Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston, Reading: stats, health, required)

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

Grocery delivery is available for all at this point. Usually in less than 2 hours.

Depends where you are. they just added stop and shop where I am. This is an activity I tend to watch due to complaints about food access which is often overblown. I recall something in Detroit arguing that armed guards guard over food. The fact of the matter is there's many smaller chains and independent grocery shops that aren't listed or covered vs a national survey of places like Walmart and Target.

I would argue in the next five or so years the vast majority of people will have access to some type of grocery delivery. Pickup is almost everywhere and pretty easy. I actually kinda like walmarts pickup and rather do that then go in the store itself.

Just keep in mind for things like ubur eats and postmates that these services can charge 20%. Smaller delivery options can charge less, I've heard many complaints on restaurants for this love/hate relationship.

[bohemka]

Originally Posted by id77

People keep using words like "certain" and "ensure" as if any of these are proven. Why insist on putting the cart ahead of the horse and act like anecdotal studies means guaranteed improvement? There was a period of time when people were sure about hydroxychloroquine, too. If these treatments were proven and ensured better outcomes, why are people still dying daily from this?

Who was sure about hydroxychloroquine? Trump? FOX news? The quack in France?

Multiple recent posts in this thread have done a good job explaining why our physicians are in better shape now to deal with COVID than they were in March, but fight on if you must.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by sawyer2

That is simply not true. There is no cure or vaccine BUT there is a far, far greater understanding now as to how to treat varying presentations of the virus. There are many treatments that ensure a far better outcome ....reducing cytokine storm, anti-inflammatory like dexamethasone, convalescent plasma therapy, to name just a few. Screening and triage at intake are also far different and more mature. You are in a far better place today if you get COVID.

Yep. The protocol now is totally different from mid-March. Medical science has learned quite a bit in the last 90 days. On March 15, any treatment was a wild-assed guess. If you show up at the hospital now with hypoxia, they know to try putting you on your stomach with oxygen before knocking you out and stuffing a vent down your airway where you had maybe a 10%-ish survival rate. My sister owns the convalescent plasma harvesting project in Canada. You couldn’t get an antibody transfusion on March 15th. Nobody knew what antivirals might help so physicians were just trying random things including the infamous aquarium cleaner. On March 15th, the hospital staff was also terrified of it. You don’t get good care when the staff is afraid to get near you. Whole departments were getting exposed and pushed into 14-day quarantine.

I’d much rather catch it now than 90 days ago. I imagine treatments will continue to evolve and there will be another big set of improvements 90 days from now. I’m 62 so ~ 1% risk group. I’ll be more likely to venture out into the world as treatments continue to improve.

[sawyer2]

Originally Posted by id77

If these treatments were proven and ensured better outcomes, why are people still dying daily from this?

Because better prognosis for most does not mean that all will survive, unfortunately.

Originally Posted by id77

There was a period of time when people were sure about hydroxychloroquine, too.

I think we all know why this was being touted

[id77]

Originally Posted by bohemka

Who was sure about hydroxychloroquine? Trump? FOX news? The quack in France?

Multiple recent posts in this thread have done a good job explaining why our physicians are in better shape now to deal with COVID than they were in March, but fight on if you must.

Wasn't just Trump and the quack in France:

https://www.propublica.org/article/d...their-families

While still unproven, there was enough interest that medical professionals were starting to hoard in the event it did turn out to be beneficial.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that all of the progress as of late has been around symptomatic treatment. None of it directly increases or decreases the chance of survival from the virus; it all manages the symptoms with the hope that that little extra push will help some fight this on their own. And, at the end of the day, that's what I take away from this -- if you have COVID, the only person who can beat it is you. Everyone else around you is support staff to try to make you as comfortable as possible while you fight it, but you are still alone in your fight.

The antibodies sound promising, but I don't react to promising. Hope isn't something I need or want. I react to proven.

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Yep. The protocol now is totally different from mid-March. ...

I’d much rather catch it now than 90 days ago. I imagine treatments will continue to evolve and there will be another big set of improvements 90 days from now. I’m 62 so ~ 1% risk group. I’ll be more likely to venture out into the world as treatments continue to improve.

My thoughts exactly, being 67 and very mildly diabetic. Saw a medical report today that the virus spikes have are mutating to becoming more stable and more likely therefore to be infective. Nothing about being more severe if catching it, but easier to catch in the first place and maybe interfering with a vaccine based on the pre-mutation form of the spikes.

So time is only helpful in everything. My friend who caught it at work (geriatric dementia) tested negative after her exposure and then, ten days later with major symptoms and a positive virus test, went home for 2 1/2 months with debilitating weakness and exhaustion after the cough and fever eased. Never any SOB or hospitalization but no mild "recovering at home."

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

Grocery delivery is available for all at this point. Usually in less than 2 hours.

I still can't get grocery delivery and I *am* high risk. I look a few times a week.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

My thoughts exactly, being 67 and very mildly diabetic. Saw a medical report today that the virus spikes have are mutating to becoming more stable and more likely therefore to be infective. Nothing about being more severe if catching it, but easier to catch in the first place and maybe interfering with a vaccine based on the pre-mutation form of the spikes.

So time is only helpful in everything. My friend who caught it at work (geriatric dementia) tested negative after her exposure and then, ten days later with major symptoms and a positive virus test, went home for 2 1/2 months with debilitating weakness and exhaustion after the cough and fever eased. Never any SOB or hospitalization but no mild "recovering at home."

My entirely unsubstantiated opinion is that the mortality rate has been dropping because the highest risk people have self-selected themselves into a bubble so they’re not catching it. Nursing homes are now locked down with strong infection control process. Etc. I don’t think the virus has mutated. I think the most unhealthy in our population are doing their best to avoid catching it. If you look at the data, the mortality rate has dropped. I think it’s individual behavior that is causing most of it and improvements in treatments doing the rest.

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by charolastra00

I still can't get grocery delivery and I *am* high risk. I look a few times a week.

Your location says Camberville. Is that where you live now? If so, there is currently immediate delivery availability for Whole Foods via Amazon Prime Now, or Wegmans, Big Y, Star, Shop & Shop or H-Mart via Instacart.

Good luck.

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

I don’t think the virus has mutated.

Yes it has, many times. Viruses mutate. It's what they do. Generally the mutations make the viruses less deadly.