Our dentist office just announced they are reopening, with the DOH’s blessing. They are taking as many precautions as they can (prescreening, temp checks, masks up to the start of cleaning, hand washing on arrival, etc.). They wouldn’t be doing this if PPE wasn’t finally available to them again. So I guess DD’s early June appointment is on (I go later in the month).
Another way we test the waters.
States really cannot afford to do it and so far the funding for it has been pretty much non existent.
I’m fine with states doing it on their own, but many are reopening without either enough testing and very little tracing ability as of now. They should not be opening without these protocols operational. But they are anyway.
Antibody testing you mean? Do you have a reason to believe you had it? I do, so I’d take it - IF its an accurate one. Do you know who is implementing it? Which lab, I mean?
Indiana is posting % of Covid+ with each of the following morbidities: High blood pressure, diabetes, COPD, Renal, CHF, cancer, CerebVD, and MI. These are given both for hospitalized and ICU admits. Both of those categories descend in the order listed. 24% of ICU admits have high blood pressure, 15.6% have diabetes, The others are lower than 12%.
The difficulty is that some of these co-morbidities are related. Obesity is linked to increased risk of diabetes… to heart disease… to high blood pressure… to stroke… to gall bladder…
And the sad thing is that the US is getting fatter by choice – most overweight country in the western world.
Regarding the risk level of getting the virus in various environments and activities, would it be reasonable to make an analogy to secondhand smoking and vaping?
Consider that if you are in an enclosed space, particularly one where you and other people inside are stationary (such as eating in a restaurant, or attending an in-person class at a school or college), someone smoking or vaping can spread and concentrate secondhand smoke or vape through the space, with little you can do to avoid it. Even if you can move around in an enclosed space, you may still be forced to breathe the secondhand smoke or vape as it spreads within the enclosed space but is not dissipated. (Yes, this is why many places prohibit smoking or vaping indoors.)
On the other hand, if you are outside moving around, and someone is smoking or vaping, you can easily avoid getting too close to the smoker or vaper, and even if you do pass through the secondhand smoke or vape, you will have only transient exposure to it for a very short time, and the outside air will quickly dilute or dissipate the smoke or vape. However, if you are stationary, and someone is smoking or vaping directly upwind of you, you could end up exposed to the secondhand smoke or vape for longer.
Using this analogy, if you are in a situation where, if someone were smoking or vaping, you could easily avoid the smoke or vape, or have at most minimal exposure to it, then the risk of getting a high dose of virus is small if you social-distance as if everyone were potentially contagious (or may start smoking or vaping). But if you are in a situation where you would not be able to avoid the smoke or vape from someone who is smoking or vaping, then the risk of getting a high dose of virus is larger.
For those who want to assess personal risk for doing various activities, that that be worth considering when deciding whether each activity is worth the risk of doing. Businesses that have outdoor areas may want to see if they can move some of the business activity to the outdoor areas.
@sryrstress, I would be interested in seeing that site. Do you have a link?
FWIW
‘New Studies Add to Evidence that Children May Transmit the Coronavirus
“Experts said the new data suggest that cases could soar in many U.S. communities if schools reopen soon.“
Regarding co-morbidities, we need to be careful not to confuse correlation and causation. Also, we need to consider the level of occurrence in the general population. I googled percent of Americans with hypertension, and some sources said that 1/3 of adults over age 20 have hypertension. The percentage in adults over age 50 was considerably higher than that. So, for instance, if 24% of ICU admits have hypertension, that is actually less than would be expected based on the percentage of people with hypertension in the general population.
@rjm2018 Regenstrief Institute is the institute working with the Indiana State Dept. of Health to parse all the data. ISDH also posts a daily dashboard. Link below.
In conjunction with some of the above posts, our state commissioner of health tells us often at the daily press conferences our death rate is/will be higher than some states because Hoosiers are fat and smoke. They also tell us daily that 91%+ of our deaths are age 65+, and that we are opening based not only on daily rates, but hospitalizations and capacity.
I googled percent of Americans with hypertension, and some sources said that 1/3 of adults over age 20 have hypertension. T>>>>>>>>
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The issue is differentiating RXd hypertension in the ICU numbers, if they have measured hypertension on admission they are probably not treated at all, the US wide stats will include those on medication vs numbers on admission. People though for sure, are assuming the victims are "others", when in reality, most american's over 50 will be on some kind of med and be at least overweight with many obese. Most will be sedentary, lets start looking the stats on the recovered with no complications.
Then why in the countries that have opened schools have the cases not skyrocketed?
Okay, I admit I’m a worldometer junkie - but -
I noticed that Illinois reported 4,104 new cases today. That seems like a lot. I know that the state also reported a lot more testing today than in previous days. Is that where all those new cases came from?
I heard he can’t be easily fired if at all as he isn’t a Trump appointee. but I think he certainly has been one to be diplomatic and work with presidents of both major parties for decades.
@“Cardinal Fang”
I have the same question regarding getting tested. Tests are now available pretty widely here. When is the right time for me to get tested? (These are Covid tests, not antibody tests)
Pretty much. Yes.
Edited to add: in most places in Illinois, a person still needs to be a first responder or show symptoms in order to get tested. Some entire nursing homes are being tested. Restricting tests to high risk groups will tend to skew the results positive. Although, no one is eager to have a giant Qtip shoved up their nose without probable reason either. There is probably plenty of pent up demand for reliable antibody tests, though.
I think most who have already got the virus very much more under control than we currently have here. They had far fewer cases, lots of buy in for masks, widespread, rapid testing, contact tracing, quarantine, and many seem to use phone apps to help track and trace. That’s a big difference from here. Not sure there haven’t been rises, though. I think I have read several places that after schools opened cases did rise elsewhere.
Are you wanting a Covid test or antibody test? Hope you are feeling OK and it isn’t a Covid test you are wanting/needing.
Denmark and Germany have opened schools. They had a lot of cases, but are certainly nowhere near heard immunity. I guess the point is, if they don’t get a huge spike, we shouldn’t either by September when school starts.
Do you have any symptoms? If not, why would you want to get tested for COVID, (unless you are an essential worker)?