Off Topic Thread 4.0

Former Former wrote: »

The next week, and how people react to the prolongation of the lockdown, will tell you everything you need to know about a person.

I wonder if a good approach would be a 2 week relaxation of a lockdown followed by another 2 week lockdown. Given it takes that long to actually assess the effects (or however long it took Singapore to realise lifting their lockdown was a big, big mistake).

I say this as someone with no idea what I’m talking about, from a corner of the world that has miraculously avoided a large outbreak

OK folks, potentially good Covid news, at least that's how I'm choosing to interpret this:

Have a listen to this podcast if you want a great insight into what front line docs now think is killing covid patients.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rebel-cast/id890660610?i=1000472519919

Basic idea is what this ER doc calls "silent hypoxia". Covid seems to be unique in how it compromises your oxygen saturation meaning oxygen is not getting to your tissues (hypoxia). However the unique part is that you continue to blow off CO2, no bother. So you don't experience anything like shortness of breath (as you would in, say, high altitude). Instead, your body ramps up respiration but not enough for you to notice. So you think you're grand, all the while your oxygen saturation is decreasing, and your lungs are stressed out by the increased workload. Eventually, the lungs seize up and the **** hits the fan, you now feel shortness of breath or even pass out. Problem is, you may be too far gone to fix it. Your organs have been deprived oxygen for so long, and your lungs have been worked like a mule, possibly beyond repair.

This may explain several trends with Covid - most notably why front line workers, trying to continue working while they themselves have the disease, are dying. This latest theory would suggest they are already stressed beyond capacity, and now running on decreasing levels of O2, presumably doing exponentially more damage to their organs than folks who can rest at home. Similarly, you hear of young people having strokes, and again, if hypoxia goes ahead unnoticed, there may be some reason it eventually targets brain tissue - perhaps their younger organs can hold out longer and it progresses to the brain (i.e., an older person would pass out before the brain gets significant lesions). Also silent hypoxia would explain the other cases of super fit people like marathon runners etc dying, as they may, paradoxically, be able to tough it out at home even longer before noticing a problem, i.e., progressing farther beyond repair.

So after all that, here's the potential good news: his solution is simple. All Covid patients need to wear a pulse oximeter at home. You can buy them on Amazon for 40 quid, and they clip on your finger. Healthy oxygen levels are between 95-100%. If it dips below 92-93, get to the hospital, even if you feel fine. They now think hitting people early with a combination of non-invasive oxygen (i.e. just the clip in your nose, not the full ventilator tube down your throat) and maybe steroids for your lungs is the way to do it. That and or simple positioning routines where you lay patients prone (on their stomachs) to increase air flow in lower lungs.

The doc interviewed can be followed here on twitter: twitter.com/airwaycam

Sweden’s strategy is working out well...

Bazzo wrote: »

So apparently the girlfriend has only seen "maybe five" episodes of Father Ted ever. I think my jaw actually hit the floor.

The Lent episode is one of the best.

Dougal, do you remember Sister Assumpta?

Feck off Buer!

Former Former wrote: »

Surely not? I don't believe this. It's completely illegal.

Are you sure your company hasn't just extended its business hours in order to give you more flexibility to decide when you want to get the work done?

I think pickarooney is in like Japan or Samoa or Russia or Brazil, somewhere like that, where the working time directive doesn’t apply I assume!