@luminata Chocolate syrup is always shelf ready and very nice over sliced fruit. Chocolate chips can be melted,either in a microwave or in a pan over water like a small double boiler, poured onto parchment paper and sprinkled with nuts and or dry fruit like raisins, dried apricot or dried cranberries, coconut, orange zest (whatever you like) Then just refrigerate it until it hardens, crack or break it into pieces and store in a container. We all can spend time in our kitchens letting our imaginations run free.
A friend of a friend who is a Professor of Emergency Medicine posted on Facebook about the COVID-2019 in response to a number of questions he had been receiving. It's quite a long post much of which details his rough calculations as to the mortality rate, but I thought this part of the post is worth sharing:
It's worth noting that at any mortality rate, disruption to our social and economic order could potentially do as much harm as the virus itself. For example, many people live paycheck to paycheck, so if their work is shut down they'll have no money to buy food or medicine, or pay rent. If schools are closed, as they surely will be, many households will be financially strained. And for anybody who ends up in the ICU with Covid19, the medical bills could be crippling. A public health problem of this magnitude that affects everybody certainly puts "Healthcare for all" into a different perspective.
In some epidemics the supply chain is disrupted and critical infrastructure may collapse. This pandemic likely will not be severe enough to cause such a collapse in and of itself, but public mismanagement, antisocial behavior, and panic could combine to make things much worse.
We will need to pull together to get through this. We need to keep the system working. We need to be kind: we can't afford to treat each other badly. Nobody is going to be able to hide long enough to avoid exposure, especially since a doorknob or a perfectly healthy-seeming person may be a vector.
Craig Feied, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, FACPh
Professor of Emergency Medicine
(This is from a public post but please delete if inappropriate)
Also, No Knead Bread: flour, water, salt, yeast.
@lovendures Yes and during the Ash Wednesday service, he hugged, kissed, and shook hands with those in the front row. I'm not sure if the article you linked to shows photos of that, but I saw them somewhere online.
What a mess.
I feel like the mythic Cassandra -- I have been worried about this since January 23, when I first started researching the coronavirus (I do medical editing and fact-checking, so I am familiar with understanding a good deal of medical data--not all of course, not saying I'm an expert).
However, for weeks I tried to contain my fears so long as the disease remained inside China, since I didn't want to seem like a nut (I know people think I'm a nut half the time anyway). When it hit outside of China, I knew we were in for it. Thankfully, there are a few close to me who are listening. But I feel like most people continue to put their head in the sand and think it's just more fake news.
I hope that I will have worried over nothing. I pray I am wrong. But I fear I am right.
This story from ProPublica, a reliable and transparent investigative organization, tells us why we aren't yet testing in the U.S., what went wrong, and compares our situation countries that are much more advanced than the US which feels more like a third world country in its response. We dropped the ball due to, what appears to be, the CDC's decision not to use the World Health Organization's guidelines and instead to develop their own test. The test that CDC developed and distributed in mid February also tested for other coronaviruses and as such ended out having a high false positive that was then recalled.
I also do not feel safe with Pence at the helm and Trump's need to hush up the information about the virus. I remain suspicious of the slowness of the CDC in getting out test kits.
This excellent article by Heather Cox Richardson, dated 2/27/20, sent to me by a friend, summarizes so well how this pandemic has been coming since the Reagan era. It fits how many of us feel about a rolling wave that is now at the high water mark with Donald Trump. It's not just about the virus but it may be culminating with the virus. I hope you can find it. I could post the whole article but best to send people to her website.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
It starts like this...
"It appears we are in the chaos that churns in between more stable eras.
The coronavirus is grabbing the headlines, and it is a huge story in its own right, but it also lays bare the rot in the Republican Party that has put Trump in the White House. The coronavirus is a pandemic now, meaning it is a disease that has appeared on a number of continents, and it is killing people, although the numbers of infections and the death rate is so premature that I would not draw any conclusions yet. We know it’s not good, but just how not good it might turn out to be is still unclear.
But the coronavirus and the subsequent selling-off in the stock market of the last several days reveals what feels to me like an endpoint of a political era.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan won the White House by arguing that the activist government of the New Deal, the laws that regulated business, provided a basic social safety net, and promoted infrastructure, were destroying American liberty. “Government is not the solution to our problem;” Reagan said in his inaugural address, “government is the problem.” ..." Go to her website to read it, dated 2/27/20
According to Dr. John Campbell on his daily COVID-19 podcast, the South Koreans have developed drive through testing for the Coronavirus, thus eliminating spread in hospital and clinic waiting rooms. The patient drives to the test, then goes home to self isolate. Test results in two days. We need this here.
I am humbled at the thought that I may die, that my loved ones may die, that my child might die.I' will buy lysol and other cleaners. I will take precautions.
But knowing how random it is, is forcing me to heal myself. I can not indulge in anything other than self forgiveness and love. I cannot weaken myself.
When in circumstances that provoke existential fears, wise folks, like you, take the opportunity to get real, to live the lives that we have always planned to live, our personal best. What better lesson to learn than: I forgive and love myself. I will treat myself with kindness?
Does anyone agree with me that we are in a most educational time?
New York City and New York state are developing their own tests to detect the coronavirus amid issues with a test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), BuzzFeed News reported.
Earlier this month, the CDC released a genetic test in the US for the virus, which was sent to approximately 100 state and city labs, in addition to overseas sites. However, the test's results were proven unreliable and fewer than a dozen labs produced definite results, according to the report.
Which of our members have been shinning mega amounts of light and love on the CDC?
It worked. They traded in their iPhone 4 for what looks like a 8, working toward a 10. The reason for this is the case at the UC Davis Hospital with no known contact origin.
The CDC finally revised their criteria for testing. By a lot.
They are including travel from China, South Korea, Italy and Iran hot spots too.
I am curious @Jeanne if you were to phone the Mass Health Department today, would they say something new today than yesterday?
Here is the new Criteria.
| Clinical Features | & | Epidemiologic Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Fever1 or signs/symptoms of lower respiratory illness (e.g. cough or shortness of breath) | AND | Any person, including healthcare workers2, who has had close contact3 with a laboratory-confirmed4 COVID-19 patient within 14 days of symptom onset |
| Fever1 and signs/symptoms of a lower respiratory illness (e.g., cough or shortness of breath) requiring hospitalization | AND | A history of travel from affected geographic areas5 (see below) within 14 days of symptom onset |
| Fever1 with severe acute lower respiratory illness (e.g., pneumonia, ARDS) requiring hospitalization and without alternative explanatory diagnosis (e.g., influenza)6 | AND | No source of exposure has been identified |
Affected Geographic Areas with Widespread or Sustained Community Transmission
Last updated February 26, 2020
- China
- Iran
- Italy
- Japan
- South Korea
I phoned my governor (along with about 5 other people) yesterday (they're gonna have me on a kook list, I'm sure) and was told they were testing everyone coming from China. I said, that's great, but what people coming from X, Y, and Z? The person on the other end agreed that I had a point. I too am wondering what they would say today. Thankful for some positive progress!
So, I feel like I should share my premonitions in the hope that it brings and sense of calm to the members here.
I've been getting a very strong sense that this pandemic will be diminished in intensity fairly soon. I get the feeling that an effective treatment already exists, its just a matter of them realizing it. I'm feeling that in April, an announcement will come. It involves a combination of drugs used to treat other viruses like HIV and Ebola. (I keep getting something to do with Africa). Also, a vaccine will come much more quickly than expected because it will be based off of vaccine work that has already been done on the above viruses.
There have been multiple studies showing that antimalarial drugs (chloroquine in particular) are effective in treating coronavirus patients, but nothing has been totally confirmed on that point. Doctors in South Korea and Wuhan also used HIV medications with similar results.
There was also a South Korean research team that came out within the first month with a potential vaccine carrier, based off their earlier work with flu vaccines. They were able to modify part of their existing vaccine to include some of the protein spikes from the coronavirus; if successful the vaccine could double as a standard flu vaccine as well. Their work has already been moved to further testing, but it’s not clear when anything will be available for broad use.
As bad as the situation seems right now, there’s still a lot of hope that the tide will turn swiftly in our favor. Brilliant minds across the globe are doing everything they can to make things better despite (and in spite of) the lackluster response from global leaders.
Gilead's Remdisavir is their drug they used to treat Ebola, that is currently being used in clinical trials in China to treat Covid-19. Results from early trials are expect to be due in April 2020.
Did anyone catch Mike Pence rub his nose at the press conference, then shake everyone's hands! OY! ? ?
Ahhh Billy-mike ... "May you live in interesting times" we are indeed.
As someone who has to rely on more natural available anti-virals, anti-bacterials and keeping the immune system in as good a shape as I can (auto-immune issues from childhood)and I have allergies to a lot of the current day pharmaceuticals.(Celebrex caused anaphylactic shock and bad reactions to flu shots etc) I utilize thyme tea (I grow my own and use fresh ) with raw honey and lemon, fermented foods... that I make myself (kefir, sauerkraut,garlic) for our immune system starts in our gut. Manuka honey, Aloe vera, and take a Host Defense Immunity mushroom blend, Vitamin C and Vitamin D w/K2, a mineral blend with selenium ( Hashimoto's pts are usually low in selenium) and a good basic multi and a curcumin blend for inflammation (psoriatic arthritis) These things help keep myself healthy and not as prone to getting the office crud from co-workers(who have children in school) and clients. I eat clean as much as possible (thank you Aldi for making it affordable and tasty) and I cook at home where I can control what goes in my foods. I have fresh greens growing in my garden and I get organic free range duck and chicken eggs from a coworker. I grow sprouts/micro greens weekly. I actually enjoy cooking my own sourdough bread and biscuits and cornbread and cooking good meals from scratch. I come from a long line of great Southern cooks. I enjoy preparing healthy and tasty foods for myself and my family and friends. I have enough to get me through a month of self isolation (and longer if I use the "bug-out survival bucket" foods.) I found myself.. self isolating about New Years... if I am not on the schedule at work.. I am usually at home. I order my groceries online and go pick them up - so not in a crowd.. and ..keeps me on budget. I read books online (Amazon Prime) and watch movies online, online groups and media and tend my garden/yard and pets. I have actually become quite content being hermit like! Which sort of surprises me.. because I have always been in jobs that required a lot of personal interaction. I felt the strong urge to make home ... the place I wanted to be ..before Christmas and once that had passed.... withdrew from the "madding crowd"
I feel its going to get worse before it gets better ~ especially for people like me.. with no health insurance etc. ..I believe this is going to be what wakes people up to understand.. we HAVE to make changes.. and Impotus/GOP will fail us miserably ... and it will be what causes their downfall and removal.
Buckle up for the roller coaster ride my friends....Light, Love and Healing to us all.
New Zealand hasn't been testing travellers. The person walked into a hospital with symptoms.
It will be interesting to see how things might change for them now.
3 community spread cases have been reported in the US. One is in Oregon where a school worker tested positive. They will be closing that school until Wednesday to clean it.