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Posted by: pandy Mar 23 2020, 05:03 PM

I find the corona pandemic scary on so many levels.

It hasn't really taken off here in Sweden yet, or is just starting to. 2 059 confirmed cases (but we test very few...) and 31 deaths, 15 of them today.

How are others doing? U.S. for example is worse off than we are. So are many other countries. Is eveyone here OK so far?

Posted by: Darin McGrew Mar 23 2020, 09:48 PM

We're on our second week of our "shelter in place" order here in Santa Clara County (California). Apparently, there were a lot of groups using the parks in the area, so they're considering closing them all. (Until now, outdoor activities like walking, hiking, or running have been allowed as "essential activities" as long as you maintain appropriate social distancing.)

Posted by: pandy Mar 24 2020, 02:32 AM

Be glad you have strict rules. Here the only thing that's disallowed is gatherings with more than 500 poeple... They've closed collages and univiersities, but everything else is open. We do too little too late. So did most western countries, but one would think that by now reallity would have hit.

Posted by: Christian J Mar 25 2020, 05:12 AM

I'm here!

Actually there's just a fraction of the normal number of people out in the streets here. We'll see how long that lasts when the spring arrives for real.

Posted by: pandy Mar 25 2020, 10:17 AM

That's so strange. My friend who lives a little outside town and goes first by bus and then walks though the center of town each day says it's almost empty. But everywhere I go I think it's as usual or close to.

Odd things can be sold out in grocery stores though. I couldn't buy onions and garlic for instance. And why do people hoard toilet paper and canned meat? I wouldn't eat canned meat when a steak from the freezer is so much more tasty. There is no risk for a power outage that I've heard of.

Posted by: Darin McGrew Mar 25 2020, 12:47 PM

Yeah, I heard a funny joke yesterday:

Hopefully there won't be a diarrhea virus outbreak right now. Can you imagine everyone rushing to the stores and buying all the nasal spray?

Posted by: pandy Mar 25 2020, 02:24 PM

It's fun though that this seems to happen in all countries, the toilet paper hoarding. Toilet paper must be close to people's heart.

I always hoard, in a small scale. When there's a good price on meat, or for that matter, toilet paper. My freezer is full. The only thing I've bought more than usual of is butter. If I get ill I'll run out of milk and cream, but otherwise I can eat as usaul without having someone shop for me.

Posted by: Christian J Mar 25 2020, 04:00 PM

That's possible. Plus, I guess, toilet paper is part of the gerenal prepper kit. Wonder if thay buy camping stoves too? I've already got several, of course.

I just want to add that I discovered I has spelled hoard wrong and corrected it before I read your post (where you spelled it correctly).

Posted by: pandy Apr 2 2020, 09:48 PM

I don't know how Christian feels, but I hate my government so much right now. No readiness at all. The intensive care beds in Stockholm will be full already this weekend. 1/4 of old people's homes in Stockholm county are infected. And the mantra has been "we must protect the elderly". Very few of those people will even be offered intensive care. They'll die alone in their rooms because the caregivers don't dare to go in there since they don't have the protective gear needed in those places.

It may seem like we have few deaths, but we are a small country. The number for deaths per million citizens is higher for us than for the US, just to put it into perspective. And the curve has started to point sharply upwards only the last few days.

Many countries have it worse than we do - so far. But at least they tried their best once they realized the gravity of the situation. We didn't. This is so cynical it's unbelievable. The Swedish model shines.

Posted by: Christian J Apr 3 2020, 07:03 AM

I got a sore throat since last night.

Posted by: pandy Apr 3 2020, 04:44 PM

Hope you get it light or that you've got a common cold.

Posted by: Christian J Apr 3 2020, 06:11 PM

Thanks, pandy! It feels exactly like a cold. But even then that still proves my precautions haven't worked.

Are you under house arrest now?

Posted by: pandy Apr 3 2020, 06:37 PM

Me? No, I'm fit as a fiddle. And I plan to stay that way. I'm distancing big time.

I've heard from a friend who has been down with cold like symptoms (cough but no runny nose) for two weeks. She says she normally gets well in just a few days. So it's probably corona. She isn't feeling very poorly at all. Takes part in meetings over phone and so on.

It's good to hear from people that have the light version. Previously I've only heard from a friend and her teenage son. They've got it really bad with respiratory problems. She even lost consciousness because of that. She went to the ER but was refused both care and testing. They are better now, but still take turns sleeping just in in case. The mother stopped breathing when she slept when it was worse and needed to be woken up. It was scary when they were the only ones I knew - I live alone and no one would wake me up. Horrible not to be able to assist them too. They are just a few minutes walk away.
I've offered to take care of their dog, but they are afraid even the dog can spread the virus. I'm not. I draw the paranoia line at dogs.

Posted by: Christian J Apr 4 2020, 09:46 AM

Yes, it's worth reminding oneself that the general public isn't expected to get very sick (if at all) from this virus. All the lockdowns are meant to protect high risk groups only, but everybody keep forgetting that.


Sounds strange. It might even have been a sign of some other serious condition that warrants investigation.


I guess it could be sleep apnea as well, then again if she had all the other symptoms already...

Posted by: pandy Apr 4 2020, 09:56 AM

That was scary too with my friends. They aren't exactly the target group. She is 47 and he is 18 or 19. Both are healthy and active. She smokes though but he doesn't.

Posted by: pandy Apr 7 2020, 11:00 PM

I now know more of my acquaintances are stricken, 6 in total so far. Of those two need(ed) intensive care, one ought to have gotten care but didn't, one died at the hospital two days ago and only two have the light version. The guy who died was going to turn 75. The other guy in intensive care is only around 20 and formerly healthy. I don't like those numbers.

Posted by: pandy Dec 7 2021, 03:18 AM

I'll get my third shot in a week. Just booked. Pfizer.

What a mess this all had been. The vaccines not least. First they were assumed to make us immune for a year, maybe several. Now it's a matter of months. We'll be jabbin' for years to come.

It's all getting unreal, I think. Here in Sweden they have removed the lines that marked the safe (well...) distance at checkout in grocery stores. And people was quick to stand as close to each other as before. While the situation is worse than ever in many countries. While many that I know was hit in the beginning, I haven't heard about anyone in close to a year. That also makes it unreal!

In the beginning some scientists said we would live with this until 2025. I'm beginning to think they were right.

And as I write this they say on the radio that a studies has shown that people who first got Pfizer and then Moderna get a better immune response! !0 minutes after I went out of my way to ensure I would get Pfizer again. Oh my.

Posted by: Christian J Dec 7 2021, 04:25 PM

Where I live the lines remain, but people stopped caring long time ago, even before getting vaccinated, I think. Of course after being vaccinated they care less than ever. Although the lack of consideration annoys me on a personal level, it seems healthy that the general public hasn't succumbed to same mass psychosis as politicians and journalists.


I suspect Sweden has attained near herd immunity by now, partially thanks to natural immunity from those that have already had it. It's the only explanation I can think of for why we've had such low percentages of cases/hospitalizations/deaths since summer, compared with our neighboring countries that are often more vaccinated than us. Maybe their lockdowns have only postponed the inevitable.

It will be interesting to see how the Omicron variety plays out this month. If it's indeed less harmful, and politicians still try to prevent it from spreading (instead of letting it outcompete the older more harmful varieties), I suspect their actions will just prolong the problems even more.

Posted by: pandy Dec 8 2021, 04:46 AM

Alas the herd immunity theory doesn't hold. Many countries that had it as bad as we did or even worse have high numbers again now, even countries with a high level of inoculation. Many things about this plague is mysterious and contradictory.

I'm off shopping. With mask. I'll probably be the only one wearing one. I'm glad I ordered a pack the other week. Suspect the price will go up very soon.

Posted by: Christian J Dec 8 2021, 12:04 PM

Which countries are you thinking of?

I suppose it's also hard to compare numbers: known cases depends on the amount testing, hospitalizations and/or intensive care patients may depend on varying routines (triage?), and deaths with versus by Corona seems partially open to interpretation.

Posted by: pandy Dec 8 2021, 01:35 PM

I don't remember the list, but I think for example Germany and Britain both had it bad the first time and a high percentage of the population is fully vaccinated now. It's not a discovery of my own, it's repeated often enough in the news.

There was group of scientists that advocated for a global lockdown when we were a bit into the pandemic. I can't judge if their theories holds, but it's a scary thought that it could have worked. As said, the model was total global lockdown, with the obvious exceptions. Then areas where the spreading was very low would be declared green and restrictions lifted. As more areas became green it would be possible to travel between them and the world would gradually open up. They estimated this process would take 5 weeks.

Of course it wouldn't have worked anyway. Some countries would have refused to do it and sooner or later the virus would have escaped and entered the green areas again. But if they were right and if it had been possible... 5 weeks instead of this.

It's an interesting thought. Something those in power should consider and investigate further. Because this won't be the last pandemic. I think our only hope is to have a plan, a way of action that is effective. And to be prepared. "Beredskapslager" for instance... I don't find an English word for that. Like prepping, but on a national scale. Food, masks and other protective gear, whatever healthcare may need must be stocked. Some countries were prepared that way. Some were not - for instance Sweden. We ran out of everything very quickly. Well, not food, but disinfectant, masks, hospital beds, respirators, oxygen... That shouldn't happen in a rich country.

Posted by: Darin McGrew Dec 9 2021, 03:05 PM

In the US, it varies from state to state. In California, they're still pretty locked down. One of the surprises when we moved to East Tennessee last year was how open everything was. And it's just gotten more open in the past year and a half.