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Day of Chaos 2: a.Covid-19 thread.

Started by TordelBack, 05 March, 2020, 08:57:13 PM

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Funt Solo

Ah - my school has just closed down till April 24th - this is in the US. People keep asking what it all means (for graduation, for learning, for jobs, for life) and all I have is "It's unprecedented".
++ A-Z ++  coma ++

JayzusB.Christ

Quote from: Dudley on 13 March, 2020, 07:51:23 PM
This being the one place I sometimes post where my family isn't likely to see, please allow me to vent. My wife and I are in lockdown because the schools where we live are closed down, and we're lucky enough to have the option of teleworking. Meanwhile, my fucking mother, who has metastatic kidney cancer in both lungs, is refusing to take any precautions at all - this weekend she's been to a bunch of parties and all over the country, basically walking around in every damn crowd she can find. Worse, she's dragging my dad along with her (triple cancer survivor and not in the best of health himself). All the while making blithe little jokes about "if it comes, it comes," seemingly not giving a shit about her life or anyone's feelings but her own. We've tried gently and then less gently getting her to take the whole social distancing thing more seriously, but it just doesn't get through. And there's a limit to how much I can physically interfere given that I am stuck a good 2000 miles away, just going out of my mind.

Thanks for listening /reading /scrolling past, etc. Just really wanted to get that off my chest somewhere.

Aw, man, that's brutal. Mothers have a way of driving you mental sometimes but that's just a whole lot worse. Hope your folks can get through it despite your Mam's belligerent attitude.

Meanwhile, my brother in England is still having to work with huge groups of schoolkids, because fuck Johnson and his sociopathic eugenics approach to human life.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

DaveGYNWA

Sobering moment this evening when I got home from work - my kids (11 and 9) asked if there was anything they could do to help with what is going on.

A little chat later, and they have got text together for a leaflet for them to put through the letterboxes of the estate we are on, offering help to anyone who needs it. Popped it up on the Facebook group for the estate, got a long list of names & numbers to add to the list and volunteers to help distribute the leaflets.

Kids are great.
Peas sell. But who's Brian?

Gary James

For those with friends or relatives who are not taking precautions, perhaps a better way of looking at their actions is that of a coping mechanism - by changing their routine, and accepting that there are significant risk factors involved with crowds and so on, their fear of catching Covid-19 (or, really, any bug doing the rounds) might increase. By maintaining a pattern of behavior which conforms to prior expectations they are simply dealing with events as best they can.

Many older people, having lived through other events of significant disruption, can have a "keep buggering on" attitude - in other circumstances this would be laudable. Don't view their stubborn refusal to follow guidelines as some sort of a death wish, as I'm certain that this isn't going to be the case for most people.

For years I have been mocked for compulively washing my hands, but the reason for OCD now becomes clear - this is how the I'm going to get through the next few months (hopefully) unscathed. I can't afford to catch anything, least of all Captain Trips.

TordelBack

Christ, Dudley that's a shite situation. As detailed upthread, I had to genuinely terrorise my parents to get them to behave (there were spreadsheets) - luckily I did it early enough that as events have unfolded I've now achieved a certain prophetic noteriety, and they seem to be toeing the line. Although my Dad may never forgive me for physically barring him from going to the pub with a terminally-ill mate. I doubt it will save them, but at least we will know we tried.

My aunt, OTOH, went down to the PO for her pension today despite my filling out the forms for her to get it put in her bank 3 months ago, then to the hairdressers, and marvelled at how quiet it was, then into Tesco for some fresh buns. There she met a very kind neighbour who has been delivering food to her this past fortnight, who was horrified to find this frail 92 year old woman in the bakery section. Apparently said neighbour was 'very rude, I don't know what got into her'.

And so it goes.

TordelBack

Sorry for the double post, but if you haven't read this article you must, and then share it.

This is the one that, like the Terminator, lays it all down: hidden cases, judgement day, the history of things to come. Be like Miles Dyson: take it pretty well, but listen.

Eamonn Clarke

A doctor writes:
It seems inevitable now that most of us are going to be exposed to this virus over the coming year, tens (or hundreds) of thousands of us are going to contract the Covid-19 illness, and thousands are going to die.

We are going to run out of something but it's won't be toilet rolls. It's going to be hospital beds in general, and intensive care beds in particular. People who should be in an ITU bed are going to be cared for on standard wards, people who should be on the ward are going to be nursed in corridors, and people who should be in hospital are going to be kept at home.

It seems the only chance the elderly or people with chronic health conditions have is to delay their exposure to the virus until later in the year when there may be a bed for them, or to try and avoid it altogether.

So we should all:
Avoid crowded places or events.
Do not travel by plane if you can avoid it.
If you can arrange to work from home then do so.
Unless you are unwell please stay away from the NHS.
If you are due a routine medical review or have some non urgent problem you want to see your GP about please don't come to the surgery. Ring us and hopefully we can do it by phone or video.
If you get a cough, sore throat or fever then go straight home. Current advice is 7 days. I would say 14.
If this happens and you have a pre-existing health condition (asthma, diabetes, heart disease, COPD, cancer, or any form of immunodeficiency) then get medical advice from 111 or your surgery by phone.
If you get breathing difficulties then get immediate medical advice by phone.
Do not visit elderly relatives or friends unless it is to drop off supplies.
Talk to them regularly by phone or video instead.
Tell them to do the same.
I know it is proving difficult for many people to convince older relatives but try to impress on them the seriousness of this. Tell them it's doctor's orders.

Additional thoughts.
We're comic fans so spare a thought for the industry that relies on us to keep going.
If you have an order at your local comic shop then try and pay them by phone or online even if there's going to be a delay in picking them up. Maybe they will be offering a postal service.
If you are out and about then pick up the prog and other comic magazines
Conventions are going to be cancelled so perhaps contact your artist of choice to pay them for a sketch or commission.
Support the small press comics people if you can.
And if you're still reading this far then please think about some of the worst off people in society who are going to be hit hard.
Donate some of the money you won't be spending on social events to homelessness charities, food banks, or organisations that support refugees (Just a thought).

Above all please be kind.
And now wash your hands.
Thank you for your attention.
Eamonn Clarke
A NHS GP

JayzusB.Christ

"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

JayzusB.Christ

Excuse the double post, but something has just occurred to me, which will be blindingly obvious already to most of you: if Johnson believes in 'herd immunity', why hasn't he already made efforts to 'immunise' himself and his own family (at least, the ones he can find)?  It's can't be that hard to find a sick person and get yourself infected.

Or maybe the 'herd' doesn't include Tory public school types.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

TordelBack

Brilliant Eamonn, thanks for this. You are as always the very best of us.

The appeal to accelerating herd immunity is a counsel of despair. That was obvious as soon as Katie Hopkins started tweeting about how chickenpox parties never did her any harm. I'm having none of it.

Steve Green

Quote from: Eamonn Clarke on 14 March, 2020, 10:07:51 AM
Avoid crowded places or events.

Scottish contingent meet-ups were well ahead of the curve there.

TordelBack

Quote from: Steve Green on 14 March, 2020, 12:59:36 PM
Quote from: Eamonn Clarke on 14 March, 2020, 10:07:51 AM
Avoid crowded places or events.

Scottish contingent meet-ups were well ahead of the curve there.

Pioneers of social distancing.

shaolin_monkey

For both truth and a dark chuckle at the situation, here's Honest Government Ads:

https://youtu.be/Hks6Nq7g6P4

JayzusB.Christ

I would like to hereby start a campaign to get Johnson and his herd immunity advisers infected, then send them to an isolated house till they're good and immune.

I'll let Boris decide himself whether he wants to take his elderly mother along to get naturally immunised too.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Dandontdare

I'm in Lanzarote- due to fly home tomorrow but first 2 confirmed cases yesterday's at our resort. Jet2 flights have been turning back to UK mid flight but Ryanair don't seem to give a $%*#

I would happily be trapped here or have some self isolation back home, even if if unpaid. I just don't want to go to work on Monday  :(