Did I mention that I got my first Covid-19 test last week? I didn’t care for it! H didn’t think it was a big deal, but my nose was raw inside afterward. Everyone who was at my in laws’ AL got tested. (We were negative.)
Relative’s spouse got it, severe enough to visit the hospital but not have to stay in the hospital, still has after-effects a month or so later. Relative either somehow did not get it, or had an asymptomatic infection.
Probable source was a co-worker (who tested positive a few days before and was presumably contagious before that – the timing offset is consistent with typical COVID-19 timelines) in an indoor customer-facing business where they worked in close proximity in a poorly ventilated building (they did have masks on, but that was apparently not enough for the situation).
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Thinking about this more, regarding masks, if typical masks typically worn stop about 2/3 of virus droplets from the wearer and 1/3 of virus droplets to the wearer, then we can estimate the following:
- If the contagious person is wearing a mask, the exposure time to infect someone else is 3 times what it would be with no masks.
- If the uninfected person is wearing a mask, the exposure time to be infected is 1.5 times what it would be with no masks.
- If both are wearing masks, the exposure time to be infected is 4.5 times what it would be with no masks.
- If the exposure time for close presence to a contagious person in a poorly ventilated indoor space is 10 minutes to pass an infectious amount of virus, then both wearing masks would extend that time to 45 minutes.
So if in a theoretical business with these conditions where an employee is unknowingly contagious, a customer who is there for 15 minutes would likely be infected if no one were masked, but would likely avoid infection if everyone were masked. But other employees who spend hours there with the contagious employee would still likely get infectious doses of the virus even if everyone were masked.
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My Aunt and Uncle’s Christmas card to us arrived today. It was mailed 12/10 - 6 days prior to his death. It’s definitely bittersweet having a final card, yet reading it and knowing all their plans, etc, were soon to come to such an ending.
Why the post office took 16 days to get a first class envelope to us from FL is mystifying. We sent a package to NY from PA and it ended up in Tallahassee until one day before it was supposed to be delivered in NY. Why? PA to FL to NY makes no sense in anyone’s mind - and even if it had been sent from FL to NY, it had over a week to arrive and still be in time for Christmas.
One has to muse as to whether some people in the USPS are just having fun messing with people, and if so, is it politically motivated somehow. But even then, which side of the polarization? 100% mystifying.
Louis DeJoy’s restructuring.
Yep. I sent a priority mail box from NY to DC - it’s supposed to take 2 or 3 days. I had 11 days before my son was moving. It did not make it. Since he did not know his forwarding address at the base he was going to, it’s coming back to us - someday. I am beyond angry.
I had a letter that was mailed from someone across town take 12 days to get to me. It was an estimate for a home repair that I was waiting on – fortunately I had called them when I hadn’t received the estimate on day #3 and had them email the info. The envelope was hand-addressed so I’m wondering if that is part of the delay – maybe it wasn’t machine-readable and that sort of mail is being waylaid for however long it takes for a human to look at it. (?)
I saw a USPS man driving around the neighborhood today (Sunday). I really think they are doing their best.
USPS got all the overflow from big retailers who had contracts with UPS and FedEX when they exceeded their quotas, plus some of the covid vaccines, plus just the regular Christmas rush. OUr carriers have been working long days and I’m grateful for them.
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I’m grateful for them too, but I still don’t get how a package destined for NY from PA ended up in Tallahassee, FL. There’s nothing normal or cost saving with that.
I also wonder how many other people besides us got a late Christmas card from someone who died of Covid between when it was written and received (16 days in transit in our case).
Should the shipping stuff have its own topic? Meanwhile a person I went to HS’s mother got covid from her LCF and died right before Xmas 
H learned that a dear friend from church has passed away due to Covid. H and this special man were in a service group together. They had been friends for many, many years and H respected and admired him so much.
I have been tracking a package from Target being delivered by FedEx. It has been going to different towns near me for ten days. The last note says, ‘Local weather delay - Delivery not attempted’. It’s filled with treats for Christmas stockings… Oh, well.
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@sdl0625 I think people are getting this conversation and the one on UPS or USPS mixed up. There is already a shipping thread.
I’m sorry for your loss. It’s a fear that we seem to be living with more and more acutely this year
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This morning I hear from my sister that she woke up with a lot of congestion (“must have been crying in my sleep”), and this coming after a headache yesterday.
I suggested she go get tested for Covid, but “I never go anywhere to catch it.”
She goes out shopping (several stores) and other errands practically daily - at least every other day. As my med school boy responded (to me), “You don’t have to go to a Covid party or clinic to get it. It’s available in the wild.”
She often exaggerates her illnesses, so I don’t know whether to be concerned or not. My aunt and uncle were adamant theirs wasn’t Covid and he died with no medical intervention. We don’t know if it was Covid, but it sure “acted” like it. My lad tells me people in his hospital can be on oxygen fighting for their lives and still argue that Covid is a hoax. That’s not a one time thing. He tells me they get one or two every week who do this.
We gave her NY info on how to find a (free) testing center. She says she doesn’t need it and could catch it there.
I guess I wait. Her BMI would put her at high risk. Not sure much else does.
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Regarding the risk of COVID-19 at a testing center…
One testing center with a big parking lot had people wait in their cars in a line marked with cones leading to the large testing tent. People getting tested never get out of their cars. Not sure how they handle people who go there by other means.
Another testing center has people queue up outside (though part of the queue is under a tent), but every time I go by, it looks like the numerous people queuing up are a lot closer than 6 feet apart. Even though it is outside with masks on, being that close for a long period of time to someone (adjacent people in the queue) who is probably more likely than average to have COVID-19 increases the risk. Seems like if you get a COVID-19 test at this place, you would want to get another COVID-19 test five days later because waiting in line at this place is itself a higher risk situation.
I understand your concern - but if I went out and got tested for Covid every time I had congestion and/or headache – well that would probably come to just about every week since last March. So it might depend a lot on what is “normal” for your sister. So yes, it is possible that she could be exposed and I definitely understand your concern given your experiences so far, but there are still many far more common reasons for wintertime stuffy noses and headaches. I think if I were in your sister’s shoes, I’d hold off too.
One thing to hold off, but if you do/did you should probably hold off seeing people at least!
True, the text I was responding to said, “I’m so congested it isn’t funny,” and was followed by texts that included the pastor of her church, plus his family, being infected and that numbers in the area are skyrocketing.
What could easily be “normal” for her is her “having” these symptoms at the same time. That would be in character. Either she makes it up or her brain does something to cause it.
But my uncle just died from something he was sure wasn’t Covid even though it was all around him and he also was going out at least once daily.
My mind doesn’t know which way to fall with it. Normal for sis and all is really ok or something is truly wrong?
Time will tell. There’s nothing more I can do, esp from so far away.
Neither my aunt/uncle nor my sis opted to stay away from others. Business as usual for both. Multiple stops for sis today. Aunt/uncle did eating out, banking, and whatever else even with their “colds.”
There’s a reason Covid is running wild in the US.
I do know that my anxiety is so high that I am convinced that I’m coming down with Covid even if I’ve gone nowhere. I’m sure it’s just GERD for me but I have been extremely careful, especially lately.
Hope your sister does not have Covid. @Creekland
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I have been tested twice for COVID due to extreme sore throat and nagging cough - both negative. First I went to urgent care at the complex where my doctors are located and the second time I ordered an at-home test via the NY.gov website. it was the Pixel test from Labcorp and they sent it overnight and I returned it overnight. It was a self-swab PCR test and I had results in a secure portal within 24 hours of receipt back at the lab. Insurance covered it. I must say that I am a little neurotic about all of this and probably didn’t need to get tested but I’m glad I did and it was so easy. Getting an in-person test anywhere is more difficult, even though Governor Cuomo says people should be tested regularly.
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