I guess depending where you live the situation is ever changing or relatively good. Metropolitan areas seem to be affected more than a small area in the heartland. Boston is now encountering more cases and now the hospital workers are affected and some continue to work. I know a nurse in a town north of Boston who still has no protective gear and brings her own to work. I notice there are more essentials in the store. Either people aren’t hoarding or they don’t have the money.

My heart goes out to the New York area, which always seems to have double the cases of the rest of the country.

In my store I've only seen t.p. once over the last week and a half, and have never seen hand sanitizer. Either people keep buying it or they just aren't getting any in.

My life is rather normal. The stores seem to be fully stocked now and our latest count of the test is 795 tested and 19 confirmed cases and zero deaths in our town.

I am in California.

I suspect that the scarcity of tests coupled with officials at the highest levels ranting that they don't want every american to run out seeking a test,...has kept the true number of infections to not be reported.
I mean unless you are either a celebrity or a politician, you are going to have to be coughing up a lung before they will agree to test you.
So just how meaningful can the numbers being reported actually be?

I'm 62, I've been short of breath for the past week, mild sore throat, mild wheeziness in my lungs, and a fleeting fever that's here some times and gone the next.
So either I have been blessed with a mild case, or have something completely different going on. But being unable to get a test, I'll likely never know.

I can relate. And I talked to a friend today and she agreed--she and I both have had on and off headaches for over a week. I've also had an on and off scratchy throat. When there was panic over anthrax after 9/11, I recall not feeling well then, too. When things like this happen, I think I become a hypochondriac.

I'm no doctor of course but if you have shortness of breath and wheezing, Jim, I'd urge you to call your doctor's office. Pandemic or no pandemic, I wouldn't mess with wheezing.

, I think I become a hypochondriac.

I'm no doctor of course but if you have shortness of breath and wheezing, Jim, I'd urge you to call your doctor's office. Pandemic or no pandemic, I wouldn't mess with wheezing.

Thanks for your concern, but the other side of all this is, I rarely go to a doctor. I've had some daunting bugs over the years, and I've been able to beat most without help. Typically anytime I feel sick I monitor my condition and if I see negative progress three days in a row, then I start to make plans to go see a doctor.

I strongly suspect that if I did go in with my symptoms at their current level, he'd just tell me to keep close tabs on it, get back to him if things worsen, and hand me a bill for $400

They are treating the tests available as a precious resource, and if you want my personal "tin foil hat" opinion, I don't think they are giving the tests with the well being of the patient in mind. I believe what they are doing is applying the tests to patients they are going to have to admit regardless, just as a means of screening for potential exposure to the health care workers. IE "oh here's a positive, so put him in the covid ward" to protect them, not us.

PS, this place needs a "tin foil hat" smilie :crazy:

There are places online where you can go to take a "test" to see if you have the Wuhan Virus symptoms or are just suffering normal cold or even regular flu symptoms. By the way, way way more many people die from "normal" flu than the Wuhan. At any rate if you're worried you can take these online tests. Don't ask me what the web address is, I haven't gone there as I'm healthy as a horse.

One Wuhan symptom I do know is if you have a "dry" cough it could be a sign of Wuhan. As opposed to a "wet" cough which is normal. But, I ain't no Dr. Welby, so call your Dr. for real information.

Cheers, Jim! I'm sure beating these things down strengthens your immune system.

I can see why they're concerned about the health care workers. I just saw an interview of a front-line doctor in NYC, and he is on that malaria drug hydroxy-chloroquine. Anyway he says they're losing people left and right, aged 30-80.

There are places online where you can go to take a "test" to see if you have the Wuhan Virus symptoms or are just suffering normal cold or even regular flu symptoms. By the way, way way more many people die from "normal" flu than the Wuhan. At any rate if you're worried you can take these online tests. Don't ask me what the web address is, I haven't gone there as I'm healthy as a horse.

One Wuhan symptom I do know is if you have a "dry" cough it could be a sign of Wuhan. As opposed to a "wet" cough which is normal. But, I ain't no Dr. Welby, so call your Dr. for real information.

I also think some of these so-called drive-thru testing locations are up and running, but it may be that they have to be convinced you're showing definite symptoms.

I suppose this is a bit morbid, but I'm really not all that scared of dying.....if it happen,...it happens.
What I don't want to do is spend a week+ laying in bed suffocating, waiting to die. That would be terrible.

I'm too young and beautiful to die. Well, too beautiful anyway.:wave:

I had heard that the Corona virus itself was not all that lethal, that the real danger was from acquiring pneumonia as a secondary infection.

And I heard for the first time ever, that you can get a pneumonia shot as a pre-emptive measure.

So, I was at Walgreens anyway shopping,...and inquired about the pneumonia shot, and was told that they were a good idea, and that they were available without prescription if you are 65 or older.......but if you were under 65 you needed a doctors prescription.

I'm 62 and they would not "budge".

So, they really don't want to give people corona virus tests until they appear to already have one foot in the grave, and they won't give me a pneumonia shot without a prescription because I'm not 65 years old, despite the warning threshold of those being 60 or older being considered elderly and "at risk" .

So there you have it, that's illustrative of why I don't like going to the doctors in the first place, Why pay someone to disagree with me when I can get all that for free on the internet? ;)

Maybe you could get your dr. to prescribe a pneumonia shot w/o a visit, based on your symptoms??? Or maybe the dr. office will give you one w/o an office visit--my dr. gives the flu shot on a walk-in.

I can see your point, and I've also heard about people acquiring pneumonia as a complication of COVID-19. Someone in the church just got out of hosp. w/pneumonia, and is recovering at home.

And just out of curiosity, has anyone tried to get a prescription for antibiotics lately? (last 7 years or so)
When you ask they look at you almost like you asked for heroin, they are trying so hard to curb over use that (unless they have given you surgery and are prescribing the antibiotics to cover their own azz) you can't get them.

Maybe you could get your dr. to prescribe a pneumonia shot w/o a visit, based on your symptoms??? Or maybe the dr. office will give you one w/o an office visit--my dr. gives the flu shot on a walk-in.
.

Well, to that end I admit that a good part of the difficulty is my own fault, because I do not have a regular doctor that I visit regularly. I'm not one of those people who rushes to the doctor whenever I get a sniffle. (Which is why I had to chuckle when you mentioned "hypochondria" earlier. I last visited a doctor in 2012 when I had a serious infection in my leg)

So, since they don't see me regularly, they aren't going to "call in" a prescription without dinging me for an office visit.

But still the age aspect of the "prescription free" pneumonia shot strikes me as absurd.

In the fall I just walk in w/o an appointment and ask for a flu shot. They ask my date of birth, ask all those silly questions (did you just get back from some foreign country?, are you a railroad retiree?, do you have end-stage renal disease?, when did you stop beating your wife?, etc.), complain their computer isn't working right, give you flu shot forms to fill out, more forms because I wasn't in last year, and in 10 minutes an aide is poking me.

I hadn't been in there since the last flu shot. So I'm a hypochondriac, but one that doesn't go to the doctor! Until December. I swear, most of December I had a cough, sinus symptoms, and a scratchy throat. After about 2 weeks of that, I went in to see the P.A. (I like him better than the dr.), and he said it was bacterial and I definitely needed the antibiotic Z-Pac (and the Meijer pharmacy clerk didn't look at me like I was an addict--of course this wasn't hydrocodone either). It's around 3 days and it did clear up, but in around a week the scratchy throat came back. So, back to the P.A.--the second time he said it was viral, gargle with salt water, and bye. Anthem wouldn't cover that visit but Medicare paid some, and I did get a bill.

That was a miserable month. A lot of other people around here (Indianapolis) were sick around that time, too.

The thought crossed my mind at the time they were refusing my pneumonia shot over the age rule, that they were simply supporting the trade.
Force me to go pay a doctor, as a way of spreading the joy ,...etc.

I admit that antibiotics have become an overused tool, many of the bugs are growing a tolerance to them. Of course you've got some people who want them, just because they got a scratch. But again for me personally to even go to a doctor, I gotta see three consecutive days with no improvement before I'll even consider going. Not really a model of hypochondria.

I and several people that I know have experienced almost obstructionist type responses from doctors when asking for antibiotics. Almost snarky responses of disbelief that antibiotics might be necessary. From doctors, not pharmacists.

Could be arrogance on the doctors behalf too. Their perspective might be one of "who does this layman think he is walking in here and telling me that he needs antibiotics?"

Back in 2012 I had an infection above my ankle that over several days grew as red as a fire truck, eventually prompting me to seek help.

From the time i walked in the door until I finally rolled up my pant leg ....I received nothing but patronizing skepticism that antibiotics were the answer.

After I rolled up my pant leg they sent me to the hospital for 4 days of IV Vancomycin .

So, I did get what I needed, eventually, but the rash of patronizing skepticism left an enduring mark that I won't soon forget.

A combination of things are the problem with antibiotics, I guess. Prescribing for viruses and people not finishing valid prescriptions. It's easy to understand those situations--a few bacteria survive the drug, and gradually go on to become immune to it. For people with viral infections the doctors should gang together and agree to prescribe a placebo. I know, that's not gonna happen--I can see the lawyers salivating over that!

There's that,.......and people tend to be so self centered too. Everytime they get a little scratch they want to take antibiotics as a prophylactic measure....that definitely gives undue opportunity for the bugs to build up a resistance.

I'm sure the doctors see all kinds of fool, crackpot expertise trying to medicate themselves too.

One guy that I used to work with was a veteran, so he received free medical care through the VA. And the VA is pretty liberal in terms of handing out stuff "on request", so long as there isn't a recreational potential involved.

Anyway this guy tried to get his VA doctor to prescribe antibiotics to him because his dog appeared to have an infection, and the guy didn't want to pay to send the dog to the vet.

I was actually relieved to learn that the VA doctor didn't fall for it.
Doctors no doubt see things like this every day, which fuels their skepticism .

I actually respected the P.A. for telling me my second scratchy throat was viral. I wonder how many people would then have asked him for a prescription.

"So, they really don't want to give people corona virus tests until they appear to already have one foot in the grave, and they won't give me a pneumonia shot without a prescription because I'm not 65 years old, despite the warning threshold of those being 60 or older being considered elderly and "at risk" .

So there you have it, that's illustrative of why I don't like going to the doctors in the first place, Why pay someone to disagree with me when I can get all that for free on the internet?

I mean unless you are either a celebrity or a politician, you are going to have to be coughing up a lung before they will agree to test you.
So just how meaningful can the numbers being reported actually be?"

So true!!!!!!!! If I could find an emoji...I'd post hilarious laughter.