COVID-19 24Mar20 – The Laughing Wolf

Please, please, please ignore the mainstream media right now. No, the President did not tell the idiots to take fish tank cleaner. It’s not even the same compound. We are not all going to die because OrangeManBad, or anything else (except maybe cabin fever). What is going on in Washington with the stimulus package is beyond disgusting. It is beyond despicable. It is flat out Evil, with an out-of-touch political class that is more than willing to put your health, safety, civil liberties, and fortune(s) at risk in order to enrich themselves and obtain what they can’t get any other way. To risk the lives of the people they swore to serve shows that they hold our lives, safety, and fortunes in contempt simply because they have no honor, much less Sacred Honor.

Yes, the numbers are jumping. It is both a function of spread, and a function of increased testing. As more and faster tests come into play, it is guaranteed we are going to find cases that were missed before, particularly with those who are or were asymptomatic. That is going to make the numbers jump.

Why the delays in testing? I’ve written about it before, linking to a number of articles. If you want to see why bureaucracies can’t handle something like this, read this detailed account of how the FDA mishandled things from the start. Just as with the CDC screwups, it all worked to make things far worse than they should have been. Both agencies need a major overhaul, and to be forced to return to what they were created to do, rather than the mission creep they prefer to do.

There’s more, but frankly I’m dealing with both literal and figurative pain right now. I’ve lived with the literal for a while now, some days are better than others. The figurative comes from the absolutely amazing levels of Stupid and Evil I awoke to this morning. Between the media, politicians when we need statesmen, and people doing stupid things (and having the media blame every one of them on the President), I’m tired already. Will try to do better later or tomorrow.

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As always:

If you suspect you have COVID-19 or have been exposed: call your state health department and work with them so that you can be dealt with in a way that minimizes the chance of spreading the virus to those helping you and to the general public. Can’t get them? Call your local department or see if your health service has online/telemedicine screening set up; or see if one who has will let you use it even if you are not in their network. Do not go out in public, and don’t go to an ER or other facility without calling ahead. Be smart.

Use the interactive graphic to keep track of things. Is COVID19 an epidemic? Yes. Is it a Pandemic? Yes. Is there need for panic? NO. HELL NO. Should you be paying attention? Yes. Hell yes. Should you be preparing? Yes, better late than never. And good luck finding/getting stuff.

Want to avoid catching COVID19 here in the U.S.? Wash your flippin hands frequently, wash them thoroughly every time you use the bathroom, then follow with hand sanitizer after every washing, use hand sanitizer liberally when you can’t wash on a regular basis. Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze, and stay away from those who don’t. Also, keep your bugger hooks out of/away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. Do NOT shake hands with anyone, and avoid touching or being touched by strangers. Or your strange friends.

Avoid travel if at all possible. Right now, there is no way I’m going to a trade show, major convention, etc. If you can telecommute, get that set up now. If you have to travel, use lots of hand sanitizer and go to full flu protocols. If you have to use a public restroom, take full precautions including using paper towels and such to handle faucets, doors,etc. Believe it or not, this was highly recommended before now, and major grocery chains have long told employees to use those practices to avoid getting or spreading colds, flu, etc. Not many actually do it, but…

If you own a business, make sure your employees know the above protocols. Have someone who refuses to wash their hands or otherwise follow the protocols? Talk to them, write them up, and if necessary fire them as they now pose a risk of infection to you and your customers. Extreme? Yes, but while the CDC and others are working to slow it down, odds are it is already here and could hit hard and fast. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

I want to reiterate that there is no need for panic, but there is a strong need to be alert, be informed, and be prepared.

Good Sources Of Information On COVID-19

Instapundit (no longer doing roundups, but great articles from Glenn and his team)

South China Morning Post (decent, some salt may be needed)

Business Insider (decent, even if they did fall for some lies about Trump)

New England Journal of Medicine

More to come

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