Covid 19

[StraightForward]

To give you a bit of the flavor of different parts of the country, here is an announcement from our county commissioner:
"After a number of conference calls today and debates back and forth of should we Declare a State of Emergency, I did. Not sure what that does for us but wanted to be on the safe side."

What.

There are now three deaths on the books in Idaho and we're up to 189 confirmed cases. I'm actually surprised the positive test rate is currently at only 6.6%. I thought it would be higher assuming they're only testing symptomatic people.

[khall]

Shit, one of our local hospitals is struggling here in middle Georgia. The COVID team is out of n95 masks and they are using one vent per 2 patients and we are barely into this pandemic.

I agree 100% Tarlo Farm!! Not my president, never has been never will be. The federal government is not doing enough for the states. Our governor Kemp is a Trump asskisser. He did declare a state of emergency early on then drug his feet about closing unnecessary businesses and has not nor do I anticipate a shelter in place order. Stupid stupid bunch of red neck conservatives here in the deep south.

[Flight]

Amado, how are you? How is your husband?

I know when a state of emergency is declared here, it allows different funding and access to things. Cancelling leave for some workers etc...

[Aleuronx]

I posted this in our monthly training thread but it's probably more apropos here.

Our states 'stay at home' order went into effect last night for non-essential businesses. At my workplace the legal team decided that because we supply parts to Ford and GM (who are not making cars right now...) and the DOD (solely for aerospace purposes...) that we are essential for transportation. So business as usual!!

In addition to continuing to come into work everyday we had a meeting yesterday afternoon that effective immediately all salary employees with have a pay cut of 10% for the next 3 months to be evaluated ongoing. Sigh. I'm looking to jump ship but obviously now is not the greatest for that.

It's beyond stressful really. Everyone thought the world was going to end in the year 2000, it's looking like they were off by 20 years.

[Rosie B]

My husband and I are both working from home now, and have been since March 13th. Our two little boys are also home with us. It's been difficult where we both have very demanding careers to now be expected to work productively from home while also caring for the boys. But, it could be so much worse. We can both work from home and our jobs are in no jeopardy, and we have lots of space and things to keep the boys entertained both inside and out.

This past weekend we built a teepee in our yard, and we spent most of the weekend outside, hanging out around the teepee. Yesterday we fired up my husband's tiny woodstove inside the teepee and cooked chunks of spam on forks. The kids loved it.

And in other fun news, I also broke my foot less than a week into our self isolation exercise, so I am going to be out of the saddle for at least another month.

[LeoApp]

My salary was also cut 10% but right now I am happy to have an income and health care.

[KathyK]

Out little burg (population 16,000) now has its first confirmed cases of COVID-19. An 85 year-old resident of a nursing home has died (s/he had significant underlying health problems), and 10 residents and four staff have tested positive. Shit just got very real here.

[Chisamba]

My husband is working from home, and Son is college remotely. But, husbands company furloughed 30 percent of all employees, and he took a 20% pay cut.

I am getting 2 dollars an hour extra " danger pay" because of the inherent risks of my " real" job. The 2 don't really balance each other out, but yes, I am happy to be working and earning. Some of my friends are not.

[texsuze]

Our county and the neighboring county (where mom resides) just had their first confirmed cases of the COVID cootie this week. Both people were 'healthcare workers' but no real further details as of yet. Our town is promoting keeping local restaurants in business via on-line ordering/drive-through/take-out services which they have adopted; I feel for those folks and hope this keeps them open as long as viable. Lots of politics at play in our state, unfortunately, which leaves a bad taste in the mouth on top of all the immediate stresses of this pandemic.

[goldhorse]

DH talked today with a colleague who's a surgeon at one of the big San Francisco hospitals. They only have 15, YES 15, Covid-19 patients right now. So it looks like the drastic stay at home measures in California are working.

[Tanga]

DH talked today with a colleague who's a surgeon at one of the big San Francisco hospitals. They only have 15, YES 15, Covid-19 patients right now. So it looks like the drastic stay at home measures in California are working.

I know. The thing is, we're looking for the top of our curve to be in May. Do you think we'll keep it up? I think we are the gold standard, so if we can or can't, it says a lot.

I still see so many people who don't get it or don't care it scares me. I spoke to a assistant principal at a school about something, and she started talking about how her chiropractor said that vaccines had monkey pus in them and how she didn't know if they worked, and how tRump didn't take a salary, so that was a good thing, but had no clue he's still golfing and charging us, had bankrupted many companies and refused to pay, the loans from Deutschbank were from Jsutice Kaennedy's son, and on and on. If she is so badly informed, what about other people?

I went quickly into a Dollar Tree to pick up some things. I had gloves and a mask on and didn't let my bag touch anything. A couple people had gloves on. Then there was the dude wandering around holding his pants up wondering where all the food was, and chickie with drawn on eyebrows wandering around looking for junk food. They had tape on the floor for the checkout and chickie came up behind me. I asked her to please step back, and got a nasty "Bitch!" in reply. I calmly said per CDC, state, and local guidelines I didn't want hundreds of thousands of people to die. The cashier didn't have gloves or a mask. When I mentioned how dangerous that was, she just shrugged. I took my glove off, opened my trunk and dumped the gloves and bag in the trunk where it's been for three days. The masks I use sit on the floor of the car for three days. Some of us our doing the right thing, but if just a few people aren't?

Ahh. I am definitely feeling way to anxious about all of this.

[goldhorse]

Hey, I know that chickie with the drawn on eyebrows. I thought she lived in Berkeley.

[KathyK]

I was so sure she lived here in Ohio. I thought I saw her at Dollar Tree.

[Baroque]

Here in NZ we are under a full level 4 lockdown. Most people are very compliant however there are still idiots who tempt fate and who just refuse to behave.

We are working from home as an essential business, however many are just sitting around doing nothing. We are lucky that we are on the farm and have lots of space and things to keep us occupied. The sheep are in full breeding season now and my horses are all on holiday as they say we shouldn't do anything dangerous which takes medical staff away from COVID19 cases.

We're operating a full Dairy company style Red Line procedure here for incoming food and other items which may have been touched by others. I swab everything down with isopropyl alcohol before it comes into the house. Clothes are washed after shopping, shoes are swabbed all over with isopropyl alcohol or washed, and left outside. I made hand sanitizer from isopropyl alcohol, aloe vera gel and lavender oil for work because we couldn't get any, I also made it for home and to take on shopping trips.

I've got enough wool and fibre to last me until Armageddon, so I'm busy spinning, dyeing and making stuff and chilling out as much as I can. I managed to get 30kg of flour delivered yesterday so the bread making and other goodies can continue as it has been impossible to get flour here in the past 2 weeks. Maybe the toilet paper hoarders have started hoarding flour as well?!

Stay safe everyone!

[Tanga]

Apparently chickie with the drawn on eyebrows and bitchy behavior gets around. I'm pretty sure she does a lot of drugs.

[piedmontfields]

NZ is doing quite the amazing job at containing/stopping the virus.

I think the US has a long long way to go on that.

[khall]

I'm afraid of a reemergence when things start to open back up again. Maybe the hot weather will help but really who knows. Having my 83 year old mother here on the farm with us, thankfully in her own apartment, means we have to be so careful about exposure. Testing here depends. One of my DH's law partners is dating an internist, she has the quick tests and seems to be an excellent doctor. ERs around here not so much. We know that deaths are under reported when patients die before being tested and they are not using the test on the dead.

We will have a new normal for quite awhile. Just so many unknowns with this pandemic.

[Josette]

NJ is getting hammered with new cases every day - over 44,000 cases and over 1,200 deaths - still climbing. Our governor has now extended the social distance and stay at home order for another 30 days. Our primary elections to be held in June have been postponed until July. Boardwalks at beaches are closed. Some of the religious communities that ignored these orders have had arrests. I'm lucky I can still walk my dogs at the local park but there are signs posted to respect distances. There was County Sheriff driving around to enforce the law.

I went to the local grocery store this morning at 6:30am to stand in line for opening at 7am. Police officer present and long line of waiting shoppers all wearing masks and gloves spaced 6+ feet apart. A store employee at the head of the line counting shoppers to limit the number inside. I guess I was lucky at #28 and was allowed inside with the first group. Today was a good day because for the past 3 weeks many items were not being restocked - but today lots of frozen veggies - definite limit on items purchased. I purchase whatever I can freeze and as many items as I can to last a week. The limits are restrictive even with canned items.

To add to the stress the long term care facility where my mother was moved to a month ago - now has 2 positive residents and 2 positive employees. She was admitted to the hospital back on Feb 5 for a short stay UTI. Definite signs of mental confusion and was sent to 3 weeks of rehab to see if she was able to return to her senior apartment. After much discussion with therapists and her confinement to a wheel chair as very high fall risk - we determined it was best to move her to a long term care facility to monitor her medications and assist in her daily care. We barely got her moved in on Feb 28 when many of these senior care facilities went on lock down.

Frankly, I'm exhausted from all the stress and moving her - then dealing with this virus. I hope at some point the testing becomes available to determine who has immunity and who is still at risk. It seems to randomly take out people without risk factors regardless of age or health status and others may have no symptoms. They need to figure out what is different for those people who had no or minor symptoms. What is unique to their immune system while others are dying?

edited to add - lucky I went to the park this afternoon. Governor has now closed all county and state parks.

[piedmontfields]

BTW, our local and state parks are closed, too. The national park (Great Smoky Mountains) is also closed.

[texsuze]

Our state parks are now closed, also. The head of our Parks & Wildlife is a good guy, and cites the sheer logistics of limiting visitors, plus keeping essential facilities adequately sanitized as some of the reasons for the shut down. I'm sure the state politicians, however, are quite happy for other reasons that parks are now put (temporarily) out of commission....

Distressing to see, since connecting with nature at times like these could be the stress relief that so many are needing. On the flip side, might give our overused and heavily-pounded park spaces a tiny bit of time to recover from human impact, at least for a while.

[Koolkat]

Thought some might find yesterday's interview with Scot Gottlieb, former commissioner of the FDA (2017-2019 - although his association is much longer), on Firing Line interesting:

https://www.pbs.org/video/scott-gottlieb-ibuhbd/

[PhoenixRising]

So far COVID hasn't hit very close to home for me, even with numbers rising pretty rapidly in our area. Until yesterday.

Our barn is a bit different I feel since it's mostly private... the "owner" of the barn built the barn on her daughters property. Mom and Daughter work together to run the barn. The daughter tested positive for COVID yesterday.

I'm told she hasn't and wont be visiting the barn until she's better, but we're supposed to have a clinic next weekend which may or may not be cancelled now. They're going to leave it up to the clinician and if she feels comfortable. This will/would probably be my last clinic before baby comes and I was really looking forward to it, but I also completely understand if it ends up cancelled.

[piaffe at x]

We were so naive back in March. When all the Broadway shows were canceled, I thought "this is real". It still is one of the more shocking cancellations, but of course, just about everything followed. I live in a rural county in northern California (Mendocino), and we've been fairly successful in keeping infections low except for one populated city. But I'm higher risk, so I've been extremely careful. It wasn't a huge adjustment for me - I've always been a bit of a germophobe and am happy to stay at home or with my little bubble of friends and family. I'm back at work now, though and somewhat terrified if I let myself go down that road. Realistically, there's little or no chance that I will come into close contact (as defined by the CDC) with anyone at work or anywhere else. I hope you all have found a way to make this weird time work for you. I'd love to hear how you're doing.

[acheyarcher]

My work is hyper vigilant on recording time in the labs. We have capacity restrictions and in my one lab space the head count is 1. We must go in , do the work and leave asap

I usually go in very early and rarely see any of my immediate co-workers. Rest of the time I work from home, which is a minor part of my work day. Life has got a bit easier for work as the company has a universal booking system in place. I use to have to book my space a week in advance which was very difficult when you work with living systems. For the very long term, the company is re-thinking the modern work space away from desks and office to communal work spaces etc. This way predated the pandemic and is certainly slanted towards the younger tech-savvy worker.

But I am done, I have submitted my letter of retirement and I am heading off into the sunset in January. I am fortunate to be able to do so but it is certainly not the world I envisioned would be there for me. My love of travel and adventure is restrained for sure. I have thought about this for a few years and working with a financial planner , well he helped me see the yes and possibilities of being retired.

with the recent surge there is no holiday plan, which pains my heart. I need to alter my thinking about when I go to the grocery store and stay away from prime time.

I will be happy to be free from feeling like I have to "do work" and can wander at will.

[Tarlo Farm]

Numbers spiking here in Michigan too. Last night at the grocery store I did a double take at a younger couple with no masks (we're "No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no service"). I didn't say anything to them, but I will the next time I see someone out inside a public store without masks. If you saw Dr Rob Davidson on MSNBC last night, he's a friend working at a hospital about 60 miles away. He mentioned my rural hospital having to air-lift a patient 250 miles away.
Be careful friends!

[PaulaO]

Numbers drastically rising in Illinois. I work at a hospital (non-clinical) and out of 152 beds, we have 37 COVID patients. That is huge for us. I am going to cancel Thanksgiving plans. There would be 13 of us in a small house. I will still visit my sister and her family (for a total of 6) the day after TDay.

[Canyon]

Numbers all over Colorado are spiking. My county had done very well containing the virus until last month and was successful with contact tracing, etc. Not so now. I guess it is virus fatigue combined with the schools and university coming back in session. My doctor just called and changed my appointment tomorrow to a virtual visit. I have used curbside pickup for groceries and horse feed for quite a while. I don't mind being a hermit, so I am not getting restless. It helps to have a few acres and horses to play with! DH and I will not be going over the mountains to join the kids for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.

[heddylamar]

And, of course, numbers are spiking here in Maryland too. Is there a state where numbers aren't increasing? It really shows nationwide that people have become really lax with masking and distancing. I'm glad to have the barn and running ... and after slacking for several years, a girlfriend and I have resumed hiking 20-30 mile chunks of the AT. We're headed out early tomorrow for another 35+ miles. One of these days we'll get PA and VA finished, and branch out beyond quick weekend trip distance.

DH and I are skipping all the family events this year.

[goldhorse]

Family has just ordered me to mask up at all times. I have been lax at the barn because everything is outside and we try to distance. Even so, we've all been flirting with disaster. But now the evidence is in that mask wearing gives some protection to the wearer.
DD#1 and BF are coming over for Thanksgiving. We're all going to get tested the week before and then quarantine. Even so, I want to do it out on the patio (SF Bay area and we have a patio heater) but DD says to go all in and do it inside if we've tested clean. She's a public health epidemiologist so I'm deferring to her. I am the weak link in the group so I'll try to stay masked up as much as possible. The other 3 are hermits.
DD#2 who's in NYC announced that she's not coming home for Xmas. DH and I are relieved.
Everybody, now is the time to double down on your protection. Masks at all times outside of your house. Distance as much as possible. Keep interactions with non-household members outside, at a distance, and masked.

[StraightForward]

My instructor just texted that she's not coming this weekend, with covid cases at her mom's barn up the road from us. I guess I'll double down on riding at 6 am and avoiding everyone.

[Chancellor]

I had a nightmare that I went to a agricultural fair without a mask. And whomever I was there with and I had to run out to get a mask. But then I noticed some other people weren't wearing masks. And then I got scared I was getting COVID!
Since I lost some of my lung due to radiation, I am considered higher risk and I have to be careful. I am grateful that my job allows me to work at home.

[Tanga]

I hope everyone stays safe! I'm near goldhorse, so we're in about the "safest" area of the country that has been the slowest to open, but it's still going up. I am staying a hermit, which still allows me to go and ride every day because I don't need to get near anyone. I am grateful that I am basically retired, though concerned my husband works with a bunch of stupid tRumpers (that are in a union!) that think masking is a joke, even though a coworker was hospitalized. He's very careful, though, and stays away from everyone and takes every precaution.

This is going to be a rough go, I think. People didn't want to learn the easy way, so it's going to be the hard way.

[Ryeissa]

yup, just got word from my employer we are remote till summer 2021! wow! Barn is normal, basically was normal all along.....It is different county/state actually with lower numbers.
Scary times! I have been sending DH for all the shopping. No socialization, no anything. Its suited me quite well but it would be fun to be able to go out to eat. I think the weather getting colder makes it feel more real when things are so restricted.

[goldhorse]

Mask up people

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[Moutaineer]

As has made the national news, it's got completely out of control here in Utah. I'm totally embarrassed at the behavior of many of my fellow Utahns.

We are in hiding--as we have been largely since the start. I'm still working, but now plans or construction sites only, no in-home sales calls for the near future. Neither of us go anywhere without a mask.

The Barn is open, but we are masking up and showing an abundance of caution in spacing out our ride times and social distancing when we are in the barn together.

It's tough having moved to a new town in all this. No opportunity for much in the way of meeting people or social interaction. I live behind the library--I was so looking forward to that and many other opportunities living in town offers. Still, this too shall pass and one day there will be a new sense of normality. We've just got to sit tight for a while longer

[StraightForward]

I had a nightmare that I went to a agricultural fair without a mask. And whomever I was there with and I had to run out to get a mask. But then I noticed some other people weren't wearing masks. And then I got scared I was getting COVID!

I've had several similar dreams. Like I find myself in the middle of a big social function and I'm suddenly panicking that no one thought to wear masks, and WTF do we do now?!

Thinking about Thanksgiving being just around the corner, I decided to go out this morning and stock up at the two bigger grocery stores so I can avoid them for a couple weeks. People were masked up and doing an OK job of distancing as compared to a month ago, so I think there is some renewed caution in the general consciousness right now. Discovered that I can get Renew Gold auto-shipped for free from Tractor Supply if I get 2 bags at a time, so that is one less store I need to set foot in.

Our hospitals here are maxed out and they are refusing patients from outlying areas. Northern Idaho is trying to send patients to WA and OR while our lieutenant governor rails about it being a hoax meant to control people. However, the governor finally sucked it up and pushed us back to Stage 2, whatever that means. Perhaps that is what caused this weekend's jumping show to be canceled, if not just good sense.

[Ryeissa]

Really struggling lately. I'm ok financially and marriage . just a really scary time. It seems to be getting worse and worse. I'm remote till next summer which is great but I had hoped to move to a new job. I am very unhappy there but I try to tell myself I have a job. Its starting to get cold too. Really winter now. Just really a strange time..... I am fine day to day. I can still ride and do clinics.
It seems my DH and family are less affected but I'm more sensitive....

[Baroque]

I still wear my mask in public when I leave the farm to do any shopping. Yesterday I was the only person I saw who used the app going into the supermarket and the only one wearing a mask too - despite the fact that we are all told to be careful, mask up in public, use the app when going into public spaces, blah blah etc. Plus all the hand washing & sanitizing. We still have a few cases out in the wild here and these are only due to dumb people not following the basic rules of not going out when sick and following basic hygiene! I'm very happy to work from home and keep away from big public gatherings too.

I'm not bored at home, I have more than enough work to do online, and plenty of other things to keep me occupied when I'm not working, I've been weaving and doing lots of spinning and making garments so I have achieved quite a lot in the past few months.

I hand reared 3 ewe lambs this year - a set of spotty twins Twinkie and PopTart from a useless mother who wouldn't feed them, and a gorgeous Moufflon called Churro who slid under the fence and was too weak to go back to mum and her twin when I found her.

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Churro spent a couple of weeks inside wearing nappies and sleeping in the cat box until she was strong enough to go outside with the other 2.

Haven't ridden since March but now I've sold almost all of the lambs that we bred this year and some of the adult sheep too, the weather is getting better so I'll bring the horses back into work again shortly.

[Flight]

Churro is sooo cute!!

[Chancellor]

Baroque, lamb pictures is definitely what this thread needed. A little cuteness to lighten up the worry!

[Amado]

Amado, how are you? How is your husband?

I know when a state of emergency is declared here, it allows different funding and access to things. Cancelling leave for some workers etc...

Apparently I never answered this! We are doing fine - I never tested positive back in March, but recently had a test for the antibodies, and I have those. Neither of us feel like we have lingering symptoms (sometimes I feel like my memory is an issue, but that may just be age!)

I lost my incredible forever horse Rico (he was 18, and I’d know him since he was 2) back at the end of May - an unexpected, sudden, and terribly violent colic and we had to put him down - it was AWFUL. Since I couldn’t imagine not being a horse person any more, I bought a retired racehorse (OTTB) in August - I love him, but he is not easy - he has terrible separation anxiety, and some issues with bit (but that is a subject of another thread, I think). It is hard when you had a longtime partnership with a connection where you could almost just think something and get a result - to have to start over, especially starting over and having to undo training from other disciplines that are the opposite of how you ride. Not sure how successful I’ll be.

Covid cases are going up here - a lot - and this is a place where many still think it’s a hoax (Montana). Our barn has not really changed how it’s operated - so far it has worked for them (because cases were so low) but I worry about what will happen this winter. I’m not worried so much for me at this point, but for others.

[Tarlo Farm]

Michigan just tightened restrictions - and the Trump WH has again called for citizens to "rise up" against our Governor, who some of you may remember, had a bunch of militia idiots planning to kidnap her and hold a "trial". I'm am so DONE with that puke and his minions.
Our local hospital is full, our next closest ones (90 miles away) are at 90%. Out health care workers are at their wit's end, and people don't want to wear a mask. A F%$# mask.
Winter is coming. In March we could look forward to warmer weather and being outside for hours and hours, safely enjoying the weather and our friends and families. Now, I'm just hoping the sun shines more than normally, and we get enough snow to ski and snowshoe in. Otherwise we'll be cold, and dark, and dreary. And sick.

[PaulaO]

I work for a hospital (I'm non clinical). 25% of our beds are filled with COVID patients.....

[Baroque]

Baroque, lamb pictures is definitely what this thread needed. A little cuteness to lighten up the worry!

Here are a few more photos then!

Early days wandering around inside

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A bit later

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Some of the other lambs!

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[KathyK]

OMG the diaper with the tail hole! Adorable and hilarious!

[acheyarcher]

I am in washington were are taking patients from Idaho. Not sure what will happen when our hospitals need space for washington folk. Particularly those in the wedding party of 300 where + cases are now at 42

[heddylamar]

I am in washington were are taking patients from Idaho. Not sure what will happen when our hospitals need space for washington folk. Particularly those in the wedding party of 300 where + cases are now at 42

What area of Washington?

[Which leads to: is my aunt being less than forthcoming about the number of COVID patients she's seeing?! ]

[acheyarcher]

I live in western washington , The wedding took place in Ritzville ( Grant county) cases mostly in Grant some in Adams ; central eastern washington just west of Spokane. Not a high density population. Washington has a lot of low density areas

[acheyarcher]

https://www.google.com/search?q=washing ... e&ie=UTF-8

[heddylamar]

Ooooh. Yes. I have family in Yakima, Snohomish, Chelan, Whatcom, Okanogan, Lewis, Kittitas, and Clallam. My aunt's at a hospital in Stevens County.