Yes, that's a verb...). Hopefully this posts before it goes out, again!

The NL borders closed last night, and gathering limitations are still in effect. Schools are closed, and all non-essential businesses are supposed to be closed, as well, though it seems that part has been "self regulating" here in my little village. Restaurants have limited hours, and most have gone to take out/delivery, only. There's actually MORE people out and about right now, as there is nothing else to do, it seems. The foot traffic back in the woods trail where I walk the dog has at least doubled, and there are people out running EVERYWHERE. I have been keeping an eye on city busses since this really hit the fan, and since then I've seen a total of ONE person riding the bus.

I go for physical therapy twice a week in The Hague. I'd normally ride the bus there, but have been driving for obvious reasons. The therapists have been wearing gloves and surgical masks (not N95 masks), but are still open and seeing patients. The gas station I use has put out "deli-style" disposable gloves and disinfectant wipes. The car wash (manual, auto, and employee) is still up and running. My wife is working from home at the moment, which is extremely hard to do without internet connection. Dealing with international military officials demanding that the DoD policies do not apply to them when CONUS has been a constant game of, "Here's your sign...". The DPO mail system has been halted until further notice -- no mail in or out. Apparently the government is going to try to find a different pipeline for our mail, but has not given any details or timeline.

Overall, the internet issue has been the worst thing we've dealt with. There are a few cases confirmed in the village, and they seem to double overnight, nationwide, each day. Stores here are, and remain, fully stocked. No Crazy 'Mericans issues... so far. Good luck to all y'all, and stay safe.
 
Frontline Fire and EMS provider/supervisior here. Dealt WITH H1N1 in 2009 and Ebola when it "hit" Ohio in 2014, so here are some random observations/thoughts...

PPE - Everybody is making a big deal about not having enough, which is true. The why of it is a bit more difficult, but basically it boils down to "I thought someone else was going to handle it". Initially we were told we had plenty of gowns and masks, that's not the case. The Governor has appealed to construction companies and other businesses if they have any stocked away.

Line morale - We are a department of 360ish. I am at Headquarters and deal with my guys, the other two shifts, and now Admin. Mayor declared a state of emergency and canceled all leave. I've had to inform two of my guys and their response was "figured it was coming." I've heard rumors of other individuals throwing tantrums - more on that next.

Hazard Pay- this came up on our Local Facebook closed group. Same guys throwing tantrums think we should get hazard pay. Meanwhile Ohio has shut down bars, restaurants, gyms, libraries, etc... And down stream effects are forcing others to make some tough choices. Lots of people not getting pay checks. The complaining got shut down pretty quick, but it's festering.

Calls for service - Ebola was easy by comparison. Easily identified symptoms and verbal screening, "have you traveled to Africa"...

Not so easy COVID-19, community spread and vague, flu mimicking symptoms. So it's N-95s, gloves, stand off distance, minimal contact, and washing your hands.

Lots of people want a trip to the ER to get tested, but that's not happening on several ends. Again locally, if you are not high risk based on age or co-morbidities like chemo or auto-immune disease, the chance of you get a ride to the hospital is pretty small and getting a test is not going to happen at the moment.

Admin- those guys are taking the brunt of it right now. There are a lot of unknowns, that we've kicked down the road from years past. Hopefully we remember some of these lessons going forward.

Hospitals-first couple days were rough, but I think we are on the same page. Most have set up screening tents in the parking lot. They are having the same PPE issues and morale issues.

Hospital Beds - At least locally, we've closed several community hospitals and shifted others to stand alone ERs and out patient clinics. All admits are now funneled to large facilities, meaning fewer beds and taxing the system. I've heard plans are being made to house non-critical patients in hotels, but at this point I think it's just speculation.

Patients--no confirmed cases yet, but 10 in the county and 50+ thirty minutes North. So yeah, I'm pretty sure we've had contact.

Community - it's odd to see the roads empty at 2:00am and other than our pysch population needing to get ahold of researchers at John Hopkins not a lot has changed.

A couple grocery stores have reached out to our Local to see if we need anything. One suggestion was extended shopping hours for Healthcare employees when/if mandatory OT gets to be disruptive.

Let me know if you guys have any questions or interest in this I will try to pop in and give some updates.
 
This Virus has touched each of us in some way. My wife and I are staying pretty much isolated. I am working every other week from home. If this continues for another month the impact will be far more significant. I keep my eyes open, don't trust everything, continue to prepare best I can but not to extreme, have a daily cigar and keep my faith in Jesus Christ. Hopefully we will be able to maintain Peace and help one another...
 
I don't have a lot of unique news to report other than the sort of things that are already being shared. BUT one bright spot is that I FINALLY get to gouge people for cigars with zero guilt! One of my best friends has turned his restaurant here in KC (with the patio where the majority of our cigar smoking happens) into a "pay as you are able" community kitchen, with all money going directly to his staff in order to avoid the massive layoffs plaguing the food and bev industry right now. He's got plenty of serious money regulars who may just need a little reward to go along with their donations, so I'm doing $100 packs of between 6 and 8 cigars for local contact-free delivery. All money going to the community kitchen, obviously. So that's where my zero guilt comes in, lol. Plus, those are crazy prices to US, but dudes who buy their Cohibas on the docks wherever their Celebrity Cruise stops...they'll be giddy.
 
Scap said:
How many laps is that gonna take?
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It took just one of the first floor. Now I need to get more beers. I saw where PA shut down the state liquor stores. Can you buy beer at other stores?
 
Something to help: if you mix 1/2 teaspoon of Clorox with 16 ounces of water you make disinfectant ( per the Clorox web site ). To keep it simple for me, I used a straw to get an approx. ( I used plain water for testing the amount ). Then the ole dip the straw in the Clorox, cover top of straw with finger and put in spray bottle. Hint, if you can find a empty bottle, windex or anything not dangerous might work and considering the issues is better than doing nothing if you are concerned.
 
Pugman1943 said:
Something to help: if you mix 1/2 teaspoon of Clorox with 16 ounces of water you make disinfectant ( per the Clorox web site ). To keep it simple for me, I used a straw to get an approx. ( I used plain water for testing the amount ). Then the ole dip the straw in the Clorox, cover top of straw with finger and put in spray bottle. Hint, if you can find a empty bottle, windex or anything not dangerous might work and considering the issues is better than doing nothing if you are concerned.
Click to expand...

To pass the time, I stopped reading after "To keep it simple for me, I used a straw..." and just let my imagination run with what happened with the Clorox.
 
(unexpected) Benefits:
-I get to see my 5yr and 3yr old during the sweet time of 9am to noon and take the role of teaching them the stuff their teachers normally do. My 5yr is learning to read so it’s awesome to watch him sound words out, etc. my 3yr old is into coloring and dining and loves being read too. He is very inquisitive and for both kids, getting todo this before they are exhausted and hungry and essentially done fore the day has been great!
-Getting to spend more quality time with my wife has been great.
-finally getting to those projects that have been on hold.
Lessons learned from the down side of this:
-I really love personal interactions with people.
-the Grand Parent / Grand a child bond is very strong.
-I’m learning more discipline when it comes to online school work.
-creativity with work outs.

how about you? What lessons have you learned as we progress through this?
 
Breedy said:
Frontline Fire and EMS provider/supervisior here. Dealt WITH H1N1 in 2009 and Ebola when it "hit" Ohio in 2014, so here are some random observations/thoughts...

PPE - Everybody is making a big deal about not having enough, which is true. The why of it is a bit more difficult, but basically it boils down to "I thought someone else was going to handle it". Initially we were told we had plenty of gowns and masks, that's not the case. The Governor has appealed to construction companies and other businesses if they have any stocked away.

Line morale - We are a department of 360ish. I am at Headquarters and deal with my guys, the other two shifts, and now Admin. Mayor declared a state of emergency and canceled all leave. I've had to inform two of my guys and their response was "figured it was coming." I've heard rumors of other individuals throwing tantrums - more on that next.

Hazard Pay- this came up on our Local Facebook closed group. Same guys throwing tantrums think we should get hazard pay. Meanwhile Ohio has shut down bars, restaurants, gyms, libraries, etc... And down stream effects are forcing others to make some tough choices. Lots of people not getting pay checks. The complaining got shut down pretty quick, but it's festering.

Calls for service - Ebola was easy by comparison. Easily identified symptoms and verbal screening, "have you traveled to Africa"...

Not so easy COVID-19, community spread and vague, flu mimicking symptoms. So it's N-95s, gloves, stand off distance, minimal contact, and washing your hands.

Lots of people want a trip to the ER to get tested, but that's not happening on several ends. Again locally, if you are not high risk based on age or co-morbidities like chemo or auto-immune disease, the chance of you get a ride to the hospital is pretty small and getting a test is not going to happen at the moment.

Admin- those guys are taking the brunt of it right now. There are a lot of unknowns, that we've kicked down the road from years past. Hopefully we remember some of these lessons going forward.

Hospitals-first couple days were rough, but I think we are on the same page. Most have set up screening tents in the parking lot. They are having the same PPE issues and morale issues.

Hospital Beds - At least locally, we've closed several community hospitals and shifted others to stand alone ERs and out patient clinics. All admits are now funneled to large facilities, meaning fewer beds and taxing the system. I've heard plans are being made to house non-critical patients in hotels, but at this point I think it's just speculation.

Patients--no confirmed cases yet, but 10 in the county and 50+ thirty minutes North. So yeah, I'm pretty sure we've had contact.

Community - it's odd to see the roads empty at 2:00am and other than our pysch population needing to get ahold of researchers at John Hopkins not a lot has changed.

A couple grocery stores have reached out to our Local to see if we need anything. One suggestion was extended shopping hours for Healthcare employees when/if mandatory OT gets to be disruptive.

Let me know if you guys have any questions or interest in this I will try to pop in and give some updates.
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Thanks Breedy. Stay safe. At least you don't have to worry so much about the 2am ammeture drivers competition. 🤞
 
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