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Coronavirus COVID-19

Account of Man’s Experience of Having Covid-19

Have you wondered what it is actually like to have Covid-19?

Sure, you hear the horror stories – rush to the emergency room, breathlessness, forced insertion of a ventilator tube, etc.; but truly, what is it like for an “average” person to have Coronanavirus?


Bill Plaschke is such a man. He is a sports writer and also now, a Coronavirus patient.

He never wanted to be a “statistic” in the Covid-19 tally of infected individuals.

He, like me, was diligent in his prevention measures. But one time of letting down his guard was the opportunity that Covid-19 used to gain access to his body.

Read his account here.

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Coronavirus COVID-19

Coronavirus and Sports

Many professional organizations are pushing to reopen major league sports. Some sports activities have already begun.

Besides the obvious, what are the implications in sports regarding COVID-19?

There are two main perspectives:

Players (including organizers, managers, coaches, etc.)
Fans (spectators, observers, etc.)

As sports begin to open up, let’s view some cases of what is occurring.

In the United States, Coronavirus cases are still occurring, though most places are not hot spots for the Coronavirus.

Many teams are training and positioned to resume.

In the sport of soccer, one team was preparing for a game. However, testing revealed 5 of the players tested positive for COVID-19. To me, that is incredible! Did these players exhibit symptoms? Where did they catch the virus? (Was it actually spread from other teammates?)

In this particular case, the match was postponed until a later point.

For further details, read here.

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Coronavirus COVID-19

How Some Places Like New York City Are Handling the Massive Numbers of Deaths

Mass graves – a thing of the past?

Think again.

Unknown to many, mass graves are still in use today.

New York City is a prime example, illustrated more poignantly with the current Coronavirus crises.

With the sheer magnitude of people in such a small geographical area, what is to be done when large numbers of its metropolis pass away?

Hart Island, located near the Bronx, has been a burial site, dating back to use even around Civil War time. Many of those buried there are due to being unclaimed bodies – the families either were unaware of their loved one’s passing or could not afford to bury them. Individuals with infectious diseases such as AIDS or typhoid have also been buried on the island in hopes of preventing further disease transmission.

With the high number of fatalities during the Coronavirus pandemic, Hart Island has understandably needed to be used more frequently as a burying site.

Prior to Covid-19, mass burials only occurred there about twice a week. Now, mass burials are occurring with repeated consistency.

Interestingly, there are times where a family member or close friend will facilitate a disinterment of a loved one placed there, providing for a burial in a different burial site. There is a lot of paperwork involved, but this has occurred in several cases.

One side note, for those who say that this pandemic is a made-up hoax, they need only ask those who work on Hart Island or any similar location. Those who see the fall-out of a pandemic, see the sheer numbers of those affected, have no doubts of the existence of a very serious disease and of its influence.


For further reading, see the following: Link (excellent article, including photos of Hart Island) and link.

Information for this post was obtained from The Washington Post “Mass-Grave Burials on Hart Island in New York Rise FiveFold” (2020, April 16) by Jada Yuan. Link

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Coronavirus COVID-19

What Fun Things Can I Do That Are Low-Risk for Getting Coronavirus?

It’s summertime! You’ve been self-isolating at home and now really want to get out and do something.

Yet you don’t want to increase your risk of catching COVID-19.

What are some activities that are low-risk for getting this virus?

First, consider these principles for your activities:

1. Practice social distancing

Keep a large distance from you and other people.

Choose activities that are away from crowds.

Avoid lines where you would need to stand in one location with others.

2. Choose low-population, outdoor areas

3. Wear a face mask

If people are in the area or have recently been in the area, wear a face mask.

Some states still require face masks to be worn in public. Check your state’s requirements.

4. Choose activities that don’t involve touching surfaces touched by others.

Arcade games are not a wise choice at the moment.

Think – public restrooms in heavily-traveled areas, etc.

Ideas of healthy activities during Coronavirus:

Walking/hiking

Choose a safe path with a limited number of other walkers

Think: more open air, the better

Think: the greater the distance from others, the better

Camping

Try outside your own backdoor with the kids! (if you are in a rural area)

Use a state park campsite

Be cautious in check-in areas, public restrooms, etc.

Swimming

Think: un-populated spots (I’m thinking places like Assateugue, lakes, streams, etc.)

Picnic with other family members

If you invite someone outside of your immediate family, make sure they have not been exposed to the Coronavirus and that they have been careful to avoid infection (like you have).

Choose your backyard or a rural grassy section.

Caution: watch out for picnic tables You do not know who just sat on them. Handwashing is usually difficult in a picnic setting and you will be consuming food.

Bike riding

Again, choose non-populated trails/settings. Wear a mask if necessary.

Read a book

Grab a book, some shade, and a comfortable spot outside and you’re all set!

Very relaxing! Wonderful way to spend some time.

Practice guitar or another instrument

If you can play an instrument (even if years ago), try picking it up and playing a tune. Start easy if it’s been awhile since you played.

Nothing more soothing at rough times than music.

Music venues

I’m guessing some outdoor music groups will be starting soon.

Think – rural park, far distance away from other people

Looking for additional suggestions, try this article Link

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Coronavirus COVID-19

Church Gatherings and the Coronavirus – What Should Be Done?

Churches are caught in the cross-hairs of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Many pastors wish to do what is best for their congregation.

The dilemma exists: church usually entails a large numbers of individuals gathered together, usually meeting in a confined location. Frequently, very old individuals are present along with the very young.

Daniel Chin has written a very practical article with ideas for safely navigating church gatherings during the coronavirus. Read article.

Man praying church

Unfortunately, these recent lessons in history show how serious a situation exists. Link

Image credits: Pixabay

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Coronavirus News

News Report: “Who Reports Most Coronavirus Cases in One Day as Total Number Nears 5 Million”

May 20th, 2020 – Greatest number of Coronavirus cases reported to WHO in preceding 24 hours.

Read article

Some countries with significant number of new cases include:

  • Russia
  • Brazil
  • United States
  • United Kingdom

(fyi – The number of current cases in many hard-hit European countries is declining [for example – France, Italy, Spain])

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Coronavirus COVID-19

Working from Home – Helps for Businesses

Right off the bat, you absolutely NEED to read this article:

“The Best Productivity App, Hands Down (and 12 Insider Tricks on How to Get the Best Out of It)”

Here are some helpful resources for individuals during this time of coronavirus:

Amazon – Small Business Resources (free offerings, Amazon WorkDocs, Amazon WorkSpaces, information, etc.)
Adobe – several free trials available until May 31, 2020, Adobe Portfolio, Acrobat PDF, Adobe Sign, etc.

Using Zoom?

Here are some handy shortcuts:

Alt+A = mute/unmute audio
Alt+M = mute/unmute for everyone except the meeting host
Alt+T = screen share pause/resume (when meeting control bar has focus)
PageUp/PageDown = view the next/previous screen of participants when in gallery view

To enable/disable waiting room (if host) – in bottom control panel, touch “security.” Select “waiting room.”

Pressing the space bar will also temporarily unmute you (similar to an intercom system) – very handy!


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Coronavirus COVID-19 News

Children and the Coronavirus: New Problems Surfacing

COVID-19 is frequently stated to cause minor illness in children, though there are children who have died as a result of COVID-19.

However, there are recent findings of SARS-CoV-2 causing in some children a “kind of inflammatory shock syndrome affecting multiple organs.” This can cause very serious problems, including problems in the vessels of the heart. (1)

News Article: “Children Falling Ill with Perplexing Inflammatory Syndrome Thought to Be Linked to Covid-19”

Here are the take-aways from this article:

  • Mainly presents in children ages 5-10 years old.
  • Can cause problems in the blood vessels of the heart.
  • Behaves similar in some ways to Kawasaki disease.

Image credit: Pixabay

Source: (2020, May 6). The Washington Post. “Children Falling Ill with Perplexing Inflammatory Syndrome Thought to Be Linked to Covid-19.” Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/06/kawasaki-disease-coronavirus/.

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Coronavirus COVID-19

How to Keep Your Glasses from Fogging Up When Wearing a Face Mask

We’ve all been there. You’re trying to accomplish something or complete tasks while wearing a facemask, and you are now dealing with fogged up glasses.

At the most inopportune time, your glasses end up fogging up.

Or they are constantly fogging up and driving your pretty nutty.

Here is a great video on how to help prevent eyeglasses from fogging up:

There are other methods as well. This one raises the height of your lenses from your face. Personally, I feel it would be more awkward/uncomfortable as well as time-consuming, but it may be the solution needed for your particular situation.

This is a method using dish soap. View video.

Certain sports players face this predicament as well. (e.g. racquetball) Special creams are sold in sporting good stores/Amazon to help lessen the chance of fogging up. Amazon link

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Coronavirus COVID-19

What Happened on the Diamond Princess?

Diamond Princess cruise ship Coronavirus cases Feb 2020 illness

Image by Pava from Pixabay

For many, the explosion of Coronavirus reports began with information about the Diamond Princess.

What really happened on that cruise ship with COVID-19?

The following explores some of the facts regarding this ship and its emergence into history with the largest number of Coronavirus cases outside of China at that particular time.

Original sail dates: January 20th – February 4th

The trip destinations included Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Problem was first detected when a passenger who left the ship in Hong Kong, seeking treatment at the hospital, tested positive to the Coronavirus. The ship docked in Hong Kong on January 25th, five days into the historic cruise. (1)

Feb. 3rd – Ship returned to dock at Yokohama, Japan, one day ahead of schedule. (1)

Feb. 4th – Announcement made that 10 people aboard the ship tested positive for SARS-CoV19. (5)

Feb. 5th – 14 day “observation” time began for passengers – similar to a stay-at-home order (5)

Feb. 19 – Non-infected individuals released from the ship (5)

End Feb. – 691 confirmed cases (5)

In total, there were 712 confirmed cases. (2) Total passengers on the ship 3711. (3)