[Milly]

So I'm in Italy, more deaths than China yesterday. We have 6pm daily updates, yesterday 620 deaths, it will not be less today.

Certainly Italy must have made mistakes right at the beginning when it was spreading, although to be fair, no one knew what was happening yet.

We are all asking ourselves why our death rate is so high. It's a daily question, it's the subject of nightly tv shows. I would think it's a combination of factors:

not knowing what was going on at first

large number of elderly

society: families living together

culture: very social. All ages meet up. The old often meet in the local bar/café on a daily basis to play cards. People my age go out for a pizza with friends every weekend. Teens and early twenties all meet daily in groups after school. It's fun to be a teen in Italy, but they are very touchy feely, lots of kisses and hugs, holding of each other's arms and hands even between friends is very common of all ages.

Health service: not enough ICU beds, not enough doctors and nurses so when the virus burst, there just weren't enough beds to help everyone.

Numbers: could be the number of infected people are much higher than we know, which would make the death rate more understandable.

Here, there is no doubt that the coronavirus is not your average flu. First of all because it is much more contagious. Secondly, nobody was immune to it, we have no medicines to cure it, no vaccines.

Although deaths are 90% among the elderly with pre-existing conditions (we know of many elderly cured, too), there are also many in their forties and fifties in the ICU, some completely healthy people in this age range have sadly died, too. We are so sad for all these families.

Many doctors and nurses have been infected. In one hospital alone near Milan, 70 health care workers are positive and 20 have died.

Thankfully, no children have been seriously affected at this point.

Everything except for supermarkets and pharmacies are closed. We are allowed to go for a walk or a run by ourselves close to home but that might be banned too since our numbers are not going down.

Funerals and weddings are banned. People die on their own as family is not allowed in to keep them company, not even on their last moments. On tv we see military trucks of coffins being taken away to be cremated.

We learn that so many talented people are working like crazy to turn what they do daily into something needed to go through this virus. A tights' factory has begun making masks with some particular fabric they have which is very resistant. Can't remember the words. It's not a mask a doctor would wear, but it could be a solution for the rest of us when we have to go out and do the shopping.

A lung specialist in one of the hospitals has come up with a way to have one respirator feed two patients, doubling up the number of people who can be treated.

I am hopeful when I read that 3boy's son's girlfriend's grandfather is reacting well to the trial medicine. This is so important. I do hope he keeps improving.

To me, this is not as bad as BD, or maybe my LBS skills have helped me and my kids just accept what's happening and have a view that we just carry on. However, I do feel it could be the worst world disaster yet. JMO.

We try to stay positive but there is no future to imagine at this point. I trust that it will all go back to normal as China does seem to be heading towards that.

In the meant time, keep far from others, stay in, obviously wash hands. They tell us that quarantine is one of the main ways to battle a pandemic. In southern Italy which was quarantined at the same time as we were, the numbers are really low, which shows that early lock down works. Can't stop the virus, but we can put the health service in a position to be able to treat us properly.

[Treasur]

I spoke to a friend this morning whose son lives in Beijing. He told his father that today was the first day when life has seemed a bit normal and he had been able to get out and about. But, he had also been stopped six times already by midday and forced to have his temperature checked by the local police. So, a little glimmer of hope and a different approach from China fwiw.

[stillbaffled]

Milly, thank you for letting us know how you and the kids are doing.  I think of you each day when I'm listening to the news and they're reporting on Italy. 

 

[Seahorse]

Milly - thanks for the update there.
Glad you're still doing okay.

Another point - if you become ill, try to take tylenol and stay away from non-steroidal like ibuprofen and naproxen.

This doesn't hit me as hard as I was hit at BD either.
For me, though, I think it's because I am okay if I die.
I had so much I wanted to do in retirement with my H, but now it's different.
There's so much I want to do, and will still do, alone.
I know my kids are older, and I no longer have a partner to share the joy with, eventhough I'll be experiencing it by myself.
My faith guides me to know that I'll be in a better place after I die, so ...

That being said - I'm doing all I can to protect myself and not get sick.
I'm just saying that it's different and not quite so scary.

Sea

[3Boys4Me]

Thanks Milly. Italy has been hit so hard - definitely believe the communal nature of the country as well as the affection you all show each other likely helped the spread - I think in the USA we are replicating Italy’s experience in many ways - in two weeks time we will know more. Grandpa continued to improve, a huge blessing. There will be a cure and treatment in the next year or so, until then we must all change our ways of socializing. Today I feel a bit better, S14 was out of breath today just climbing a set of stairs, so we are very cautious. My chest still hurts too, but at least I am not bed bound like yesterday. 

For me this is nothing like BD. BD was a complete rejection of me as a wife, person, our family, our life. The blindside of bomb drop has no comparison.

[Puzzled]

3Boys, It makes my day to hear that you are feeling better! You and your family continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.

Milly, thanks for providing an update and inside perspective.  I hope that the new measures - all non-essential work that cannot be done from home to cease - will soon see a decline in numbers.  It was also interesting to read that the south has low numbers of infections. I guess there are often those hotspots (as we've seen in the Hubei province in China) and with the right measures in place, the infections don't spread uncontrollably. We can do something to prevent this, and this gives hope, however dire the situation may seem now.

Here in Germany, students are starting to offer their help in buying groceries and medications for the elderly. If set up right (no direct interaction between the students and the elderly to exchange goods and money), this may protect the elderly from contracting the virus when going out shopping.  There are also some grocery chains that offer delivery.  I wonder whether such services would help in Italy as well.

Please all protect yourselves as much as possible and stay healthy.

[Milly]

3boys, so glad to hear you're a little better today. Hope S14 will too. Let us know.

Sea, good advice on which medicines to take.

Puzzled, great stuff they are doing in Germany regarding having students deliver to the elderly. I know that in China they had staff from restaurants and bars that couldn't open deliver food. Here, unfortunately, we have such strict, archaic, can't see outside the box laws that govern employment, that local stores can't just switch to hiring waiters (just one example) to deliver for stores, hereby helping the restaurants by not having to pay someone's wage whilst they aren't making any money.

On the volunteering side of things, I have seen that where one of my friends lives in the center of Florence, they were offering to do this delivery to the elderly but I suspect it won't be allowed. I do think though, that they need to work something out quickly. I don't think we can keep going to the supermarket, it doesn't make sense.

As Puzzled mentioned, last night at 11pm the prime minister made a live announcement: all business to close, except primary needs such as food, pharmacy, petrol station, outdoor news agents. I don't know yet where this stands for agriculture like the business I'm in. Up until now, workers have carried on working in the vineyards.

Last night's 6pm bulletin: 720 deaths since the day before. As they told us, these are the deaths connected to contact from 2 weeks earlier.

This virus is extremely contagious and is transferred onto others very easily. They don't know why, but it seems to be able to carry to at least 2 meters. People are getting infected from sitting next to someone who did not sneeze or cough.

[readytofixmyselffirst]

Hello,

I just got a message from someone in the Philippines that stated the following steps have been recommended from China, how much of this is true, I don't know but a lot of it is just common sense so it doesn't hurt.

1. If you go out, when you come home, go and directly shower. The virus can get in your hair and clothes. Either wash clothes daily that are exposed or allow to hang in the daylight to neutralize the virus.
2. Wash hands often using any soap that foams. Wash for 20 seconds.
3. Drink warm fluids, coffee, tea, soup often and try drink warm water every 20 minutes.
4. Avoid social contact and stay home as much as possible
5. Clean and wipe common use surfaces and door handles often. Especially metallic surfaces. Be careful in touch handrails and other commonly held items when out.
6. Gargle with a antiseptic with warm water, every day if possible.

Just be safe and take care of yourselves- LBSers unite to survive!

((((Ready))))

[xyzcf]

Good morning to all of you around the world. I wake up in the morning and think "what happened?" It is hard for me to comprehend how the whole world is impacted by this virus and how quickly it changed everything.

I just wanted to reach out to you and send a virtual hug to you this Sunday morning.  Stay healthy. Stay safe. Reach out to others so you do not feel so alone. We are fortunate to have technology that allows us to connect with one another even though we are in our personal bubbles.

I DO BELIVE that we have the brightest minds, the most determined scientists around the world who are going to solve this. But as with our proverbial MLC mantra, it will take TIME.

I leave you with a scripture that called to me this morning:

John 14:27 New International Version (NIV)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

May each of you know, that you are not alone. This HS community has been a support for me for many many years. We are a "family" in many ways, and I thank each of you for being in my life, especially in times when I need a friend.

[marvin4242]

I came across two articles that some of you may find interesting. The first one definitely is a very good (expert interview) assessment of what we are facing, so good to read for everyone

"The doctor who helped defeat smallpox explains what’s coming"

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/the-doctor-who-helped-defeat-smallpox-explains-whats-coming/

The second one is a bit technical but gets into the details of what we are doing to tackle the virus. In it a bit too technical perhaps but I am including for people who may have interest.

"COVID-19: the biology of an effective therapy"

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/covid-19-the-biology-of-an-effective-therapy/

I think its interesting that a technical site is writing some of the better more clear headed and detailed articles on the topic.