At what point would you lock down again?

[Not_a_Number]

2 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Kid (who is in 10th grade this year) can tolerate any mask and wears them appropriately. We have done N95s for him before and he has a good fit… it’s just not been 8 hours a day every day. His max has been three hours, when he needed some medical stuff.
 

I wore a N95 for four hours Monday and I had sweat pouring down my back and a damp face by the time I was done. Wearing a N95 properly is not without strain. (A serious hat tip to medical professionals. Y’all kick ass.)

I don't know if I'd do that. That serious a level of discomfort will result in the mask being fidgeted with and probably requiring breaks. 

I'm curious what other people think, though. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Yeah, my older kid is wearing a KN mask while working a very physical job. I had hoped double masking or doing a KN was enough….but today has me thrown.

[Danae]

41 minutes ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

 

The school even dictates what kind of outerwear children can wear to school. They can only wear a jacket with the school crest. And hats, gloves, and scarves must be navy blue. Although it never gets cold enough here for a coat so it's not a big deal. 

I was having a hard time picturing this until I got to the bolded.  I’ve never seen a school crest parka.

[mommyoffive]

Delta Surge Overwhelms Hospital Systems Across Southern States : NPR

Mississippi's Hospital System Could Collapse Within 10 Days Under COVID's Strain

 

 

Doctors Feel Compassion Fatigue About Vaccine Refusers - The Atlantic (ampproject.org)

 

Delta Has Changed the Pandemic Endgame - The Atlantic

“Communities that had reached safety are in danger again.” Vaccines can still reduce the size and impact of its surges, turning catastrophic boils into gentler simmers. But the math means that “there’s not really a way to solve the Delta problem through vaccination alone,” Murray said.

Here, then, is the current pandemic dilemma: Vaccines remain the best way for individuals to protect themselves, but societies cannot treat vaccines as their only defense. And for now, unvaccinated pockets are still large enough to sustain Delta surges, which can overwhelm hospitals, shut down schools, and create more chances for even worse variants to emerge. 

 

 

 

Why the Delta Variant Is a Serious Threat to Kids - The Atlantic

 

 

 

The COVID Vaccination Timeline for Children Under 12 - The Atlantic

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by mommyoffive

[KSera]

26 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I am letting my brain work on this for a bit, but can I hear some thoughts from others?

My higher risk kid is heading back to brick and mortar high school and needs to be there and IEP team agrees. In talking about it with ped today, ped says I need to be sending him in a N95….and really recommended it for all of my family. Basically, his .02 is that with delta right now, if you are out, you need to be in a genuine N95, and not an equivalent like the KF or KN or the like. I highly respect his opinion and he teaches at the local med school and does occasional floor shifts at a nationally ranked hospital. (I say this to say I don’t think he’s a quack.) 

I have seen hints around this elsewhere…Fauci? 
 

What’s your take on it? He gave one to my kid to try on to check fit and I am going to try to source them, but am not feeling super optimistic we will find them because they are medical grade.

 

That’s a tough one. Could he start each day in an N95 and then if/when he needs a break, put on a KF94? He would need to only switch masks outside (or alone in halls if outside isn’t an option at his school). I feel pretty good about my KF94 because I can get a tight fit and the as worn test results are 98-99% filtration. However, my N95s are very notably hotter and with a bit more breathing resistance, which makes me think surely they must be somehow filtering even more. (Or maybe Korean mask companies  just know how to make a better mask without it being uncomfortable??)

[ktgrok]

52 minutes ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

Well it's not just for parents. It's for any adult visiting the campus during school hours. 

They are very strict about the "no shoulders" policy for students. I had to buy DD a shrug for her 1st grade Christmas concert because the dress did not have sleeves. 

The parish church has pictures by the doors showing proper attire. 

 

WOW. If the people making that sign ever showed up at my old Catholic parish they would need smelling salts. 

31 minutes ago, MissLemon said:

There's utterly no self awareness here. It's kind of fascinating in a train-wreck sort of way. 

Yeah, I just wish I was reading about it rather than living it. 

[melmichigan]

23 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Yeah, my older kid is wearing a KN mask while working a very physical job. I had hoped double masking or doing a KN was enough….but today has me thrown.

Was he possibly worried about counterfeit masks?

I'll be honest that this is one reason I went back to valved masks for our family once the CDC released their statement about PPE.  You can reference it here.  We are all in N99 when out of the house, the exception being DH, who wears KF94 when at work because he needs a reasonable disposable for 12 hour shifts. 

Edited August 14, 2021 by melmichigan

[Pawz4me]

31 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Kid (who is in 10th grade this year) can tolerate any mask and wears them appropriately. We have done N95s for him before and he has a good fit… it’s just not been 8 hours a day every day. His max has been three hours, when he needed some medical stuff.
 

I wore a N95 for four hours Monday and I had sweat pouring down my back and a damp face by the time I was done. Wearing a N95 properly is not without strain. (A serious hat tip to medical professionals. Y’all kick ass.)

I can’t make it 20 minutes in a properly fitted N95. I can’t imagine wearing one all day. 

 

[Acadie]

2 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Basically, his .02 is that with delta right now, if you are out, you need to be in a genuine N95, and not an equivalent like the KF or KN or the like. I highly respect his opinion and he teaches at the local med school and does occasional floor shifts at a nationally ranked hospital. (I say this to say I don’t think he’s a quack.) 

I have seen hints around this elsewhere…Fauci? 

Is your ped recommending KN95s for families with medical risk factors or for everyone with Delta? And does vaccination status matter? 

[heartlikealion]

Dad doesn’t want the vaccine but I did share my concerns and told him I got one shot. I said I already lost one parent recently. I don’t want to lose another and I want you to be around to see your grandchildren grow up. Meanwhile he was walking around my house with a device checking for EMFs saying he was worried about me. So we’re both worried about each other. 

[prairiewindmomma]

1 hour ago, Acadie said:

Is your ped recommending KN95s for families with medical risk factors or for everyone with Delta? And does vaccination status matter? 

Everyone who is of age in my family is fully vaccinated. (I have one kid still <12 and she is being homeschooled this year as she has pre-existing lung issues.)

His advice was directed specifically for my family which does have higher risk factors, including this child. 
 

Our school district does mandate masks,  but there is only 3’ spacing instead of 6’ this year and they are not cohorting the high schoolers due to space issues. They have MERV 13 filters going, special cleaning nightly and they have increased air exchanges during the day and are venting the buildings at night but he will not have a HEPA filter in each classroom. 
 

My state is actually fairly covid aware, but this was still the recommendation…

[heartlikealion]

3 hours ago, Seasider too said:

I love uniforms too and the ones from Lands End are incredibly durable. At our school the high schoolers flow out of uniforms and into a dress code they have to comply with. The uniform days - even with having to get just the right shoes - were so much easier!

Yeah they outta be for the prices we pay lol we were doing the bootleg uniforms (buying sale polos and paying to add the school logo) but the school decided that they will only allow the Land’s End tops. I think that officially started this school year. My kids outgrow sizes so fast it’s not a great investment. We don’t have a LE store and have to pay online + shipping. 

[Laura Corin]

16 hours ago, ieta_cassiopeia said:

Notes from the news I'm seeing in the UK:

- 10% of confirmed COVID infections now occur in hospital. This despite masking being nearly universal in UK hospitals among staff and patients alike, and despite hospital staff being almost universally double-vaccinated. Part of this is because almost every infection in hospital gets discovered, but I think it also highlights the amount of fatigue in that environment, because being exhausted makes one vulnerable to most infectious diseases.


 

I thought it was 10 percent caught Covid in hospital in the first wave, not now? Is there another study? The rate for now given in this study, as reported in this article, is 3 to 5 percent - still not great, but not 10 percent. 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/12/one-in-10-uk-patients-caught-covid-in-hospital-in-first-wave-finds-study

Edited August 14, 2021 by Laura Corin

[Lecka]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/transcript-dr-scott-gottlieb-on-face-the-nation-july-25-2021/
 

This is a person I have seen talk about using a K95 mask.  Dr. Scott Gottlieb.

[ktgrok]

Florida finally posted the week's report on numbers. (used to be by 11am Friday, last few weeks it wasn't up until evening or the next day). 

Cases are up again, vaccinations went down this week. Lovely. 

 

[cintinative]

1 minute ago, ktgrok said:

Florida finally posted the week's report on numbers. (used to be by 11am Friday, last few weeks it wasn't up until evening or the next day). 

Cases are up again, vaccinations went down this week. Lovely. 

My SIL teaches in the district that lost three teachers to COVID this past week (Broward).  I can't imagine. I am proud of their school board for standing up to the governor though.   

It just makes me sad to watch this unfold.  

[Faith-manor]

39 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Florida finally posted the week's report on numbers. (used to be by 11am Friday, last few weeks it wasn't up until evening or the next day). 

Cases are up again, vaccinations went down this week. Lovely. 

 

😥 I think the anti-do anything group is really a death cult.

 

Whatever they worship, I guess children are the human sacrifices this season. I will never understand. Staggering lunacy!

Edited August 14, 2021 by Faith-manor

[Not_a_Number]

31 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Florida finally posted the week's report on numbers. (used to be by 11am Friday, last few weeks it wasn't up until evening or the next day). 

Cases are up again, vaccinations went down this week. Lovely. 

 

Who needs the vaccine when you have a shot at natural immunity?!🙄

[Longtime Lurker]

13 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

I think the best kind of mask is the kind that your kid will keep on and not mess with. Like, yes, you want a filter mask with a decent seal, but the biggest risk is the kid taking them off. 

So... I guess before I went all out on this, I'd think about how your kid feels about them. 

Yes! The best kind of mask is the one your kid will keep on.

[Corraleno]

University of Mississippi Medical Center already has a waiting list for the 20 bed hospital tent they put in a parking structure and they're in the process of erecting another 30 bed tent:

"When you're standing in a field hospital at a major academic medical center, we're pretty much at a collapse," said Alan Jones, COVID-19 clinical response leader for the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "This is not enough beds to support the state of Mississippi."

Thousands upon thousands of COVID-19 cases have overwhelmed the state's short-staffed hospitals. There are no intensive care unit beds left in the state, according to state health officials. No normal hospital beds, either. There's even a waiting list for patients to get into the medical tent, Jones said.

The people who will be treated in Parking Garage B are not the sickest patients, Jones said. They won't be intubated. If if they need critical care, they will have to be transferred into the ICU — if there is any room.

Members of a federal disaster medical assistance team will staff the tent. They'll be here 14 days — maybe longer if the state still needs assistance, said Rick Hess, the disaster medical assistance team leader.

Mississippi set a record for new cases Thursday with more than 4,400. It was the second time this week the state set that record. Thursday's new cases alone will account for more than 300 hospitalizations and close to 100 deaths, Dobbs said.

Dobbs is asked if, eight months ago, when the vaccine was made available, he thought he would be standing in Parking Garage B of the state's largest hospital on an August afternoon. "It's hard to believe," he said.

He has begged and pleaded with Mississippians to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Stop looking at Facebook and other unreliable sources, he said. The people who spread misinformation there, he said, aren't accountable for when people get sick and die."

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2021/08/13/mississippi-covid-19-field-hospital-open-ummc-parking-garage/8116695002/

 

[heartlikealion]

I am brainstorming ways to boost morale for hospital staff in my area. Jackson metro area is where we go for our medical care. I don’t know if there’s a good address to send cards. 

[mommyoffive]

No pediatric ICU beds left in Dallas, county judge says (msn.com)

"In Dallas, we have zero ICU beds left for children," Jenkins said Friday at a virtual news conference. "That means if your child's in a car wreck, if your child has a congenital heart defect or something and needs an ICU bed, or more likely if they have COVID and need an ICU bed, we don't have one. Your child will wait for another child to die." 

[mommyoffive]

US coronavirus: 'This is starting to look really ominous in the South,' expert says, as US is among nations with highest rate of new cases (msn.com)

 

"This is starting to look really ominous in the South. ... If you look at rates of transmission in Florida and Louisiana, they're actually probably the highest in the world," Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine

[mommyoffive]

Wildfire Smoke Linked to 'Disturbing' Increase in COVID-19 Cases and Deaths: Study (msn.com)

[Not_a_Number]

47 minutes ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

Saw this on Twitter. Not good. 

 

 

Cruddy crud crud. 

That's certainly consistent with the numbers of hospitalizations I'm seeing out of quite a few states. 

[KSera]

19 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

Quoting myself to add that I do imagine the smoke irritation could cause the lungs to be in a weakened enough state to allow the virus to take hold symptomatically? Not a doctor. I can just see a lot of folks misinterpreting this as “smoke causes covid,” kwim?

From the article, they say that the smoke causes lung inflammation that makes it easier for the virus to sicken someone. They also briefly mention that the virus can travel farther when adhered to smoke particles aloft (Id like to know more about that. I remember that being learned last year, and being careful not to gather too close near a campfire with other people. But how much farther are we talking?) I also wondered how much of the increase might also be due to people having to stay inside when the smoke is bad. 
 

2 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

Who needs the vaccine when you have a shot at natural immunity?!🙄

Apparently “natural immunity” is the current big thing to talk about the last week or two in Covid minimizer/anti vax circles. It’s uncanny how often something is brought up here and then I see within a day or so that that is the current “thing” in that realm (whether it be PCR cycles, “terrain theory”, immigrants are responsible for Covid, or a new whataboutism.) 

Edited August 14, 2021 by KSera

[Not_a_Number]

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

University of Mississippi Medical Center already has a waiting list for the 20 bed hospital tent they put in a parking structure and they're in the process of erecting another 30 bed tent:

"When you're standing in a field hospital at a major academic medical center, we're pretty much at a collapse," said Alan Jones, COVID-19 clinical response leader for the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "This is not enough beds to support the state of Mississippi."

Thousands upon thousands of COVID-19 cases have overwhelmed the state's short-staffed hospitals. There are no intensive care unit beds left in the state, according to state health officials. No normal hospital beds, either. There's even a waiting list for patients to get into the medical tent, Jones said.

The people who will be treated in Parking Garage B are not the sickest patients, Jones said. They won't be intubated. If if they need critical care, they will have to be transferred into the ICU — if there is any room.

Members of a federal disaster medical assistance team will staff the tent. They'll be here 14 days — maybe longer if the state still needs assistance, said Rick Hess, the disaster medical assistance team leader.

Mississippi set a record for new cases Thursday with more than 4,400. It was the second time this week the state set that record. Thursday's new cases alone will account for more than 300 hospitalizations and close to 100 deaths, Dobbs said.

Dobbs is asked if, eight months ago, when the vaccine was made available, he thought he would be standing in Parking Garage B of the state's largest hospital on an August afternoon. "It's hard to believe," he said.

He has begged and pleaded with Mississippians to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Stop looking at Facebook and other unreliable sources, he said. The people who spread misinformation there, he said, aren't accountable for when people get sick and die."

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2021/08/13/mississippi-covid-19-field-hospital-open-ummc-parking-garage/8116695002/

 

We're back to "NYC in March 2020"... 😭

Edited August 14, 2021 by Not_a_Number

[Not_a_Number]

4 minutes ago, KSera said:

Apparently “natural immunity” is the current big thing to talk about the last week or two in Covid minimizer/anti vax circles. It’s uncanny how often something is brought up here and then I see within a day or so that that is the current “thing” in that realm (whether it be PCR cycles, “terrain theory”, or a new whataboutism.) 

I didn't even know that, but it's the standard anti-vaxxer thing, so that's why I said it... 

[KSera]

57 minutes ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

Saw this on Twitter. Not good. 

 

 

I saw numbers from a different state last night that said currently 20 to 34 year olds with Covid there have a 14% hospitalization rate. That’s awful. 

[prairiewindmomma]

36 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Wildfire Smoke Linked to 'Disturbing' Increase in COVID-19 Cases and Deaths: Study (msn.com)

Right, and this is partially why people with asthma have worse outcomes when they get covid. Asthma is essentially underlying and pre-existing inflammation in the lungs and airways.

Smoke inhalation can make normal people’s lungs like asthmatics—inflamed airways going into an infection.

[Not_a_Number]

5 minutes ago, KSera said:

I saw numbers from a different state last night that said currently 20 to 34 year olds with Covid there have a 14% hospitalization rate. That’s awful. 

What does that mean? Like, 14% of the hospitalized people are in that age range? 

[Not_a_Number]

4 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Right, and this is partially why people with asthma have worse outcomes when they get covid. Asthma is essentially underlying and pre-existing inflammation in the lungs and airways.

Smoke inhalation can make normal people’s lungs like asthmatics—inflamed airways going into an infection.

The asthma relationship to COVID is kind of complicated, interestingly enough: 

https://www.mahoningmatters.com/local-news/do-people-with-asthma-face-higher-covid-risks-medication-may-play-a-role-study-finds-4211727

[prairiewindmomma]

Ok, I slept on it overnight, and while we had planned on only two of us wearing N95s while out and about, we are going to try to source enough to make it work for everyone. If not, this particular kid will be prioritized for N95 use higher than most of his siblings. The boat style is more comfortable than the cup style, so it does fit more like the KN in terms of comfort. We think all day use is possible, and we will give it a trial to see.

Thanks for letting me chew on this. I process my thinking out loud. 
 

 

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, prairiewindmomma said:

Ok, I slept on it overnight, and while we had planned on only two of us wearing N95s while out and about, we are going to try to source enough to make it work for everyone. If not, this particular kid will be prioritized for N95 use higher than most of his siblings. The boat style is more comfortable than the cup style, so it does fit more like the KN in terms of comfort. We think all day use is possible, and we will give it a trial to see.

Thanks for letting me chew on this. I process my thinking out loud. 

Of course. I process by talking things out myself. 

[prairiewindmomma]

1 minute ago, Not_a_Number said:

The asthma relationship to COVID is kind of complicated, interestingly enough: 

https://www.mahoningmatters.com/local-news/do-people-with-asthma-face-higher-covid-risks-medication-may-play-a-role-study-finds-4211727

I am not sure why this is complicated. It says that those who have asthma who take medication bring their inflammation below their non-treated peers. Asthma = inflammation. My doctors would tell you that you never become un-asthmatic and that people who don’t treat their medical conditions generally don’t do so without consequence. Not every asthmatic is well controlled, that is why it is so important to check your peak flow and stay on top of the management.

As an aside, budesonide (pulmicort) is now being used prophylactically with some healthy people who are getting mild covid—using meds besides albuterol in non-severe covid cases.

[KSera]

4 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

What does that mean? Like, 14% of the hospitalized people are in that age range? 

No, that 14% of 20-34 year olds with a positive Covid test are ending up in the hospital.

2 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Ok, I slept on it overnight, and while we had planned on only two of us wearing N95s while out and about, we are going to try to source enough to make it work for everyone. If not, this particular kid will be prioritized for N95 use higher than most of his siblings. The boat style is more comfortable than the cup style, so it does fit more like the KN in terms of comfort. We think all day use is possible, and we will give it a trial to see.

 

Home Depot had the 3M Aura N95 masks available to order online last I looked (boat style, like a KF94). I also saw a sign in a paint store window the other day saying “we have N95s!” If you strike out, I’ll look up the website address for the place I ordered mine from. 

[prairiewindmomma]

My point about asthmatics having worse outcomes is actually how asthmatic lungs tend to react to viruses. We are more prone to cytokine storm or developing cascading inflammation.

[prairiewindmomma]

2 minutes ago, KSera said:Home Depot had the 3M Aura N95 masks available to order online last I looked (boat style, like a KF94). I also saw a sign in a paint store window the other day saying “we have N95s!” If you strike out, I’ll look up the website address for the place I ordered mine from. 

This is exactly the style I am after. I tried on an Aura 1870+ which I can’t buy, but I am going to try to get the 9000 series at our Home Depot (which is the same, but minus the splash layer).

Thanks for the offer!

[Not_a_Number]

9 minutes ago, KSera said:

No, that 14% of 20-34 year olds with a positive Covid test are ending up in the hospital.

That's obviously a statistic that's meaningless and is telling us that no one is testing... 

[KSera]

3 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

This is exactly the style I am after. I tried on an Aura 1870+ which I can’t buy, but I am going to try to get the 9000 series at our Home Depot (which is the same, but minus the splash layer).

Thanks for the offer!

I got 9205s, but would have gotten that or 9210. The straps on the 9205 feel a bit flimsy. They are some kind of stretchy plastic rather than braided elastic. They also smell really weird, and I’m sensitive to smells, but I’m finding I adjust to the smell and don’t notice it after awhile (maybe it actually dissipates after use). 

[Arcadia]

52 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

Quoting myself to add that I do imagine the smoke irritation could cause the lungs to be in a weakened enough state to allow the virus to take hold symptomatically? Not a doctor. I can just see a lot of folks misinterpreting this as “smoke causes covid,” kwim?

 

28 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Right, and this is partially why people with asthma have worse outcomes when they get covid. Asthma is essentially underlying and pre-existing inflammation in the lungs and airways.

Smoke inhalation can make normal people’s lungs like asthmatics—inflamed airways going into an infection.

Smoke is one of my asthma triggers. I an thinking that for people with well managed asthma, they are likely to have rescue inhalers on standby as well as running air purifiers. Some of my friends stock N95s for wildfire season as well. People with undiagnosed asthma are likely to be more impacted.

[Not_a_Number]

29 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I am not sure why this is complicated. It says that those who have asthma who take medication bring their inflammation below their non-treated peers. Asthma = inflammation. My doctors would tell you that you never become un-asthmatic and that people who don’t treat their medical conditions generally don’t do so without consequence. Not every asthmatic is well controlled, that is why it is so important to check your peak flow and stay on top of the management.

As an aside, budesonide (pulmicort) is now being used prophylactically with some healthy people who are getting mild covid—using meds besides albuterol in non-severe covid cases.

Sorry, not the best link -- that's what I get for random Googling. This is the surprising part: 

“People with asthma — even those with diminished lung function who are being treated to manage asthmatic inflammation — seem to be no worse affected by [the coronavirus] than a non-asthmatic person,” Dr. Reynold Panettieri Jr., a pulmonary critical care physician and director of the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science in New Jersey, said in a statement. “There is limited data as to why this is the case — if it is physiological or a result of the treatment to manage the inflammation.”

Edited August 14, 2021 by Not_a_Number

[Katy]

16 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I am letting my brain work on this for a bit, but can I hear some thoughts from others?

My higher risk kid is heading back to brick and mortar high school and needs to be there and IEP team agrees. In talking about it with ped today, ped says I need to be sending him in a N95….and really recommended it for all of my family. Basically, his .02 is that with delta right now, if you are out, you need to be in a genuine N95, and not an equivalent like the KF or KN or the like. I highly respect his opinion and he teaches at the local med school and does occasional floor shifts at a nationally ranked hospital. (I say this to say I don’t think he’s a quack.) 

I have seen hints around this elsewhere…Fauci? 
 

What’s your take on it? He gave one to my kid to try on to check fit and I am going to try to source them, but am not feeling super optimistic we will find them because they are medical grade.

 

 

16 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Kid (who is in 10th grade this year) can tolerate any mask and wears them appropriately. We have done N95s for him before and he has a good fit… it’s just not been 8 hours a day every day. His max has been three hours, when he needed some medical stuff.
 

I wore a N95 for four hours Monday and I had sweat pouring down my back and a damp face by the time I was done. Wearing a N95 properly is not without strain. (A serious hat tip to medical professionals. Y’all kick ass.)

 

34 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Ok, I slept on it overnight, and while we had planned on only two of us wearing N95s while out and about, we are going to try to source enough to make it work for everyone. If not, this particular kid will be prioritized for N95 use higher than most of his siblings. The boat style is more comfortable than the cup style, so it does fit more like the KN in terms of comfort. We think all day use is possible, and we will give it a trial to see.

Thanks for letting me chew on this. I process my thinking out loud. 
 

 

If he can stand a properly fitted mask all day long I applaud him.  For me after about 20 minutes in an n95 my heart rate goes up, I have to will myself to calm and slow my breathing, then I get sweaty and about 5 minutes later I get itchy.  In the past that I typically had my hands in some sort of body fluids at that point or I probably would have forgotten and scratched.  I explained this to DH last week when he had to go into the office and he said he had almost exactly the same experience. I don’t think any of my children would be capable of wearing them all day long. 

[ieta_cassiopeia]

21 hours ago, kbutton said:

I am glad someone is tracking this. They might be here, but I don't know that the information is widely available. Relatives who had Covid last spring in spite of being really locked down are pretty sure they got Covid at the doctor's office. The only other place they were going was the store parking lot for grocery pickup, and they were masking/distancing. 

I don't think the UK is tracking patient infections at the doctor's/GP's office, only the hospital itself. (Staff working at the doctor's/GP office have tests done in the same pathway as hospitals* and could have infection route identified with some reliability, depending on how the data is processed). There is a certain amount of overlap between the users (either because people go to the doctor and are told to present themselves at the hospital, or because they go to hospital and then visit the doctor for post-treatment care), so I would imagine high transmission rates in hospital correlate with increased risk at the doctor's/GP's office and vice versa.

* - For the curious, it's known as "Pillar 1" testing, covering healthcare workers and hospitals (staff and patients). Nursing home figures are definitely separated out, the government has the data to separate out all other locations by address (which in most cases means separation by purpose of facility is possible), but someone trying, for example, to parse hospital-specific infections from their county's dashboard won't be able to do it if their county only provides the data by pillar (which is how my county does that particular table, possibly due to the risk of personal identification by differencing). "Pillar 2" is for community testing, "Pillar 3" is antibody testing and "Pillar 4" is testing connected to any form of medical research (including but not limited to COVID-19 treatments/vaccines).

Half of the wards at my local hospital are designed for 4 or 6 people; the rest are single rooms. It saves money and means patients can socialise with each other (which seems to help promote recovery), as well as make it easier for staff to monitor patient health (important in general wards, where there are relatively high patient : staff ratios). This works extremely well when there are no infectious diseases nearby. (Why yes, pre-COVID, there were problems with this arrangement most winters due to colds and flu...) When converted to COVID wards, I believe the 4-6 are configured to have 2-3 people in each bay. Unfortunately, ventilation is not always optimal and viral particles often don't move, which makes it difficult to avoid getting sick. If I go to hospital during the pandemic, I'm going to insist on a fan at minimum. (Since the start of the pandemic, windows that can be safely opened in hospitals generally are, but pre-COVID, this did not automatically occur).

Hospital waiting rooms pre-COVID were rows of seats like a bus station, though I expect the seats one may sit in are further apart now. Though ambulance-entry Accident and Emergency is the most serious vector I can think of from the top of my head - when I was there in September, patient trolleys were parked end-to-end on both sides of a narrow corridor with staff walking between them, and some patients waited for hours to be seen. Plenty of opportunity for infection there if anyone had asymptomatic or subtle COVID (though people with obvious COVID symptoms were directed to a different corridor in a different part of the hospital).

My county does not have a breakthrough dashboard, even though I think the information exists to generate it at county level. (Information about it exists at England/Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland-level).

[rebcoola]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Wildfire Smoke Linked to 'Disturbing' Increase in COVID-19 Cases and Deaths: Study (msn.com)

Great, besides having the worst covid on the west coast.  We also have a constant issue with the smoke.  Right now we also have excessive heat warning.  Very dystopian here.

[kbutton]

36 minutes ago, ieta_cassiopeia said:

* - For the curious, it's known as "Pillar 1" testing, covering healthcare workers and hospitals (staff and patients). 

Here they are not routinely testing healthcare workers except at places like nursing homes (maybe jails). My DH has worked for all but 2.5 months of this pandemic, and he's not once had a Covid test. 

I appreciate the explanations of what the UK numbers are based on. We do usually have different configurations for hospitals in the US, though there are some ERs and such that have bays vs. individual rooms (or have a mixture).

3 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

I am brainstorming ways to boost morale for hospital staff in my area. Jackson metro area is where we go for our medical care. I don’t know if there’s a good address to send cards. 

This is a really thoughtful thing to do. My DH says that the Boy Scouts and some other groups are doing things like this locally, and it's appreciated. Most hospitals have people in charge of QOL sorts of programs for physicians and nurses (often two separate people), and they might have ideas as well. DH is getting more mini care package types of things right now--little bags with tea, stress balls, numbers for counseling, etc. If any places near you are doing this, they might appreciate notes to put in those. They also put letters and cards in break rooms throughout the hospital.

[TexasProud]

To answer your original question. We are there. Locking down.

[ieta_cassiopeia]

16 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Yeah, my older kid is wearing a KN mask while working a very physical job. I had hoped double masking or doing a KN was enough….but today has me thrown.

Perhaps send him with a KN and an N95? That way, if the N95 gets too much, he can swap to the KN by holding the straps (and then swap back when ready to wear the N95 again). While the N95 is ideal, it's better to swap it for a lighter mask when reaching one's limits than no mask at all - plus, having the option to swap mask may provide enough confidence to wear the N95 longer (in the same way that providing someone an escape route if a situation gets too stressful makes it less likely that the escape route will be needed).

8 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I thought it was 10 percent caught Covid in hospital in the first wave, not now? Is there another study? The rate for now given in this study, as reported in this article, is 3 to 5 percent - still not great, but not 10 percent. 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/12/one-in-10-uk-patients-caught-covid-in-hospital-in-first-wave-finds-study

The BBC reported it as 10% now, though it appears that the rate varies a lot between hospitals. A lot of hospitals, including some large ones, are barely contributing any internally-spread cases to the total, yet others have 1/4 of their total COVID cases be hospital-acquired. I'm not sure how all this squares with the "The average proportion of cases caught in hospital was 11% in the first wave but now stands at 2-5% despite the emergence of the more infectious Delta variant, first identified in India," further down the article, which is a sentence that tallies with the Guardian's quote.

Thankfully it looks like this is an improving situation, no matter what source is being used.

 

2 hours ago, Seasider too said:

Quoting myself to add that I do imagine the smoke irritation could cause the lungs to be in a weakened enough state to allow the virus to take hold symptomatically? Not a doctor. I can just see a lot of folks misinterpreting this as “smoke causes covid,” kwim?

I suspect both mechanisms are in effect - lungs weakened by smoke are more vulnerable to all sorts of respiratory illnesses, and people with COVID-19 would be more vulnerable to smoke inhalation risks. Both mechanisms would increase the possibility of both conditions coming to the attention of medical services and therefore statisticians. May I also add that people leaving areas that are too smoky/aflame are likely to go to places they would not otherwise be for refuge, which means that if they do have COVID-19 (either before the move, or after they reach the refuge location), they will probably be exchanging viral particles with other people, which temporarily challenges both people's immune systems and makes all involved temporarily more vulnerable to COVID-19 independently of the direct effect of smoke?

[prairiewindmomma]

Back from Home Depot. We are in the middle of a heat warning and the sky is apocalyptic orange today due to wildfires…so not as many people out as typical on Saturday.

 

I bought some 3M Aura 9205+. I am side by siding them with the 1870+. Both are individually wrapped. The 9205+ definitely have an off gassing smell that is similar IMO to like a drywall smell. I have had Home Depot HDX masks smell that way, but it has been a while. The medical 1870+ straps are red, the 9205+ straps are blue, but they feel like the same material. I have owned other 3m masks, cup style, with the yellow straps and I do find they are prone to tearing. I have had one snap mid-wear. I doubt the straps will survive more than 5 wears. The masks are identical in cut and shape and dimensions. The foam nose piece is super squishy in both. 
 

I am going to let this 9205+ off gas overnight and then see how I do in it. 
 

 

[Danae]

This seems appropriate for this thread.