luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,067
Jun 25, 2014 21:21:08 GMT
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Post by luckyexwife on Mar 27, 2020 13:00:44 GMT
I have a question, and I tried googling, but there was so much it was overwhelming. I know there are some very smart peas here, I thought we could have a thread of basic questions with basic answers and no judgement for dumb questions....I know, wishful thinking, but we can try. I'll go first...
I keep hearing this is new, and we've never seen this virus before, but human coronavirus was known before, so what does it mean it's new?
Ps...for a laugh, my boss always says there are no dumb questions, just dumb people 😂
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gsquaredmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
Jun 26, 2014 17:43:22 GMT
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Post by gsquaredmom on Mar 27, 2020 13:05:35 GMT
Coronavirus is a class or type. There are lots out there. This is a novel coronavirus, COVID-19. I learned this from the news so not an expert.
It’s like religion. There are different types and within each type are versions. Christian has Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, etc.
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,328
Jun 27, 2014 12:39:18 GMT
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Post by amom23 on Mar 27, 2020 13:06:08 GMT
It means it's a new strain of the corona virus.
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luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,067
Jun 25, 2014 21:21:08 GMT
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Post by luckyexwife on Mar 27, 2020 13:11:05 GMT
Coronavirus is a class or type. There are lots out there. This is a novel coronavirus, COVID-19. I learned this from the news so not an expert. It’s like religion. There are different types and within each type are versions. Christian has Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, etc. Thank you, makes total sense. Any other question from anyone???
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 25, 2024 19:53:19 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2020 13:12:49 GMT
A very basic answer - the word coronavirus covers many groups of the main virus even the common cold is a coronavirus so was Sars and Mers. What we have now is another strain of the " coronavirus" which is now called Covid-19 a new strain that they haven't come cross before with different symptoms and attack than what the other strains have or had. Coronavirus is really a collective word for all these stains of the virus itself but each are very different.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 25, 2024 19:53:19 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2020 14:04:20 GMT
I'll bite since I don't know what to do, and I know what will probably be said, so here goes. I am supposed to go and help/be with my mom for 10 days, leaving MN and flying to CA April 22nd. I have not cancelled that flight and she still wants me to come. I talked with my sister who is a ER tech and she said as long as I take all the precautions, (hand washing, etc...) I should be fine. But what if I pick something up on the plane and bring it into my mom's house? What if my mom gets sick because of me? But then my sister said that could happen anytime, with anything. I am just really confused. I am thinking of contacting my mom's oncologist and asking her. Any medical people that care to chime in? I am sure I should not go, but feel like maybe I am over reacting? My sister (again, ER tech) said if I don't go she might as my mom needs the help. Ummmm, I am pretty sure if I should not go, she should not, because she has been in a hospital setting for weeks!
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Mar 27, 2020 14:32:18 GMT
I am thinking of contacting my mom's oncologist and asking her. Any medical people that care to chime in? I am sure I should not go, but feel like maybe I am over reacting? My sister (again, ER tech) said if I don't go she might as my mom needs the help. Ummmm, I am pretty sure if I should not go, she should not, because she has been in a hospital setting for weeks! Good idea. So sorry you are having to even think about going. I know you would go in a heart beat, but these are not normal times! Wish you and your mom the very best as you decide. Which ever way you do decide, Feel NO guilt!
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pancakes
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,993
Feb 4, 2015 6:49:53 GMT
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Post by pancakes on Mar 27, 2020 14:50:55 GMT
I'll bite since I don't know what to do, and I know what will probably be said, so here goes. I am supposed to go and help/be with my mom for 10 days, leaving MN and flying to CA April 22nd. I have not cancelled that flight and she still wants me to come. I talked with my sister who is a ER tech and she said as long as I take all the precautions, (hand washing, etc...) I should be fine. But what if I pick something up on the plane and bring it into my mom's house? What if my mom gets sick because of me? But then my sister said that could happen anytime, with anything. I am just really confused. I am thinking of contacting my mom's oncologist and asking her. Any medical people that care to chime in? I am sure I should not go, but feel like maybe I am over reacting? My sister (again, ER tech) said if I don't go she might as my mom needs the help. Ummmm, I am pretty sure if I should not go, she should not, because she has been in a hospital setting for weeks! Although your sister is right, are you going to increase the chance that you or your mom gets sick by going? The answer is yes, even if the risk factor isn’t that high. If your mom really needs the help and no one else can help her, it might be a situation that’s unfortunately worth the risk or alternative. It’s a tough situation with cons on both sides.
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Post by Basket1lady on Mar 27, 2020 15:03:16 GMT
I'll bite since I don't know what to do, and I know what will probably be said, so here goes. I am supposed to go and help/be with my mom for 10 days, leaving MN and flying to CA April 22nd. I have not cancelled that flight and she still wants me to come. I talked with my sister who is a ER tech and she said as long as I take all the precautions, (hand washing, etc...) I should be fine. But what if I pick something up on the plane and bring it into my mom's house? What if my mom gets sick because of me? But then my sister said that could happen anytime, with anything. I am just really confused. I am thinking of contacting my mom's oncologist and asking her. Any medical people that care to chime in? I am sure I should not go, but feel like maybe I am over reacting? My sister (again, ER tech) said if I don't go she might as my mom needs the help. Ummmm, I am pretty sure if I should not go, she should not, because she has been in a hospital setting for weeks! It’s almost a month away. I wouldn’t make any definite plans yet, one way or the other. Facts and decisions are being updated daily, even hourly. There just isn’t anyway to know what things will be like in a month. Especially since various states are following different protocols. It’s so hard, but all you really can do it wait.
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luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,067
Jun 25, 2014 21:21:08 GMT
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Post by luckyexwife on Mar 27, 2020 15:47:41 GMT
I'll bite since I don't know what to do, and I know what will probably be said, so here goes. I am supposed to go and help/be with my mom for 10 days, leaving MN and flying to CA April 22nd. I have not cancelled that flight and she still wants me to come. I talked with my sister who is a ER tech and she said as long as I take all the precautions, (hand washing, etc...) I should be fine. But what if I pick something up on the plane and bring it into my mom's house? What if my mom gets sick because of me? But then my sister said that could happen anytime, with anything. I am just really confused. I am thinking of contacting my mom's oncologist and asking her. Any medical people that care to chime in? I am sure I should not go, but feel like maybe I am over reacting? My sister (again, ER tech) said if I don't go she might as my mom needs the help. Ummmm, I am pretty sure if I should not go, she should not, because she has been in a hospital setting for weeks! Like someone else said, it's a month away. I would wait, and then closer to I would contact the oncologist and see what their advice is.
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Post by jennifercw on Mar 27, 2020 15:59:50 GMT
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iowgirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,119
Jun 25, 2014 22:52:46 GMT
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Post by iowgirl on Mar 27, 2020 16:16:23 GMT
I keep hearing this is new, and we've never seen this virus before, but human coronavirus was known before, so what does it mean it's new? Novel is "new" .. as the others said above, it is new strain of the Corona virus. The virus is SARS-CoV-2 ... the disease caused by the virus is COVID19CO (Corona) VI (Virus) D (Disease) 2019Since it is a novel virus - no one has had it before, so there is no herd immunity. SarsCoV2 shares much of it's genetic makeup with SARS virus that is present in bats. It is thought that a bat transferred the virus to perhaps a pangolin (it looks something like a scaly armadillo). This happened in the live (or wet) markets in China. People capture these wild animals and bring them to these wet markets in cages. The bat droppings go on other animals, and then the virus is transferred. People buy these animals to eat. The virus mutated and jumped to humans. If you read much about the 1918 pandemic (Spanish Flu) .. many think it started in Western Kansas. That area is a migratory flyway for birds. The birds pooped on the hogs on farms, the virus in the hogs mutated and transfered to humans. This area, at that time, was very sparsely populated. But the young men were drafted into the Army and went to camps in Central Kansas, then a bigger Army camp (Ft. Riley) before shipping out to France and other places in Europe,which caused the world pandemic. There are also theories it may have started in China and other places. It was called the Spanish Flu because Spain was openly reporting it in their press. Spain was neutral in WW1. Other countries, including US refused to report about it, so moral would not suffer. If you do any research on the 1918 pandemic, it is scary. Really scary. We are lucky we have more medical capability now, including antibiotics and specialized medicine in pulmonology, etc. I think the reports that this does not terribly affect younger people is wrong. I hear of many young people dying of this. We need to take this seriously!
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Mar 27, 2020 20:05:28 GMT
If you read much about the 1918 pandemic (Spanish Flu) .. many think it started in Western Kansas. That area is a migratory flyway for birds. The birds pooped on the hogs on farms, the virus in the hogs mutated and transfered to humans. This area, at that time, was very sparsely populated. But the young men were drafted into the Army and went to camps in Central Kansas, then a bigger Army camp (Ft. Riley) before shipping out to France and other places in Europe,which caused the world pandemic. There are also theories it may have started in China and other places. It was called the Spanish Flu because Spain was openly reporting it in their press. Spain was neutral in WW1. Other countries, including US refused to report about it, so moral would not suffer. Someone we all know said it started in Spain in the 1970s
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Post by cindyupnorth on Mar 28, 2020 2:17:12 GMT
I'll bite since I don't know what to do, and I know what will probably be said, so here goes. I am supposed to go and help/be with my mom for 10 days, leaving MN and flying to CA April 22nd. I have not cancelled that flight and she still wants me to come. I talked with my sister who is a ER tech and she said as long as I take all the precautions, (hand washing, etc...) I should be fine. But what if I pick something up on the plane and bring it into my mom's house? What if my mom gets sick because of me? But then my sister said that could happen anytime, with anything. I am just really confused. I am thinking of contacting my mom's oncologist and asking her. Any medical people that care to chime in? I am sure I should not go, but feel like maybe I am over reacting? My sister (again, ER tech) said if I don't go she might as my mom needs the help. Ummmm, I am pretty sure if I should not go, she should not, because she has been in a hospital setting for weeks! It is actually only 3 1/2 wks out. I would cancel. We already cancelled our vacation for that same time. I think it's going to be in to May before things are going to be better. We are just now going in to the most critical times in MN, the next 2 wks. Why does your mom need you during that time? can you move it? Not sure how old your mom is, plus you mentioned an oncologist, that would put her in a very high risk area in just those 2 areas.
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Mary Kay Lady
Pearl Clutcher
PeaNut 367,913 Refupea number 1,638
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Jun 27, 2014 4:11:36 GMT
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Post by Mary Kay Lady on Mar 28, 2020 5:03:51 GMT
I'll bite since I don't know what to do, and I know what will probably be said, so here goes. I am supposed to go and help/be with my mom for 10 days, leaving MN and flying to CA April 22nd. I have not cancelled that flight and she still wants me to come. I talked with my sister who is a ER tech and she said as long as I take all the precautions, (hand washing, etc...) I should be fine. But what if I pick something up on the plane and bring it into my mom's house? What if my mom gets sick because of me? But then my sister said that could happen anytime, with anything. I am just really confused. I am thinking of contacting my mom's oncologist and asking her. Any medical people that care to chime in? I am sure I should not go, but feel like maybe I am over reacting? My sister (again, ER tech) said if I don't go she might as my mom needs the help. Ummmm, I am pretty sure if I should not go, she should not, because she has been in a hospital setting for weeks! It is actually only 3 1/2 wks out. I would cancel. We already cancelled our vacation for that same time. I think it's going to be in to May before things are going to be better. We are just now going in to the most critical times in MN, the next 2 wks. Why does your mom need you during that time? can you move it? Not sure how old your mom is, plus you mentioned an oncologist, that would put her in a very high risk area in just those 2 areas. I agree. We haven't gotten to the apex of this illness yet. As long as it takes for us to reach the apex, there will be an equivalent amount of time on the downhill side. I wouldn't even consider getting on any form of mass transit at this point. In my opinion, it's just too risky. I have no idea of where you live or your mother. Is there any way that you could drive?
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Post by freecharlie on Mar 28, 2020 5:10:13 GMT
I guess it depends on why you need to help your mom for the 10 days.
I would suggest that you don't go and introduce new germs to your mother.
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Post by iteach3rdgrade on Mar 28, 2020 5:48:05 GMT
If you look on the back or Clorox it says human coronavirus. One of my friends was shocked that it was on a bottle purchased in August.
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,931
Location: Colorado
Apr 26, 2017 6:14:47 GMT
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Post by snyder on Mar 28, 2020 5:51:30 GMT
I'll bite since I don't know what to do, and I know what will probably be said, so here goes. I am supposed to go and help/be with my mom for 10 days, leaving MN and flying to CA April 22nd. I have not cancelled that flight and she still wants me to come. I talked with my sister who is a ER tech and she said as long as I take all the precautions, (hand washing, etc...) I should be fine. But what if I pick something up on the plane and bring it into my mom's house? What if my mom gets sick because of me? But then my sister said that could happen anytime, with anything. I am just really confused. I am thinking of contacting my mom's oncologist and asking her. Any medical people that care to chime in? I am sure I should not go, but feel like maybe I am over reacting? My sister (again, ER tech) said if I don't go she might as my mom needs the help. Ummmm, I am pretty sure if I should not go, she should not, because she has been in a hospital setting for weeks! My brother-in-law is waiting for a bone marrow transplant, and it has been put on hold due to the virus. Since he was going to be ready this week, his immune system is really compromised with just about zero white blood cells. My sister stays home, but my niece lives with them and works with the disabled so she comes in contact with a lot of people during the day. The advice that was given to them was if she can disrobe in a mud room, or garage before coming into the house, place the clothes in a bag and directly take to the washer and start the wash cycle. Spray or wipe down outside of the bag before disposing of so that if anyone else places something in the trash, they don't touch an infected bag. Then immediately take a shower before going into the room he may be in. Maybe you could do something similar when you go to your mom's home. Sorry your mom is going through this tough battle. {{{Hugs}}}
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Post by gillyp on Mar 28, 2020 7:37:20 GMT
I'll bite since I don't know what to do, and I know what will probably be said, so here goes. I am supposed to go and help/be with my mom for 10 days, leaving MN and flying to CA April 22nd. I have not cancelled that flight and she still wants me to come. I talked with my sister who is a ER tech and she said as long as I take all the precautions, (hand washing, etc...) I should be fine. But what if I pick something up on the plane and bring it into my mom's house? What if my mom gets sick because of me? But then my sister said that could happen anytime, with anything. I am just really confused. I am thinking of contacting my mom's oncologist and asking her. Any medical people that care to chime in? I am sure I should not go, but feel like maybe I am over reacting? My sister (again, ER tech) said if I don't go she might as my mom needs the help. Ummmm, I am pretty sure if I should not go, she should not, because she has been in a hospital setting for weeks! I don’t know the situation or distances where you are but I believe the US is a couple of weeks behind us yet ahead in numbers. I’ll tell you how your situation would look here. I would be yelling at you to not travel. It is not safe. Your mum, as a vulnerable person would be in a 12 week isolation in her home here with someone bringing essentials/medicines to her door step and leaving before she opened it. Our health service wrote to all vulnerable people in England and Wales last week telling them to isolate/stay home for 12 weeks. My son, who works in cardiac theatres and is co-ordinating his hospital’s response told my vulnerable brother (leukaemia, recent heart surgery, high blood pressure, nearly 80) over 2 weeks ago that he needed to isolate for 12 weeks minimum. My son has been on at me for weeks to close my shop and stay home. Here, non essential travel is banned. You can drive to the shops for essentials or to your place of work if you are a key worker and that is it. Police now have powers to stop/fine/further penalise any one out on non essential travel. If you say you have been shopping they check your receipts. You can not drive anywhere to exercise. All exercise must be done within walking distance of your home and 2 metres from any one you may encounter. I get you wanting to be with mom but you will be putting yourself and her at risk. Please don’t go. I believe our scientists when they say that the only way to slow this and give us time to deal with it is for the population to stay indoors.
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Post by pjaye on Mar 28, 2020 8:10:37 GMT
I keep hearing this is new, and we've never seen this virus before, but human coronavirus was known before, so what does it mean it's new? Going right back to basics... when you get an infection with bacteria, the bacteria enters your system and multiplies itself, lots of bacteria = infection. Antibiotics kill the multiplying bacteria. A virus gets into our system...gets into one of our cells, then changes the "instructions" of that cell and tells it to "make more of me" . So the simple explanation is the virus becomes a part of the cells in our own bodies and multiplies. That's why antibiotics don't work, because virus is hiding inside our own cells and antibiotics work on things outside of our cells. Eventually the body's immune response will detect the virus and start to react and make antibodies...the antibodies stop the virus cells from dividing and the person recovers. The next time that virus tries to enter the body...it uses the key on the cell but the antibodies go "nope - we know you and you aren't coming in!" and they block the virus from entering a second time and the person doesn't get sick again. That's why you need a vaccination against a virus - it tricks the body into thinking it's had that virus before and so stops it from entering and making you sick again. Viruses are small particles and they contain either DNA or RNA...but their genetic material is very simple, and because of that as they infect our cells and as our bodies start to make more of them, the genetic code isn't always copied perfectly. For example in humans, our DNA has 23 pairs of chromosomes = 46 in total, if that genetic code is copied perfectly then we get a 'normal' person, if just one of those 46 chromosomes isn't copied perfectly then the person can look quite different, or various body parts don't develop correctly etc, e.g. someone who has Down Syndrome. The same can happen with a virus, you start of with one virus, and as it's multiplying a part of it's genetic code is copied incorrectly and it then is still mostly like the virus it originated from, but slightly different...that's what's called a mutation. So a virus floats around and it meets a host...it might be a pig, the virus has a certain shape and contains things like proteins in it's outer shell and when it encounters the cells of a pig it is like a key...and it looks for a "keyhole" in the pig's cell, if the two match up...success! the virus enters the cells, changes it's genetic code and says "make more of me" and the pig gets infected with the virus. That SAME virus meets a human...is breathed in...it has the "key" but the human cell doesn't have the right keyhole...no match, the virus can't get in and can't infect the human...fail, no infection. That's why most virus infect certain animals only, some will infect pigs, some rats, some monkeys, some humans and they generally don't infect other species because the virus doesn't have the right "key" to enter the cells of more than one species. So we take the pig who is now infected with a virus, that virus is multiplying in the pig and it will make it sick, if a person is in contact with the pig...they don't get sick because the virus doesn't have the right key to get into human cells. But then we put lots of sick pigs together living in the same space as people, the people live with the pigs breathe the same air, kill and eat the pigs, pigs die around them....and all the while the virus is multiplying inside the cells, copying it's self over and over and over...then one copy is imperfect, the DNA (or RNA) of the virus isn't an exact copy, part of it is different, it's a new mutation of the same virus...then that pig with the new mutation in it's body is picked up by one of the humans...maybe it's killed and eaten, but before it dies some of that "new' virus is in the air...it's breathed in by the human...the "key' on the outside is now different to the one on the virus all the other pigs have, and it looks for the keyhole in the human cells...and now it's a match!Now...this new version (mutation) of the virus can get into the human species. From here a couple of things can happen: - the new virus can kill the human and it's the end of the line for that particular mutation. - the virus can now infect humans...BUT they have to catch it directly from a pig each time, this is like rabies (lyssavirus) each case of rabies is passed directly from infected animal to a human...but once one person has it, it is not spread from human to human. - or that mutation of the virus that one person caught from the pig CAN now spread from person to person...now we have a new virus to the human population that has the perfect key to enter our cells...so it will spread from person to person. This is the first 'jump' into a new species. So now there's a virus that previously only infected pigs, is now slightly different genetically and can now infect humans...therefore it's a "new" virus to the human population. This is a big problem because it's a new mutation so no person's body has ever encountered it before so no-one has any immunity AND no-one knows how it will behave in the human population. That is how we got to where we are today. There are other corona viruses out there, but this is a new mutation that just made the jump from animals to humans in the past few months. It was traced to the wildlife markets in Wuhan China where wild/exotic animals are sold and consumed (and under the most horrible conditions). My example used pigs, but I don't think there know for sure exactly which animal it was yet - but somewhere in that market there was an animal sick with a corona virus, that virus mutated and because of the conditions, crowding sick animals people eating things raw/contaminated etc, that virus was able to infect the first human...then from that first human it gradually spread out to a few other Chinese people, then those people traveled to other parts of China and then to other countries...taking this new virus with them and infecting others along the way. That's how it evolved and that's why it is being called a "novel" (new) corona virus (covid) that first infected the human population in 2019 And because it is a new mutation, it is genetically different to the other corona viruses so at this point no-one really knows how it will behave in humans...how contagious it is, how many will get sick, how many will die, how to best treat it, what the long term effects are. They can guess it will be similar to other corona viruses, but they won't know for sure until enough people have had it for the doctors and scientists to see for themselves in real time. That's why there's the big lockdown etc, they want to stop as many people getting it as they can because no-one knows how bad this could be. phew! - but I hope that explains it.
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Post by gillyp on Mar 28, 2020 8:40:33 GMT
pjaye that was brilliant. Thank you.
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RedSquirrelUK
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,729
Location: The UK's beautiful West Country
Aug 2, 2014 13:03:45 GMT
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Mar 28, 2020 10:17:55 GMT
If you look on the back or Clorox it says human coronavirus. One of my friends was shocked that it was on a bottle purchased in August. Yes, the common cold is also a corona virus. It's called that because the virus itself under a microscope looks as if it has a crown (corona). ETA: Thank you pjaye
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purplebee
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,726
Jun 27, 2014 20:37:34 GMT
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Post by purplebee on Mar 28, 2020 11:06:37 GMT
pjaye, your explanation should be turned into an info handout distributed to the masses. Thank you for a clear, easy to understand outline of COVID-19.
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anaterra
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,826
Location: Texas
Jun 29, 2014 3:04:02 GMT
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Post by anaterra on Mar 28, 2020 11:21:52 GMT
I agree... I have read a lot of jibber jabber.. but the way you presented that... easy to understand!!! Thanks
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luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,067
Jun 25, 2014 21:21:08 GMT
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Post by luckyexwife on Mar 28, 2020 12:48:47 GMT
pjaye that was brilliant. Thank you. I agree, thank you pjaye!!!
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Post by freecharlie on Mar 28, 2020 15:17:24 GMT
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Post by lucyg on Mar 28, 2020 16:55:20 GMT
It is actually only 3 1/2 wks out. I would cancel. We already cancelled our vacation for that same time. I think it's going to be in to May before things are going to be better. We are just now going in to the most critical times in MN, the next 2 wks. Why does your mom need you during that time? can you move it? Not sure how old your mom is, plus you mentioned an oncologist, that would put her in a very high risk area in just those 2 areas. I agree. We haven't gotten to the apex of this illness yet. As long as it takes for us to reach the apex, there will be an equivalent amount of time on the downhill side. I wouldn't even consider getting on any form of mass transit at this point. In my opinion, it's just too risky. I have no idea of where you live or your mother. Is there any way that you could drive? She’s in MN and her mom is in CA. It’s in her post.
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Post by Lexica on Mar 28, 2020 17:54:21 GMT
I’ll add my thank you to you, pjaye, for taking the time to type all of that. I’m going to send it to a friend who is having difficulty understanding why this is a new unknown virus and is causing so much havoc on the world. Then I will attempt the difference between bacteria and virus and why an antibiotic will not kill a virus when it will kill bacteria. She doesn’t understand why she shouldn’t just take the remaining (yes, I told her she shouldn’t ever have any remaining) antibiotics she received the last time she was sick if she gets Covid-19. She is my oldest and dearest friend and I love her, but is not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 25, 2024 19:53:19 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2020 21:16:36 GMT
I don’t know the situation or distances where you are but I believe the US is a couple of weeks behind us yet ahead in numbers. I’ll tell you how your situation would look here. I would be yelling at you to not travel. It is not safe. Your mum, as a vulnerable person would be in a 12 week isolation in her home here with someone bringing essentials/medicines to her door step and leaving before she opened it. Our health service wrote to all vulnerable people in England and Wales last week telling them to isolate/stay home for 12 weeks. My son, who works in cardiac theatres and is co-ordinating his hospital’s response told my vulnerable brother (leukaemia, recent heart surgery, high blood pressure, nearly 80) over 2 weeks ago that he needed to isolate for 12 weeks minimum. My son has been on at me for weeks to close my shop and stay home. Here, non essential travel is banned. First, pjaye that was amazing. Thank you. So the essential travel thing has not started here yet (although I think it should, given how many "Hot airfare!" alerts I receive in a day. To promote travel deals right now, that is pretty bad) But for my mom's care, that would be deemed essential travel, as she needs someone to take care of her. I know you said about bringing medicine to their door, but what happens if a vulnerable person where you are needs daily care? Has that stopped? What if something happens to them? My siblings and I, using FMLA have been going to my mom for over 6 months, 3 weeks at a time, to care for her. So now she has been all alone (except for her husband who is in the beginning stages of dementia) for a few weeks and I can tell with conversations with her it is getting really hard. I think she might be forgetting to take some of her meds, ect...She is sleeping WAY too much. So I am very worried for these folks that need to self isolate, but are used to having someone take care of them and help them in their daily stuff. I am working on doing this via the computer and my phone, but my mom is older and gets confused sometimes, so if she doesn't turn her phone on, etc...then I worry something has happened. I know I can call the police to do a well check, but you can't do that daily. Anyway, I cancelled my trip and we will see what happens. I know that was the right thing to do in terms of her safety, but she doesn't really have anyone where she is (she just moved there last year) and until she got cancer, she was the one being the caretaker for her husband who has dementia. So now it is just the two of them, in that house. At least I know they are getting food because I am ordering it myself.
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Post by gillyp on Mar 31, 2020 7:28:50 GMT
@kendramage you are between a rock and a hard place, aren’t you, and your worrying must be immense. There are a couple of ways people here are dealing with similar situations. Some have had carers or a family member still go into the home but masked, gloved, aproned and all the safety rules and social distancing still applies. In your situation it would be the nearest family member and no one else, ie there would be no sharing of the role amongst the family. There are a few community groups in my area - the Red Cross, local charities and similar who have taken on the task of caring for our vulnerable residents. They can send people who have appropriate police checks and minimum medical training to peoples homes to assist them. There are a number of Facebook groups here where family members in other parts of the country have been reaching out, saying their elderly relative living here needs assistance and someone from that group arranges contact and takes on the care. It’s just a big community effort where necessary. It won’t be perfect and I’m sure there will be some that the groups sadly don’t know about but in the main the locals are doing all they can and pulling together.
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