Day 43 of Phase 3 - California Covid spike - LA County shutdown under consideration
Covid-19 in the USA…
7:30-10:30 - The dog is barking so I go downstairs to take her out. She pooped in two places by the front door and again, outside, on the cement on my backyard patio.
I read the news online and after months of conducting my own quasi-research by reviewing numerous sources, often with conflicting/contradicting information, and trying desperately to figure out how the virus works, here’s what I’ve learned and am relying upon in order to navigate life and survive [Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV…information provided here may be flawed and subject to change. Maybe none of this will apply next week…]:
-Men are more likely than women to get Covid-19; smokers more likely than non-smokers. If your blood type is “A”, you are 43% more likely to contract the virus [on the positive side, if your blood type is “O”, you are 30% less likely to get it]. If you’re incarcerated, you are more likely to get Covid-19. If you’re obese [and to be clear, the definition of “obese” is murky and doesn’t seem to be associated with a specific BMI number when discussed in the Covid-19 literature] or if you have preexisting conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or asthma, you are more likely to contract the virus.
Older people [age 60 and up] are more likely to contract Covid (and die) than younger people [18 to 40]. Kids rarely transmit the virus - studies have shown that in most cases, little kids have contracted it from their parents. The jury is out, however, on how teachers will be impacted once classrooms open and kids return to school.
Blacks are three times more likely to contract the virus than whites; Hispanics two to three times more likely. In certain age groups, Hispanics are TEN times more likely to contract the virus than whites. Explanations for this are sketchy as there are several studies addressing ethnicity and Covid-19. Some competing theories: 1) Blacks and Hispanics have more preexisting conditions due to their lack of access to appropriate healthcare; 2) Blacks and Hispanics use public transportation more than whites and are contracting it inside the tin cans known as the Metro and subway [however, if public transport was truly the cause, wouldn’t we be hearing of more outbreaks on planes??]; 3) Hispanic families and their relatives are larger than Black and white families, but are crammed into smaller homes and apartments, where they routinely infect each other within the residence; 4) Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to work in low-wage, high risk jobs associated with the pandemic, like nursing homes, meat packing plants, and agriculture (undocumented workers, specifically).
Airborne vs. Aerosol
In general, the WHO needs to pull its head out of its ass - this shit is airborne, but I’m using the lay-person’s definition of airborne, when I say that. What I mean by ‘airborne’ is referred to as “aerosol” in the scientific world and most civilians have figured this out intuitively. Allow me to explain:
1) Airborne: the WHO has said all along that most Covid particles are in the large droplets that we sneeze, cough, and vomit on each other. These droplets are too big and unwieldy to linger in the air and fall straight to the nearest surface. According to the WHO, we touch the surfaces where the fat globs land, then pick our noses or suck on our fingers and contract Covid-19 that way. This is called airborne transmission and the best way to protect ourselves, according to the WHO, is to sanitize all surfaces and constantly wash our hands.
2) Aerosol: so, you know how you spray deodorant on your pits? Well, that’s an aerosol. Much like hairspray from an aerosol can, our breath acts in the same way, contaminating other people with small particles of filth, disease, and bad breath every time we open our mouths and breathe, talk, shout, sing, cough, and sneeze. The Covid-19 particles are in our aerosol breath and they travel around a room the same way a plume of smoke travels around a room.
Basically, we can stop spraying our mail…
As a point of comparison, measles is an aerosol virus and highly contagious. It’s R-factor (the rate of contagion and called the “R-naught”) is 12-18. Polio and small pox have R factors between 5 and 7; TB between 1 and 5. The ‘R-0’ factor for Covid-19 is an average of 5.7 [this can vary between the States, though (California vs. Maine, etc.)]. So, Covid is more contagious than TB, but less so than measles. HOWEVER, Covid-19 is “helped” along by “super-spreader” events and activities, like singing indoors, not masking, or wearing a MAGA hat.
I think we’re all familiar with the Skagitt Valley Superspreader Chorale caper, when Patient Zero sang her heart out and infected 52 members at a 2.5-hour rehearsal in Mount Vernon, Washington, eventually killing two parishioners. It only takes one. I love this quote from a 6/30/20 NY Times article [Carl Zimmer]: “It’s possible that some people become virus chimneys, blasting out clouds of pathogens with each breath.” You know the obnoxious, loud drunk who’s billed as the life of the party? Well, he’s probably a ‘virus chimney.’ Stay away from him. And because superspreaders exist, social distancing of 6 feet is just an arbitrary number. The further away from people you can get, the better.
Basically, if you’re doing anything indoors, you’re f***ed. Your best bet is to get in and get out of the grocery store as soon as possible in order to reduce the “viral load.” The longer you’re exposed to a virus chimney, the sicker you’re going to get - maybe you’ll die. More sinister, though, is the fact that we don’t know who’s sick. It’s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, where people without symptoms are totally infected and walk among us, eventually overtaking us with their superspreader breath.
Yet another example of where the WHO has dropped the ball occurred when they stated, as recently as two weeks ago, that people who are asymptomatic do not transmit the disease. As soon as Dr. Kerkhove said it was ‘rare’ [6/9/20], I knew she was full of shit and I think most of us realized it on some intuitive level, since we’ve stopped hugging and shaking hands with EVERYONE, not just people who are wiping their noses on their sleeves or coughing like a machine gun. Exactly three days later, Science Daily informs us that as many as 45% of Covid-19 infections are asymptomatic and the rate of transmission is under review. Defund the police? Defund WHO.
By far, it seems to me the most important thing you can do is WEAR A MASK. Unfortunately, listening to your government will kill you. On 2/26/20, the CDC said that masks were not necessary for the public, unless you’re the one who’s sick [reversed itself on 4/8/20]. On 2/29/20, our own Surgeon General tweeted: “Seriously people. STOP BUYING MASKS. They are not effective in preventing general public from contracting Corona virus.” [reversed himself on 6/14/20]. In a 60 Minutes interview, in early March 2020, Dr. Fauci said there was no reason Americans needed to wear a mask [reversed himself on 6/12/20]. On 4/7/20, the WHO issued a statement that masks weren’t necessary for the general public [reversed itself on 6/8/20].
Sidebar: I was trying to score masks by the last week of February, but they were sold out everywhere. As early as the last week of January 2020, my students had started wrapping scarves and bandannas around their faces.
How is it that the WHO, run by medical professionals, didn’t get the memo on masks when the general public had already started masking? Dr. Fauci later said he told Americans not to mask so there wouldn’t be a run on N95s since our health professionals needed them. So, if I understand this correctly, he lied to the American people and US citizens died as a result. No wonder wearing a mask is politicized and the far right thinks that Covid-19 is a hoax! Look at the above examples…I’d think it was a hoax, too, if a million people hadn’t died globally. Here’s an idea…how about telling Americans they should mask and then tweeting a “fabric pattern” that Americans can use to sew them? We’re a pretty ingenious bunch…have you ever seen Etsy or Pinterest? Some of those masks are made out of bras and boxer shorts.
Anyway, to stay safe, I stopped going anywhere indoors. I go to Whole Foods once a month, for 10 minutes, to get multiple 4-packs of Prosecco. Don’t judge me - we’re in a pandemic. L. goes to the store for fresh produce, almond milk, and eggs twice a month. I order all toiletries and non-perishables, like tomato sauce, beans, and salad dressing, online. I mask. I only participate in outdoor activities because the wind, or any breeze, blows the Covid-19 aerosol away. I open the windows in my house everyday for that cross current, for the same reason. I stay away from people, in general - 6 feet doesn’t cut it. This might sound “woo-woo”, but I’ve read some interesting data on “nebulized saline”, i.e., saltwater. Spraying basic saltwater in the air around you may kill it. A new study found that Lysol is the most effective cleaning product for surfaces infested with Covid-19 droplets - it kills the virus quickly and I have a can at the ready, on my counter.
I hope I survive this…
Monday. 7/7/20
10:30-1:30 - I catch up on my blog and have some overnight oats. I start a new series on Netflix - White Lines
1:30-2:30 - I have a few chips, then get dressed and leave for the Salt and Straw, in Studio City.
2:30-4:30 - Traffic is almost back to normal, unfortunately. I get two scoops of Salt and Straw’s famous ice cream - birthday cake with raspberries and chocolate brownie. They have a new set-up; you place your order outside because customers aren’t allowed in the store, then the staff slides the ice cream to you thru an opening in the pexi-glass shield, like how food is passed at a prison. I walk around Studio City for awhile, but it’s really hot, so I drive home. On the way, I stop at one of my community parks - Almendra - and note that there are several Lacrosse teams, scrimmaging. Interesting. I thought sports were done, but Lacrosse?? In Santa Clarita??
5:00-7:30 - Home and work in the yard, sweeping and trimming everything. I water my plants. R. and L. are home, watching Life After Lockup. I open four windows.
8:00-9:30 - I talk to B.
9:30 - 11:00 - I have some ground turkey that’s about to turn, so I go downstairs and make sloppy joe bowls and white rice. I clean the kitchen and take the dog out. R. and L. are still watching Life After Lockup. I make my breakfast and lunch for tomorrow.
11:00-12:30 - a few Forensic Files and I lay my clothes out for tomorrow’s hike. Nighttime ritual and bed.