Shutdown Diary
Well later today (as I write), I'm scheduled on a long-term follow-up to past eye surgery. (I had a recent interim regular eye appointment a few months back, one of the first in the COVID-19 area. I usually build in a fudge factor for driving, say, if the interstate is backed up and driving is slow. So what I remember I arrived at the clinic like 15 minutes early, I was told to go out and wait in my car until they were ready for me. And it wasn't like there was crowded seating in the waiting area.
So today I originally had the current appointment early in the day to avoid impacting my work schedule (and I think they had recently rescheduled the day) and then they called late last week to say the doctor couldn't honor the original time and wanted to reschedule for late morning or later.
So after that, I then get texted that I need to go through a COVID-19 protocol to qualify for my appointment (something they didn't do in the late spring). There was a battery of about 7 questions, including:
- Have I been tested and/or diagnosed , treated for COVID-19?
- Go through a long list of COVID-19 symptoms and check any that apply.
- Has anyone else in my household been tested, diagnosed, treated for COVID-19?
Usually these follow-up appointments are brief encounters.
[Post-visit]. Other than a longer than expected wait time and the typical blurry vision (dilated pupils) for the rest of the day, it was ordinary. The app had said to show certification that I answered the COVID-19 protocol, but the clerk noticed when I signed in, I had completed it and thanked me. For me, the odd thing was a lot of professionals were wearing both facemasks and face shields. I've seen a few people wear face shields in public but not many.
Speaking of facemasks, it seems like we've been wearing them forever and they've become like a permanent fixture in our lives. It seems like they're for sale almost anywhere now, and I must have to sit through 6 to a dozen offers daily on cable TV, almost as annoying as those Joe Namath hawking supplemental Medicare plans. Well, for a mere $100, a personalized gifts mail order vender will sell you a monogrammed pattern (e.g., Christian cross) facemask. HINT: if people can read your initials on a facemask, you're not practicing safe distancing.
One of the sad things I haven't seen get much press is the effects of the crisis on those in assisted living and related communities. I have been a vocal critic of Nursing Home Killer Gov. Cuomo (D-NY), and I'm happy to see private facilities ensuring their vulnerable populations are protected in this pandemic. But I have a sister-in-law in Texas who only recently allowed for the first time in months to see her own mom, who suffers from dementia. Another facility puts a cap on family visitors at 2 total (not just per visit) and requires a recent negative COVID-19 test.
I don't want to get into a political rant on Trump getting COVID-19; after all, the heads in Britain and Brazil have caught it, and
multiple senators and representatives have been diagnosed. But Trump has engaged in irresponsible behavior, stoking resistance to safety protocols, bashing scientists, doctors and virologists, etc. Never mind the bad optics of his getting preferential medical treatment, reports that his blood oxygen levels were low, and having several risk factors (age, obesity, etc.)
In the past week in the U.S....New daily reported cases rose 3.1%
New daily reported deaths fell 4.5%
Covid-related hospitalizations rose 9.5% Read more
Among reported tests, the positivity rate was 4.7%.
The number of tests reported rose 0.5% from the previous week.
Political Potpourri
With less than a month, Biden has stretched his lead to
nearly 10 pts and about 51.6% of the vote. RCP no toss up map shows Biden swamping Trump at 374,
over 2-1 over Trump, with most recent state flips, Iowa, Georgia, and NC all favoring Biden. Several battleground states have moved beyond a statistically significant lead for Biden. On top of that, Trump, who had a bad first debate and recently contracted COVID-19 putting his health and judgment on top of the other issues like the pandemic and struggling economy has canceled the second debate, which he needs more than Biden. I don't see how Trump pulls it out, but I'm not calling it yet.
