COVID-19

[jennypenny]

Reread my post. I said 'most groups' and purposely said it in the second paragraph about churches. As someone who once served on the Stewardship committee of two different churches, I'm confident in my interpretation of their motivations.

The issues within that Hasidic community in Lakewood are well-documented (on Bloomberg and in the Asbury Park Press in particular) of which I'm sure you're aware. They are even vexing their leadership, with rabbis publicly imploring them to stop religious ceremonies of any size until the lockdown is lifted.


@all -- sorry for the somewhat OT

[Jason]

I never said I disagreed with you. I just LOVE data.

[7Wannabe5]

I am at the hospital. I might be septic. I might have Covid. I have a low grade fever, a bright red toe, gastrointestinal distress/infection and elevated heart rate.

[Alphaville]

I am at the hospital. I might be septic. I might have Covid. I have a low grade fever, a bright red toe, gastrointestinal distress/infection and elevated heart rate.

fuck! i barely know you, but you have my sincerest best wishes for a speedy recovery. hang in there...

[EMJ]

I am at the hospital. I might be septic. I might have Covid. I have a low grade fever, a bright red toe, gastrointestinal distress/infection and elevated heart rate.

I hope you recover quickly.

[7Wannabe5]

It’s not in my lungs, so I think I will be okay. I have hyper- active immune system, so maybe that’s why I have the toe symptom that kids usually get? OTOH, might just be allergic reaction to antibiotic they started me on yesterday? The extreme frugal part of me kind of hopes it is Covid, because then my insurance will cover it 100%.

[Alphaville]

The extreme frugal part of me kind of hopes it is Covid, because then my insurance will cover it 100%.

that’s the spirit!

[J_]

@7W5: wish you strength, and patience to overcome your illness.

[fiby41]

PM addressed the nation today. Yesterday Chinese troops crossed the border at Sikkim near the pass connecting the Seven Sister States to the Gangetic planes and were sent back. PM mentioned 'self-sufficient India' 10+ times when assuring that in the coming days the Finance Minister will declare packages that'll take the total public cost due to covid to 10% of GDP. The rules for the fourth lockdown will be communicated before 18th May.

State cancelled all exams except final year final semester. Tens of thousands of prisoners are being released on parole. On duty police guarding containment zones and hospitals are the largest demographic of essential non-medical personnel being infected. There are ~9k using the app, 111 tested, 9 feeling discomfort, 15 h̶o̶t̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶g̶l̶e̶s̶ positives in my 500 m radius. Last week it was 8.

@7w5 take care! Don't forget the dream of how you want to go out slipping on snow on the way to your warm water bath at 85!

[Jason]

I might have Covid.

For purposes of data collection, have you recently engaged in sexual activities with one or more cast members of a local production of "Fiddler on The Roof?"

[7Wannabe5]

Thanks all!

@Jason:

I have not stepped outside apartment since March 12th until I went to see my doctor at his insistence this morning. He sent me straight from his office to E.R. My BF went out to do pickups, but he has been wearing full protection mask he got while contractor in Middle East. OTOH, I am in area of high prevalence.

I am photodocumenting my toe in case my test comes back negative , so I can appeal charges with insurance company. Some kids who had the two symptom tested negative.

NOTE: posting while feverish

[CS]

@7W5

Oh no. Take care - rest and get better.

Not leaving the apartment since March 12th? Could the boyfriend have it?

[saving-10-years]

@7w5 hope they work out what it is (fast) and you get better (fast).
I will be another of your readers who will be very disappointed if you don't make it to 85+ and execute your falling-gently-into-death-in-a-snowdrift plan.

[Jason]

(@) 7W5

Hope you feel better and you get your 85.

Nice thread jack, too. I'm guessing if ever one was needed, this was it.

[7Wannabe5]

Okay, they were super fast in the E.R. My ekg, chest X-rays, blood sugar etc etc all fine. I am not septic; just super fun combo of diarrhea and UTI. However, my bloodwork was indicative of what they see with Covid, test results in day or two. Back home already in quarantine.

My BF has had no symptoms.

[Alphaville]

My BF has had no symptoms.

asymptomatic carriers and long incubations abound, so i’m assuming his test is next?

[7Wannabe5]

@Alphaville:

Yeah, he will have to go to the drive-thru.

[thrifty++]

Sorry to hear you are unwell 7w5 - hoping you make a speedy recovery

[ZAFCorrection]

Does anyone know what the value is to a layman to distinguish between the virus (I can't even remember that gnarly official abbreviation, but coronavirus also works) and the disease (covid-19)? It makes sense from an epidemiological and healthcare provider standpoint, but does it also have some value to the layman? When the distinction makes it into the popular lexicon, is it the result of variable media reporting?

For colds and flus, people just throw out whatever while rarely making a distinction about the underlying pathogen. Meanwhile, HIV and AIDS is pretty clearly defined in the public imagination, I imagine because AIDS is basically curable while HIV is a permanent thing. If my memory is correct, SARS was/is just SARS in every context, but that also petered out before hitting too hard. It seems there is some variability in how viruses and their diseases are described.

Edit:

Also, Jason's performance art reminded me of a good, and possibly relevant, blog post:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/08/14/b ... for-rigor/

[jacob]

Going with the HIV/AIDS analogy, I suppose the layman value would be in distinguishing the asymptomatic cases who have been infected by SARS-CoV-2 (<- also some value in recognizing that this is not humanity's first SARS rodeo) and those displaying the symptoms of COVID-19.

Distinguishing between the disease and the pathogen is also useful when the transmission is/was relatively unknown like, for example, Lyme disease. COVID-19 has similar "murky" [clinical] diagnostics with children dying from a "mysterious inflammatory syndrome" that's linked to SARS-CoV-2 but isn't the same as COVID-19.

Of course focusing on how the disease presents itself can also lead to false positives when people displaying similar symptoms (and for respiratory diseases, they're all very similar) thinking they've been infected with the pathogen [this thread has several who may or may not have been infected --- we/they don't really know]. Just like rheumatic pains and overall malaise -> Lyme disease?!?

The distinction allows one to look at cause and effect separately from [strong] correlation. Logically, one can then have thoughts like pathogen infected->disease or not disease->not infected (not necessarily correct) instead of simpler [synchronicity based] thoughts like pathogen&&disease (pathogen<->disease). More importantly, focusing on the cause and effect separately might highlight the importance of internalizing germ theory, that is, in order to get the disease, one must have received sufficient dose exposure to become infected. There's some of that thinking found in expressions like "caught the cold" although "cold" is the disease which obtains from any number of viruses.