Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[DGuller]

All AmazonFresh delivery slots are filled up here, I couldn't even put through my order.  Shit just got real. 

[merithyn]

A friend posted this on Facebook today. It's from one of his close friends, and he was texting with her for the duration of this encounter.  We're in for a serious shitstorm.

This is a personal account from my friend, this is not fake. My friend kindly created this anonymous version of their post for people to share.

PLEASE do not let this happen in your community.

You can help to not stress out an already failing medical infrastructure by following CDC guidelines. If you are not sick, stay that way, and don't spread anything.

Also.

Don't fuck with me on this post.

My friend is still waiting for their results. I texted with them the entire time until their partner showed up yesterday. This is not an exaggeration. She shared video with me. It's not a joke.

An immunocompromised New York resident's experience getting tested for COVID-19

Note: These circumstances are like this all over the world, I am not angry with the ER staff. Things are a mess. I am sharing my experience so hopefully you'll understand how fucking crazy this is. It's to show how ill-prepared we really are and how stressed medical personnel have already become. It's still in the early days here in the US, this is just the beginning.

I want to emphasize that I am not angry with the medical staff. Except maybe the charge nurse. If you could have seen how fucked everything was you'd understand the level of stress the medical personnel were under. They just didn't have the proper resources or staffing for what they are facing. Remember NYC is a city of over 9 million people, and we only have a handful of major hospitals in the area.

Over the weekend I developed a persistent dry cough, fever, extreme fatigue, chest pain when I would breathe in deeply and a resting heart rate would go from 52 up to 118.

A bit concerned, I emailed my PCP, my specialist and I replied to the COVID monitoring texting service set up by my gastroenterologist's office to notify them of my symptoms. I followed CDC guidelines and stayed in the apartment, My partner started taking extra precautions when he would enter/exit and we stopped touching/kissing.

Monday morning my PCP called, told me to monitor my symptoms and to go to the ER if they worsened. Monday afternoon my specialists e-mailed me concerned about pneumonia or a lung clot (which is apparently a thing that can happen in IBD patients on immunosuppressants?) because I'm taking Humira and bacterial/viral infections can spiral out of control because your immune system is purposely lowered by the medication to keep it from attacking the body (what autoimmune diseases do). She advised that I to try to see my PCP the following day and if I could not then I needed to go to the emergency room.

So I sent an urgent message to my PCP.
Tuesday I didn't hear anything.
Wednesday morning and afternoon, nothing.

It was time to go to the ER, but how was I supposed to get there if you're not supposed to take a car or use public transit? Where we live in NYC is about an hour walk from every emergency room that was even remotely close.

I decided to call the New York Health Department's COVID-19 hotline for advice. I was expecting a long wait time before my call was answered but after a few rings a man answered the phone. I explained that my doctor wanted me to get evaluated but I wasn't sure what the protocol to was. He explained the entire testing process to me and told me to call the ER I was planning on going to for additional guidance. Then he said something that caught me off guard, he said if they tried to turn me away and send me back to the hotline that is it not proper protocol and to stand firm. Apparently some hospitals currently have a "not my problem" mentality and are sending people in circles.

Immediately after hanging up with the hotline I called an ER in Queens. I explained that I have symptoms of some kind of illness and that my doctor wanted me to get evaluated. Before I could even finishing explaining my situation they interrupted me to try to tell me to talk to the hotline. To which I shot back, "I already did and they told me you'd say that". This took the man on the phone by surprise and it started a 15+ minute back and forth on hold situation. Eventually he told me to come in and when I asked how I was supposed to get there he actually told me to use a mask and to preferably take an Uber or Lyft. I couldn't even contain it but I laughed and replied with, "I don't have a mask and they are sold out everywhere" and then said fine and that I'd be in shortly. We hung up.

I packed an ER bag (phone charger, book, extra medical supplies, etc) because after a life time in and out of the ER and hospitals you never know how long you'll be there, and then I left. I decided to take the train. I waited at the end of the platform for an empty car to come, didn't touch anything, covered my face with a scarf and eventually I arrived at my destination.

Upon entering the ER there is a security stop ran by two police officers. This is normal, they check your bags and have you go through a metal detector, but I was surprised that no masks were offered at this point. I get in and there are a few other people standing around, unmasked and confused because no one was giving any kind of direction and no queue was set up. Still, no one offered us any masks.

After about ten minutes we were directed to take a seat and told that a nurse would come around to talk to us. Still, we were not given any masks.

About 20 minutes later a nurse begrudgingly starts going around to take everyone's names and symptoms. They were overwhelmed. I was third in order of arrival. When she gets to me I explain that my doctor told me to come in as I take immunosuppressive therapy, have a cough and fever and she is more worried about pneumonia or a lung clot at this point. She writes it down, takes no vitals and then finally gives everyone a mask.

Then they call us one-by-one to the check in desk to photocopy our IDs. While I'm talking with the administrator the ER fills up, one person after another pours into the small waiting area. No one is immediately masked upon entering. Another nurse walks up from the back and talks to the desk nurse. They make a joke about how crazy it is that everyone is "miraculously so sick" and remark that it is bullshit.

I sat in the waiting area for over an hour. During this time my heart rate shot up and I started feeling lightheaded. I decided to tell the desk nurse who still hasnt taken anyone's vitals. Very rudely she replies, "If you're lightheaded why are you standing up and coming over here? Go sit down and I'll be over in a minute". How the fuck else was I supposed to tell her? Smoke signal? Carrier pigeon? Yelling at her from across a crowded room?

After about ten minutes she makes her way over and takes my vitals. Seeing the expression on her face change from "yeah we'll see" to "oh shit" was priceless. I DID have a fever, my HR was 112 after I had been sitting for awhile and my blood pressure was low. She told me she would talk to the charge nurse and they would get me into a room.

Not too long after a nurse comes out from the back and calls my name. As we walk in the back she asks me if I've traveled. I tell her no. She slams her arms against her sides and goes, "Well why in the hell you wanna get tested?" I'm stunned for a minute and everything in me is ready to go off on this woman but I compose myself and explain my situation, again. She says follow me and takes me BACK to the front desk to ask the desk nurse (in a really shitty tone) why I am a priority. She was ready to kick me out. The desk nurse explains and tells her I have to be evaluated based on CDC guidelines. So back we go. She asks about my symptoms, I explain and tell her that I'm on immunosuppressants. She then asks me if I have Cancer, to which I say no. Then this woman asks, "Well then why are you on immunosuppressants?" I'm about to cry at this point but I tell her I have Crohn's Disease. She scoffs and says, "Immunosuppressants for Crohn's huh? We'll see"

Fuuuuuck you.
This is a common treatment for IBD.

She takes me to an empty isolation room, slams down a metal hightop chair she pulled from the hallway (she did not clean it before hand) by the door and shuts me in. Now when I say empty, I mean empty. Not a bed, not an actual chair, just a trash can. There is blood and trash on the floor.

So I sit, huddled in my chair for about a half hour before a bed is brought in.
No one ever cleans the blood off the floor.

An hour goes by, which is normal during regular circumstances and the ER was currently like a war zone. Doctors, nurses, EMS, police and FDNY running around in protective gear frantically cleaning beds, vital machines, etc, and yelling at each other.

Eventually the doctor comes in. He goes over my chart, hears what I have to say and immediately decides to test me for COVID as I am high risk and meet the medical criteria for testing. It's not easy to get them to test you, they have strict criteria to follow, and I was getting tested. Alarm bells are going off in my head. He also tests for influenza, blood clot and orders an X-ray to check for pneumonia. He performs the test, which involves a q-tip being swirled around deep in your nasal cavity, and leaves.

Outside the door, the nasty nurse waits with a smug look on her face. The doctor tells her, "we are testing this one" her face changes and she replies, "Oh wow, really?!"

I don't see her for the rest of the day/night.

Over the next several hours I waited in an enclosed isolation room. Anyone that came in had to wear full protective gear. Bodysuit, booties, paper mask, face shield, hair net, two pairs of gloves. At one point I needed to use the bathroom so they tell me to pee in a cup but I needed to empty my Ostomy. So the nurse tells me to just go use the bathroom, which violates the quarantine protocol but she didn't seem to want to deal with it. I go, empty my bag without touching anything and use a paper towel to turn door handles and then closed myself back in my room. An X-ray tech comes in with a portable X-ray, quickly does his job and leaves.

During my time sitting around doing nothing, I saw patients coming and going. Anytime a patient was discharged a hazmat cleaning crew came in to clean the room from ceiling to floor. I wonder how good of a job they are doing if there is obvious blood splatter on my floor. At one point a patient tries to steal gloves and masks off the walls, a doctor chases him down and he is escorted out by police.

At this point my nurse call light had been ringing over an hour. I had a terrible headache and needed Tylenol and something to drink as I hadn't had food or water since that morning. I also wanted to ask if my partner could bring me something. Frustrated with the lack of response, my partner came up anyway and they refused to let him in, my call light was still ringing, it had been nearly two hours.

As my partner and I look at each other through the glass wall and text each other, a man a couple rooms over is going into respiratory failure. He is also suspected of having COVID.

The doctor eventually walks up and my partner explains who he is. The two of them discuss what is going on and he tells my partner that he must work from home if he can, that I have been tested for COVID and both of us have to isolate ourselves until the results come back. He also says the staff are purposely avoiding potentially infected patients, which is why my call light was never answered.

What if I needed urgent help?
What if I was having trouble breathing?

Then he comes in and tells me that my chest X-ray showed no signs of pneumonia, there are no blood clots and within the next 72-hours someone from the department of health will contact me with results. He then sends me on my way, back into the public.

On my way out I see the full scope of how fucked the ER had become. It was completely overwhelmed with patients, most of them elderly. Every room was full, beds and chairs with patients in the hallways.

We take a car home, I am masked the entire time.

Now we wait, quarantined to the apartment to find out if I have COVID-19. If I test positive, my partner will also need to be tested and a full investigation will be launched by the CDC to find out who we have been in contact with. I will have to notify our apartment building and we will not be able to leave our apartment for weeks. If I test negative, I still am advised not to leave to decrease my likelihood of contracting the virus.

Yesterday as I was sitting in that isolation room I saw a woman I used to work with say on FB that this is all  a "fake media pandemic". I didn't even engage, I just deleted her and I will be doing this with anyone that acts like this is nothing or thinks it's a hoax.... because people like me are sitting around wondering if they will be alive in six months and over 4,000 people have already died.

So, if you're out there talking about how this is no big deal, you can go fuck yourself.

This is a fucking nightmare and it's going to get worse.

[Admiral Yi]

All AmazonFresh delivery slots are filled up here, I couldn't even put through my order.  Shit just got real. 

Yikes.  I was thinking that was my fail safe.

You know what else I've been thinking about?  "Price gouging" and price controls. 

[Sheilbh]

Yeah - competition regulator here has already said they're monitoring and people can make reports. But yeah it seems like a pretty big risk

[DGuller]

All AmazonFresh delivery slots are filled up here, I couldn't even put through my order.  Shit just got real. 

Yikes.  I was thinking that was my fail safe.

You know what else I've been thinking about?  "Price gouging" and price controls. 

A little bit of price gouging sure would've helped with all the shelves emptying out.

[mongers]

My plan is to get ahead of the government's game of acquired herd immunity and isolate as much of my family as possible from the contagious middle class masses.
For myself I'm not bothered, I'll likely weather the infection ok, but looking at my extended family, worst case scenario is from one to four possible deaths:

Elderly infirm mother, likely dead if she gets it.
Older sister, just in the at risk age range and underlying health issues, so a possible.
My cousin living in America, is very frail, so despite having a former nurse for a wife, I fear the worst if he gets it.
My other cousin* is fine, but her husband is 65+ and has some health issues so a possible worry.

Rest of the family should be ok, especially if my brother's wing of the family stays ensconced on their remote Devon farm.

So I plan on suggesting to my immediate family that I take over all shopping, health/drug store trips and put them in isolation for the duration, I'll only cost me a bit of extra time, but I should be able to keep my contact with society to manageable levels, and if the situation really worsens then I can isolate myself from them whilst still performing basic delivery and other chores for them.

Will email out plans this evening.

* yes I know it's odd, but I only have two first cousins.

[mongers]

China sends medical aid to Spain and Italy

A consignment of medical supplies sent by China to help Italy and Spain contain the coronavirus has arrived in Europe, the Chinese embassy in Madrid said on Thursday.

Nice to see.

[crazy canuck]

BC has now recommended against all international travel including travel to the US and anyone who returns from abroad is asked to self isolate for two weeks.

We are now also banning any group activities over 250 people.

My trip to Scotland is now off.

[mongers]

BC has now recommended against all international travel including travel to the US and anyone who returns from abroad is asked to self isolate for two weeks.

We are now also banning any group activities over 250 people.

My trip to Scotland is now off.

So six hours ago you'd have described this as panic measures.

[Admiral Yi]

A little bit of price gouging sure would've helped with all the shelves emptying out.

That's kinda my point.

Maybe if AmazonFresh had surge pricing you would sucking down your blueberries right now.

[Sheilbh]

China sends medical aid to Spain and Italy

A consignment of medical supplies sent by China to help Italy and Spain contain the coronavirus has arrived in Europe, the Chinese embassy in Madrid said on Thursday.

Nice to see.

Yes. It's a little bit embarassing from a European perspective, I think especially after Lagarde's mess today. Hopefully Macron's speech and approach will set the direction from now.

Obviously health is a member state competency, but the lack of solidarity by action from an apparently "geopolitical" Commission is depressing. I think especially given the situation in Italy the Chinese donation of face-masks, medical supplies and experts and the French decision to pool procurement of respiratory equipment will be remembered and is right. But I think other member states closing borders or restricting the sale of face-masks out of country, or the ECB's comments today (which were rebuked by the Italian PM and President) will also be remembered.

[Admiral Yi]

But I think other member states closing borders or restricting the sale of face-masks out of country, or the ECB's comments today (which were rebuked by the Italian PM and President) will also be remembered.

That's a pretty petty attitude.  I don't want my guys to get sick from your guys.  I think we should lock down all travel for a month or so.

Maybe time to start my covid dictator thread.

[viper37]

BC has now recommended against all international travel including travel to the US and anyone who returns from abroad is asked to self isolate for two weeks.

We are now also banning any group activities over 250 people.

My trip to Scotland is now off.

all this for a simple cold?  how... hysterical of them... 

[merithyn]

BC has now recommended against all international travel including travel to the US and anyone who returns from abroad is asked to self isolate for two weeks.

We are now also banning any group activities over 250 people.

My trip to Scotland is now off.

all this for a simple cold?  how... hysterical of them... 

Simple flu. It's just a flu.

[crazy canuck]