NormaSaline

Oh shoot. I was hoping someone would hop on here and say I am wrong.

Meantime, I am an "older" nurse who likely won't be hired in spite of being willing to enthusiastically work just about any shift anywhere, as long as I can get some acute care experience. Age-ism.

Medscape article about California nurses: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/958097

Thanks. Disinfecting surfaces is done regularly and is not the problem, as I see it, which is droplets in the air. She also takes it off to sneeze and cough. Oh - re-reading now for comprehension ? and see what you mean. I think she would know exactly what I was trying to convey, may see it (correctly) as kind of passive aggressive, and feel harrassed. I am not quite there yet, but thanks for the suggestion!

Hi - I tried searching already existing topics, so as not to add to them, but couldn't really find an appropriate place to post this. Someone with an admin job in our unit and who works in a small yet moderately / regularly trafficked office, takes off her mask when talking on the telephone, even when people are less than four feet away. She is someone who has worked as an MA in the past, and who comes from a medical family. Still, she doesn't get that talking is one of the main activities for which you should wear a mask. I asked her, while in the office with her, if she could put her mask on when on the phone, and her reply was, after attempting for a nano-second, "I can't." and then pulling it back down. I have a pretty good idea how this would go down if I pushed the issue, and that is that I would end up being the bad guy for bugging a good ole gal so much. She is a key member of our team, has been there a number of years, and liked by management. What have others' experiences been? Thanks!

I agree with Wuzzie above. Can't find how to sign in from the homepage. Pain.

Wouldn't the key metric be several columns over: deaths per million? The US is at 429, while Brazil is at 367, as of now. Not that far off from each other.

This is a corona virus. Ie the virus that usually causes colds. I say that just in terms of immunity. Meaning, being a corona virus, why are we all of a sudden expecting it to confer immunity like other viruses? You can get more than one cold a season. I am, obviously, no expert, but this is something that is only now starting to occur to me, after being so hopeful, initially, about antibodies.

A solution really needs to be found. I often go outside as I think it's the safest place. I sympathize with people's need to breathe freely without a mask and of course to eat. But what's the point of all the mask wearing the rest of the day if during breaks we are giving coronavirus to each other? They need to find large enough spaces (again, for me outdoors is best) where people can safely space out to eat and drink. These days I eat in a hurry and then quickly get my mask back on. I'm not there to luxuriate in lunch or dinnertime. Eating is risky business, and I realize that this will be over at some point.

I follow Michael Osterholm's characterization in that it's not about waves. He likens it to a forest fire. As long as there's wood to burn, it will burn.

I work with patients who are generally Covid negative until they're not, and sent in for testing and perhaps longer-term hospitalization. In terms of our possible exposure, and what "counts" as exposure, we are referred to a PDF with an information graphic featuring different scenarios of low and high risk exposure depending on who is masked, if the patient is showing symptoms, etc. I'm sure people have seen them. And that's it. (Amazingly, no one's been deemed yet to have actually had exposure, which is a load of you know what.) I'm of two minds about this approach. On one level, it's a joke. Hey folks!, Step right up, and use this infographic to determine your risk! On the other hand, it sort of empowers me, but in terms of testing, I'm on my own, gotta do it on my own time and maybe incur the expense. Also, I can't help but harken back to March and how we'd have these long drawn out meetings featuring very complicated exposure scenarios and what to do (isolate and quarantine) if x, or x and y, or y - so complicated, I shut down my brain during the meetings, it was nearly ridiculous. Point being, at that time, there was little virus circulating and the risk unlike now, was low. And now, now when the risk is high, it's - refer to your emailed PDF with the masking graphic. I'm glad you're wearing the KN95 underneath your surgical mask. You should always be wearing an N95 or KN95, no matter what. And so should your colleagues.

And viral load? The young are magically exempt from suffering horrendous effects (death even) with a high viral load? Who controls this sure path to vector reduction? Who ensures that they will get just enough but not too much? How do healthy HCW die from Covid?

"I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters" "I don't kid"

Yes, Mr Trump, that's what you said at murder show #1 in Tulsa. We heard you then, and still we know it's faulty reasoning and wrong, and you don't know what you're talking about in general.