Coronavirus Discussion Thread

ffemt8978

Forum Vice-Principal
Community Leader
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Im going to reopen this thread for now. For everyone's reference and clarification: you can discuss the political aspects of the COVID9 response by governments as long as you leave the descriptive and divisive adjectives and adverbs out of it. In addition, the tinfoil hat conspiracies have no place here.

Comments like that buffoon in charge is doing everything wrong or the great one is doing everything right will be removed and earn you a vacation. Comments like i think the government is doing this wrong or right and here's why will be allowed.
 
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VentMonkey

Family Guy
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Haha, we’re all a little lost in this pandemic.
F4C88F82-EF62-4E5A-BA78-5A746F321EDA.jpeg
 

Jim37F

Forum Deputy Chief
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Wellp, yesterday we nearly doubled our Corona daily record, with over a hundred new cases, 109 to be exact.

We even have a new confirmed case in my Department. The guy is at a station a couple battalions away, but still....

They're basically planning on re-shutting down the bars, limiting gathers of no more than 10 people at a time, and whatnot.

Here i was hoping our Dept would start to ease up on overtime restrictions (because of COVID and the desire to limit any spread, they've been restricting us to only being able to work our own station, even if there's openings elsewhere. Which is cutting down that OT $$ to like nothing... at this rate of new cases, they'll clamp down on that!)

So apparently there's been some drama, our Dispatchers have told us that they've been told that due to HIPAA, they're not allowed to tell us that a patient is confirmed COVID positive if they know about it. Well one of our Captains sent a, well not politically nice, email to the higher ups about that, and well, there's gonna be fallout, still gotta see where it lands, but one statement that came from on high is that "Oh, no! Dispatch has always been allowed to tell you!" Of course our Dispatchers (theyre actual Firefighters who were in the field, and can/will eventually return to the field, they keep in touch with their friends and whatnot...) are all saying "Thats not what you told us earlier...."

So yeah, Drama....
 

CCCSD

Forum Deputy Chief
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That HIPAA line was waived. They need to coordinate with PH and get it correct. As long as they don’t name names, they can code it or inform of precautions needed.
 

Summit

Critical Crazy
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That HIPAA line was waived. They need to coordinate with PH and get it correct. As long as they don’t name names, they can code it or inform of precautions needed.
Absolutely. "Broad discretion"
 

Jim37F

Forum Deputy Chief
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Word is yet another guy in our Dept now has COVID. Thats 7 or 8 FFs at 3 different stations all in the last 2, 3 days coming up positive. Before that we had 2 guys back in like March, then nothing till this spike. Coincidentally (or not...) as a State, we have also had massive spikes including 3 days in a row of triple digit new cases (though today was "only" 80 something new cases...)

And now EMS has their first confirmed case...

 

Jim37F

Forum Deputy Chief
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That HIPAA line was waived. They need to coordinate with PH and get it correct. As long as they don’t name names, they can code it or inform of precautions needed.
Absolutely. "Broad discretion"
And yet they still told us that HIPAA said "No, can't tell them" even tho it doesn't make sense. One of our Capts had to send a rather scathing email that got the attention of the Chiefs for them to say "Oh no, they are allowed to tell you", but only AFTER the Dispatchers were telling us they weren't allowed to tell, so hopefully that'll get cleared up.
 

E tank

Caution: Paralyzing Agent
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... as a State, we have also had massive spikes including 3 days in a row of triple digit new cases (though today was "only" 80 something new cases...)

So much for masks, distancing and quarantines.
 

GMCmedic

Forum Deputy Chief
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Were seeing about 800 new cases a day, I think we even got a shout out from Fauci that we were working towards trouble.

ICU bed usage increased to just shy of 15% from 11%, but ventilator usage is still down from even 2 months ago.
 

RocketMedic

Californian, Lost in Texas
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We’ve got a few medics out sick, one really sick. And management is out on the “mask all the time” in quarters mandate...like they actually expect it to happen.
 

Jim37F

Forum Deputy Chief
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While we're pretty compliant with masks here, people have def not been social distancing as much.

It may be purely coincidental that all these spikes are showing up a couple weeks after lockdown restrictions were being lifted and people were gathering for parties, going to bars, etc.

After 2 bars were linked to multiple cases, they have just re-shut down all bars for 3 weeks. Those that serve food can stay open as restaurants, but can't serve any booze past 10pm to discourage people gathering and partying at said bar.

At least a dozen cases have been linked to one guy who had a large gathering employee training and then went to two different gyms and did group workout sessions

Heck, there's been a cluster of cases tied to a large funeral that took place

So yeah those large gatherings are def helping spread this thing.
 

silver

Forum Asst. Chief
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Were seeing about 800 new cases a day, I think we even got a shout out from Fauci that we were working towards trouble.

ICU bed usage increased to just shy of 15% from 11%, but ventilator usage is still down from even 2 months ago.

Total ICU usage or COVID+ ICU patients?
 

Summit

Critical Crazy
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It is an interesting social observation that healthcare workers naturally assume that the (nonsymptomatic) patient is the likely potential source of infection rather than their colleagues in this COVID situation. I see it at hospital, EMS, and more manifested in not-masking or not distancing.
 

PotatoMedic

Has no idea what I'm doing.
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I can only speak for one local hospital system, but if you don't wear a mask at work it is an immediate sent home without pay and a meeting scheduled with HR to discuss your future with the system. At my agency we're all doing pretty well with masks. Emphasized by management but no punitive actions are being taken.
 

Tigger

Dodges Pucks
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It is an interesting social observation that healthcare workers naturally assume that the (nonsymptomatic) patient is the likely potential source of infection rather than their colleagues in this COVID situation. I see it at hospital, EMS, and more manifested in not-masking or not distancing.
Breaking station life habits has probably been the subtly hardest part of this whole thing. I spend more time with my shift than anyone else and staying away from each other (which we are fortunate is even somewhat possible here) takes a lot of thought that frankly most people just don't want to do.
 

GMCmedic

Forum Deputy Chief
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It appears my wife likely has covid. I doubt we will ever know for sure since she is just as against having her brain swabbed for a viris with no treatment as I am.

That is unless work requires her to be tested, bit I also doubt that sinnce she probably caught it from one of the many known covid + employees working in the ICU right now.
 

DesertMedic66

Forum Troll
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It appears my wife likely has covid. I doubt we will ever know for sure since she is just as against having her brain swabbed for a viris with no treatment as I am.

That is unless work requires her to be tested, bit I also doubt that sinnce she probably caught it from one of the many known covid + employees working in the ICU right now.
I was required to test for it. If I tested negative then I would have to use a mix of PTO and sick time as it would have been treated like a normal illness. Since I tested positive I am receiving my normal pay including OT/DT without having to utilize and of my PTO or sick pay. I’ve been off work for 4 weeks now.
 

Summit

Critical Crazy
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I was required to test for it. If I tested negative then I would have to use a mix of PTO and sick time as it would have been treated like a normal illness. Since I tested positive I am receiving my normal pay including OT/DT without having to utilize and of my PTO or sick pay. I’ve been off work for 4 weeks now.
Yea not depleting PTO is key.

4 weeks? What on Earth is your return to work criteria? I hope it is not test based...
 

DesertMedic66

Forum Troll
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Yea not depleting PTO is key.

4 weeks? What on Earth is your return to work criteria? I hope it is not test based...
Completely symptom free with a negative test once all symptoms have been gone for 24 hours or more.
 
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