Coronavirus Outbreak: Part 4

Same.

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This is why I wear N95s.

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Except there are a number of medical procedures which necessitate the removal of masks by the patient. :confused:

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Yeah, well too bad, so sad. I’d just have to forego said procedures. :woman_shrugging:

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Thanks. Just got our last order at CVS.

Originally they gave us some QuickVue’s but they were expired, so I returned them. Ended up with Binaxes, with expiry dates in Oct’23 and Jul’24, so we should be good for a while.

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:sweat_smile: I wish it were always that simple.

However, it’s a bit incomprehensible to me that we are putting patients, including those known to be medically vulnerable, in the position of choosing between foregoing necessarily medical procedures and accepting unnecessary Covid exposure.

The more stories I hear…well, it’s getting harder and harder for me to not give in to cynicism and land that it’s not accidental, but by design. (Example: Most people dying from Covid are post retirement. Therefore, Social Security funding benefits.)

The growing consensus seems to be that those medically vulnerable should protect themselves. But not only are we giving them almost zero support to do so, there is beginning to be a slight systematic push to actually prevent them from doing so. We are standing by while eugenics happens. :woman_shrugging:

ETA:

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Re: Getting a 2nd bivalent booster.

DH (65+ with a few chronic issues) had his annual check-up yesterday, and got the 2nd bivalent booster without asking for it. Our doctor just offered it. She said it seems these last about 4-6 months, and since his last one was late September, he could get it now.

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Thank you!

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I subscribed to the Hawaiin dept of health’s newsletter during the lockdown before our planned trip. I still get their emails, what a difference between Hawaii and Florida. Below is my Hawaiian subject line, akamai means wise or intelligent. Yesterday FL signed a bill into law that bans all/any mandatory covid precautions/mitigations. And the FLDH is expected to write similar directives. :cry:

Federal PHE Ends - Let’s Continue To Be COVID Akamai🧠

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Nice guideline but who will comply? We learned already that people don’t care.

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Sadly, true. And 5 ACH isn’t enough (though better than less than 5). At least it is a start.

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Well, at least they are being honest about where we are now…but for those with health conditions that have a strong possibly of becoming permanently worse with Covid infection or at severe risk from acute infection even with what’s currently available, this is so threatening.

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https://twitter.com/corsiaq/status/1657838511582777345?s=46&t=JD8lfknyOt-1jICzMFrc2A
Corsi is one of those behind the popular Corsi–Rosenthal Box (DIY air purifier).

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My son is a math major. What did she study? And how did she get the NASA internship? This new role sounds quite intriguing! Hope she’s enjoying it!

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Any tips on avoiding Covid on my first Disney trip since 2019? Taking my late teens for 3 days at the end of the month. Rented a couple of nights DVC stay at Grand Fla (theme park view) so I can at least enjoy that if I’m too anxious to enter a park. Can send the teens without me.

As far as I’m aware none of the three of us have had Covid. They live daily like it’s 2019. I do not.

I was thinking a small portable fan blowing around my face when in crowds…in lines….air circulation??? I think I will wear a mask indoors. I cannot fathom myself not doing that. Not sure I will ask them to.

I’m going to have my daughter’s senior pics taken at Grand Fla so it’s not a lost trip even if we don’t do the parks. Could do sea raycers and such instead. I’m not planning on any indoor dining for us.

I’m mentally preparing for Covid. But I don’t want it. And reallly don’t want them getting it. But since covid isn’t going anywhere, how likely are they to avoid it for the next 60+ years of their projected lifetime? So do I just encourage them to enjoy as if it’s 2019?

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I will share what we do and there are others here w/ more ideas. I always ALWAYS mask (KN95 or N95) indoors and in crowded outdoor areas. We rarely dine inside (5x in past 3yrs). We seek out places w/ outdoor seating and let them know at check in that we are happy to wait for that patio table. We carry hand sanitizer and wash hands regularly. Other normal mitigation like, not touching face etc. I do have an air monitor to test air quality in resort rooms (depressing). If we have an adjoining room I place a damp towel on the floor at the bottom of that adjoining room.

We go to the parks several times a month (past 3 years). I think you can avoid it if you plan and work at it. Wearing a mask in the heat is blech, bring clean ones to change into when current ones get damp from sweat.

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We caught COVID at WDW in January, despite taking a lot of precautions (N95s indoors when crowded, avoiding crowds, paying attention to ventilation). But I don’t consider it wasted effort - it’s a game of percentages, of managing the odds, and the metric of success IMO is delaying catching it, and ultimately reducing the frequency of reinfection. With that in mind, here’s a few ideas:

  • It probably won’t help much if you wear a mask and your teens don’t, because if they catch COVID, you’re very likely to get it from them in the close quarters of the hotel room.
  • Cloth masks don’t do much if you’re the only ones wearing them
  • N95’s are preferred, but that’s a lot to ask teens who aren’t used used to masking. Maybe ask them to wear surgical masks indoors at WDW, as a compromise? They’re easier to wear and put on compared to N95’s.
  • Lightning Lane to reduce crowded indoor wait times
  • Ferry instead of monorail at MK; car instead of Disney bus
  • Outdoor dining
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Oh, I forgot about this, we did boats and personal car over anything enclosed (when possible). And I agree w/ @DWJoe unless everyone, in your group, follows mitigation measures then it’s a bit of a wasted effort for those that do, just because you are traveling together and will be spending time in close proximity with them.

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Her major was Arts and Entertainment Technologies. It’s a technical degree but in the College of Fine Arts. It’s kind of the realm of alternate/virtual reality. Lots of 3D modeling intertwined with graphic design fundamentals.

She knew several NASA employees through robotics, including the lead mentor for her team (she was team captain her senior year). NASA is very involved with FIRST robotics, so that was a huge help to her resume. If it’s a route your son is interested, mentoring with a FIRST robotics team is a way he could still try to make those contacts. NASA’s internship program is quite large and extensive:

Here at Johnson Space Center, my understanding is the first summer session of being an intern is generally unpaid and fairly generalized. Then they apply for subsequent sessions that tend to be more specialized and paid. She did 1 unpaid in Houston, 1 paid in Cleveland, then 2 more paid in Houston.

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