General Discussion/Q&A on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[Pushka]

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Hopefully it works for them. They have had two go's at it now and the second time round more severe restrictions than in AU. Will be interesting to see the outcome (realistically not for 3-4 weeks).

Singapore is an interesting case. Ages ago we were querying how they were going to manage the multi accommodation places where the workers lived. It was like they were on the ignore button with the Government but that's come back to bite them.

 

[jenib]

Hmmmm, if that first article goes viral, please note I hereby register my forecast of the next panic buying item.

Sorry - late to the 'party'. However, I have purchased and regularly use a pulse oximeter online after my experience.

I went on a cruise late Jan/early Feb and after returning developed a respiratory infection. My doctor strongly suspected that I had caught a northern hemisphere flu from a fellow passenger and sent me for a swab flu test, prescribed antibiotics and ventolin. She also checked my oxygen level which was 95 using a pulse oximeter. I heard from watching an expert online (Dr John Campbell) that a pulse oximeter was a useful and cheap way to check your health - much like a thermometer. They cost about $30. After many weeks feeling terrible - now recovered - I remembered to ask for my flu test results last week. They were all negative. So what was it? I am waiting for the antibody tests (which tell you if you have had covid-19) to be more accurate.

Coincidentally I have been on lower dose hydroxychloroquine for about 8 months for arthritis (and it does seem to work for that). Luckily I have enough supply for that purpose.

I've never previously paid much attention to my health and I am not prone to panic buying but the pulse oximeter has been reassuring.

(Edit: just checked and it seems prices have doubled since I purchased mine)
(another Edit: forgot to mention that when I got my flu test results it said clinical notes: pneumonia secondary to flu/influenza?)

 

[Quickstatus]

pulse oximeter has been reassuring.

What’s a reassuring number on the pulse ox?

 

[drron]

Officially in hospitals above 92%.
if you have chronic respiratory disease then the accepted range is 88-92% though the committee of the Thoracic society who came out with that range suggested in these cases some may normally have ranges down to 82%.

Much more meaningful is noting the change.If you have a reading above 95% all the time and then you see it falling over several readings that is a danger sign.

 

[Quickstatus]

And the % is NOT a measure of the amount of oxygen in the blood. When your blood has half the oxygen the pulse oximeter would be reading around 85%

 

[Pushka]

Ours arrived from Amazon last week. Variations between husband and I have been 97-98 and a spot of 99. Helpful info.

 

[p--and--t]

Despite being checked many times, I don't have any lung issues according to the various docs when I have had miscellaneous procedures/ops.

But the oximeter alarm goes off constantly in post op and drives the nurses insane. They are constantly resetting the alarm and at me to breathe deeper /harder and shaking me.

Obviously the "standard" setting for monitoring must not be correct for everyone.

 

[Quickstatus]

That’s why all postops get supplemental O2

 

[p--and--t]

That’s why all postops get supplemental O2

I didn't (after awakening), just told to breathe harder

 

[Quickstatus]

That might have been so;

But postop is always a period that breathing is reduced. Hence the O2. Next time get them to leave you on O2 a little longer.

.......

Singapore is an interesting case. Ages ago we were querying how they were going to manage the multi accommodation places where the workers lived. It was like they were on the ignore button with the Government but that's come back to bite them.

We have a similar problem here:

A lot of apartments in high cost Cities like Sydney and Melbourne have bedrooms sleeping 4 or more in each. The beds are sublet (illegally) and would be a potential tinderbox for Corona or other illnesses.

 

[p--and--t]

A lot of apartments in high cost Cities like Sydney and Melbourne have bedrooms sleeping 4 or more in each. The beds are sublet (illegally) and would be a potential tinderbox for Corona or other illnesses.

I once made a surprise visit to my 2BR apartment in Brisbane and found 13 students sleeping there. The lease specified 2 occupants.

Got that sorted quickly. But under Covid-19 rules in some states the landlord or rep is not even allowed to visit for any reason, even with previous statutory notice, for the next few months.

 

[drron]

And the % is NOT a measure of the amount of oxygen in the blood. When your blood has half the oxygen the pulse oximeter would be reading around 85%

Actually at a saturation of 85% the partial pressure of inspired O2 in the blood is halved but the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood is a lot more.

.

The green line is adult Hb.So the carrying capacity at a saturation of 50% is 50% of normal.

 

[teammongo]

Ahhh. the oxygen dissociation curve - one of my favourite questions for Registrars and Students..

 

[jenib]

What’s a reassuring number on the pulse ox?

One that didn't get too much lower. It did go down to about 91 but is now up above the original 95.

 

[Flashback]

Not really an achievement to be proud of, but the UK now has the highest death toll in Europe.

Coronavirus: UK becomes first country in Europe to pass 30,000 deaths

The UK records a further 649 deaths, taking the total number of coronavirus deaths to 30,076.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Pushka]

Not really an achievement to be proud of, but the UK now has the highest death toll in Europe.

Coronavirus: UK becomes first country in Europe to pass 30,000 deaths

The UK records a further 649 deaths, taking the total number of coronavirus deaths to 30,076.

www.bbc.co.uk

How on earth did it come to that!

 

[Flashback]

How on earth did it come to that!

Tomorrow is the date by which they have to legally have completed the lockdown review, however a placeholder announcement will be made saying that further details will be announced on Sunday. What I can say is that what is going to be announced on Sunday is severely underwhelming and doesn't go far enough (and I sit here wondering why that is), who knows what the heck is going on with the discussions among the civil servants. It will certainly paint the picture for us and give a good idea of just how long we're going to continue in this state. Hint: a while.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Just a serious question: with so much messaging on easing restrictions, there is no messaging for high risk people (ie people at higher risk of dying from COVID-19). What is the situation for them? should They stay isolated forever?

 

[RooFlyer]

Not really an achievement to be proud of, but the UK now has the highest death toll in Europe.

Coronavirus: UK becomes first country in Europe to pass 30,000 deaths

The UK records a further 649 deaths, taking the total number of coronavirus deaths to 30,076.

www.bbc.co.uk

Not contesting, but 'total numbers' don't mean much to me. Better a 'per number' metric, such as deaths/million population sorted in this table:



Belgium seems to be the stand out for a bad result.

By the same measures, here is Australia/NZ, also sorted by deaths/million population.



(Of course, it ignores how the various categories are defined )

 

[Quickstatus]

A lot of the deaths occurred in confined spaces or indoors. Such as cruise ships, and nursing homes and Singapore's second outbreak (not wave) in dense migrant worker housing.
I would really like to see the evidence that staying indoors is better