Community Chat

[suzyQ3]

@Porcelain  & @Ruby Laine, of course, droplets. When I hear airborne, I envision the little suckers flying. Thanks for clearing that up for this dunce. :-)

[lovesrecess]

The number of Americans dying from the flu is skyrocketing. The coronavirus continues to spread in the US, but so far, only 13 cases reported here. I don't think any of the data sent out by China is accurate. CDC says they are sure the numbers of cases there is probably much higher than they are disclosing. I hope the same isn't true here.

[sunshine 919]

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@Porcelain wrote:

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@sunshine 919 wrote:

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Wow I was listening to NPR in my car and this is exactly what they were talking about.  Maybe they will start manufacturing things here again.  It is very concerning when you think about medications.  This situation is having a huge domino effect.

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We already do manufacture a lot of things here. They just aren't dirt cheap. International companies (which most of them are) will simply shift to other cheap sources of labor in other underdeveloped countries.

Maximizing the use of AI and robotics in our country is our best bet. It means very few actual grunt jobs in manufacturing, but it'll produce extremely cheap stuff once the infrastructure is there.

Any "unskilled" or "low skilled" job can be automated and performed by a robot and probably should be. In the third world, quality of life is so disregarded that it's not considered financially worthwhile to automate anything. But here, we have much more reason to do it.

And robots can't get sick...so there's that at least.

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Would not trust robots doing a human job.  I still hate that you can't get a receptionist to answer a phone.  

[BrandiDavis]

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@suzyQ3 wrote:

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@BrandiDavis wrote:

So, I am trying to stay as optimistic as possible as this really does scare me, but I did hear that Dr Gupta on HLN saying that from what they've found so far it's NOT airborne. I thought that was definitely a GOOD thing. So just make sure you're keeping your hands clean and covering your mouth when you cough/sneeze!!! 

I hope they get to the bottom of this really soon. 

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@BrandiDavis, if it's not airborne, then I wonder why the advice to cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing (other than not doing so is disgusting).

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@suzyQ3  Well, my guess is b/c when you sneeze/cough and don't cover your mouth (yuck!!) those particles can land on surfaces and then some unassuming person comes by and touches it. I don't know, just my guess.

ETA: I just realized that someone else already answered you lol

[misskansas1947]

Viral particles are not as hardy as most folks think. They need a host, either animal or human, with the right properties,(temperature, moisture, think respiratory tract) to stay alive.  The biggest misconception I also see is everyone running around buying masks. Do no good ...per one of my physician colleagues who is an infectious disease specialist.

[misskansas1947]

Masks don't work, unless can approvedntype.  Don't wastemoney

[PamfromCT]

One point to emphasize is to stop touching your face, if you have that habit.  Many of us do, myself included.

Always dry your hands with paper towels.  We use paper towels for hand drying in all bathrooms.

Doesn’t sound like much, but helps to avoid getting sick - with anything.  And, of course, clean your hands with disinfectant you carry with you anytime you eat out.

[songbird]

There is at least over a billion people in China.  They've always worn masks & gloves going about their business day after day. It's practical movement among stacks and stacks of people and pollutions. The Chinese government are long time experts at guaranteeing people.

China has always had a lot of people.  The reason is it's at it's most crowded in history, is that they are living longer. My husband & I were discussing why there are so many people in one country.  According to historians it was a fertile land that was in the direction when people started to emerge from Africa.  They simply stayed, join by other people, never moving on. 

[AngelPuppy1]

I haven't read the other responses, but I don't see why our country can't produce its own supply of gloves, mask, etc.! It surely can't be that hard!  Why should we be dependent upon this country for such things? I would think we would be perfectly capable of doing so--- and it would mean a great deal for our own economy -- jobs, etc.  And --- we would not have to deal with this type of thing in the future.  

[KatieB]

No need to worry, it will be gone by April.  When it gets warmer....