How are you all doing in COVID-19 times?

[crofter]

Fingers crossed that social security goes on forever. Still recovering from four months of lost benefit last year, but its good to be getting the pension checks again. Many worse off than me.

A quick update, looks like testing labs are looking for "the variant" in LA covid 19 cases.  Expect the answer after about a week of the genetic tests looking for it.  Link to article.
-crofter

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/...d-19-might-be-fueling-surge-in-cases/2493490/

 

[crofter]

Can you resist the marshmallow? Link to article.

https://medium.com/@vipan.nikore/co...f-lives-and-trillions-of-dollars-44e0669ddd46

I am a patient and goal oriented person so this is easier for me. For some of us , this is too difficult to even try, and the marshmallow wins.
-crofter

 

[crofter]

Saving 8 trillion dollars or $60k per houshold by social distancing during covid 19. Link to paper summary.
-crofter

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3561244

 

[user 423]

So now it's about one person in 1000 that has died.

There are 10,000 members on this forum.

So it's very possible we've lost 10 of 'our own'.

 

[bullfrog]

The problem is I imagine the odds of hospitalizion and dying are much more against us if we catch it as most are older or have existing conditions. Since many of us social distance and meet outdoors our odds of catching it would probably be less so I’m guessing the odds of catching it if we stay away from stores and towns in general and follow the guidelines and stay away from people who don’t, would be slim. Of course that may all change with the new more contagious variant of the virus if it proves to be airborne. I haven’t been within 6’ of another person always wearing a mask while conversing outside my wife who lives with me inside my RV since this started. If someone wants to go somewhere with me we take separate vehicles. I haven’t been inside a public building when anyone else was there and wear a mask while there. I wear gloves when touching public doors, pumping gas/paying at the pump or dumping trash. I wash my hands after opening packages and mail outside. So far so good.

 

[maki2]

Don`t you really mean you dont go shopping when the stores are crowded?  Someone has to be in the building to wait on you unless everything is dispensed from machines.

 

[bullfrog]

I don’t go in stores as we only have one open (gas station convenience type store) and it stocks very little. I use pay at the pump after hours. I did buy myself a fish cleaning table on line and have been fishing more this year. Everything I have bought has been on line and is received at the Rangers Office which we pick up after hours in a common area. I haven’t been to town since the beginning of this year. I think it is strange how many survivor types we used to have on here all the time have been very quiet this year. I imagine they weren’t as prepared as they thought. I decided to stay isolated here with full hookups and the lake nearby to avoid crowds at gas stations and stores in Arizona where we normally stay. I have had to make some rigged repairs till ordered internet parts arrived to avoid trips to town but food has been no problem, in fact I have gained weight now cold weather keeps me inside more and a few others have brought Covid 19 home with them which makes me want to go out less. I have had contact with fewer than 25 people this year and that includes waving from the car and shouting “ Happy Holidays”. Conversations are less than 20 minutes and 6’ apart wearing a mask. My work this year was limited to an office by myself with the window open and wiped down twice a day just to make sure if someone else used the space while I was off it was disinfected. My wife and I are older and have high blood pressure so we took this seriously from the beginning and as it hasn’t gotten any better we still do. We have had family members that have had it and two of our grown children work in medical settings so we respect their sacrifices during this pandemic and support their efforts by doing what everyone should be trying to do. I feel we have been very lucky to be able to do as well as we have. I hope others will too.

 

[crofter]

Don`t you really mean you dont go shopping when the stores are crowded?  Someone has to be in the building to wait on you unless everything is dispensed from machines.

Besides the online shopping which bullfrog mentioned, there is also curbside pickup at many places from grocery stores to hardware stores, and also restaurants. Pharmacies and banks  have online services, and also drive up window with minimal contact.

If you must go inside, choose early morning hours when the store has just been cleaned. Also some stores have reserved times for seniors early in the morning.

Be sure to use your mask and hand sanitizer every time.

Sometimes you can go to plan B and eliminate the purchase by using what you already have. Hope that helps.
-crofter

 

[bullfrog]

I had my first virtual yearly checkup this year to renew my prescriptions through the VA but really wish they could figure out a way to get blood drawn as I like to keep track of yearly values. Other than that my doctor recommended a flu shot which I had already gotten when the county health department offered free shots in a parking lot here earlier in October and the vaccine as soon as it is a available. Those nurses giving flu shots drove over three hours to our little community to deliver them, got to love it when a county health department cares enough to do things like that.

 

[crofter]

I had my first virtual yearly checkup this year to renew my prescriptions through the VA but really wish they could figure out a way to get blood drawn as I like to keep track of yearly values....

They are doing it through the finger stick, looks like a lot of blood to get out of your finger. There are multiple kits available.  Here is the how to link.
-crofter
https://www.getlivesmart.com/pages/home-kit

These guys are having a sale on the kits!
https://www.everlywell.com/?g_netwo...hLaVtUmvST-Qis7Eochaa2HnPV5IPocxoCTZkQAvD_BwE

 

[bullfrog]

Thanks, one of the problems of living remotely is normal mail before the post office budgets were cut took a minimum of 5 days, now it is more like 6 or 7. Our UPS doesn’t run on weekends and overnight is more like 4 days if you are lucky. FedEx has a drop in Mexican Hat that an item sits till they get enough packages to justify a run, which can take up to a month sometimes it seems. The regular mail is still the best bet for getting something. Schwans food service stopped in person delivering this September which was twice a month and switched to UPS delivery which seldom works so we had to stop the service. We have a medical clinic person that flies in for one day every Friday who if he has room occasionally brings us over the counter medicines. If you are going to do anything risky you need to do it late Thursday night or early Friday morning as he I believe gets here at 9AM and leaves while still daylight in good weather as the runway lights are not usually kept on. Still we enjoy the place as we are not quite right! Lol!!!

 

[crofter]

Going to the beach is off the map for New Years. Link to CA site.  -crofter

https://covid19.ca.gov/state-dashboard/

 

[crofter]

If you are sick in Imperial County CA, ECRMC has opened an infusion center for monoclonal antibodies, designed to keep you from getting really sick. Link to article.
-crofter

https://kyma.com/news/2020/12/30/ecrmc-begins-new-covid-treatment/

 

[crofter]

AZ is still in the top states for infection

with the following counties around 30 percent positive tests today: Graham, Yuma, Mohave, Santa Cruz. 

At around 20 percent positive tests today: Pima, Yavapai, Greenlee, Navaho, Apache, Cochise, Pinal, Maricopa, La Paz. 

The following AZ counties kept it at or below 15 percent: Gila, Coconino. 

If you are out and about you can expect to run across a sick person or two or three. Please stay safe and take all possible precautions. Every boring day by yourself helps to lower these awful numbers.  :heart:
-crofter

I have also heard that there are high case numbers south of the border in Mexico, but unable to get numbers for there, so please also take precautions in Mexico if you go. -c

 

[crofter]

Pharmacies on the list to give vaccine shots, link to Nov 6 article.  -crofter

https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020...increase-access-future-covid-19-vaccines.html

 

[bullfrog]

The big hold up my daughter (front line worker actually doing Covid 19 testing) ran into is scheduling an appointment to get the first shot. The paper work requires you not only prove who you are but must be verified before you can get permission to get the vaccine which when everyone in her clinic is working 72 hours a week is a little difficult. She will have to miss a day of work as it takes a while to even receive the shot with an appointment. She said that it is worse than when they first started testing and that still isn’t working well.

 

[crofter]

I assumed they would distribute the shots to the facilities, like the flu shot is distributed, and the TB tests etc. That would make too much sense.

I went to a mass vaccination event in MT years ago, they did about 6 thousand per day at an events center, at 15 minutes total time per participant. This seems more like a trickle.
-crofter

Link to article
https://westcentral.ne.networkofcare.org/ph/model-practice-detail.aspx?pid=5950

 

[crofter]

The MT event proved that they could vaccinate at the rate of 10 thousand per 12 hour shift using an incident command organization. At that rate it would take a couple months to vaccinate the entire population of the US. For ID at the MT event, the drivers license was used and the paperwork went pretty fast.

It seems like they could do the same thing now, but certainly not happening.
-crofter

 

[crofter]

The big hold up my daughter (front line worker actually doing Covid 19 testing) ran into is scheduling an appointment to get the first shot. The paper work requires you not only prove who you are but must be verified before you can get permission to get the vaccine which when everyone in her clinic is working 72 hours a week is a little difficult. She will have to miss a day of work as it takes a while to even receive the shot with an appointment. She said that it is worse than when they first started testing and that still isn’t working well.

Looks like they are changing their plan for vaccine rollout to state controlled, still a far cry from doing the incident control method. This article states 20% of the first group has been vaccinated.
  -crofter

https://ktar.com/story/3779249/duce...-up-covid-19-vaccine-distribution-in-arizona/

 

[crofter]

How to schedule your vaccination appointment. Link to article with links.
-crofter

https://www.kold.com/2021/01/01/fact-finders-heres-how-you-can-go-online-sign-up-covid-vaccine/

https://podvaccine.azdhs.gov/