[Poll] Do you personally know someone who has Covid-19?

[Lassr]

Punisher wins the thread.

Yes, Yes he does.

Punisher, Glad you're on the way to recovery.

[Paingod]

Optomists: Stop and smell the roses!

Punisher: F##K YOU. Do you have any idea what those things smell like right now? Put your damn mask back on.

Damn dude. I'm sorry to hear what you went through, but am glad you're recovering.

We're still trying to avoid it and still don't yet personally know anyone who's infected. We're keeping the kids safe and my wife and I follow all standards when we're out grocery shopping. I continue to see decreased interest in protection, though. People are just either feeling like "It's not happening here, so why bother" or are just tired of trying.

[Smoove_B]

Holy crap Punisher, that's insane.

[Punisher]

For the record, I'm in Bergen County in NJ one of the harder-hit counties in NJ so that explains why I know people and why we got it.

@LordMortis. Luckily we already had a decent stockpile of Gatorade and Propel water. I started stockpiling it months ago in an effort to have us both cut back on diet soda and the doc recommended both of them during our sick period. My wife had a pile in the bedroom and I had a pile by the couch.
Food wasn't an issue for a few days because neither of us could eat, then we made a huge pot of white rice that lasted about a week or so since we were having a bowl a day.
I suspect that there is a good possibility that my symptoms may be permanent, but this whole thing makes it too soon to tell.

@Paingod. Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel. Even before my wife and I got it we complied with the orders to have a mask. It's not really a big ask to help protect you and everyone else you come in contact with.

[LordMortis]

Luckily we already had a decent stockpile of Gatorade and Propel water. I started stockpiling it months ago in an effort to have us both cut back on diet soda and the doc recommended both of them during our sick period. My wife had a pile in the bedroom and I had a pile by the couch.
Food wasn't an issue for a few days because neither of us could eat, then we made a huge pot of white rice that lasted about a week or so since we were having a bowl a day.
I suspect that there is a good possibility that my symptoms may be permanent, but this whole thing makes it too soon to tell.

Ugh. I don't want to imagine it and yet I am. I had Mono at 16 that laid me low for a couple of months and I remember being like you describe, not fondly at all. I'd sleep for 18 hours a pop and that was relief from the effort of being awake for a few hours at a time. And I didn't even have to deal with my loved ones also going down with similar problems. EBV has stuck with me for life in the aftermath. I sincerely hope you (and people at large for that matter) don't get SARS COV 2 sticking with you for life.

So glad you had a Gatorade reserve.

Be well.

[El Guapo]

An e-mail went around yesterday that someone in our NY office died from coronavirus the other day.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Oof, that sounds like hell, Punisher. Glad you made it through the worst of it.

I found out yesterday that someone in my working group (~15 people) tested positive. I haven't had any direct contact with him, but two other people in our group had done fieldwork with him just last week. They have both been tested and are waiting for their results while self-quarantining. So I guess I need to change my "no" vote to a "yes".

[Zenn7]

Think you need to change your name from Punisher to Punished.

Glad you are over the worst of it at least.

[Punisher]

Think you need to change your name from Punisher to Punished.

Glad you are over the worst of it at least.

Yeah. As bad as it was for us, way too many people had it worse.
As an aside, I was an EMT for almost 30 years and saw a lot of death during that time. My son just became an EMT about a year or so ago. Once he was cleared to go back to work, We discussed his days in generic terms (for HIPPA compliance) and he saw more death in about a one month period then I saw my entire career. He spent about 95% of his shifts going to DOA calls. The hospital system had to waive the requirements for administering aid including restricting when you had to do CPR. Normally unless there were clear signs of death (Lividity (pooling of the blood), Rigor Mortis, or decapitation were the only times you didn't have to perform CPR (Even if you "knew" the patient was not coming back, you still did CPR in normal times).
He and his entire EMS system he is working at mostly just bouncing from one dead person to another non-stop for 12-18 hour shifts.
I made sure to talk to him as much as possible to make sure he was doing OK with this whole thing (He was for the most part).
Additionally, to add to the pile of crap he had to deal with, he lost 2 other EMT's from his post to Corona while he was out on his 2-week quarantine. A few more were in ICU, but recovered.
From the way he was describing it I almost thought they were gonna have to steal from Monty Python and setup a bring out your dead wagon.

[LordMortis]

[RunningMn9]

Given that nightmare scenario, how can the death toll in NJ be accurate? If EMTs are just picking up DOAs 24/7 for months, that’s gotta add up, no? Is NJ only reporting hospital / nursing home deaths or something?

[disarm]

Given that nightmare scenario, how can the death toll in NJ be accurate? If EMTs are just picking up DOAs 24/7 for months, that’s gotta add up, no? Is NJ only reporting hospital / nursing home deaths or something?

A lot of those people would not have been tested, and their deaths were unwitnessed, so the cause of death would simply be 'cardiac arrest.'

[Max Peck]

Yeah, that's why you really need to look at excess deaths in order to get a handle on the actual impact on mortality rates.

Estimates of excess deaths can provide information about the burden of mortality potentially related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including deaths that are directly or indirectly attributed to COVID-19. Excess deaths are typically defined as the difference between the observed numbers of deaths in specific time periods and expected numbers of deaths in the same time periods. This visualization provides weekly estimates of excess deaths by the jurisdiction in which the death occurred. Weekly counts of deaths are compared with historical trends to determine whether the number of deaths is significantly higher than expected.

Counts of deaths from all causes of death, including COVID-19, are presented. As some deaths due to COVID-19 may be assigned to other causes of deaths (for example, if COVID-19 was not diagnosed or not mentioned on the death certificate), tracking all-cause mortality can provide information about whether an excess number of deaths is observed, even when COVID-19 mortality may be undercounted. Additionally, deaths from all causes excluding COVID-19 were also estimated. Comparing these two sets of estimates — excess deaths with and without COVID-19 — can provide insight about how many excess deaths are identified as due to COVID-19, and how many excess deaths are reported as due to other causes of death. These deaths could represent misclassified COVID-19 deaths, or potentially could be indirectly related to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., deaths from other causes occurring in the context of health care shortages or overburdened health care systems).

[Punisher]

Given that nightmare scenario, how can the death toll in NJ be accurate? If EMTs are just picking up DOAs 24/7 for months, that’s gotta add up, no? Is NJ only reporting hospital / nursing home deaths or something?

A lot of those people would not have been tested, and their deaths were unwitnessed, so the cause of death would simply be 'cardiac arrest.'

Pretty much a mix of this. As far as EMS is concerned every DOA is COVID+ since there is no way to know so they take full PPE precautions including suiting up in the HAzmat lite gear. Even if it delays their response.
Even for non-DOAs, they are suiting up in full gear just to be safe. They were "happy"(my choice of words, not my sons) when they started getting normal calls like MVA's, stabbings, and other trauma stuff.
Coroners arent testing every DOA...
Plus keep in mind that some areas of the same state may not be hit as much, so if you have nothing but DOA in 15 cities, you might have normal quantity in other areas and it doesn't look as bad.

[Skinypupy]

KSL (local news) is doing a “people we lost” series highlighting those who have passed from COVID-19. Last night, they aired an episode about my uncle.

It was very hard to watch, but was a fantastic tribute to a truly great man.

[Moat_Man]

KSL (local news) is doing a “people we lost” series highlighting those who have passed from COVID-19. Last night, they aired an episode about my uncle.

It was very hard to watch, but was a fantastic tribute to a truly great man.

That was a great article. Thanks for sharing and condolences on your loss.

[Skinypupy]

So, a quick little side note on that story.

Ken was actually my wife’s uncle, not mine. However, he and my dad had been best friends since 2nd grade. We grew up with their family, spending nearly every weekend, every holiday, and every summer with them. I grew up literally thinking he was my uncle, not realizing he was just a close family friend.

I met Mrs Skinypupy at Kortnie’s (Ken’s daughter) LDS missionary farewell when I was 21. Even though our families had known each other for 40 years, somehow Paige and I had never crossed paths.

We hit it off, and got married two years later. Uncle Ken - her actual uncle and now, after 20+ years, mine as well - officiated our wedding.

I’d like to think that, somewhere, Uncle Ken and my dad are having a blast, driving around classic cars and listening to old Beach Boys tunes.

[Hipolito]

I’d like to think that, somewhere, Uncle Ken and my dad are having a blast, driving around classic cars and listening to old Beach Boys tunes.

My condolences, Skinypupy, and thank you for sharing his story.

[AWS260]

Thank you for sharing that. What a lovely man.

[coopasonic]

I flipped to a yes on Monday when my team lead at work told us she was presumed positive. She is younger (30-ish) and is still working (from home as most everyone at my employer is) but the coughing fits she has on calls can be... disconcerting.

[LordMortis]

Flipped to yes today. One of my coworkers (and person liveing in my area) had it during the three months we were out. He's a young guy and it passed through pretty quick but he's young enough that he lives with parents and was absolutely terrified for them while he was in quarentine, as are we all.

[YellowKing]

I mentioned my dad in the main Coronavirus thread, but I'm really hoping it's a false positive. He's had zero symptoms, and only got the test because he was scheduled for some surgery. They're going to have him isolate for 10 days then test again. I suppose he could also be asymptomatic, which would be the next best thing I guess. Time will tell.

As an update, I mentioned my cousin earlier in this thread, but I found out several more cousins got it as well. Apparently all their symptoms were pretty mild though and they've since recovered.

[Kraken]

My nephew and his wife just got tested after he lost his sense of smell and taste. Before that, he had cold symptoms. Not confirmed yet, but I'd say he's most likely got it. They live in L.A.

[Jeff V]

I found out over the weekend a friend of mine in Phoenix has it. When it comes to health, he believes he's immortal and disregards any safety precautions.

[stessier]

Was coming to change my vote, but it looks like I can't anymore. Someone from work whom I know has it (up to 4 confirmed cases with many others under observation). Seems like the moderate version - persistent cough for a week with no improvement or deterioration. Myrtle Beach strikes again.

[Jeff V]

Was coming to change my vote, but it looks like I can't anymore. Someone from work whom I know has it (up to 4 confirmed cases with many others under observation). Seems like the moderate version - persistent cough for a week with no improvement or deterioration. Myrtle Beach strikes again.

Maybe a new poll with no expiration is in order.

[hepcat]

Our accountant is apparently using potential exposure to someone she HEARD tested positive for Covid to avoid working. I wonder how many times she's going to be able to pull this off? Especially since during her self imposed quarantine, she went camping.

[pr0ner]

Was coming to change my vote, but it looks like I can't anymore. Someone from work whom I know has it (up to 4 confirmed cases with many others under observation). Seems like the moderate version - persistent cough for a week with no improvement or deterioration. Myrtle Beach strikes again.

Maybe a new poll with no expiration is in order.

OP has been edited to allow people to change their votes. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Kraken]

Was coming to change my vote, but it looks like I can't anymore. Someone from work whom I know has it (up to 4 confirmed cases with many others under observation). Seems like the moderate version - persistent cough for a week with no improvement or deterioration. Myrtle Beach strikes again.

Maybe a new poll with no expiration is in order.

OP has been edited to allow people to change their votes. Thanks for the suggestion.

My nephew, his wife, and his BIL all tested positive last week, so I'm in the Yes column now.

[stessier]

Was coming to change my vote, but it looks like I can't anymore. Someone from work whom I know has it (up to 4 confirmed cases with many others under observation). Seems like the moderate version - persistent cough for a week with no improvement or deterioration. Myrtle Beach strikes again.

Maybe a new poll with no expiration is in order.

OP has been edited to allow people to change their votes. Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks!

[hepcat]

Just found out a little bit ago that a distant cousin and her husband went to Florida last week for fun. They left their dog with my father before leaving so he could babysit it. If these two morons think it's a good idea to head to one of the worst outbreak areas in the goddamn world, that's fine. Darwin has a rule for them. But to involve my 84 year old father?

I told him when these idiots show up to get their dog, he is not to let them in under any circumstances. I told him to open the door, let the dog out and throw a ham sandwich at the two brainiacs as they get out of their car, then slam the door shut.

[WYBaugh]

Just found out a little bit ago that a distant cousin and her husband went to Florida last week for fun. They left their dog with my father before leaving so he could babysit it. If these two morons think it's a good idea to head to one of the worst outbreak areas in the goddamn world, that's fine. Darwin has a rule for them. But to involve my 84 year old father?

I told him when these idiots show up to get their dog, he is not to let them in under any circumstances. I told him to open the door, let the dog out and throw a ham sandwich at the two brainiacs as they get out of their car, then slam the door shut.

Unfortunately I have to live here in the hotzone

[hepcat]

You're most likely taking precautionary measures, not traveling around like a tourist though.

[Lassr]

Just found out a little bit ago that a distant cousin and her husband went to Florida last week for fun. They left their dog with my father before leaving so he could babysit it. If these two morons think it's a good idea to head to one of the worst outbreak areas in the goddamn world, that's fine. Darwin has a rule for them. But to involve my 84 year old father?

I told him when these idiots show up to get their dog, he is not to let them in under any circumstances. I told him to open the door, let the dog out and throw a ham sandwich at the two brainiacs as they get out of their car, then slam the door shut.

Unfortunately I have to live here in the hotzone

My wife and her friends head to the beach in 2 weeks. Normally she would cancel but she needs the break for her mental state after her mom passed away last month. Luckily she's not going to a tourist hotspot, it's near Perdido Key, and they plan to buy groceries and eat in each day and just sit on the beach and by the pool. Wife's is good about wearing a mask and always carries hand sanitizer so hopefully they will be safe.

[Isgrimnur]

Perdido Key

Alexa, play "Loser" by Beck.

[rittchard]

I read somewhere that fairly soon most everyone will know at least one person who tested positive. Maybe it was just in LA I'm not sure.

While I've had second hand knowledge of neighbors, co-workers, friends of friends, etc testing positive, there hasn't been a single person I actually knew myself personally, until yesterday. It's a close friend's brother, so not really in my "inner circle" of people, but I do know him so it's close enough.

[El Guapo]

FWIW technically I do, since I know that a guy that I used to play online Bloodbowl with had it. But I'm thinking of the question in terms of "friends and family", so my answer is still currently no.

[LordMortis]

FWIW technically I do, since I know that a guy that I used to play online Bloodbowl with had it. But I'm thinking of the question in terms of "friends and family", so my answer is still currently no.

My answering yes didn't come until it was with someone with whom I had any sort of F2F relationship.

[Paingod]

I read somewhere that fairly soon most everyone will know at least one person who tested positive.

Maine's small, but not that small. According to NPR this morning, we're still hovering around 430 active cases, 3723 total. Still glad to be here, still wishing I saw more masks on people in public. I can't imagine living in an area that's basically caught fire.

[Isgrimnur]