Good Texas COVID-19 Info

[wiredgeorge]

This site seems to update daily and carries a lot of data... by Texas county is helpful.

https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/ed483ecd702b4298ab01e8b9cafc8b83

[sourdough]

Thanks George. Good Info.

Had an issue happen this morning that folks need to think about. Son called first thing this AM and DIL had a 104.5 temp. They were concerned she had contracted Covid 19 so she went in to be tested. DW finally talked to him about 3 minutes ago and they said she has a sinus infection and she is negative for Covid 19 BUT since she went in to be tested where others with the potential virus go SHE was quarantined for 14 days and cannot leave the house. Said there is a judge right there in the facility and he signs a document legally confining you to your home for that period! It has played havoc with them so far but she has been able to work, this will be a tough pill to swallow. Just wanted everyone to be aware of that potential if a person "wanted" to go get the test just because.

[wiredgeorge]

Danny, I have no idea where your DIL would go to get tested and where that place actually would have a judge issuing "orders". Can you elaborate? Here in Medina County we have the county hospital in Hondo but not sure they are equipped for testing... how did it work for your DIL specifically? That is kind of scary. The testing place?

[sourdough]

Son lives at Lake Whitney in Hill County. Where DIL went I'm not sure. She went alone because my son was worried about being ensnared in something like that. When she got back she showed him the order and related the story. She works daily in Dallas but don't think she went that far to be tested. I'll try to find out more details. He was hot and not happy when we talked to him a while ago so don't know if that order pertained to him as well since he lived with her.

Like you I was very surprised that they "tested" her and had results that quickly. I know I've been reading about various ways to test that didn't take several days so maybe they had access to something like that. I'm worried they didn't actually do the test and just wrote it off as a "sinus" infection and sent her home with a quarantine order to see if she gets worse. Any way you slice it the entire situation is "out there".

[wiredgeorge]

My wife's boss is a bit older and went to the doc with respiratory ailment and they didn't test him. Doc said it was pneumonia with no test. Kind of puzzles me how someone in the "at risk" category with a temperature and respiratory distress would not be tested. I think local doctors may not have the means to do testing... just a guess. My county has had 15 confirmed cases with two deaths and four recovered; one person in the hospital.

[sourdough]

Haven't confirmed the exact location as of this morning. He said it was the "center" (we're assuming medical center) and we're thinking it might be in Hillsboro (county seat) and still waiting for additional info (he's never been one to "talk freely"). One thing he did share that says a lot about where we are today; DIL told him that she had to pay $80 copay and $300 to insurance for testing; if you are illegal it was free as they told her...… just something interesting about the situation.

[Eastham]

Usually when I pay a co pay that takes care of the bill inever had to pay extra to the ins co.But I also have fed blue cross. Maybe that's the difference.

[sourdough]

Her co pay was the $80. The insurance company was billed the $300. Sorry I didn't make that more clear.

[travelin texans]

My county has had 15 confirmed cases with two deaths and four recovered; one person in the hospital.

This is something I've questioned from the start from stats posted.
There's 15 confirmed, 2 deaths, 1 hospitalized, 4 recovered!!
What happened to the other 8 confirmed?
If they were confirmed, not dead, not in the hospital, not listed as recovered what's their condition?
Are they coming/going around infecting others?
If they weren't/aren't sick why were they tested & where?
Were they confirmed after going into some facility to be tested?

[flybouy]

This is something I've questioned from the start from stats posted.
There's 15 confirmed, 2 deaths, 1 hospitalized, 4 recovered!!
What happened to the other 8 confirmed?
If they were confirmed, not dead, not in the hospital, not listed as recovered what's their condition?
Are they coming/going around infecting others?
If they weren't/aren't sick why were they tested & where?
Were they confirmed after going into some facility to be tested?

I don't know how they are reporting there but what I'd suspect is those 8 unaccounted for are most likely recovered at home. They don't show up as recovered until 14 days of isolation and being retested with a negative result. But again, that's strictly a guess on my part.

[wiredgeorge]

We have strict Covid-19 rules to keep us all healthy here in Texas:

THE CORONAVIRUS RULES:
1. Basically, you can't leave the house for any reason, but if you have to, then you can. But don’t unless you really need to. But feel free.
2. Masks are useless, but maybe if you wear one it can save you, it is useless, but maybe it is mandatory as well. OK, fine, it’s a mandatory guideline... I think.
3. Stores are closed, except those that are open. Don’t go there, but if you need to, go. I mean support local business by not going unless you must.
4. You should not go to hospitals unless you have to go there. The same applies to doctors and nurses; you should only go there in case of emergency, provided you are not too sick. But healthcare workers, please go there even if you are just a little sick to help those who are sicker. And wear a mask.
5. This virus is deadly but still not too scary, except that sometimes it actually leads to a global disaster.
6. Gloves won't help, but they can still help. Wear them if it helps you feel comfortable, but don’t touch your face to avoid cross-contamination. You know what, maybe it’s better if you don’t wear gloves. But you probably should anyway. Actually definitely wear gloves. Or at least, definitely maybe.
7. Everyone needs to stay HOME, but it's important to GO OUT.
8. There is no shortage of groceries in the supermarket, but there are many things missing when you go there in the evening, but not in the morning. Sometimes.
9. The virus has no effect on children except those it affects.
10. Animals are not affected, but there is a cat that tested positive in Belgium in February when no one had been tested, plus a few tigers here and there…
11. You will have many symptoms when you are sick, but you can also get sick without symptoms, have symptoms without being sick, or be contagious without having symptoms. Oh my.
12. In order not to get sick, you have to eat well and exercise, but eat whatever you have on hand and remember that it's better to not go out, well, but no…
13. It's better to get some fresh air, but you will get looked at very wrong when you get some fresh air, and most importantly, you shouldn’t go to parks or walk. Unless you want to. And if you do, don’t sit down, except that you can do that now — sit down — if you are old, but not for too long or if you are pregnant. If you are old and pregnant you should probably crouch. Or sit. Or stand.
14. You can't go to retirement homes, but you have to take care of the elderly and bring food and medication.
15. If you are sick you can't go out, but you can go to the pharmacy.
16. You can get restaurant food delivered to the house, which may have been prepared by people who didn't wear masks or gloves. But you have to have your groceries decontaminated outside for three hours. Does this include pizza too? Were they not practicing pizza prep protocols before the pandemic?
17. Every disturbing article or disturbing interview starts with, "I don't want to trigger panic, but…"
18. You can't see your older mother or grandmother, but you can take a taxi and meet an older taxi driver who will be happy to sit with you at the park. Or stand.
19. You can walk around with a friend, but please not with your family if they don't live under the same roof.
20. You are safe if you maintain the appropriate social distance, but you can’t go out with friends or strangers at the safe social distance. But if the grocery store worker bumps into you in the produce section it’s ok because he’s not your relative. Or maybe he is. But if he lives under the same roof you are fine. Probably. Or not.
21. The virus remains active on different surfaces for two hours... no, four... no, six... wait, we didn't say hours, did we? Maybe days? But it takes a damp environment. Hold on, not necessarily.
22. The virus stays in the air - well no, or yes, maybe, especially in a closed room, in one hour a sick person can infect ten people so if it falls, all our children were already infected at school before it was closed. But remember, if you stay at the recommended social distance, you should be fine. However in certain circumstances you should maintain a greater distance, which, studies show, the virus can travel further. Maybe.
23. We count the number of deaths, but we don't know how many people are infected as we have only tested those who were "almost dead" to find out if that's what they will die of. This means we are flattening the curve, or maybe not since an overwhelming majority have not been tested. But our model is certain and our data is consistent. Unless it’s not.
24. We have no treatment, except that there may be one that apparently is not dangerous unless you take too much (which is the case with all medications).
25. We should stay locked up until the virus disappears, but it will only disappear if we achieve collective immunity, so when it circulates… but we must no longer be locked up for that?

not sure who the original author of this is...

(got this bit from the Texas Gun Forum - the poster there didn't know where it came from either).

[notanlines]

George, it was probably compiled from factual Facebook posts by those who have a sister who dates a fence painter who once painted the fence of a pharmacy assistant dating a first year med student.

[German Shepherd Guy]

:popcorn:


:lol::lol::lol:
That was great George.


Danny, surprised your DIL had even a CoPay. Most insurance companies have waived that. Here in Colorado anyway all of them have. I suspect the same as you, they didn't really have the test results and just 14 day'd her. Everyone in our small county was tested free of charge. BUT the lab that reads the results was overwhelmed with test from all over the country (the lab was in New York) and many of their people became sick and they were short handed, so bottom line is it took over a month to get the results which pretty much made them useless. How is DIL now? :ermm: Really hope she is OK.
Oak

[sourdough]

Thanks Oak. As of last evening she was still the same as she has been. Waiting for an update for today. I'll post when we know.

For everyone that follows this here is a report from the CDC that graphs emergency room visits attributed to ILI (influenza like illnesses - dark blue line) vs CLI (covid like illnesses - yellow line) among lots of other things. There is a ton of information here. Realize much of it is based on what seems to fit right now as George alluded to and changes daily. Note that influenza accounted for more ER visits than covid until approx. week 12 of this year when the massive effort to test everyone for covid was in full swing vs zero testing for influenza - just observations of symptoms. The referenced graph is on what would be about page 6 under the heading "National Syndromic Surveillance Program - NSSP": Emergency Department (ED) Visits: which is just below the 2 multi colored pictures of the U.S.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html


My observations are these; and they are 100% my opinion based on lots of reading and one on one input from others;

Influenza has been in the past, and is, more prevalent than the new coronavirus. We accept flu, don't test for it and we don't know every person's name that gets it or dies from it - not so for covid. It is a media feeding frenzy brought on by good intentioned, but mislead, medical "experts". Now take into account the political faction where each side wants to blame the other side for "something" on a daily basis skewing statistics, spewing misinformation etc. I watched an epidemiologist from IL giving her assessment of the virus and it sounded like the end of the world; the US must shut down at any cost (including destroying our economy/infrastructure) to thwart the advance of this insidious disease. Of course that was from an individual that lives in a small lab, obsessed with bacteria, germs etc. on a daily basis without any thought or care about the bigger picture of economics and people's welfare - a single prism view. On the other hand we have some that understand you can't kill everyone's lives and future (including the country) for something that has yet to prove it is anything like the monster it has been portrayed to be by some. I let all that stuff go in one ear and out the other. I try my best to sift through the chaff to get to the wheat. I'm a pragmatic, logical, meat and potatoes guy that doesn't run off the edge of the cliff because someone yells "wolf". I do know this; our friend that runs the only laundy/dry cleaning business in town told me 2 days ago he had been forced to shut down and would not be opening back up; my barber of 30+ years said this was the last straw and figured he would just retire now; our favorite mom/pop Mexican food restaurant said if this went on another week or 2 they would have to shut their doors and I'm sure there are others being dealt blows by the overreaction (knee jerk) of our respective governments. This is all beyond family issues that will entail bankruptcy, lost jobs and the forfeiture of a new home - very high prices to pay to be forced to "be safe".

Sorry for the long post but it's a Sunday and figured some folks might want some lively reading to pick up the day (CDC report).:D Not particularly interested in parsing the report, just throwing it out for anyone to take from it what they want.

***Edit: Just heard from DIL and she says she is feeling much better today!

[gearhead]

Great that she is feeling better.
I'm thinking if this country doesn't get moving soon things will get ugly.

[sourdough]

Great that she is feeling better.
I'm thinking if this country doesn't get moving soon things will get ugly.


Thank you. We were a bit on edge there for a while.

[chuckster57]

Great to hear she’s improving.