The Covid-19 Thread: News, Preparation Tips, Etc

dancinstallion

Well-Known Member
He is price gouging. He should be prosecuted, this is sad. I am glad they confiscated it.


Attorney: Houston auctioneer has access to ‘millions’ of masks, ‘truckloads’ of sanitizer but Texas AG stands in way.

Published: March 28, 2020, 12:30 amUpdated: March 28, 2020, 12:44 am
Tags: Coronavirus, Harris County, FEMA, Supplies, Health, Texas, Ken Paxton, Lina Hidalgo

HOUSTON – Houston-area first responders and others could have access to “millions” of additional N-95 masks and “truckloads of hand sanitizer” if it wasn’t for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the attorney for Auctions Unlimited told KPRC 2 Friday.

“[The owner of Auctions Unlimited] is trying to maintain his business while the government is trying to destroy it, all so that Ken Paxton can get a stupid headline,” attorney Charles Adams said. “It’s an embarrassment.”

Tim Worstell is a fourth-generation auctioneer. He is the middle man for companies and individuals trying to sell everything from autographed baseballs to N-95 masks.

Large companies have contracted with Worstell since 2018 to sell their surplus N-95 and other masks, which in normal times sell for about $10 a box.

Earlier this month, Worstell told his suppliers he would put up for auction every single N-95 mask, dust mask, hand sanitizer and other critical supplies “to get them to Houstonians as fast as possible.”

Paxton’s office accused Worstell of price gouging when bidders from the Houston area, including first responders, bid as much as $180 for a box of masks.

“All [the AG’s office] had to do was send me a simple letter,” Worstell said. “I could never get it.”

Worstell said he never received an official government letter telling him to stop the auction. Worstell said he needed the letter to protect him from losing his auction license and breaking his contracts to his suppliers.

“The portrait being painted by the [Texas] Attorney General’s office of my client as some evil human being who was gouging during this time of disaster is completely false,” Adams said.

The night before Paxton’s office filed a lawsuit against Worstell’s online auction house for alleged price gouging, Worstell said a Harris County official called him with an offer to buy the masks for “hammer price,” or the final bidding price.

The Harris County official called it a “fair price," Worstell said.

“The AG was on calls with the County this morning, and agreed to let us pay fair price,” the Harris County purchaser texted Worstell the next morning, before the Attorney General’s lawsuit was filed.

“Here is what the county would like to purchase,” the official said in an email to Worstell later that morning. Hours later, the Paxton’s office filed the price gouging lawsuit.

On Friday morning, FEMA officials emailed Worstell offering to buy the masks. Worstell agreed, and informed Harris County.

Within an hour, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo signed an order to commandeer the N-95 masks, 200,000 dust masks, hand sanitizer and other equipment.

Surveillance video from Auctions Unlimited showed Harris County and FEMA officials arriving at the auction house at the same time. FEMA officials in black SUVs and county officials in white trucks.

Harris County officials presented Hidalgo’s order and proceeded to load the commandeered equipment into a white Penske moving truck.

“That surprised me because I thought, aren’t we all on the same team?” Worstell said. “I’m just a small fish in a big pond. This has definitely been an education.”

Adams said companies that have worked with and trust Worstell have reached out, wanting him to help them sell “millions” of N-95 masks and “truckloads of hand sanitizer” at fair market prices.

“[Worstell] has the opportunity to secure millions more that he could sell to the government on any level, federal, state, county, at far less than they’re paying now, but he’s afraid to do it” Adams said. “He doesn’t want to get into more trouble for doing nothing wrong. It’s absolutely disgusting.”

A Harris County representative told KPRC 2 Friday that county officials wanted to get the masks to people who needed them as fast as possible.

He also said Harris County will pay “fair market” price for the dust masks, N-95 masks and other equipment the county ”commandeered.”

Harris County has not accused Auctions Unlimited of price gouging.

As long as the Paxton’s lawsuit is in place, Auctions Unlimited cannot make the additional N-95 masks and other equipment available to Houstonians, FEMA and others, Adams said.

Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.

https://www.click2houston.com/healt...er-but-texas-ag-stands-in-way/?outputType=amp
 
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Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
Steph Curry has a 30 Minute Conversation with Dr. Fauci
I think it is worth watching. I will summarize some key points below. I strongly suggest you watch it yourself, though.

Curry said that he put the word out and collected the following questions from his viewers and from people that were aware that he would have this one on one with Dr. Fauci.

He said he conducted this interview for another demographic, the very demographic in which he has contact [and upon which he has influence].



Summary:
  1. What is the difference between the flu and Covid-19? The flu has a 0.1% death rate. The coronavirus has a 1% death rate. Thus, it is 10x more serious than the flu. It is extremely transmissable.
  2. Age of people being impacted are mostly older? We are starting to see an alarming trend in Europe in the US. It is still rare, but younger people are dying [in these populations as compared to in China]. We are starting to see younger folks, with no underlying health conditions, getting seriously ill.
  3. As a young person why/how do your actions matter? You can be an asymptomatic vector or carrier. You may not get sick but your family member undergoing chemotherapy could become ill/adversely impacted because of you, from you.
  4. How will we know when we can stop sheltering in place, what metric are you looking at to determine this? You need to see the trajectory of the curve go down for the whole, entire [United States] country. Right now, they are doing mitigation in New York [can't do containment - which is identifying individuals, tracing back contacts, etc] not possible in New York.
  5. If you got sick with the virus, and you recovered, what determines if you are well and can go back to your job or circulate in public without isolation? Right now, the process is 2 cultures are to be performed, done 24 hours apart. Both those cultures must be negative. This the rule now. [ But it is not feasible for everyone to do.]
  6. Can you get re-infected again once you've had this virus? The chances are that if you get infected and recover, you are not going to get infected again [assuming this acts like every other virus that we know.] This situation is what is called herd immunity. [ The virus can no longer find a host in which to enter due to this immunity to it.]
  7. Will the coming warm weather make this virus go away? It is not an unreasonable assumption, but don't count on it. It is true the virus has more difficulty in a warm, wet environment than in a cold, dry environment.
  8. Sheltering in place measures? A lock down is a heavy hammer method. It is a measure that is done in the extreme situation, like for New York. You treat New York different than say Nebraska.[ Nebraska has few enough cases where you can identify folks with the virus, trace back their contacts, isolate and quarantine them. You can't do that with a region/state such as New York, at this time.]
  9. Is there still a shortage of masks? [No].The [distribution] system has now been changed. It is being handled by commercial groups, not be the CDC, now.
  10. Will there be a test to identify people who already had the virus? There are two types of tests. Test 1 is the Antigen test, [to identify] people who are now infected. Test 2 will be an Antibody test [to identify people who had the virus]. Test 2 will show if you were infected. [Test 2] will be cheaper, easier and quicker. Both tests are important. [Test 1 for Antigens for currently infected and Test 2 for Antibodies for those who were infected].
  11. What about a vaccine and when will we have one? The current vaccine development is the fastest ever in the history of the United States. [Phase 1 of Trial] First, me need to make sure it is safe and induces the response we want. That will have the smallest group of about 45 people. That runs about 3 to 4 months. [Phases II and III] of the trial will be an even larger group from 100 up to 1,000s of people. That phase of the trial will take about 8 to 9 months. For a total of about 18 months, for a push for next winter to use the vaccine. The vaccine will be important if the virus cycles [back around] in another [flu] season. The vaccine will be important next time around for the next wave. [The virus is not likely to go away and disappear forever.]
  12. If it comes back [again next Winter] will we have to be do sheltering in place again? [No.]The second wave will be different. We will be able perform the cycle of identify, isolate, contacts, trace. There will should be no outbreak [of this Covid-19] next time. We will be able to contain it at an individual level. We will be able to prevent [an outbreak]. It will be much different than what we are doing [now].
  13. Masks, do we need to wear masks? [Let me explain] what don't need to wear masks mean. You have to prioritize who needs the masks [like for doctors and nurses working with the sick are first priority] You can knock out your health staff. That would not be good. Next [in line of priority] is if you feel sick. [Next and last in line] would be the general population. A mask will protect you at about a 50% level.
  14. Is there a shortage of masks? [No, they are now coming] There is a a stockpile of 10 millions and millions of masks [but] Commercial [manufacturers] are stepping forward wanting to do it themselves. [We are no longer depending upon the CDC, a specialist in disease to distribute masks commercially which is outside their realm of expertise.
  15. What is the biggest misconception [you can dispel for us]? [There are two extreme camps, those that think that the world is ending and those that believe this is a hoax and don't believe it who make no changes in their habits]. The answer/situation lies somewhere between the two. The situation is not convenient. Don't get frightened. Use the energy to do the right things.
  16. How can the regular every day person get updates about this, where can the masses go to learn and get info [about this situation]? You can go to the CDC.gov site, or you can go directly to coronavirus.gov and find it there.
They express mutual admiration for one another and the Live session ends.
 
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Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
Another option or suggestion in place of toilet paper, that may still be available, is a cheap sitz bath made of plastic.

I'm not sure if Amazon is selling this and considering this essential.

Most fit any sized toilet. This one is about 12 dollars. You can disinfect and then reuse it.

If you have toilet paper, having TP is ideal.

 

nyeredzi

Well-Known Member
Our CEO approved hazard pay starting next week. Many departments are rotating workers in and out so that they don't have too many on the floor at the same time. We don't have enough nurses to do that so here I am and here I'll be. So far though, no patient has had to be tested at our facility so I feel okay in the regard that I likely haven't had contact with a patient who has it.

The 2 nurses who had to be tested results are supposed to be back today but our company said it would be a HIPAA violation to notify the other staff. But negative results mean you can come back after 3 days. So if they don't come back on Monday, we'll know what's up.

My husband has already cared for 2 covid patients. It's interesting that you guys are getting hazard pay. They have PPE, but re-use most of it the whole shift.

I just read an article on how just the reduction in pollution from the economic slow down has saved tens of thousands of lives, in just China alone. Because pollution itself is deadly. It just reinforces my belief that some deaths are more dramatic, so we pay more attention to them. Novel ways of dying, fast ways of dying, dramatic ways of dying, and I understand why. Some deaths, we've simply learned to build into our system and resources and account for them, and we regularly accept people dying all the time so that we make money. All of us contribute to this, not just the rich and powerful, though they are the great enablers and promoters. But by our consumption and choices, we contribute to people's deaths all the time.

Coronavirus lockdown may have saved 77,000 lives in China just from pollution reduction
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmc...a-just-from-pollution-reduction/#1f2c06fa34fe
 

nyeredzi

Well-Known Member
I see a lot of talk that there's a blood shortage because so many drives have had to be cancelled and people are of course sheltering now. There's supposed to be one close to me today, so I think I will donate. I hate the feel of blood draws, but in the scope of things, it's a small thing I can do for others.
 

dancinstallion

Well-Known Member
:( I wish her the best

There weren't any other nurses that could be on that floor?

Smh i can't believe people think she should suck it up. People have it twisted you should not have tio die for your job. You should not suffer for your job. Bc in the grand scheme of things your job doesn't care about you

She has options and she chose to quit. The rest of the staff and that manager will have to suck it up.

Most people that I have seen agree with her.
 

nyeredzi

Well-Known Member
It does not make sense for hospitals to not have the proper equipment for health care professionals to care for COVID 19 positive patients. No one should sacrifice themselves for this experiment! Hospitals should be sued.
But how is it their fault? Who could have anticipated this much need for that equipment? They seem unable to get the equipment. What do you think they should do instead?
 

ThirdEyeBeauty

Well-Known Member
But how is it their fault? Who could have anticipated this much need for that equipment? They seem unable to get the equipment. What do you think they should do instead?
If your family needed a medical procedure at a hospital that does not have the equipment, would you have the family member stay there? If you were performing a procedure and definitely did not have what you needed to do the procedure would you still do it?

Order the equipment and make sure the professionals have it. Stop playing like they have to deal with making Macgyver equipments when trucks can bring in equipment from elsewhere.

I bet if this was a TB or H1N1 outbreak equipment would be coming out of emergency storage or patients would be left to die.
 

Ganjababy

Well-Known Member
From the video I get the impression things have been simmering for a while. I may be wrong. Just like how patients can be labelled “difficult” and treated accordingly, I notice this happen to nurses as well. Especially black nurses when they try to stand up for themselves. Though once in a while you do get some people who are actually difficult and are not team players, but not often in my experience. Then once labelled they are treated a certain way.
 

Ganjababy

Well-Known Member
I think the government is at fault for not acting quick enough. I don’t think anyone could have expected this but the slow action made everything worse imo
It does not make sense for hospitals to not have the proper equipment for health care professionals to care for COVID 19 positive patients. No one should sacrifice themselves for this experiment! Hospitals should be sued.
If your family needed a medical procedure at a hospital that does not have the equipment, would you have the family member stay there? If you were performing a procedure and definitely did not have what you needed to do the procedure would you still do it?

Order the equipment and make sure the professionals have it. Stop playing like they have to deal with making Macgyver equipments when trucks can bring in equipment from elsewhere.

I bet if this was a TB or H1N1 outbreak equipment would be coming out of emergency storage or patients would be left to die.
But how is it their fault? Who could have anticipated this much need for that equipment? They seem unable to get the equipment. What do you think they should do instead?
 

Ganjababy

Well-Known Member
ALL OF THIS. The worst females dogs I have met are some nurses. Sorry. Not sorry. I have seen nurses and nursing students mentally break because of bullying and racism. Get thrown out of programs because of racism.
I'd believe that. Bc people are people regardless. One of my first thoughts was what if her manager didn't like her. Or what if her manager showed favortism to a friend so she got sent there. Or what if she didn't like black people. People like to believe people act noblely in all circumstances but that's not true.
 

ThirdEyeBeauty

Well-Known Member
The nurse who quit did the best thing for herself. I see no problem in what she did. She will definitely find another job. More people need to be strong enough to do what she did. How would she be able to take full care of that patient if she lost ALL confidence? There are people who think nothing of this virus for whatever reason (maybe they live alone, have no risk factors, work in infectious disease department already, etc). That's the nurse I would want in this case. I don't want the maternity nurse working ventilators in ICU.

Just to be clear. I am not saying the nurse who quit was not good. She knew her limit in order to provide quality care. Afterall hospitals are not military bases. How do we know some people are not dying due to ignorant mistakes?
 

TrulyBlessed

Well-Known Member
It does not make sense for hospitals to not have the proper equipment for health care professionals to care for COVID 19 positive patients. No one should sacrifice themselves for this experiment! Hospitals should be sued.

Idiot-In-Chief is 100% to blame. Had he not laughed this off months ago by calling it a hoax the US would be in a much better state. Instead of taking heed to warnings and preparing by ordering the proper PPE and tests for our hospitals and healthcare systems he pretended it was a non issue until the virus actually arrived and slapped him in his orange face.
 

ThirdEyeBeauty

Well-Known Member
Idiot-In-Chief is 100% to blame. Had he not laughed this off months ago by calling it a hoax the US would be in a much better state. Instead of taking heed to warnings and preparing by ordering the proper PPE and tests for our hospitals and healthcare systems he pretended it was a non issue until the virus actually arrived and slapped him in his orange face.
That fine. Replace the hospital should be sued to the idiot-in-chief should be.

My point was no one should have to work without proper equipment. What do they think would happen without proper equipment?

I just went online and pretended to order some PPE and order minimal was 1000. I would order from anywhere I could as soon as supplies started to reduce. BUT, maybe the budget was the problem that prevented the supply manager from ordering certain equipment. I understand that. The president should have taken care of that.
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
Regarding a vaccine and the possible mutation of the current Covid-19 virus.

Some people may be concerned that the virus will mutate as it infects and it will mutate and that the vaccine that is in development will be ineffective against it.

Many experts think that this virus will not likely mutate this season and that the vaccine they are currently developing will respond as intended.

To further educate us, these change are referred to as Anti-genic Shift and Drift. Basically, we want antigenic shift. That is when we develop antibodies against the disease and we become immune to it. We don't want antigenic drift because that means the antibodies we develop don't work against the now changed, disease. My understanding is that the standard flu shot must be updated every year due to anti-genic drift because the flu strain changes or mutates every new flu season.

Please note, the definition, infographic and video do not specifically reference Covid-19.


Wikipedia definition and accompanying infographic:
"Antigenic shift is a specific case of reassortment or viral shift that confers a phenotypic change. Antigenic shift is contrasted with antigenic drift, which is the natural mutation over time of known strains of influenza (or other things, in a more general sense) which may lead to a loss of immunity, or in vaccine mismatch."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigenic_shift

Short YouTube video:

 
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Ganjababy

Well-Known Member
A lot of healthcare professionals are dealing with this at the moment. Many cannot up and quit because their families will not eat and their bills will not be paid.

I saw in the news a family of 3 kids and two parents who are both doctors. The parent working with patients with coronavirus has isolated herself to part of their house. Unfortunately not everyone’s house is big enough for this. Some people live in apartments and townhouses with one full bathroom. I could isolate but as I said I don’t have a driving license.

After watching that nurse I think I feel more determined about the decision. I don’t have any children or at risk persons living with me. If/when I do find a job I am thinking to maybe Airbnb near the hospital.
 

Jmartjrmd

Well-Known Member
Four dead and 138 sick on Holland America ship that’s seeking refuge anywhere
By LISA J. HURIASH and EILEEN KELLEY
SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL
MAR 27, 2020 | 8:06 PM




Holland America's Zaandam is at sea hoping to be allowed to cross the Panama Canal and up to Fort Lauderdale.(Holland America/Courtesy)

The cruise ship was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime, far away from Asia where the coronavirus was raging out of control.

Twelve hundred eager passengers set sail March 7 from Argentina for a 14-day cruise offering an itinerary full of magnificent passages and upscale dining.

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Now, days after the passengers were supposed to be back on land, four people are dead, two have just tested positive for the new coronavirus and the number of passengers and crew with flu-like symptoms has nearly doubled to 138 in just three days.

To make matters worse Holland America’s Zaandam is basically adrift at sea, a boat with dozens of sick people and no clear sign of where it can go.


Earlier this week it seemed bound for Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades by Monday. But that, too, is up in the air.

Chile, the ship’s original final destination, turned the sick ship away.


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Panamanian officials are signaling they may not allow the ship passage through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean Sea if anyone on board has the coronavirus. Without passage, it cannot get to the East Coast.

The Zaandam, with 305 Americans on board including Doris and Cliff Kolber of South Florida, is in many ways a metaphor for this country.


To the Kolbers, the ship set sail under sunny skies, a symbol of majestic strength that coronavirus would do no harm after widespread news coverage of the virus spreading to various parts of the
On the day it left port, Robert Redfield, the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was in Broward County, encouraging people to go about their lives and not be saddled by fears of the virus. Vice President Mike Pence took it step further when he said people should continue to cruise. In no time, President Donald Trump would take to Twitter to say the virus was a ploy between the news media and the Democratic Party.


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The Zaandam now is awash in sickness and death, as is much of the world in the grips of this coronavirus pandemic. Things began to spiral horribly out of control seven days into the trip.

The Kolbers and passengers were told to stay in their cabins, where meals and beer and wine would be delivered three times a day. The arrangement was fine, with the Kolbers taking extra precautions such as turning away treats and drinks that were not under a covered dish.


By Friday, they limited themselves to one meal, afraid of opening the door even for a quick second to retrieve their food. They were told to wear masks if they talk with neighbors on the balcony and to wash their hands continually.

“I am very scared to open my door,” Doris Kolber, 65, said when reached by cellphone.

The Kolbers learned that four fellow passengers were dead Friday when the captain made the grim announcement. The company has not said whether any of the dead on the ship tested positive for the coronavirus.

Some Broward County officials triggered apprehension at the thought of overwhelming local hospitals with sick passengers and crew members.

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Erik Elvejord, a Holland America spokesman, said an American, a Swede and people from Great Britain and the Netherlands were dead. Elvejord would not answer questions about how the bodies would be removed from the ship. Of the ship’s plan, he said, “We continue to work with the Panamanian authorities on approval to transit the Panama Canal for sailing to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.”

EARLIER COVERAGE: Cruise ship hopes to dock at Port Everglades with 42 sick people on board »
There are two competing interests to ensure everyone’s safety: The local government has the right to quarantine people, and Holland America has a contract to dock at Port Everglades, said John “Jack” Hickey, a Miami-based maritime trial attorney.

“The question is whether they should exercise that right. Just because you can turn it away or quarantine it does not mean you should," he said. "There may be a better alternative, and the alternative is deal with the people on board.”

“The United States does not seem terribly prepared for this,” he said. “In a perfect world, we should say, ‘Yes, come here, dock here. We’ll institute strict procedures and segregate the sick from the not sick.’”

He says it’s a tough situation. “Eventually they’re going to have to port somewhere. You have to get the people off somewhere, and they’re going to have to deal with them.”

Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine has said that keeping hospital beds and equipment available for sick Broward residents is his priority. He said Friday that no county meeting has been called yet to take a vote to stop the ship.

He said he is waiting for the official plan “to be put forth by the port leadership, unified command and the cruise company.”

With the ship still days away, he also said he is waiting first to see if the ship will be allowed to pass through the Panama Canal, which is the only way to get to Fort Lauderdale.

OPINION: Let the Zaandam dock? That depends on Holland America »
“I continue to pray for the health and safety of all involved,” he said Friday.


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While Udine has said he was frustrated anybody would take off on a cruise during the pandemic, Cliff Kolber, 72, said he thought they would be fine because their itinerary didn’t include Asia or Europe, and restrictions in Florida — from schools to businesses — didn’t begin until after the March 7 cruise began.

Still, they avoided ship’s shows to maintain social distancing. “We wanted to be as safe as we could,” he said. “We did the best we could to avoid staying around people.”

The Kolbers are confined to their room, waiting for the next intercom announcement. Cliff Kolber said the ship offered them a 50 percent refund and another 50 percent discount on a future trip. That may not be enough of an incentive.

“No plans to cruise again,” Cliff said.
 

Ganjababy

Well-Known Member
I just reading this article and it is saying that 3 thousand other nurses also offered their services in Ontario but the province is slow to respond and take them up on their offer. While in Ottawa they are already hiring dozens of nurses for COVID-19 . I think it’s a wait and see situation. But the fact that so many retired, employed and unemployed nurses are thinking the same thing is a relief. I will just concentrate on my courses for now. If they call me up I am ready. If not I am good lol.


@Ganjababy I want you to do the thing you’ve been trained for. AND I want you to sit down somewhere. Lol
 
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