[Racer46]

I am seeing more friends getting it by flying, boat trips and crowded restaurants. Some just a week or so of Covid and others severe effects and long Covid.

[Ghaati]

Since people can get home tests, there won't be any accurate data on how many people "are being tested" for COVID. Anyone who uses one of those home tests are "being tested" but they don't have to log the info into any database.

Thankfully people can order another couple sets of tests through the government at no charge, again.

I've been sick all week and tested positive for COVID on Wednesday. The cough is finally starting to become productive. I checked with my doctor, gave them my symptoms. Their advice - for me to treat it the same way I'd treat the flu, unless my fever went over 101 for longer than a day, or if I had any new severe symptoms other than the ones I already had.

My fever broke this morning, and the nagging headache is only showing up intermitantly instead of constantly. My treatment plan: I alternated Tylenol with Nyquil during the day, Tylenol only at night (since I take Ambien to sleep and the combo is not healthy), lots of water, lazing around most of the day, and staying away from other people. Wearing a mask if I need to leave the house so as to reduce the chance that I'll infect anyone else.

[Racer46]

Hope you get better quickly.

[wizrap]

Ghaati, get well soon.

[Ghaati]

On the mend already. Cough is almost fully productive now, and only every few hours instead of every 20-30 minutes. Body aches are gone, everything tastes normal. The persistent headache is still persistent but not bad enough to need the extra strength tylenol or Nyquil every 6 hours. One after breakfast and one an hour before bed seems to be doing the trick now.

It definitely felt more like a mild but lingering flu.

[SanyBelle]

Florida Department of Health

Two weeks ending 12/22/2023

Cumulative Cases.....New Cases for Past 2 weeks.....Cumulative Deaths.....New Deaths for Past 2 weeks
.....7,890,896.......................19,652....... ......................92,655...................... ......155

[Ghaati]

Originally Posted by SanyBelle

Florida Department of Health

Two weeks ending 12/22/2023

Cumulative Cases.....New Cases for Past 2 weeks.....Cumulative Deaths.....New Deaths for Past 2 weeks
.....7,890,896.......................19,652....... ......................92,655...................... ......155

Remember these are only the reported cases. Most people who take the home test, aren't reporting the results to the Dept. of Health. Most cases don't have symptoms that require hospitalization.

So you can probably assume something like this:

19,652 new cases for the past 2 weeks that had severe enough symptoms to warrant a visit to the hospital
out of those cases, 155 died.

So 19,493 people in the past two weeks lost days from work or school, risked infecting the rest of their family/co-workers, were actually sick with symptoms of illness, had to make arrangements for someone else to cover their shift, bring their homework to them, or care for their children while they were sick. Most of them also incurred some kind of expense, including the costs of hospitalization/er visit, doctors, medications, etc.

MOST of it could have been prevented. For instance - whoever got ME sick - if they had simply stayed home when they were feeling sick, or worn a mask, or kept their distance - I wouldn't have gotten sick. The same is true for whoever got THAT person sick.

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by Ghaati

Remember these are only the reported cases. Most people who take the home test, aren't reporting the results to the Dept. of Health. Most cases don't have symptoms that require hospitalization.

So you can probably assume something like this:

19,652 new cases for the past 2 weeks that had severe enough symptoms to warrant a visit to the hospital
out of those cases, 155 died.

So 19,493 people in the past two weeks lost days from work or school, risked infecting the rest of their family/co-workers, were actually sick with symptoms of illness, had to make arrangements for someone else to cover their shift, bring their homework to them, or care for their children while they were sick. Most of them also incurred some kind of expense, including the costs of hospitalization/er visit, doctors, medications, etc.

MOST of it could have been prevented. For instance - whoever got ME sick - if they had simply stayed home when they were feeling sick, or worn a mask, or kept their distance - I wouldn't have gotten sick. The same is true for whoever got THAT person sick.

People want their life to return to "normal", and it isn't going to.

[Ghaati]

Originally Posted by Racer46

People want their life to return to "normal", and it isn't going to.

Normal? No. But as close to normal as possible with minimal inconvenience? It absolutely can.

If you feel sick - stay home.
If you feel sick enough to go to a doctor's office, wear a mask when you leave the house.
If you're diagnosed with an infectious/contagious illness, stay home, wear a mask when you leave the house, avoid close proximity with other people, take whatever medication your licensed medical professional recommends/prescribes.

These are things you should be doing ANYWAY but apparently because of politics, reasonable behavioral activity in response to illness has been thrown out the window. A person's "rights" seem to be more important than their "responsibilities" to humanity now.

[SanyBelle]

Florida Department of Health

Year ending 12/31/2023*

Cumulative Cases.....New Cases for Past 10 days.....Cumulative Deaths.....New Deaths for Past 10 days
.....7,906,419.......................15,523....... ......................92,841...................... ......179

*FL DOH put a hard stop of the numbers at the end of 2013 so I will count cases at the end of each month in 2024 instead of every 2 weeks.