Octopus Overlords

YellowKing wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 9:15 am My dad just tested positive. He had to get tested because he was supposed to go in for some carotid artery surgery this week. Now that has been canceled.

This is frightening because he is 67, has heart problems, high risk of stroke (hence the artery surgery he was having), diabetes, and high blood pressure.

However, he hasn't had any symptoms, so we're crossing our fingers that maybe he's asymptomatic. He's already taking it as an automatic death sentence, because he generally has a pessimistic attitude about all things related to health, doctors, or medicine.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 9:15 am My dad just tested positive. He had to get tested because he was supposed to go in for some carotid artery surgery this week. Now that has been canceled.

This is frightening because he is 67, has heart problems, high risk of stroke (hence the artery surgery he was having), diabetes, and high blood pressure.

However, he hasn't had any symptoms, so we're crossing our fingers that maybe he's asymptomatic. He's already taking it as an automatic death sentence, because he generally has a pessimistic attitude about all things related to health, doctors, or medicine.

Lorini wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:19 am When the taco stand re-opens, we're going to go and bring them a big bag of store bought cookies (the ones in the white bags) to show how much we care about them and how not everyone is an asshole.

stessier wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:26 am

Lorini wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:19 am When the taco stand re-opens, we're going to go and bring them a big bag of store bought cookies (the ones in the white bags) to show how much we care about them and how not everyone is an asshole.

I'm not familiar with those cookies, but your phrasing suggests it's well understood. Is it an LA thing?

Lorini wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:32 am

stessier wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:26 am

Lorini wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:19 am When the taco stand re-opens, we're going to go and bring them a big bag of store bought cookies (the ones in the white bags) to show how much we care about them and how not everyone is an asshole.

I'm not familiar with those cookies, but your phrasing suggests it's well understood. Is it an LA thing?

I can't remember what the damned cookies are but they are everywhere. They are in white bags with like chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies or other types of cookies. I'd really have preferred to make the employees some cookies at home but that's not safe, so bagged it will have to be.

Edit: Pepperidge Farm cookies

Lorini wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:32 am

stessier wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:26 am

Lorini wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:19 am When the taco stand re-opens, we're going to go and bring them a big bag of store bought cookies (the ones in the white bags) to show how much we care about them and how not everyone is an asshole.

I'm not familiar with those cookies, but your phrasing suggests it's well understood. Is it an LA thing?

I can't remember what the damned cookies are but they are everywhere. They are in white bags with like chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies or other types of cookies. I'd really have preferred to make the employees some cookies at home but that's not safe, so bagged it will have to be.

Edit: Pepperidge Farm cookies

YellowKing wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 9:15 am He's already taking it as an automatic death sentence, because he generally has a pessimistic attitude about all things related to health, doctors, or medicine.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 12:28 pm The longer this goes on the more it feels like a world killer. A slow one but still one. There will not be a cure, there may not be a vaccine, and there may be no herd immunity if even after you have it you can get it again. If those are all in play then its simply a matter of time before it kills everyone off.

A new strain of flu that has the potential to become a pandemic has been identified in China by scientists.

It emerged recently and is carried by pigs, but can infect humans, they say.

The researchers are concerned that it could mutate further so that it can spread easily from person to person, and trigger a global outbreak.

While it is not an immediate problem, they say, it has "all the hallmarks" of being highly adapted to infect humans and needs close monitoring.

As it's new, people could have little or no immunity to the virus.

The scientists write in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that measures to control the virus in pigs, and the close monitoring of swine industry workers, should be swiftly implemented.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 12:28 pm The longer this goes on the more it feels like a world killer.

When pathologist Amy Rapkiewicz began the grim process of opening up the coronavirus dead to learn how their bodies went awry, she found damage to the lungs, kidneys and liver consistent with what doctors had reported for months.

But something was off.

Rapkiewicz, who directs autopsies at NYU Langone Health, noticed that some organs had far too many of a special cell rarely found in those places. She had never seen that before, yet it seemed vaguely familiar. She raced to her history books and — in a eureka moment — found a reference to 1960′s report on a patient with dengue fever.

In dengue, a mosquito-borne tropical disease, she learned, the virus appeared to destroy these cells, which produce platelets, leading to uncontrolled bleeding. The novel coronavirus seemed to amplify their effect, causing dangerous clotting.

She was struck by the parallels: “Covid-19 and dengue sound really different, but the cells that are involved are similar.”
...
Most recently, a study out this month in the Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine, found abnormal clotting in the heart, kidney, liver, as well as the lungs of seven patients, leading the authors to suggest this may be a major cause of the multiple-organ failure in covid-19 patients.
...
The next organ studied up close was the heart. One of the most frightening early reports about the coronavirus from China was that a significant percent of hospitalized patients — up to 20 to 30 percent — appeared to have a heart issue known as myocarditis that could lead to sudden death. It involves the thickening of the muscle of the heart so that it can no longer pump efficiently.
...
NYU Langone’s Rapkiewicz, who studied seven hearts, was struck by the abundance of a rare cell called megakaryocytes in the heart. Megakaryocytes, which produce platelets that control clotting, typically exist only in the bone marrow and lungs. When she went back to the lung samples from the coronavirus patients, she discovered those cells were too plentiful there, too.
...
Of all the novel coronaviruses’s manifestations, its impact on the brain has been among the most vexing. Patients have reported a host of neurological impairments including reduced ability to smell or taste, altered mental status, stroke, seizures — even delirium.
...
Based on such data and anecdotal reports, Isaac Solomon, a neuropathologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, set out to systematically investigate where the virus might be embedding itself in the brain. He conducted autopsies of 18 consecutive deaths, taking slices of key areas: the cerebral cortex (the gray matter responsible for information processing), thalamus (modulates sensory inputs), basal ganglia (responsible for motor control) and others. Each was divided into a three-dimensional grid. Ten sections were taken from each and studied.

He found snippets of virus in only some areas, and it was unclear whether they were dead remnants, or active virus when the patient died. There were only small pockets of inflammation. But there were large swaths of damage due to oxygen deprivation. Whether the deceased were longtime intensive care patients, or people who died suddenly, Solomon said, the pattern was eerily similar.
...
The team from Mount Sinai Health, which took tissue findings from 20 brains, was also perplexed not to find a lot of virus or inflammation. However, the group noted in a paper that the widespread presence of tiny clots was “striking.”

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jul 01, 2020 2:48 pm WaPo

When pathologist Amy Rapkiewicz began the grim process of opening up the coronavirus dead to learn how their bodies went awry, she found damage to the lungs, kidneys and liver consistent with what doctors had reported for months.

But something was off.

Rapkiewicz, who directs autopsies at NYU Langone Health, noticed that some organs had far too many of a special cell rarely found in those places. She had never seen that before, yet it seemed vaguely familiar. She raced to her history books and — in a eureka moment — found a reference to 1960′s report on a patient with dengue fever.

In dengue, a mosquito-borne tropical disease, she learned, the virus appeared to destroy these cells, which produce platelets, leading to uncontrolled bleeding. The novel coronavirus seemed to amplify their effect, causing dangerous clotting.

She was struck by the parallels: “Covid-19 and dengue sound really different, but the cells that are involved are similar.”
...
Most recently, a study out this month in the Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine, found abnormal clotting in the heart, kidney, liver, as well as the lungs of seven patients, leading the authors to suggest this may be a major cause of the multiple-organ failure in covid-19 patients.
...
The next organ studied up close was the heart. One of the most frightening early reports about the coronavirus from China was that a significant percent of hospitalized patients — up to 20 to 30 percent — appeared to have a heart issue known as myocarditis that could lead to sudden death. It involves the thickening of the muscle of the heart so that it can no longer pump efficiently.
...
NYU Langone’s Rapkiewicz, who studied seven hearts, was struck by the abundance of a rare cell called megakaryocytes in the heart. Megakaryocytes, which produce platelets that control clotting, typically exist only in the bone marrow and lungs. When she went back to the lung samples from the coronavirus patients, she discovered those cells were too plentiful there, too.
...
Of all the novel coronaviruses’s manifestations, its impact on the brain has been among the most vexing. Patients have reported a host of neurological impairments including reduced ability to smell or taste, altered mental status, stroke, seizures — even delirium.
...
Based on such data and anecdotal reports, Isaac Solomon, a neuropathologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, set out to systematically investigate where the virus might be embedding itself in the brain. He conducted autopsies of 18 consecutive deaths, taking slices of key areas: the cerebral cortex (the gray matter responsible for information processing), thalamus (modulates sensory inputs), basal ganglia (responsible for motor control) and others. Each was divided into a three-dimensional grid. Ten sections were taken from each and studied.

He found snippets of virus in only some areas, and it was unclear whether they were dead remnants, or active virus when the patient died. There were only small pockets of inflammation. But there were large swaths of damage due to oxygen deprivation. Whether the deceased were longtime intensive care patients, or people who died suddenly, Solomon said, the pattern was eerily similar.
...
The team from Mount Sinai Health, which took tissue findings from 20 brains, was also perplexed not to find a lot of virus or inflammation. However, the group noted in a paper that the widespread presence of tiny clots was “striking.”

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jul 01, 2020 2:48 pm WaPo

When pathologist Amy Rapkiewicz began the grim process of opening up the coronavirus dead to learn how their bodies went awry, she found damage to the lungs, kidneys and liver consistent with what doctors had reported for months.

But something was off.

Rapkiewicz, who directs autopsies at NYU Langone Health, noticed that some organs had far too many of a special cell rarely found in those places. She had never seen that before, yet it seemed vaguely familiar. She raced to her history books and — in a eureka moment — found a reference to 1960′s report on a patient with dengue fever.

In dengue, a mosquito-borne tropical disease, she learned, the virus appeared to destroy these cells, which produce platelets, leading to uncontrolled bleeding. The novel coronavirus seemed to amplify their effect, causing dangerous clotting.

She was struck by the parallels: “Covid-19 and dengue sound really different, but the cells that are involved are similar.”
...
Most recently, a study out this month in the Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine, found abnormal clotting in the heart, kidney, liver, as well as the lungs of seven patients, leading the authors to suggest this may be a major cause of the multiple-organ failure in covid-19 patients.
...
The next organ studied up close was the heart. One of the most frightening early reports about the coronavirus from China was that a significant percent of hospitalized patients — up to 20 to 30 percent — appeared to have a heart issue known as myocarditis that could lead to sudden death. It involves the thickening of the muscle of the heart so that it can no longer pump efficiently.
...
NYU Langone’s Rapkiewicz, who studied seven hearts, was struck by the abundance of a rare cell called megakaryocytes in the heart. Megakaryocytes, which produce platelets that control clotting, typically exist only in the bone marrow and lungs. When she went back to the lung samples from the coronavirus patients, she discovered those cells were too plentiful there, too.
...
Of all the novel coronaviruses’s manifestations, its impact on the brain has been among the most vexing. Patients have reported a host of neurological impairments including reduced ability to smell or taste, altered mental status, stroke, seizures — even delirium.
...
Based on such data and anecdotal reports, Isaac Solomon, a neuropathologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, set out to systematically investigate where the virus might be embedding itself in the brain. He conducted autopsies of 18 consecutive deaths, taking slices of key areas: the cerebral cortex (the gray matter responsible for information processing), thalamus (modulates sensory inputs), basal ganglia (responsible for motor control) and others. Each was divided into a three-dimensional grid. Ten sections were taken from each and studied.

He found snippets of virus in only some areas, and it was unclear whether they were dead remnants, or active virus when the patient died. There were only small pockets of inflammation. But there were large swaths of damage due to oxygen deprivation. Whether the deceased were longtime intensive care patients, or people who died suddenly, Solomon said, the pattern was eerily similar.
...
The team from Mount Sinai Health, which took tissue findings from 20 brains, was also perplexed not to find a lot of virus or inflammation. However, the group noted in a paper that the widespread presence of tiny clots was “striking.”

Alefroth wrote: ↑Wed Jul 01, 2020 4:12 pm
So what you're saying is it's just like the flu?

YellowKing wrote: ↑Tue Jun 30, 2020 9:15 am My dad just tested positive. He had to get tested because he was supposed to go in for some carotid artery surgery this week. Now that has been canceled.

This is frightening because he is 67, has heart problems, high risk of stroke (hence the artery surgery he was having), diabetes, and high blood pressure.

However, he hasn't had any symptoms, so we're crossing our fingers that maybe he's asymptomatic. He's already taking it as an automatic death sentence, because he generally has a pessimistic attitude about all things related to health, doctors, or medicine.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jul 01, 2020 2:48 pm WaPo

When pathologist Amy Rapkiewicz began the grim process of opening up the coronavirus dead to learn how their bodies went awry, she found damage to the lungs, kidneys and liver consistent with what doctors had reported for months.

[snip]

Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Jul 01, 2020 11:01 pm Welcome back, Usal.

UsulofDoom wrote: ↑Wed Jul 01, 2020 11:33 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Jul 01, 2020 11:01 pm Welcome back, Usal.

I'm sorry did I miss the answers some were?
And it's Usul.

UsulofDoom wrote: ↑Wed Jul 01, 2020 10:52 pm I sorry but I still can't find real facts on the virus.

What temperatures kill the virus. The high and low?
What humidity kills it?

Does it survive in frozen food?

CDC site has no facts.

They sill don't explain masks.
SURGICAL MASKS DO NOT POTECT THE PERSONE WERING THEM!

• Temperatures that kill people would likely kill the virus; likewise temperatures that don't kill people probably don't kill the virus. Hand driers in restrooms don't get hot enough to kill it. If you want something hot enough to kill the virus, cook it. UV bombardment from "disinfecting lights" may also work.
• The virus can exist outside a host for typically 24-72 hours. 24 hours on surfaces like paper and cardboard. 72 hours on surfaces like stainless steel. A good practice for deliveries in cardboard boxes is to leave them somewhere safe for a day before handling them.
• I expect that the virus enjoys humidity because it lives in droplets from lungs. Don't expect humidity to kill it, but rather possibly extend its life.
• While it was still regularly freezing out, I read that it could theoretically survive freezing and thawing, meaning it could reactivate after being frozen. Don't count on frozen food being sterile. Since we're talking about freezing temps here, assume the virus can survive any normal low temp between freezing and 80ºF.
• The virus is fully capable of hitching a ride on clothing and shoes.
• The virus can enter any wet/mucus membrane on the body - eyes, nose, mouth.
• The more "viral load" you're exposed to, the more likely it is you'll get sick - and maybe even more severely. This is why it's so dangerous for healthcare workers right now, and why your average store should be protecting employees with masks and shields - as well as expecting patrons to wear masks.
• The virus is disproportionately hammering minorities as they tend to occupy more "essential" jobs and can't rely so easily on being laid off and collect unemployment. Poor communities are likewise having trouble since social distancing is harder and proper PPE is more scarce.
• The virus has a lethality scale that ramps up drastically to over 20% fatal at over 70 years of age. While younger people are more likely to require less hospitalization, they can still suffer debilitating (and potentially permanent) side-effects. Ask Punisher how things smell right now.
• The reason they say washing or sanitizing for 20 seconds can kill it is that the soap or alcohol breaks down the lipid layer around the virus that it needs to survive. This is why everyone is being urged to wash their hands regularly. Wearing gloves won't help if you're touching things and then touching your face. Wearing gloves only helps if you wear them, stop touching anything that may have been contaminated, and then take them off before touching yourself.
• The CDC site is being hamstrung by the current administration. If you're having trouble finding data there, thank the sitting President.
• Everyone's explained masks. A really good medical-grade N95 rated mask can filter out the virus, but the virus will be alive in the filter for some time, so treat it like a bio-hazard. These are what are keeping doctors and nurses alive. The typical masks you find on the street are of varying quality. A single-ply cotton mask is going to be less effective than a double-ply or other materials that have tighter weaves. The purpose of the mask for the general public is to stop YOU from exhaling droplets into a wide range around you and limit your spread. If we ALL wear masks, we keep everyone safe. Anyone who isn't wearing a mask right now is basically telling everyone around them "Hey, fuck you buddy. I don't care if I get your wife, kids, parents and grandparents sick. I don't care if I kill your immunocompromised husband."
• Ultimately there is no "perfect" way to avoid getting sick. If everyone did the best they can to keep themselves safe and worked to help stop others from getting sick regardless of whether or not you're infected, the USA would be in much better shape than it is right now. It's not a political issue to wear a mask and wash your hands. It's an issue of wanting to not kill others and enduring minor inconveniences to do it.