Have you been impacted by COVID-19 yet?

[rennigade]

I will say, my work said if you test positive by a professional, you are ordered to stay home and you will receive pay, and not have to take any leave time, sick or vacation. I was shocked that they would offer that.

[disneysteve]

I will say, my work said if you test positive by a professional, you are ordered to stay home and you will receive pay, and not have to take any leave time, sick or vacation. I was shocked that they would offer that.

We haven't been told anything about if we actually test positive. We've only been told that if we have to quarantine due to travel, we'd have to use PTO or, if we're out of PTO, take unpaid leave.

I'm curious what happens if any of us contract it in the course of our jobs (I work at an urgent care center). Then it should fall under workman's comp and we would be paid for our time I would think.

[james.hendrickson]

If local official and company leaders don't take action...people are going to die. I'm hearing the death rate is x10 the flu.

[bjl584]

If local official and company leaders don't take action...people are going to die. I'm hearing the death rate is x10 the flu.

yes and no. Seems that, like the flu, it is effecting people in so called high risk groups. So, people with pre existing medical contions, elderly, etc.

[ua_guy]

If local official and company leaders don't take action...people are going to die. I'm hearing the death rate is x10 the flu.

Seasonal Flu is at about 0.1% whereas COVID-19 is expected to fall somewhere around 1%. Same as flu applies...mostly elderly and/or high-risk populations. So yes, 10x more but we're talking about tenths of a percent.

[james.hendrickson]

Seasonal Flu is at about 0.1% whereas COVID-19 is expected to fall somewhere around 1%. Same as flu applies...mostly elderly and/or high-risk populations. So yes, 10x more but we're talking about tenths of a percent.

Apply a large exposed population to that death rate and you'll see why people are cancelling events. If 1,000 people contract the disease, ten will die. Nobody is going to take that risk.

[Mjenn]

I am a bit shocked that health workers don’t have better coverage. If you cannot work from home here In Scandinavia and you need to be quarantined we get 80% of salary paid by the state up to a certain level then private insurance kicks in. And they had paid sick leave expanded to encourage people to stay home with the smallest of colds. So also 80% there. I can work from home so I anticipate schools being shut down soon and needing to do that. We already have some of our offices shut.

[disneysteve]

Seasonal Flu is at about 0.1% whereas COVID-19 is expected to fall somewhere around 1%. Same as flu applies...mostly elderly and/or high-risk populations. So yes, 10x more but we're talking about tenths of a percent.

I've seen estimates of about 100 million cases in the US with about 500,000 deaths, which would be 0.5%, but I've also seen epidemiology reports of a 1% death rate so figure it will be somewhere in that range. We could see 1,000,000 deaths in the US from this virus.

"Tenths of a percent" become pretty significant when you multiply that out by hundreds of millions of people.

[ua_guy]

I've seen estimates of about 100 million cases in the US with about 500,000 deaths, which would be 0.5%, but I've also seen epidemiology reports of a 1% death rate so figure it will be somewhere in that range. We could see 1,000,000 deaths in the US from this virus.

"Tenths of a percent" become pretty significant when you multiply that out by hundreds of millions of people.

Absolutely. Hopefully my words weren't interpreted as if I was minimizing the situation. The risk IS high and the 1% death rate estimation is actually ten times that of seasonal flu. Just trying to shed some light on the popular numbers being thrown around.

I'm on the "flatten the curve" bandwagon...anything and everything we can do to get ahead of the spread and also protect the most vulnerable!!

[Like2Plan]

Interesting article which talks about risk groups:

"Who is getting sick, and how sick? A breakdown of coronavirus risk by demographic factors"

https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/03/who-is-getting-sick-and-how-sick-a-breakdown-of-coronavirus-risk-by-demographic-factors/

There will be more deaths. I am also on the "flatten the curve" bandwagon so that we can do whatever is possible to keep that number as low as possible.

[james.hendrickson]

Denmark is under quarantine. We're hearing that our schools may be cancelled as well.

https://www.thelocal.dk/20200311/denmark-to-shut-all-schools-and-universities-to-fight-virus

[Mjenn]

All Danish schools, libraries and as much as possible that isn't necessary is shut down for two weeks as of tomorrow. All private companies are encouraged to let all staff work from home for two weeks.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I asked earlier about medical people possibly being asked to come out of retirement to staff hospitals. Well, today the suburban county bordering my city has begun contacts with retired police to try to provide adequate policing should the virus hit the department hard. I imagine that is something other areas will arrange.

My own city's police department already operates so short-handed, that just a dozen out sick would be dire, in my opinion. I think of fire departments as well. I do think there are a lot of retired firefighters who retired young and might be able to fill in for partial shifts. It seems to be such a point of pride among firefighters to always keep in good health and physically strong. In the last two decades a lot of firefighters are also EMTs. They could fill in there, even if not for actual firefighting.

[disneysteve]

I asked earlier about medical people possibly being asked to come out of retirement to staff hospitals. Well, today the suburban county bordering my city has begun contacts with retired police to try to provide adequate policing should the virus hit the department hard. I imagine that is something other areas will arrange.

There was a story today that 7 members of the Walt Disney World fire department/EMTs are quarantined for possible infection so I can certainly see that becoming a problem elsewhere.

We were just notified that our gym is closing until at least 3/31. We both go regularly so we're going to have to push ourselves to exercise at home regularly. We have a few dumbbells so can use those but no way to replicate what we do at the gym. We'll probably find some good videos on YouTube and OnDemand and I'll run more if the weather allows.

[cypher1]

My college announced earlier they've extended spring break for another week. I was hoping to get a start on my online class since its supposed to start this coming Monday, since its compressed of 8 weeks only.