[Whyus]

Milly, italy seems like it is a total mess Right now and yes it has to do with the "older" Population and social behaviour amongst Italians. I didnt see it myself but apparently the Italian PM said that italy has lost the fight against Corona, the Hospitals are full and there is nowhere to store/bury the bodies.
There are alot of countries who may be hit as hard as Italy but most should be more like China (which is bad enough) JMO.

I would like to extend my "Turkey" example which Shows how quickly the Virus can spread.
"On the 12.03 Turkey had just one case, 13.03 - 5, 15.03 - 6, 16.03 - 18 17.03 - 47 18.03 - 98 19.03 - 192 20.03 - 359….. " 21.03 -670 22.03 - 1.236 23.03 - 2.000+X?

In the amount of new cases in Germany seems to have slowed down over the past 2 days after having an horrific day on Friday. It is still to early to say that the curve is starting to flatten but hopefully its a good sign. I guess time will tell.
I am one of the ones who still has to go to work and help Keep everything going. I have just came out of a Meeting where our Home Office rules have been lightened, I will have to share a Laptop with a workmate and will be mostly working from home. We all still Need our businesses and employers when we come out of this so it has to go on somehow. Yes I have one of those Office Jobs where we work through this, without everybody thanking us or clapping for us. Its fine but I would rather be a Doctor Right now than an Engineer as I feel a Little useles atm but we all have to Play our part I guess.

In the USA, especially NY the Virus seems to be spreading very rapidy atm. We can only hope that it loses Momentum sooner than later but that will depend on how many People take the precations seriously I guess.

Heads up and soldier on.
We will get through this $h!te and Hopefully we will come out of it better than we went in.

[forthetrees]

Cannot believe they´d make you share a laptop. Seems like a huge risk. Got isopropyl alcohol and cotton balls?

[MyBrainIsBroken]

I live in NY state and work in EMS (volunteer). While the number of confirmed positive cases in this state have rapidly increased, it's hard to say what the virus itself is doing. The only thing I think we know for sure is that the amount of testing that is being doing has increased rapidly. If you don't have confirmed cases because you aren't testing for it, does that mean the virus isn't there?

In the rural county where I live we have just 2 confirmed cases. The other 40 or so tests have all come back negative. Unfortunately, it took almost a week to get those test results back so we still don't know what the actual status is right now.

[readytofixmyselffirst]

Hello,

While the number of confirmed positive cases in this state have rapidly increased, it's hard to say what the virus itself is doing.

I agree with Brain. I live in Southern California and the three counties I work in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino only have 155 cases between all three, but they are spread out so you have to assume the virus is everywhere right now.

Testing has been limited and so you don't know if you are a carrier or not. Many infected can not show any or a few signs while others are critically infected. For example, in Riverside County only has 45 cases , but six people have died. It is a very serious disease and we need to be careful not only for our lives but the lives of others.

Brain, thank you for your help. Have you had plenty of protection, masks, gloves and other items?  I have heard there is a shortage of masks for the people who really need them and actually know how to use them. I was in a grocery store yesterday and a man had his mask on with his nose out. LOL

So Brain, keep up the good work, but be safe!

((((Ready))))

[Thunder]

To me the worse part of this is getting everyone to take this serious.  Stay home and away from people, unless it is important you need to go out.
I have an eighty something year old woman who lives downstairs from me, she is in and out all day long.  Where in the heck is she going?? 

MB, what you do is important.  My granddaughter is a manager of a big grocery chain.  She can't stay home, people need to be able to shop for food and supplies. 

But if you can work from home, do it!  It's one of the best ways to stop this disease.

[Ggg4life]

Thunder-
Your post reminded me of last week.  I had to go back for reimaging for my mammogram, which thankfully all is well. The girl who was doing the exam said they had a big flux of mid to young age woman cancelling.  The problem they never anticipated was that the elderly not cancelling and showing up when they should be at home.  When I saw the Dr. He said they had just decided to go to a skeleton crew and no one is allowed to come back unless an emergency .  They took precautions before Thursday's news.  I never stopped to think of these lovely ladies as high risk carriers as well as high risk.  Crazy how we really need to think of various forms of contact. 
Stay safe everyone!

[lawprofessor]

Checking in from Northern Illinois.

We have 3 cases in my county, a bit outside Chicago.  Our Governor was very on top of things.  He closed restaurants early on.  We now have shelter in place orders with nonessential businesses closed.  But the factories are still working.  It was only this morning that the first 2 major factories closed sending about 2,000 people home.  The local car plant is not working either, with about 7,000 out of work. 

People have cleaned the shelves and are acting ridiculous.  A woman tried to steal some groceries out of my cart the other day.  I told her to drop my groceries or Corona virus would be the least of her worries.  She dropped the food and walked away saying she didn't know it was mine.  Really?  Hmmm.

Speaking of food hoarding, now on Facebook I see people asking if milk can be frozen as it's coming to the date of expiration from the first round of milk hoarding. 

 We see pictures nighty of people congregating at parks and beaches, having play dates etc on the coasts.  What is so hard to understand about staying home?  That the virus has a long life on surfaces and even those who seem well may not be.  Out here, common thought is that these people are a$$holes that should get sick.  We are out of work, staying home, and these morons are likely adding to the time we have to stay in, much less adding to the spread of the disease.  Irresponsible and childish.  Now I don't think anyone deserves the virus but it's hard to understand this level of stupid.  Some talk of Marshall law if these people continue to behave in this manner.

At work, crime is increasing as people are home.  Domestic violence is slowly increasing in number for example.  Prisons are seeing cases pop up, and the spread of the virus is much quicker than in public, both in the Federal and state prison systems.  Cases are piling up.  Some say who cares if it wipes out the prison population.  These same people forget guards, doctors, nurses, and employees work in prisons and go home to their families taking the virus home as well. 

My parents are elderly and J is at higher risk so some worries there as well.  J is still working but he's alone at night at the shop. 

I'm keeping busy with chores, volunteer work, cleaning, exercising, yardwork and reading.  A rotating list of things to get done each day keeps me from getting lazy or down in spirit.

Saddens me that Easter services likely won't occur as Easter is big in my culture and neighborhood.  And talking daily to Airmid, who is in NYC, quite scary to see the pictures of that city looking like a ghost town.  The other day she sent me an announcement that homeless people in shelters were testing positive in NYC.

And there are still some who seem to think this is no big deal, a political stunt related to the coming election, rather than a health emergency.  Ignorance and denial are not just MLC symptoms apparently.

Best to you all,
Lp

[xyzcf]

On  neighborhood website "Nextdoor" people are expressing that the government has no right to take away our civil liberties and that once they are taken away, we won't get them back. Some say that due to our "freedom of assembly" that the government cannot limit the number of people who are allowed to gather together and asking if we are ok with the government "detaining us for an unspecific amount of time) because of the virus.

It is hard to understand how seemingly educated people cannot listen to what science tells us..the only weapon we have at present is to flatten the curve.

[marvin4242]

On  neighborhood website "Nextdoor" people are expressing that the government has no right to take away our civil liberties and that once they are taken away, we won't get them back. Some say that due to our "freedom of assembly" that the government cannot limit the number of people who are allowed to gather together and asking if we are ok with the government "detaining us for an unspecific amount of time) because of the virus.

It is hard to understand how seemingly educated people cannot listen to what science tells us..the only weapon we have at present is to flatten the curve.

You are so spot on here. I think most people confuse freedom with the right whatever they want to do, damned be everyone else. It is mistaking narcissism with freedom, and honestly its becoming a social epidemic. Its like they don’t understand communities and groups are necessary for us to be individuals and to have freedoms that are worth having. Because you can ultimately be free as a lone individual with no one around, but its not a life worth living.

Then again I have observed for years now that there is an anti intellectual and now anti science, anti knowledge and anti expert streak that is much stronger in US than in other parts of the world. You see it clearly even in the anti-vaccine movements. It is simply maddening. And obviously is part of what may be a very uncontrolled outbreak over there.

[MyBrainIsBroken]

Thanks Ready!

We have a problem getting masks. Our regular supplier is out. But here's the dirty little secret nobody is talking about related to our healthcare system. Shortages are common, even during normal times. The healthcare system seems to be operating on the same Just In Time principle that invaded manufacturing years ago. It's hard to believe but quite often medications we depend on are either out or on backorder. Sometimes we're told to continue using expired medications because there is no supply of new ones to replace them. IMO this is why the hospitals are so worried.

Everything has been cut to the minimum requirements. We used to have three hospitals in my area with three functioning emergency rooms, including one here in my hometown. Now one has been completely closed and torn down and the hospital in my hometown has been converted to a long term care facility with a small urgent care facility that can't even accept ambulances. The one remaining ER stays pretty busy and from what I've heard it's even worse in nearby cities.

Our healthcare system has been in trouble for a while. This is just making it more visible.