Category: Coronavirus COVID-19

In Vietnam Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

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An expats experience in Vietnam

In Vietnam:

During The COVID-19 Pandemic

By: Megan Rees

An Expat in Vietnam During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Back To Normal?

The clamoring sounds of drums and squawking horns filled the street, outside my window. I know what it means: a funeral.  I can see the family members and friends of the deceased all wearing white, parading behind this tragic tune.  It was a symbol to me, a sign that life in Hanoi, Vietnam, was starting to return to normal, or so I thought.

Lunar Festival

Tết, is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. It is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture.  During the New Year festival it is normal to see Hanoi go from a busy, polluted city to a ghost town.  It is the time when the Vietnamese  pay respects to their ancestors, as well as welcoming the lunar New Year with family members. I love the city at this time of year.  Hanoi is vibrant and colorful, every space is decked out in multi-colored lights. People are happy. There are elaborate floral decorations with signs everywhere proclaiming, “Chúc mùng năm mới!” (Happy New Year).  Hanoi becomes festive and that warm holiday feeling fills the air.

A Slow Down

Then, the town gets quiet. Everything slows down. The typical commotion is muted. City streets are noticeably subdued and traffic is light.  It is a nice break from the usual hustle and bustle sounds of a rapidly developing metropolis.  The holiday itself was relaxing.  It is typical for families to come together over big meals to welcome the New Year. I had dinner on New Year’s Day with my adopted Vietnamese family; it was great for the world to stop for a while. It was exactly what I needed. But, there was an urgency, I needed to start working again.

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Create a Back Yard Sanctuary

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Creating a back yard sanctuary start with a bird feeder. feeder to your back yard.

To create a backyard sanctuary you might want to start by hanging a bird feeder.

                                                             

Create A Backyard Sanctuary

By D. S. Mitchell

Start With Bird Feeders

No matter how small your yard there are things that you can do that will turn your property into a wildlife sanctuary. With COVID-19 having many of us confined to our homes, it might be just the right time to get out in the yard and make a difference for a bevy of creatures. Biologists say habitat loss is the biggest threat to wildlife. Take some of your extra time and pent-up energy to build half a dozen bird feeders. If you are not good with hammer and nail, just order them on-line. One of the easiest things you can do is hang up bird feeders. Remember to place the feeders at different height levels, in different areas of the yard. Offer a variety of seeds in separate feeders. Don’t offer suet in warm weather.

Use Poisons Cautiously

Often people reach for rodenticides at the first signs of  mouse activity, without thinking of the potential danger to wildlife. A California study found rat poison in 90% of mountain lions and 88% of bobcats, and 25 other animal species, including the endangered northern spotted owl and the San Joaquin kit fox. For wildlife friendly alternatives visit www.saferodentcontrol.org.  Consider installing nesting boxes for barn owls. A family of barn owls can eat as many as 3,000 rodents a year. For information on the owl boxes please visit www.hungryowl.org.

Say No To Weedkillers

Stop using dangerous pesticides.

Stop using dangerous pesticides. Some stay in the soil for a decade. Weeds can be beautiful.

People need to expand their world vision. Amazingly, people take extreme measures to eat organic, yet go full-bore on weed killers. It is clearly time to say no to weed killers. Before buying young starter plants, seed packets and saplings, read the fine print, making sure you do not buy chemically pre-treated products. Make sure there are no neonicotinoids on labels. Half of the plants sold in the U.S. and Canada are treated with neonicotinoids before shipment to stores.

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OPINION: Hope in the Era of COVID-19

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OPINION:

Hope In The Era of COVID-19

COVID-19 is the scariest health risk most living humans have ever seen.

COVID-19 virus is the worst pandemic the majority of humanity has ever seen.

By Anna Hessel

Disaster In Progress

The COVID-19 virus is the worst pandemic the majority of humanity has ever seen. Public panic is on a level with the Yellow Fever epidemic which broke out in Philadelphia, PA, in 1793.  Over that spring and summer more than 4,000 people died. Paranoia of the “black vomit of death” had people covering their mouths and noses with vinegar-soaked cloths.  The death toll included the first husband of then-future First Lady Dolley Madison and their baby boy.  Some are saying this pandemic is similar to a resurgence of tuberculosis or polio.  We are a nation living in fear, not faith, because of the gravity of the COVID-19 crisis.  Feeling helpless, anxious and abandoned, we yearn for a return to normalcy.

Those Most At Risk

Even well-known celebrities and the wealthy are coming down with coronavirus. The most vulnerable in our society are being the hardest hit. The elderly, disabled, immunocompromised, and lower-income people are more likely to contract the virus than the wealthy. Blacks and Latinos are suffering the most deaths. The most vulnerable are less likely to recover, due to lack of health care benefits. They are suffering in other ways during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well.

The Most Fragile

Hunger is a real danger in the time of COVID-19.

Hunger is a new reality for many more Americans.

These fragile people are the ones most in need of government help. Crowded Human Service offices are being shut down.  Food pantries typically have small waiting areas and limited shelf stock. Many food banks can now only offer a couple of bags of food in a drive-through environment. Folks without access to a vehicle who rely on public transportation or their own two feet and need food assistance may not receive the needed help. These life-line organizations are running low on provisions and in fact are likely to run out of food. Recent cuts to food stamps are an extra threat to food security. Furthermore, those dependent on apartment laundry rooms or commercial laundromats, face an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19, because of the communal areas.

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Environmental Benefits of COVID-19

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COVID-19 is the scariest health risk since the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic

Environmental Benefits of COVID-19

By Sonnet Gomes

State of War

Viruses and humanity have been in a “state-of-war” from the beginning of time. A variety of  infectious diseases have been responsible for every pandemic in world history. We only need to remember our high school history books coverage of the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu.  It is estimated that the Spanish Flu was responsible for more than 50,000,000 worldwide deaths. Behind all modern-day pandemics, the primary culprits have been viruses.

Coronaviruses are Well-Known

Coronaviruses are well-known to us. In fact, you probably are a unknowing host to millions of them at this very moment. Coronaviruses cause a variety of illnesses ranging from the common cold to severe and often deadly respiratory infections. This new strain, COVID-19, is short for coronavirus disease-2019.  This novel coronavirus is responsible for the current global outbreak. Although coronaviruses  are well-known this new strain has no cure or prevention. This fact has jeopardized millions of human beings worldwide, particularly the elderly or immune suppressed.

Origins of Outbreak

The outbreak started in November 2019 in the City of Wuhan, China. Wuhan is a city of over 11,000,000 people. A busy center of industry. The source of this novel strain is not known for certain, but a credible source has been identified. In China, there are many open markets where wild animals including rats and bats are butchered in proximity to vegetables, domestic meats and customers. The COVID-19 is thought to have started in one of these huge open markets. Bats are the primary transmission suspect. Wild animals, including bats have been regularly butchered and sold as meat in China. Bats are known carriers of multiple strains of coronaviruses.

Non-Symptomatic but Contagious

The COVID-19 is Zoonotic, meaning it can transfer from animal to man.  Similar to SARS, it can stay in the host body undetected for up to 14 days. The difference seems to be that with COVID-19 the person may be non-symptomatic but contagious. SARS, on the other hand,  is not communicable until patient develops symptoms. Both SARS and MERS were transmitted from the civet cat and camels, respectively. Thus, it is clear, the chain of infection often starts with a animal to man transfer. All wildlife trade in China, including bat meat, was banned in January 2020. This was a direct response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Coronavirus Map Expands

As of this writing, around 81,000 people have been infected in China. Out of those patients, the death toll is more than 3,100. Yet, many thousands are recovering. Italy, Iran, and South Korea now face the grim reality of a COVID-19 outbreak. Every day, new countries are added to the coronavirus map. The United States is now part of the pandemic.  The World Health Organization has identified the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

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Trump, Sick To Death

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Trump, Sick To Death

D. S. Mitchell

House Bound

I’m stuck home, recovering from extensive foot surgery. I have watched all the NetFlix offerings that interest me.  I am now resorting to live streaming on Hulu. I switch back and forth between CNN, FoxNews and MSNBC like an agitated Adderall addict. One thing I have noticed over the last several weeks is that Trump appears to be in poor health.

Unannounced Visit

On November 17, 2019 Trump made an unannounced and seemingly unplanned trip to Walter Reed Medical Center. Trump decided on a motorcade instead of his standard helicopter ride. The visit did not seem to be planned despite White House denials of any emergent situation.  A source familiar with the events  described Trump’s visit as “abnormal,” but added that Trump, 73, did not seem to be in any physical distress later that evening.

Squelched Questions

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, attempted to tamper down the questions, saying “he’s in good health and it was a routine checkup as part of his annual physical.” Grisham furthered her explanation saying, “Trump decided to get parts of his physical done early because he had a “free weekend” in Washington. Grisham did not respond to questions about why Trump did not get his full physical exam — which typically takes 4 hours or less — done over that open weekend. When pressed by reporters, Grisham vehemently denied Trump had any undisclosed health issues.

Not Routine

According to Grisham Trump underwent a “quick exam and labs.” Several experts familiar with White House medical procedures said that Trump could have gotten ‘routine’ lab work done at the White House’s on-site clinic, seeming to support the theory that Trump needed tests that couldn’t be done there.

Sunday Morning

On that November 2019 Sunday morning Trump took to Twitter telling the nation he planned to finish the ‘second part of his annual physical’ sometime in early 2020. Trump’s February 2019 full physical exam revealed he had increased his daily dose of Rosuvastatin, a medication used to treat high cholesterol. Additionally, Trump’s 2019 physical used a coronary calcium CT scan score of 133 to diagnose heart disease.

Fast Forward

As I said, I am watching a lot of streaming TV. One thing has become increasingly obvious, Trump looks worse by the day. He appears to be in poor health. I am speaking of all aspects of his health, his physical, mental, and cognitive health.  During recent public appearances he has looked ill. I of course, keep wondering if it has anything to do with that unscheduled November visit to Walter Reed Medical Center. I really want to know what sent Trump to the hospital that day back in November, I doubt if it was as routine as the White House would like us to think.

Declining Health

During the last couple weeks Trump has looked worse than usual. He has become more heavy-handed with the orange makeup, that is obvious. During a major speech in India and later at a press conference after the speech, Trump fell into rambling incoherence; slurring and mispronouncing common words. On that trip he was described as wobbly and sweating profusely. At a Saturday night rally in South Carolina amid the primary vote he again looked bad, causing viewers like myself to question his health.

Incompetent

Rumors have persisted for years that Trump is an Adderall addict. Trump does in fact show evidence of stimulant abuse. Photos have captured the enlarged pupils.  And anyone listening to a Trump speech is familiar with the snorting and sniffing between sentences. The nasal dysfunction is most likely related to sniffing Adderall. People surrounding the president report manic screaming fits, and sleeplessness.  In a recent interview acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney confirmed, “He (Trump) never sleeps.”

Another Collapse

It’s obvious why Donald Trump is unraveling. We are on the verge of a pandemic that has killed its first victim in the United States.  Despite Trump’s bluster, his incompetent, cobbled together administration is incapable of dealing with an emergency within our borders. And he knows it. News that he can’t suppress or manipulate is terrifying to him. Last week the stock market dropped 3,500 points. There were two days of declines of more than 1,000 points. One of those days, posting a loss of 1,192 points making it the biggest one day loss in stock market history. All together the stock market is off 15% in one week. For a man who has basked in the glory of a raging bull market, and good economic numbers, such losses would be terrifying and certainly threaten his re-election chances.

Potential Blow Back

As a malignant narcissist Trump is incapable of empathy. He can act concerned when he anticipates a negative impact on Donald J. Trump.  As Bill Palmer noted in a recent on-line article, “He feels bad for his fellow aging white male criminals when they get harsh sentences, because he fears the same thing will happen to him if he loses the election”.  But there is nothing to suggest that he cares if people will die from the coronavirus. Nor does he seem care if the average Joe will face economic hardship. At a hastily called press conference, looking bleary eyed and edgy he down played the chaos and uncertainty of the economic markets and indicated the coronavirus was being hyped by the Democrats as a partisan tool to defeat him in November.

Inside The Trump Brain

Trump is a known ‘germaphobe’. He may even be worried that he’s going to catch the coronavirus and end the campaign rallies for a few weeks.  For all the obvious reasons, and many not so obvious he is terrified. His fear is palpable. Despite a campaign war chest approaching a billion dollars and promised help from the Russians Trump’s paranoia is on full display. He knows a failed response to an epidemic and a sinking economy will threaten his 2020 prospects. Joe Biden, a man Trump fears so much, he got himself impeached trying to discredit him – dominated the primary contest in South Carolina.  Make no mistake about it, Trump is disintegrating before our eyes.

10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Coronavirus

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10 Suggestions

By D. S. Mitchell

No Longer Just China

Concern about the coronavirus outbreak is rising. Stock markets are crashing, as the world anticipates a pandemic. If you worried about the coronavirus outbreak,  the World Health Organization on Friday offered some simple easy advice to help contain the spread of the disease. Over 83,000 people across the world are infected with coronavirus. The disease it causes COVID-19 has killed 2,800 people, as of this writing. Although most cases are still in China the World Health Organization has raised its global risk assessment to its highest level. At this writing more than 56 countries have reported cases. The disease is approaching pandemic status.

WHO Press Conference

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO, said at the Friday press conference,  “We do not see evidence yet that the virus is spreading freely in communities. As long as that’s the case, we still have a chance of containing this virus, if robust action is taken to detect cases early, isolate and care for patients and trace contacts.”

New U.S. Cases

Since Ghebreyesus’ statement at least three new cases have been reported on the West Coast of the United States. Most new cases are the result of community based transmission. California, Oregon and Washington have each reported suspected cases of community based transmission increasing the level of concern among public health officials.

10 Ways To Protect Yourself From Coronavirus:

1. People should wash their hands regularly with soap and water, or clean them with an alcohol-based solution.

2. Disinfect surfaces like kitchens and work desks regularly.

3. Seek information on the situation from reliable sources, like a local or national public health agency, WHO or a local health case professional.

4. Anyone with a fever or cough should avoid traveling. If sickness starts while on a flight, tell the crew immediately.

5. Cough or sneeze into a sleeve or tissue. Throw the tissue away and wash hands.

7. If someone feels sick, they should stay home and contact a doctor or local health professional about the symptoms. Symptoms of the coronavirus typically include a fever and dry cough without a runny nose. Some even report stomach cramping and abdominal distress.

8. If a sick person does stay at home, they should eat and sleep separately from anyone else in the household. They should also use different utensils to eat.

9.) A person should seek care immediately if they develop shortness of breath.

10. WHO said it is “normal and understandable to feel anxious, especially if you live in a country or community that has been affected.” They tell people to work with community leaders to stay safe in workplace, school and church.

Hopefully these simple common sense behaviors will limit the spread of the disease. Stay safe. Stay tuned in.