[am1m]

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

I have noticed some folks here going to extreme lengths as a precautionary measure. I feel that being overcautious is counterproductive. It impacts your mental health and your overall wellbeing. Here’s a poor analogy. The whole situation is like test match batting where you are the batsman. You make one mistake and you could get out. That doesn’t mean that you should completely stop attempting shots and block everything. Take reasonable precautions (masking, hand hygiene and social distancing) but get on with life.

Thank you for posting your experience! Despite your family having a pretty serious brush with this illness, you have retained a balanced perspective and posted practical, calming thoughts and words, thank you for that!

[PetrolRider]

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

My daughter (11 months) can’t be tested but her risk is low due to a robust immune system.
....

There is a big challenge to get beds in in places like Pune. I got a lot of help from friends. Be prepared and help friends out in need.

Thank you very much for the well deserved words.

As a general caution to everyone in the forum, please don't ignore the Kids, my son who is 7 now is the first to catch the virus, his CT count found to be 17. .

We, like everyone believed in widely spread myth that children are less susceptible to Covid-19 and delayed his test by several days against the suggestion of his Ped. And this carelessness of ours resulted in my Wife being infected now with CT count 18. For some strange reason, my RT-PCR came out negative. I'll do my RT-PCR again after couple of days just to be sure again.

Hospitals, Doctors, Test Labs, Medicine shops everything is under tremendous stress in Pune. I couldn't get appointment for a remote consultation for my wife for 2 days. My 2nd confirmation test of RT-PCR was cancelled by the lab due to lack of capacity. RT-PCR collection queues now goes up to 5-6 days, reports take another 2-3 days.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

1. I have noticed some folks here going to extreme lengths as a precautionary measure. I feel that being overcautious is counterproductive. It impacts your mental health and your overall wellbeing. Here’s a poor analogy. The whole situation is like test match batting where you are the batsman. You make one mistake and you could get out. That doesn’t mean that you should completely stop attempting shots and block everything. Take reasonable precautions (masking, hand hygiene and social distancing) but get on with life.

Disagree heavily sir. It is about what helps you sleep better at night? For me, its the knowledge I tried the very best to keep my mom safe even as doctors of all practice have contracted COVID.

It is simple (but not easy) - let me give you another analogy building on yours - you missed the real part - HOW can an IPL player get on with life in test cricket

Overcautious is counterproductive if you cannot internalize it. If you think about it - we are incredibly competent unconsciously. As drivers, we keep a sense of the car's speed, scanning the environs for jaywalking morons, folks that may cut into our lane, bikers that may cut lanes on a deathly whim, cyclists that may cross the median - the list is endless.

When you can do so much while driving, why not in your everyday life?

In cricket terms, our behavior is like IPL - a sprint but not a marathon. Now our entire behavior must be dismantled and our brains and muscle memory and footwork rewired for test cricket.

Its doable - you just have to rewire and prep for every occasion - deconstruct every interaction, figure out how to safeguard it and rewire your behavior.

My mother is 75, fully comorbid in nearly every way. If I can carry her medication, her insulin (for SOS) and food from home - I can lug 6-7kg of tech and reinvent my SOPs to keep her a wee bit safer:

• I carried 2 ionizers and a UVC air purifier to every hospital waiting room full of covidiots of all age and range of excuse.
• When she had to use the loo, I asked a cleaner to open/close the doors few times to vent it, besides sanitizing it
• When we had to eat, we went to the cafeteria before everyone else (ionizers in tow) chose the seat next to a window far from others
• When she was waiting for her appointment, I stood at the edge of the waiting area at the open door while she sat at the entrance, next to an open door. I fetched her when her turn was there, rather than let her sit among covid insensitive folks.

1. Do keep in mind that even if you do get impacted severely like I did, the treatment protocols have now dramatically improved so fatality will be rare.

Absolutely true on that - but will I take a chance? My mother's all I've got and I will do everything I can within my power to keep her safe (my next gadget is a Panasonic USB operated ionizer to not be dependent on power points even though I have an 8m extension cord on me)

[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by PetrolRider

As a general caution to everyone in the forum, please don't ignore the Kids, my son who is 7 now is the first to catch the virus, his CT count found to be 17. .

Wishing a speedy recovery to your kiddo.

Nowhere it's said that kids can't get the infection. They do get the infection but are asymptomatic in most cases. Bhpian locusjag shares his experience here (Dealing with my daughter's Covid induced MIS-C) when his 5 year old daughter caught it. My niece (6 years old) and brother got infected in early November, CT count for both was 18. Brother had fever and other symptoms, niece had none. The main reason why schools were shut so as to prevent spread of infection.

[S15]

Someone forwarded this to me on WhatsApp.
Mods, please delete if inappropriate


Seat Belt /Airbags Vs Vaccines..

Regarding vaccine, the best simile I could think is of a seat belt or
an airbag in our car.

Does it afford good protection - Yes.
Just like vaccine.

Does it protect you hundred percent? - No.
Just like vaccine.

Does it prevent you from getting an accident? - No.
Just like vaccine.

If at all we get into an accident does it reduce severity? - Yes.
Just like vaccine.

Does it mean you can be reckless and fast? - No.
Just like vaccine,
It does not mean that masks can be avoided.

Does a seat belt mean you won't injure others on road? - No.
Just like vaccine.
You can still infect others.

When I wear a seatbelt, do I think of the company making money? - No.
Just like vaccine.

Am I happy that someone invented seatbelt? - Oh Yes.
Just like vaccine.

Does seatbelt itself cause problems? - Yes,
seatbelt injuries are possible.
Just like vaccines can have side effects.

Should we still wear a seatbelt?
Yes, yes, yes.
Just like a vaccine.

I would surely get a vaccine.
Just like a seatbelt, Vaccine doesn't mean you can be careless and stupid,
it just gives you some amount of protection.
And I am willing to take the risk of minor side effects for the 70% chance of that protection. How's that?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Overcautious is counterproductive if you cannot internalize it. If you think about it - we are incredibly competent unconsciously. As drivers, we keep a sense of the car's speed, scanning the environs for jaywalking morons, folks that may cut into our lane, bikers that may cut lanes on a deathly whim, cyclists that may cross the median - the list is endless.

I'd probably give myself the rather harsh score of 6/10 on corona-virus precaution. Maybe at the beginning I might have made it up to 8.5, partly as I was not going out at all for a number of weeks.

Consider the hospital theatre surgeon. They work to standards of hygiene of which most of us don't even know the details, but they learnt it, they get on with it, and they live it. I agree with phamilyman that it can be learned and practised, and internalised in the same way as driving, and living with all the things on the road, just as he mentions.

I probably score low on surface touching, getting a bit too close to people, etc. I score high on avoiding places full of strangers. I do well on mask wearing: for me, now, putting on the mask is like wearing the seatbelt. And it isn't hard, or particularly uncomfortable.

But I watch my wife, for comparison. She will grab a door handle in a public place: I will push the same door, if possible with my arm or shoulder. And I don't think she'll change. But people can.

One year on, here's an interesting question. For those that have been taking reasonable covid precautions: how many colds did you catch? I had one or two bouts of fever, which may, or may not have been, covid or flue, but I had zero colds, whereas I usually score at least two a year. Imagine, if someone had told us, here's how to not catch colds. I doubt if anyone would think it worth the bother, but it is an interesting side benefit!

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

My mother's all I've got and I will do everything I can within my power to keep her safe (my next gadget is a Panasonic USB operated ionizer to not be dependent on power points even though I have an 8m extension cord on me)

What are those gadgets near her feet and how do they help?

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Its doable - you just have to rewire and prep for every occasion - deconstruct every interaction, figure out how to safeguard it and rewire your behavior.

My mother is 75, fully comorbid in nearly every way. If I can carry her medication, her insulin (for SOS) and food from home - I can lug 6-7kg of tech and reinvent my SOPs to keep her a wee bit safer:

But there are situations where you cannot plan or prepare. I had to rush my 85-year-old aunt to the emergency earlier this week. None of the SOPs or tech could have worked where every minute was valuable.

Daily now I am spending hours in a 10x10 waiting room with no ventilation outside the ICU with insensitive folks. What can I do? Wear a PPE kit?

I avoided elevators since the beginning of the pandemic. But now, the ICU is on the 8th floor, and I have to use the common hospital elevator, which is much riskier than the apartment elevator that I was avoiding all this while.

All I can do is sanitize my hands often, keep the mask on all the time, and change clothes and take a shower every time I return from the hospital.

[AZT]

After stepping away from following Covid news for a while, multiple relatives and friends getting infected over the past 2 weeks have made me get back to following updates on vaccines and variants.
Someone I know just passed away bec of Covid, was in his late 40s or early 50s and his children and wife won’t be able to attend the funeral because they are all infected. Please get tested if anyone in your house tests positive, this thing can go from 0 to 100 pretty quick for those unfortunate few.

African Union drops plans to buy vaccines from Serum Institute of India
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-h...-idUSKBN2BV14Y



Brazil finds new variant combining 18 mutations
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/br...ations/2201998

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

There is incredible mental stress when a whole family is infected so social contact really helps ease the tension. Covid management is as much a mental game as it is physical.
[*] I have noticed some folks here going to extreme lengths as a precautionary measure. I feel that being overcautious is counterproductive. It impacts your mental health and your overall wellbeing. Here’s a poor analogy. The whole situation is like test match batting where you are the batsman. You make one mistake and you could get out. That doesn’t mean that you should completely stop attempting shots and block everything. Take reasonable precautions (masking, hand hygiene and social distancing) but get on with life.

Very true! There are threads (or posts) at the level of incredibility (that makes you what are people thinking?) - extreme levels even suggesting treating the help one has differently etc.

And people forget the levels of mental pressure they themselves take up as well as subject others to it.

Only time will tell of why a lot of this was probably not required. Already there's decent amount of evidence being gathered on how some of these overzealous efforts weren't of any use. For reference, this NYT article.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/08/h...-surfaces.html

[V.Narayan]

While I advise everyone to take sensible precautions with respect to Covid19 I wonder if we need to get too worried or panicked about every mutation. For example there are over 800, some say 1000, mutations of the common cold virus. So if you catch a cold say 8 times a year each of those occasions was a different mutation. But after the first time you caught a cold as a baby you have some generic immunity in that direction which enables you fight better and survive every subsequent mutation of the common cold that comes along. So once we are vaccinated we do strengthen our immunity against the Covid19 family in general and while we can still get unwell with a fresh mutation it may not mean a fresh pandemic. Doctors please correct me if my assumptions are wonky which they well might be. Like every self respecting 61-year old I think I know a lot about something I might actually know nothing.

[lapis_lazuli]

Like I had asked before, and what I suspected all along :

https://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/37-d...-surge-2409463

37 doctors test positive for Covid in a single hospital. Most of these doctors are young and had been vaccinated. We are at 130k cases per day now, if we were to believe official figures, and I am really curious to know how many are repeat infections and cases that have been already vaccinated.

I booked a jab for tomorrow anyway, and I only hope it is going to work, long term.

Having said this I am surprised at the extreme measures some members are taking; quite an arsenal that! If it is working as per your plans, good for you! It is as much about mental satisfaction of being protected as it is about catching the bug and its aftermath.

I am also expecting a lockdown in some form, soon after the elections, kumbh mela etc. are over!

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

...

I am also expecting a lockdown in some form, soon after the elections, kumbh mela etc. are over!

The horse is being escorted out of the barn with full state honours!

[INJAXN]

Hi,

I have a question for doctors around here.

I had mild fever on 24th, so I gave sample for RT-PCR on 25-03, result came on 27-03 , and it was +ve.
Isolated my self in home, Took medicines for 10 days as prescribed by doctor at private hospital. During these 10 days, I did not face any issue except for lack of smell and mild throat infection.

Now , on 06-04 I went for testing again, (13th day from the day I gave first sample) reports came today, and its again +ve.

COVID helpline lady told me that why you tested on 13th day. 2nd time testing should only be done after 14 days.

Now my question here is:
Should I get tested my self again (as 14 days are over now)
or
Isolate again for 14 days and take medicines again?

[deetee]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

The horse is being escorted out of the barn with full state honours!

What does this mean, explain please. Is there a source?