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Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 (nCoV-2019)
- Thread starter AlvinofDiaspar
- Start date
DSCToronto
Superstar
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- St Lawrence Market Area
From CNN. As tests are in short supply almost everywhere, particularly in US, this makes perfect sense. There is no specific treatment for covid-19 and if a person is ill with 'something' there is really no need to be 100% sure what it is unless that will offer you additional or different treatment options.
Health officials in New York City and Los Angeles County are signaling a change in local strategy when it comes to coronavirus testing, recommending that doctors avoid testing patients except in cases where a test result would significantly change the course of treatment.
A news release from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health this week advised doctors not to test those experiencing only mild respiratory symptoms unless “a diagnostic result will change clinical management or inform public health response.”
The recommendation reflects a "shifting from a strategy of case containment to slowing disease transmission and averting excess morbidity and mortality," according to the statement.
The guidance said coronavirus testing at L.A. County public health labs will prioritized those with symptoms, health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, paramedics and other high-risk situations. Others are encouraged to simply stay at home.
At about the same time, the New York City Department of Health directed all healthcare facilities to immediately stop testing non-hospitalized patients for Covid-19.
It also puts into practice advice from many of America’s top medical experts, including CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, that a positive test result is not required to treat the symptoms.
Naturally, limiting testing in America's two largest population centers would also likely lead to widespread under-counting of total cases.
Health officials in New York City and Los Angeles County are signaling a change in local strategy when it comes to coronavirus testing, recommending that doctors avoid testing patients except in cases where a test result would significantly change the course of treatment.
A news release from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health this week advised doctors not to test those experiencing only mild respiratory symptoms unless “a diagnostic result will change clinical management or inform public health response.”
The recommendation reflects a "shifting from a strategy of case containment to slowing disease transmission and averting excess morbidity and mortality," according to the statement.
The guidance said coronavirus testing at L.A. County public health labs will prioritized those with symptoms, health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, paramedics and other high-risk situations. Others are encouraged to simply stay at home.
At about the same time, the New York City Department of Health directed all healthcare facilities to immediately stop testing non-hospitalized patients for Covid-19.
Some context: The strategy shift essentially codifies the reality health departments have been living with for weeks; a shortage of tests and protective equipment amid rising demand and case numbers.
It also puts into practice advice from many of America’s top medical experts, including CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, that a positive test result is not required to treat the symptoms.
Naturally, limiting testing in America's two largest population centers would also likely lead to widespread under-counting of total cases.
lenaitch
Senior Member
Copper Destroys Viruses and Bacteria. Why Isn’t It Everywhere?
It could destroy norovirus, MRSA, virulent strains of E. coli, and coronaviruses—including the novel strain currently causing the COVID-19 pandemic.www.vice.com
Copper and it's alloys oxidize and would require constant maintenance to remove the patina layer. I don't know if the oxidized layer itself is toxic but, like rust, could become airborne or end up on other surfaces which might create a hazard in a medical setting. Also, I don't know if the antimicrobial properties of copper extends to its oxides.
Metals such as stainless steel and aluminum are much more stable and maintenance free. As well, copper is very soft and might not lend itself to many uses, particularly precision medical devices. One of the sterilization methods involved stream which would soften it even more. Other methods involve chemicals that might not play well with copper.
Several metals have anti-organic properties, including copper, silver and zinc (ever seen moss on a ganvalized steel roof?)
lenaitch
Senior Member
Oh FFS.............
Apparently higher-ups in the Trump Admin are thinking this might be a good time to militarily strike Iran........
As Iran Reels, Trump Aides Clash Over Escalating Military Showdown (Published 2020)
Sharp debates among top administration aides reveal divisions in how to confront Iran and its Shiite militia proxies in Iraq.www.nytimes.com
Never let a domestic emergency involving the lives and safety of your citizens get in the way of a good war opportunity.
Northern Light
Superstar
The only part wrong with the above, is the word 'Temporarily'.
For the largest number of grocery store staff, their wage is at/close to minimum, so $14 per hour.
This would lift that to about $16 per hour.
****
From Twitter, on this...........
AlbertC
Superstar
Definitely not easy being in the grocery or big box retail industry right now. I was at the Stockyards Canadian Tire today, and it was evident that the cashier was very nervous. I've noticed similar experiences through the week as well from staff at different stores I've visited. At times like this, it's best to go purchasing by credit/debit to avoid handling cash, which is what I mostly do anyways.
Northern Light
Superstar
Obviously this is a particularly challenging time.
But it must be said, the pay is always crappy.
Also, at least Sobeys has made it known that they are rapidly rolling out plexiglass shields for all their cashiers.
That doesn't make them a great employer, but it does mitigate safety concerns, both real and perceived.
Loblaws is also doing the plexiglass shields.
AlbertC
Superstar
Third Covid-19 related death in Ontario, a 77 year old man at Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie. He was reportedly a close contact of another man who passed away at RVH on March 11th.
AlbertC
Superstar
Another example of the vulnerability of working in grocery/retail right now:
www.naturesemporium.com
A Letter From our Co-Founder and President
To our valued customers,
I hope this message finds you and your family safe and well. I am reaching out to you in these unprecedented times to keep you updated on a situation that occurred at our Major Mackenzie location in Maple today.
On Friday, March 20, a customer who had recently (less than 14 days ago) returned from a trip to Florida entered the store at approximately 10:06 a.m. and shopped for about half an hour. We were made aware of the customer’s recent travel history at approximately 11:30 a.m. through several sources and immediately took action to verify these reports. Upon confirming that the reports were true, we made the decision to shut the store down at 3:30 p.m. and sent all staff home for the day.
Our country’s health officials have instructed travelers to separate themselves from others for 14 days upon returning home to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Even if you do not have symptoms, it is recommended to self-isolate. Unfortunately, this customer did not adhere to these instructions, which is why we chose to take swift and immediate action.
We have the honour and privilege of being a trusted source for health and wellness products and expertise in the community and we take immense pride in what we do and in helping keep the communities we serve healthy. The wellbeing and safety of our team and you, our customers, has been and will always be our top priority.
I’d like to share details regarding next steps on our end in handling this situation as we are taking this very seriously.
Complete Store Sanitation
The Maple location (as of the evening of Friday, March 20) has been completely disinfected. We called in a professional sanitation company to perform a hospital-grade cleaning of our entire store – a four to five hour process. This included a complete disinfection of all commonly touched surfaces and areas and, as a safety, a complete fumigation of the store using a non-hazardous treatment.
Employee Self-Quarantine
As a precaution, employees who were in close contact with the customer have been asked to self-quarantine for the next 14 days for the safety and health of themselves and our customers.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support all these years and especially during this challenging and uncertain time. I’d also like to thank our amazing network of staff who remain committed to serving the communities we are so proud to be in.
I thought it might be helpful to share the World Health Organization’s list of safety recommendations and precautions, it’s important that we all keep these in mind and practice them. You can also find links to some information and resources from the Public Health Agency of Canada that you may find useful or want to share.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at (905) 553-5527.
If we each do our part, we will come out of this better.
Yours in health,
Joe D’Addario
Co-Founder and President
An Important Update About Nature’s Emporium Maple
To our valued customers, I hope this message finds you and your family safe and well. I am reaching out to you in these unprecedented times to keep you
www.naturesemporium.com
A Letter From our Co-Founder and President
To our valued customers,
I hope this message finds you and your family safe and well. I am reaching out to you in these unprecedented times to keep you updated on a situation that occurred at our Major Mackenzie location in Maple today.
On Friday, March 20, a customer who had recently (less than 14 days ago) returned from a trip to Florida entered the store at approximately 10:06 a.m. and shopped for about half an hour. We were made aware of the customer’s recent travel history at approximately 11:30 a.m. through several sources and immediately took action to verify these reports. Upon confirming that the reports were true, we made the decision to shut the store down at 3:30 p.m. and sent all staff home for the day.
Our country’s health officials have instructed travelers to separate themselves from others for 14 days upon returning home to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Even if you do not have symptoms, it is recommended to self-isolate. Unfortunately, this customer did not adhere to these instructions, which is why we chose to take swift and immediate action.
We have the honour and privilege of being a trusted source for health and wellness products and expertise in the community and we take immense pride in what we do and in helping keep the communities we serve healthy. The wellbeing and safety of our team and you, our customers, has been and will always be our top priority.
I’d like to share details regarding next steps on our end in handling this situation as we are taking this very seriously.
Complete Store Sanitation
The Maple location (as of the evening of Friday, March 20) has been completely disinfected. We called in a professional sanitation company to perform a hospital-grade cleaning of our entire store – a four to five hour process. This included a complete disinfection of all commonly touched surfaces and areas and, as a safety, a complete fumigation of the store using a non-hazardous treatment.
Employee Self-Quarantine
As a precaution, employees who were in close contact with the customer have been asked to self-quarantine for the next 14 days for the safety and health of themselves and our customers.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support all these years and especially during this challenging and uncertain time. I’d also like to thank our amazing network of staff who remain committed to serving the communities we are so proud to be in.
I thought it might be helpful to share the World Health Organization’s list of safety recommendations and precautions, it’s important that we all keep these in mind and practice them. You can also find links to some information and resources from the Public Health Agency of Canada that you may find useful or want to share.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at (905) 553-5527.
If we each do our part, we will come out of this better.
Yours in health,
Joe D’Addario
Co-Founder and President
lenaitch
Senior Member
There are also some shortcomings to our provincial response:
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/gta/2020/03/20/leaked-email-reveals-ontario-regional-medical-officers-criticism-of-provincial-covid-19-strategy-as-cracks-emerge-in-front-line/virus_containment_room.jpg)
Leaked email reveals Ontario regional medical officer’s criticism of provincial COVID-19 strategy as cracks emerge in front line
In an email obtained by the Star, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai wrote Thursday that Ontario’s response has undermined the province’s attempt to contain the outbreak, as businesses remain open and travellers ignore advice to self-isolate.www.thestar.com
AoD
One out of 34 - is he an outlier or the only dissenting voice willing to speak up? He claims "many other" agree with him but so far there is no evidence of that. No doubt the PHOs have the legal authority to completely shut down the province but they have no practical way to enforce that.
I actually find this leadership division unhelpful. Thrash out the evidence, options and actions behind closed doors, but when you emerge you should be one voice. This necessary to ensure public confidence, investor confidence, etc. If he feels that strongly that he expertise is being thwarted, he could always resign.
Northern Light
Superstar
Another example of the vulnerability of working in grocery/retail right now:
An Important Update About Nature’s Emporium Maple
To our valued customers, I hope this message finds you and your family safe and well. I am reaching out to you in these unprecedented times to keep you
A Letter From our Co-Founder and President
To our valued customers,
I hope this message finds you and your family safe and well. I am reaching out to you in these unprecedented times to keep you updated on a situation that occurred at our Major Mackenzie location in Maple today.
On Friday, March 20, a customer who had recently (less than 14 days ago) returned from a trip to Florida entered the store at approximately 10:06 a.m. and shopped for about half an hour. We were made aware of the customer’s recent travel history at approximately 11:30 a.m. through several sources and immediately took action to verify these reports. Upon confirming that the reports were true, we made the decision to shut the store down at 3:30 p.m. and sent all staff home for the day.
Our country’s health officials have instructed travelers to separate themselves from others for 14 days upon returning home to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Even if you do not have symptoms, it is recommended to self-isolate. Unfortunately, this customer did not adhere to these instructions, which is why we chose to take swift and immediate action.
We have the honour and privilege of being a trusted source for health and wellness products and expertise in the community and we take immense pride in what we do and in helping keep the communities we serve healthy. The wellbeing and safety of our team and you, our customers, has been and will always be our top priority.
I’d like to share details regarding next steps on our end in handling this situation as we are taking this very seriously.
Complete Store Sanitation
The Maple location (as of the evening of Friday, March 20) has been completely disinfected. We called in a professional sanitation company to perform a hospital-grade cleaning of our entire store – a four to five hour process. This included a complete disinfection of all commonly touched surfaces and areas and, as a safety, a complete fumigation of the store using a non-hazardous treatment.
Employee Self-Quarantine
As a precaution, employees who were in close contact with the customer have been asked to self-quarantine for the next 14 days for the safety and health of themselves and our customers.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support all these years and especially during this challenging and uncertain time. I’d also like to thank our amazing network of staff who remain committed to serving the communities we are so proud to be in.
I thought it might be helpful to share the World Health Organization’s list of safety recommendations and precautions, it’s important that we all keep these in mind and practice them. You can also find links to some information and resources from the Public Health Agency of Canada that you may find useful or want to share.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at (905) 553-5527.
If we each do our part, we will come out of this better.
Yours in health,
Joe D’Addario
Co-Founder and President
I could just as easily have put the 'angry' icon for the asshat that decided not to self-isolate.
But aside from acknowledging the post in a positive way.
I think the actions of the chain Nature's Emporium are commendable.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
It's a leaked email. so we are clearly not getting the full picture in the behind the scenes discussions.
AoD
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
I think UV sterilization also works - perhaps it need to be deployed widely.
AoD
AoD