Pennsylvania and COVID 19 (shoppers, car, Walmart)

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by Cindi Waters

I listen to Dr Radio on SiriusXM sometimes and to be honest, they can't figure it out and neither can I. The seemingly best thing to do is to stay isolated. I'm thinking of all the businesses that will not survive, not that I care in lining it up with saving lives, but prices will likely go way up, pensions for which many people depend on after working their lives for will likely go down, social security etc may go out of business and drug addicts and alcoholics will be supported. The government can't back up its loans now but who's complaining and who will stop it. The reason I read that liquor stores were said to be necessary is because there are so many depending on alcohol consumption.

It is scary to think of what might be ahead. It is great to believe that all will return to 'normal'. But many doubt that will ever happen. We have many problems and we are not great at working together. Too many just want to do their own thing or live for the moment.

I will have to check out that Dr. Radio! But, like you said, many of them are having a hard time trying to figure it all out. Many of them were divided and some had their pay cut when we needed them the most.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Cindi Waters

Ok, thanks for that, I'll try to remember that. As far as the bugs mutating quickly, and me getting the flu shot last year after many years of not getting it and not getting the flu before or after the shot, plus refusing antibiotics in some cases, I didn't get the flu and I wonder if the body builds resistance to a bug and that bug later mutates to something similar, can one cope from the previous one.

Originally Posted by Cindi Waters

Consider the immune system, how is it that the new bug is said to attach itself to a particular body part, such as the lungs?

I'm not a scientist or a doctor, so this is out of my league really. I hope someone who is jumps in with a more accurate answer, but I'm going to try to give one in plain English.

These two questions are related. I need to modify my previous answer about the effectiveness of vaccines because there is one family of viruses that does mutate fairly quickly, which requires that one get vaccinated annually.

That's the family of viruses that cause the flu. These mutate very rapidly, and thus the vaccines need to be revised to counter that year's strains.

Flu viruses, coronaviruses and rhinoviruses all work in a similar fashion: they have spikes that attach to receptors on the surface of cells in your respiratory system (nose, mouth, throat, windpipe, lungs). They then invade the cell and reproduce themselves. As they do, your body goes on the attack, and the symptoms you experience come from your body's defenses as they seek to prevent the virus from replicating further. Some viruses produce more severe symptoms, and if your immune system is weakened in any way, even weaker viruses could prove fatal.

Some flu viruses are similar enough to others that the same vaccine will work on them and your body will produce antibodies that will counter them. But when new strains develop, new vaccines have to be created.

[Cindi Waters]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I'm not a scientist or a doctor, so this is out of my league really. I hope someone who is jumps in with a more accurate answer, but I'm going to try to give one in plain English.

These two questions are related. I need to modify my previous answer about the effectiveness of vaccines because there is one family of viruses that does mutate fairly quickly, which requires that one get vaccinated annually.

That's the family of viruses that cause the flu. These mutate very rapidly, and thus the vaccines need to be revised to counter that year's strains.

Flu viruses, coronaviruses and rhinoviruses all work in a similar fashion: they have spikes that attach to receptors on the surface of cells in your respiratory system (nose, mouth, throat, windpipe, lungs). They then invade the cell and reproduce themselves. As they do, your body goes on the attack, and the symptoms you experience come from your body's defenses as they seek to prevent the virus from replicating further. Some viruses produce more severe symptoms, and if your immune system is weakened in any way, even weaker viruses could prove fatal.

Some flu viruses are similar enough to others that the same vaccine will work on them and your body will produce antibodies that will counter them. But when new strains develop, new vaccines have to be created.

Let's say all of that is correct. Would you say that some people are born with a better defense system than others, or perhaps by utilizing healthy habits can better cope with biologic invaders? They do say smokers and obese people are more likely to die from covid19.

[Cindi Waters]

Originally Posted by fisheye

It is scary to think of what might be ahead. It is great to believe that all will return to 'normal'. But many doubt that will ever happen. We have many problems and we are not great at working together. Too many just want to do their own thing or live for the moment.

I will have to check out that Dr. Radio! But, like you said, many of them are having a hard time trying to figure it all out. Many of them were divided and some had their pay cut when we needed them the most.

I tune in to Dr Radio a lot. But it gets boring, between masks good or no good and best thing is to isolate oneself. I don't think things will get back to normal. When I'm in a store I avoid looking at people who are not wearing masks lest they cough, breathe or talk in my direction. And now servers at restaurants wear masks. Now I'm wondering they say 6 feet distance but what happens to droplets if they escape the person? Do they drop to the ground? Float to the other person? Go through the mask? What a mess.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Cindi Waters

Let's say all of that is correct. Would you say that some people are born with a better defense system than others, or perhaps by utilizing healthy habits can better cope with biologic invaders? They do say smokers and obese people are more likely to die from covid19.

I imagine that's the case.

To give you an example from another fatal-viral-disease-turned-chronic condition, I have a friend who has been HIV-positive for nearly 20 years now.

His viral load has been undetectable for almost that long, and he has never taken the drug cocktails that keep those loads undetectable for most HIV-positive individuals.

I would think that the medical research community would want to study him. But I don't know whether he has offered himself up for such research.

[Cindi Waters]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I imagine that's the case.

To give you an example from another fatal-viral-disease-turned-chronic condition, I have a friend who has been HIV-positive for nearly 20 years now.

His viral load has been undetectable for almost that long, and he has never taken the drug cocktails that keep those loads undetectable for most HIV-positive individuals.

I would think that the medical research community would want to study him. But I don't know whether he has offered himself up for such research.

Thanks for that. Yes that would be interesting for the scientific community to research that.

[Jo48]

Originally Posted by Cindi Waters

I tune in to Dr Radio a lot. But it gets boring, between masks good or no good and best thing is to isolate oneself. I don't think things will get back to normal. When I'm in a store I avoid looking at people who are not wearing masks lest they cough, breathe or talk in my direction. And now servers at restaurants wear masks. Now I'm wondering they say 6 feet distance but what happens to droplets if they escape the person? Do they drop to the ground? Float to the other person? Go through the mask? What a mess.

Totally impossible with restaurants either indoors or outdoors. How do you propose servers, even wearing masks, put food down on tables staying 6 feet away from customers? Obviously, customers cannot eat or drink wearing masks. Their droplets are not going through the air then?

Of course, customers can wear masks entering, exiting, or going to Restrooms. Rest of the time all bets are off.

[Cindi Waters]

Originally Posted by Jo48

Totally impossible with restaurants either indoors or outdoors. How do you propose servers, even wearing masks, put food down on tables staying 6 feet away from customers? Obviously, customers cannot eat or drink wearing masks. Their droplets are not going through the air then?

Of course, customers can wear masks entering, exiting, or going to Restrooms. Rest of the time all bets are off.

People can try but so far there are many shoppers that aren't wearing masks. And while it is said that the droplets cannot get through the mask for the wearer, that doesn't make much sense to me. So I have a feeling that life is not going to be the same for a long time to come.

[Jo48]

Originally Posted by Cindi Waters

I held off taking antibiotics once I learned doctors give them or used to every time someone came in with the sniffles. They didn't even know what was wrong with the person. But gave them antibiotics anyway. I lived through a couple of bad chest colds after that, with no antibiotics -- Waiting for the big one. I finally broke down last year and took the current slew of shots...after maybe 15 years of no vaccines.

Yes, that is how it used to be. I had strep a lot a kid and was given antibiotics all the time for it. They become ineffective with frequency. Probably why I had Scarlet Fever when I was 6 in 1954.

Daughter had strep a lot also growing up but her Pediatrician back in the 90's said he would not give her any more. Guess it started to change then.

I haven't had a vaccine since since the 1950's Polio one as a kid.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by Cindi Waters

And while it is said that the droplets cannot get through the mask for the wearer, that doesn't make much sense to me.

When you exhale there is a plume of water vapor that can extend 2 feet plus. By covering your mouth you are isolating that plume to smaller area. How well will depend on the quality of the mask.