You just can't be careful enough - COVID

[Brian Elfert]

My friend in his 50s is hospitalized with COVID. He has no idea where he got COVID. He isn't employed right now (his choice). I know he goes out shopping. I don't think he has been to a restaurant because that is a luxury at his income.

I bet it will end up costing taxpayers at least $100,000 for his care as he is on Medicaid.

[Mel Fulks]

We wish them well. My guess is she got a bad cold and then caught covid in in the hall way. Or from her doctor.
I was just looking at some of the new numbers on covid economy consequences. Ventriloquists seem to be hit the hardest.
But the last time I saw Charlie Mc Karthy and Nucklehead Smith perform...they seemed a little ...wooden.

[Andrew Joiner]

I have a friend with multiple underlying health conditions that makes COVID-19 especially dangerous. Due to this, She and her husband (both retired) have gone the extra mile to avoid contracting the virus. Online shopping or curbside pickup only. Neither of them have been in a store since March. All packages dropped by FedEx or UPS are put in garage by the driver and they retrieve the package with gloves to to wipe off and open it. No takeout food of any type and no visitors to their home, nor do they visit others. Only appointments kept are with their doctors and always masked. I don't believe that they are afraid as much as just trying to prevent a problem.

Despite all these precautions, they have just both tested positive of COVID-19. He is relatively "okay" and at home. She's in the hospital, which is over capacity, so her bed is in a hallway! Her doctor figures the only way they could have contracted the virus is that the groceries they get curbside must have been packaged by an asymptotic person with COVID.

I guess my take away from all of this is that it is apparently impossible to completely protect yourself from the virus.

So sad to hear. My best wishes to you and your friends Lisa. I'm grateful for all the very positive feedback here.
I'm puzzled why anyone would joke about this. I guess we're all free to have our own "take" on things here. In the past I would make sarcastic jokes about things I was afraid of or didn't want to accept, but I'm trying to be an adult now.

[Bruce King]

Lisa, sorry to hear that, hoping for a full recovery for your friends.
Everyone needs to evaluate Dr appointments, many are unnecessary, the following up, follow up of a follow up. I am convinced they got exposed in a Dr office. The techs that check your BP and temperature are my biggest fear as well as the over crowded situation and probably poor air filtration.

[Kev Williams]

They say hospitals are the worst place to be if you don't want to get sick...

Sorry to hear about your friends Lisa, I wish them well....

My wife's youngest son (he's 38) called just this morning, he and his 8 year old son just tested positive He's been doing Door Dash... A buyer I've known for probably 30 years, her mother recently left the hospital after a 2-week-ish stay. Her aunt (her moms sister) paid the ultimate price in October. An older friend of mine spent a couple of weeks in the hospital, he came home about 2 weeks ago. He called me yesterday and said he won't even drive yet because he's so weak still.

I know I'M taking this thing seriously. I wear a mask AND gloves when I go out, and carry my own sanitizer. The wife recently bought 1/2 dozen face shields from Amazon, they're the same ones I see on nurses a lot on TV, blue band that says 'face shield'- I've taken to wearing one of them too when I shop, to help keep any errant viruses out of my eyes, which by the way is probably how many folks are getting infected. Kids look at me like I'm a doctor, or maybe a martian. Doesn't matter to me if the thing helps! I sanitize my shopping cart. About every 3rd product I put in my cart I'll clean my hands and the cart again. I sanitize at the checkout counter, before and after using the CC machine. With the gloves I sanitize the gloves and my cloth mask before I remove them, then sanitize my bare hands and my whole face. So far so good it seems. And even if I'm not (never tested), I'm doing my best to not spread it around.

My biggest issue with Covid at the moment is that I haven't seen a doctor in years, and I really need to... But not now I won't...

[Mel Fulks]

"If we can not all get with the program we will have to live with this malady with us for a while."

[George Bokros]

Sorry to hear about you friend Lisa. We are taking all precautions we can and praying a lot. My son, in his 50's, delivers bread, buns,etc. to grocery stores and restaurants so we are very concerned for his exposure

Wishing your friends a full recovery and no "long hauler" issues.

[Ole Anderson]

OK, that is a scary report. Up until now, I had the understanding, as reported by the "professionals", that to contract Covid you needed to be in the close presence of a carrier for at least several minutes and that it generally wasn't spread by touching surfaces and you needed a good dose, not just a few stray viruses. Yikes.

[Jim Becker]

Ole, there is "less" risk from picking up the virus by contact, but it's still there. Hence the hand-washing and sanitizer thing. And it's true that a higher virus load exposure is morely likely to result in infection, but that's not absolute, either. Viruses can be wily things, sadly...hence, I think that Lisa's thread title is absolutely spot on.

[John K Jordan]

...The wife recently bought 1/2 dozen face shields from Amazon, they're the same ones I see on nurses a lot on TV, blue band that says 'face shield'-...

Another option to keep virus from the eyes is the eye shield that dentists often use. I first saw them in my dentist's office a few years ago and bought some right away for farm and shop use - won't protect the eyes from impact but help with irritants and pathogens. I wear one when I have to go into a store for some reason or visit a doctor's office where I might have to sit in a waiting room or may have to remove my mask temporarily.

This is one such eye shield. There are many others identical and some variations.
https://smile.amazon.com/Disposable-.../dp/B087NKX6WW

(Pay no attention to bad reviews that say this type of eye shield is "cloudy" and difficult to see through - these people didn't notice the plastic shield has a protective film that must be removed. Or some who complain they are difficult or impossible to assemble.)

[Kev Williams]

This is the type the wife got.
fshield.jpg
I like the foam seal above my eyes, it weighs nothing and when you remove the protective film ( ) it's perfectly transparent.

[Jim Becker]

Kev, just to be sure it's clear here in the thread, one must also wear a regular face mask with a face shield like that. The face shield primarily protects the eyes. The mask does the deed for the mouth/nose/respiration.

[Ole Anderson]

Kev, just to be sure it's clear here in the thread, one must also wear a regular face mask with a face shield like that. The face shield primarily protects the eyes. The mask does the deed for the mouth/nose/respiration.

Indeed Jim. I see too many wearing just the face shield.

[Tom M King]

Including NFL coaches, that are supposed to be wearing protection. I wish that people who set examples would be good examples.

[Roger Feeley]

Keep the stories coming folks. We all need a reminder from time to time. Also, this case casts some much needed doubt on the notion that masking and social distancing will reduce the initial viral load and, thus, make the case less severe by giving your extra time to mount a defense. The lesson here is that this virus is highly unpredictable. I will continue to take all precautions but, as we all know, it just no guarantee.

I would imagine that I will get a vaccine in the spring sometime. You can bet that I will be right there on day one to get stuck.

So help me, if it gets much worse, I'm going to break out my triton air supplied respirator. I have some non-woven polyester I have been using for mask filter inserts. I could beef up that bad boy. The only down side is that I would be outputting unfiltered air.

Two notes:
1. Not me in the picture.
2. The batteries gave out a long time ago. I modified it to use Milwaukee battery packs.
Screenshot - Sunday,12,6,2020 , 10_18_11.jpg