Coping With Covid

[Michel]

I have reasonable protection. Work has provided me with nitrile gloves, and I have facial protection as well. At least I am able to do something. I have spent too much of my working life unemployed, and I hated it. I am glad to be of use, even if I am only doing a tiny part.

You are aware your mask, unless it is one of the shields, is pretty useless after 30 mins of wearing it? It will be too damp to be effective..

For all of you, here are a few excerpts from a conversation I had on Facebook earlier this evening with my old school friend Joanne. She's a senior ICU* nurse at a hospital up North. She's dealing only with Covid-19 patients at the moment...
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1.- Hardest deal at the minute is we have a lot of patients with COVID who we try a special breathing mask or tent with to force oxygen into their lungs. They are awake and terrified, often can’t tolerate it and we end up putting them to sleep so we can breathe for them.

2. It’s actually easier for us when they are asleep, just worse for the patient as the outlook isn’t as good, although many plead to be put to sleep as they are so scared.

3. It’s something I am used to dealing with, although it never gets any easier, we just get on with it and do our best to calm the patient. It’s the sheer volume of patients that makes it so hard now, someone fighting for breath is actually quite few and far between normally, now we are dealing with it several times a day. Also, because we are wearing full PPE its quite impersonal and we can’t comfort them the same way, we have to shout to get heard through the masks. They also can’t have visitors at all. That breaks my heart as it is their loved ones that keep a person going at a time like that. We become the only person they have. Sadly, the person who is with them at the end sometimes too. It’s an honour and a privilege to be the person who holds their hand.

4.- The ones out and about in masks and gloves are the worst for me. They see “health care workers” wearing them and think that’s what they need. But they’ve no clue how to use them. The standard masks are only impervious for around 30 mins so will allow coronavirus through by the time they are walking round Asda if they put it on when they left home. The gloves need to be changed every time you touch something so they may as well just wash their hands.
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Now, this is NOT an "it won't happen to me" scenario. It will, if you don't heed the warnings and stay at home whenever possible. If you don't have to go to work - Don't. I'm simply not allowed to go on site at my place of work. No ifs, no buts.

Take this seriously, please. Being unemployed or laid-off is better than going through that harrowing experience as a Covid-19 casualty..

* her actual title is..

Senior Specialist Theatre Practitioner, Surgical First Assistant and Orthopaedic Team Leader..

[Hell Razor5543]

The Facial protection is a gas mask! A family member gave it to me (and it has new filters). If it won't protect me nothing will!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gas-MASK-PBF ... nPzXFUpRpw

[doctle]

People aren't listening I have health issues so I wait in the car while the missus does the shopping. She said they are pushing and crowing in on people even she who is way more polite than I am had to tell people to pi*s off away.
There are very few cars on the road it's like the 60's yet people are driving as aggressively as ambulance drivers. Jumping lights, cutting people off etc and for what? No work no shops, no pubs nowhere to go.

[Michel]

I’m doing some volunteer work - shopping, picking up prescriptions etc for the vulnerable and elderly. I’ve spent a few hours in supermarkets this week.

I’ve noticed the behaviour above many times. I’ve been both polite and downright rude to people. Coughing usually makes them move, as does accidentally ramming them with a trolley.

People are stupid. That’s the issue.

[doctle]

One of our local TD's (MP) had a brief Q&A on his facebook page about a week ago. He was asked some sensible questions but most were drivel, are the chip shops open? When can I go out? Will it be over in 2 weeks etc.
The virus can't be contained when people aren't listening so it will drag out when there's no need to drag it out. Ireland ordered €200 million worth of PPE from china they sent crap. Almost a quarter of infections in Ireland are within the medical community one reason is that housing is almost impossible to find and really expensive when you can. People are house sharing and this isn't helping contain it.
Have you guys seen the photograph of the exhausted paramedic asleep in the emergency car, London I think she was in? I hope people remember what the NHS and HSE are doing for people now the next time some fat smarmy politician says there's too much waste/expense/nurses/doctors in the health service etc. Personally if I survive this anyone dissing the health service will get a swift box on the teeth.

[bobins]

People are stupid. That’s the issue.

People are usually intelligent, it's the public who are stupid

[Stickyfinger]

Don't forget to take your own Air Supply with you

[Hell Razor5543]

Three things;

Why are we (the general public) "Clapping the Carers" once a week when other, more harder hit countries, are applauding THEIR carers every evening? I (and other Forum members) ARE applauding every evening, as the NHS are doing their job (saving lives) every second of every minute of every hour of every day. Yes, we should (and some of us are) doing more for the Carers, but visibly showing our appreciation may help (I personally have been thanked a couple of times when a Carer has walked past my front door at that time).

When the various departments of the NHS (and the other essential services in this time of crisis) come around to negotiate their salaries we (the public) need to remind Parliament what the services did to protect the nation during this time (and I will bet Parliament will NEED to be reminded).

When trade negotiations re-start Parliament needs to protect all of our essential services (so services like the NHS, the Police, the Fire Brigade, the Military (and so on) are OFF the table, and that is NOT optional!). When the Old Fart in the White House complains about this (and he WILL) Parliament asks him what he did with The Affordable Care Act (Obama Care), and then bluntly tells him what he can do with his demands, and how to do it! (By the way, one of the meanings of the word trump in Scottish is FART!).

[Stickyfinger]

Do we argue the same for the nations Armed Forces ?.....nope
The NHS staff are doing their job in the same way the Armed Forces have over the years at a far far higher cost.
Do not get me wrong, I make no complaints of the NHS staff and all gratitude to them, but let us get some perspective on this.

[myglaren]

Don't let this become political or it will be shoved into room 101!

[white exec]

If nothing else, this emergency is highlighting what, and who, really count as "essential services", and deserve to be suitably remunerated and equipped.
Hopefully, after it all, things certainly will be 'never the same again'.
That will take some insistence by the public, and their representatives.
I think the 'me first' era really has had its day.
Ever hopeful, I know.

[bobins]

It's surprising just how many 'essential' staff are on low pay or not far off minimum wage.

[doctle]

The politician will always go for the services the NHS the carers etc when cutbacks are needed, the cutbacks are usually needed as a result of the same politicians greed/stupidity/incompetence. After this maybe people will insist the essential services are ring fenced. It's better to have them and not need them

[Hell Razor5543]

DIY Face Visor

Before I explain how to make this face visor I want to make a few things clear.

1, This face visor is NOT made of impact resistant plastic, so it will NOT protect your face should you decide, for example, to do some building work around the house. Should a stone chip travel towards your face at speed this visor WILL NOT stop it!
2, The coke bottle plastic is not meant for looking through (other than to see how much drink is in the bottle). This means that the plastic may give you a blurry view of the world.
3, All this visor is meant to do is to try and protect you from any droplets that may be coughed or sneezed in your vicinity. I cannot guarantee it will succeed, but it should help protect you.
4, This visor could also help protect others from YOU! Should you be asymptomatic, when you cough or sneeze you will also be expelling droplets laden with COVID 19. This visor could also stop you from passing COVID 19 to others.

You will need 5 items, and some simple tools to make the visor.
One 3 litre straight sided coke bottle (I think a 2 litre bottle will do, but a 3 litre bottle gives more width).
50cm elastic (you can get 2m by 12mm from Sainsburys’ for £1.50, so enough for four visors).
A drying up cloth (the one I am using is 60cm by 40cm).
Some string (two lengths, about 30cm long each).
Some packing tape.
A sharp knife.
Scissors.
A tape measure.
Something to make clean ROUND holes (I will use a soldering iron). Holes that are cut may well split later.
Sandpaper.

Empty and rinse out the bottle. Remove the label. Using a mild cleaner (nail varnish remover could help) remove any glue residue (but check the varnish remover does not damage the plastic by testing it on the bottom of the bottle). Using the sharp knife cut off the top and bottom of the bottle (at the points where the bottle starts to curve in, to allow you to have as large a cylinder as possible). Keep the top of the bottle, as you will need it to make a couple of reinforcement pieces later (you can throw away the bottom piece). Examine the cylinder, and look for a seam (or where there is the worse visibility through the plastic). Cut straight down from top to bottom (using the scissors, and following the seam). You now will have a curved piece of plastic roughly square shaped. Smooth off the edges (using the sandpaper) and round off the corners (this visor is meant to protect your face, not be used to shave it!). Clean it, using soapy water and a cloth (do NOT use a scourer, as the bottle plastic is soft and is easy scratch).

Cut two straight strips from the bottle top, as wide and as long as possible (these are the reinforcement pieces). Fold them in half. Place each strip at the top corners of the main piece of plastic, with the folds over the vertical edges. Put a round hole all the way through the reinforcing strips and main plastic. Thread the elastic through the holes and knot it.

Next, about 1/3rd in from each vertical edge, along the top, put two holes, one above the other, about 1cm apart. These will be to secure the drying up cloth (as a forehead cushion) in place. Take the drying up cloth and fold it once in half (so, using the dimensions of the one I am using, it ends up 30cm by 40cm). Then roll it up so you have a roll 30cm wide and a few cm thick. Thread each of the strings through the two holes with the ends on the outside of the visor (you don’t want a couple of hard knots pressing into your forehead!), leaving a large loop on the inside off the visor. Thread the rolled up cloth through the loops, and tie the string up tight. Trim off the ends of the string. Finally stick a length of packing tape along the top of the visor, over the holes, to seal them up.

You now should have a home made face visor.

I have taken pictures at each of the stages. A couple may be slightly blurred, but they should still be able to show what I mean.

[myglaren]