Coronavirus

[bkp_duke]

And assuming you are a week out from your fever you may now have the antibodies and be perfectly safe to go out without risk of infection or spreading the virus. You are right we NEED to test.

This is not entirely true. A significant number of people are still symptomatic and shed the virus past the 3 week point. This bugger has a much longer infection time than something like influenza.

 

[bkp_duke]

Technically premiums are exactly the same. The difference is that the employee is paying 100% of the premiums.

My employees would be in sticker shock if they knew how much their premiums actually were. We cover 100% for the employee, and 75% for family members, and I don't think any of them have ever asked how much the actual cost is.

 

[Dr. J]

OT - @NikolaACDC - many believe it is the DNC that is putting the pressure on to proceed with the primary on Tuesday, as they recently did in Ohio and Florida. Not delaying and/or requiring vote-by-mail with paper ballots is an effort to squash a particular vote that would be documented with such a paper-only vote - the Bernie Vote

"People are saying..." It's often a conspiracy with the Bernie supporters, and those of the other persuasion that want to whip them up.

Alternatively, there are facts:
15 States Have Postponed Their Primaries Because of Coronavirus. Here’s a List.

15 States Have Postponed Their Primaries Because of Coronavirus. Here’s a List.
...
Fifteen states and one territory — Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Wyoming and Puerto Rico — have either pushed back their presidential primaries or switched to voting by mail with extended deadlines.
...
Tom Perez, the D.N.C. chairman, has urged states with upcoming contests to expand their use of voting by mail, no-excuse absentee voting, curbside ballot drop-offs and early voting. The committee also rescheduled the party’s national convention, from mid-July to mid-August.

 

[TheTalkingMule]

My employees would be in sticker shock if they knew how much their premiums actually were. We cover 100% for the employee, and 75% for family members, and I don't think any of them have ever asked how much the actual cost is.

Please, the system is set up that way to be advantageous to the employer, making sure employees have less leverage and can't easily walk away. The expense is far more than offset by maintaining the low wages that haven't increased appreciably since the 70's.

 

[bkp_duke]

Please, the system is set up that way to be advantageous to the employer, making sure employees have less leverage and can't easily walk away. The expense is far more than offset by maintaining the low wages that haven't increased appreciably since the 70's.

BS. It costs me a TON more to cover premiums that I don't have a legal requirement to cover. I could cover 50% of the employee and none of the family and be perfectly within my legal rights to do so. I do and always have treated my employees like family, and that means covering the bulk of their healthcare premiums. It's why it is rare for them to leave or be fired.

Oh, and my employees raises have FAR outstripped inflation or any other measure of cost increase.

Stop trying to impose your believes on my situation.


EDIT - I'm a small enough business (under 50 employees), that I could legally NOT OFFER health insurance and have no legal repercussions what so ever.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Another existing highly tolerated generic drug shows in vitro ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication.

Possible coronavirus drug identified by Monash University scientists

Now we need a clinical study to see if it works in humans. I wonder if someone will step up to fund this.

 

[dhanson865]

worldometer day is reset after midnight GMT+0 which is well after I go to sleep so I'm using the "yesterday" tab to get a set period comparison. Percentages rounded not truncated.

Sorted by number of deaths (not per capita, just gross)

Italy ~12.3%
Spain ~9.5%
USA ~2.7% (this one needs a few weeks to ripen)
France ~8.4%
UK ~10.3%
Iran ~6.2%
China ~4.1%

 

[Ludalicious]

Please, the system is set up that way to be advantageous to the employer, making sure employees have less leverage and can't easily walk away. The expense is far more than offset by maintaining the low wages that haven't increased appreciably since the 70's.

The employer should see an advantage. They took the risk to start their own company. Unless you are willing to take the same risk and work 3 times longer than the average person.... just relax and cash that cheque.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Do you have a source for that? Washington Post says they did fund development of machinery to make masks.
I thought the anthrax scare was under Bush in 2001.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/inve...2dda5c-74fa-11ea-a9bd-9f8b593300d0_story.html

It really doesn’t matter, does it? It’s just finger pointing. From Bloomberg:

The national stockpile used to be somewhat more robust. In 2006, Congress provided supplemental funds to add 104 million N95 masks and 52 million surgical masks in an effort to prepare for a flu pandemic. But after the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009, which triggered a nationwide shortage of masks and caused a 2- to 3-year backlog orders for the N95 variety, the stockpile distributed about three-quarters of its inventory and didn’t build back the supply.

So they spent the funds on something else, which I read somewhere was anthrax readiness, but I can’t find that source anymore.

The constant political bashing here though is tedious and not helpful to anything except making people feel superior that they’ve backed the right tribe.

 

[SageBrush]

Hot air like a hand-held hair dryer?
How long under the heat?

Yes, a hand held dryer. I direct the air outside. I use my hand as a gauge of air warmth at the mask -- warm, not hot
About 10 minutes, then I let the mask sit for at least a day before I use it again

 

[winfield100]

BRAVO, but the not spring chickens amongst us should be wearing masks that help us avoid getting infection.

If you cannot buy polypropelene paper for DIY mask making, PM me and I will mail you some sheets. My family re-use a couple of N95 masks after they are treated with hot air and sit for a couple days; you can do the same.

@SageBrush
Thank you but save them.
We have supplies for 3-4 more months, went on short rations 1-2 months ago, (lost ~10-12lbs! die or diet)
Local Walmart has pick a 1 hour time slot, order on line, drive to Walmart, park in numbered space, inform them of color of vehicle and space, pop trunk, windows closed, they load, inform you substitutions were made you say ok, windows closed, leave.
By end of June, we will venture out, with masks.
We have about 3,000 unread paperbacks, Internet, 6 Alexa’s for music, IP phone calls, TMC, a few college textbooks
Getting ready to download 7th edition of Lehninger Biochemistry Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry 7th Edition Free Pdf Download | Education Books (Free?? perhaps) for a more intensive education on virus’s and how things work

 

[winfield100]

Restricting travel early in a epidemic buys you time, it does not prevent anything. If the bought time is used wisely to prepare then you are a winner. If you are a trump(er), you lose ... just a few weeks later.

We _just_ had 3rd cruise ship with active cases dock at port of Miami, 2 last week with 4 dead and infected (2,500 passengers & crew) unknown # on 3rd ship.

 

[dhanson865]

worldometer day is reset after midnight GMT+0 which is well after I go to sleep so I'm using the "yesterday" tab to get a set period comparison. Percentages rounded not truncated.

Sorted by number of deaths (not per capita, just gross)

Italy ~12.3%
Spain ~9.5%
USA ~2.7% (this one needs a few weeks to ripen)
France ~8.4%
UK ~10.3%
Iran ~6.2%
China ~4.1%

For the per capita crowd the top of the list is (in deaths per million people)

Italy 259
Spain 258
France 117
Belgium 112
Netherlands 97
Switzerland 79
UK 65
Iran 43
Sweden 38
US 26
...
China 2

taken from COVID-19 #CoronaVirus Infographic Datapack — Information is Beautiful

 

[dfwatt]

This is not entirely true. A significant number of people are still symptomatic and shed the virus past the 3 week point. This bugger has a much longer infection time than something like influenza.

But wouldn't a serology test that measures IGG vs. IGM discriminate the folks who are asymptomatic but still shedding viral load? My understanding is that IGM disappears and IGG increases when someone has achieved clearance of the pathogen for at least a couple weeks, yes? Or no?

 

[EinSV]

For the per capita crowd the top of the list is (in deaths per million people)

Italy 259
Spain 258
France 117
Belgium 112
Netherlands 97
Switzerland 79
UK 65
Iran 43
Sweden 38
US 26
...
China 2

taken from COVID-19 #CoronaVirus Infographic Datapack — Information is Beautiful

New York is currently at 212 — on track to surpass Italy and Spain soon, unfortunately.

 

[sparcs]

CDC Guidelines on when to Discontinue Home Isolation without testing:

• If you will not have a test to determine if you are still contagious, you can leave home after these three things have happened:
  • You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use medicine that reduces fevers)
    AND
  • other symptoms have improved (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved)
    AND
  • at least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared

What do you guys think of these CDC guidelines?

 

[NikolaACDC]

My employees would be in sticker shock if they knew how much their premiums actually were. We cover 100% for the employee, and 75% for family members, and I don't think any of them have ever asked how much the actual cost is.

Why don't you tell them?

I mean it, why not send out a mail every year once you know your cost for the following year's benefits.
Without any evaluating comments, just FTI?

 

[SageBrush]

Getting ready to download 7th edition of Lehninger Biochemistry Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry 7th Edition Free Pdf Download | Education Books (Free?? perhaps) for a more intensive education on virus’s and how things work

As a victim of that book during medical school, I advise you to leave it in the ether. Stryer is a more more readable and interesting Biochem book. But what you really want is Molecular Biology. Watson (that Watson) wrote a nice textbook, and a textbook of immunology would be practical. Try Janeway. Round out your reading with a primer of Biostats and a primer of Epidemiology. Then read a Medical history book about epidemics. And lastly, read a Medical School level textbook of Virology followed by a monograph on CoronaVirdae

 

[byeLT4]

This is not entirely true. A significant number of people are still symptomatic and shed the virus past the 3 week point. This bugger has a much longer infection time than something like influenza.

How do we know when someone stops shedding? My county is already claiming 6 recovered, the first confirmed cases coming in only a week and a half ago, responding with and I quote (directly from their county health page)-

"For those that have asked, a person is considered recovered if:
It has been a minimum of 7 days after symptom onset
AND
It has been 72 hours without a fever (without use of fever reducing medications)
AND
They are no longer symptomatic"

I also asked if they were still being quarantined and did not get a response.... I understand the day their test came back positive could be well after they were infected, but I feel like they just aren't being cautious enough with this.

 

[bkp_duke]

Why don't you tell them?

I mean it, why not send out a mail every year once you know your cost for the following year's benefits.
Without any evaluating comments, just FTI?

What purpose would that serve? To brag?

The few employees that have gone job hunting have come back and said "the costs of benefits at the other companies are so much higher".