A Useful Bit of Info: SARS-CoV-2

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“SARS-Co “…detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.” Tuesday, March 17, 2020 New coronavirus stable for hours on surfaces SARS-CoV-2 stability similar to original SARS virus. This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab.NIAID-RML What The virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces, according to a new study from National Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University scientists in The New England Journal of Medicine. The scientists found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The results provide key information about the stability of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 disease, and suggests that people may acquire the virus through the air and after touching contaminated … Continue reading →

First Day Of Spring

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Happy Spring Equinox! It is cloudy out there today. Last evening I went for a walk, it being the last hours of winter and all. The streets were empty, I could count the number of vehicles that traveled past me on one hand. The air was amazing. The fresh scents of the coming spring were heavenly. We arise early, 5:00 a.m. This morning I decided to bake Banana Muffins, as I had two over ripe bananas, and hydro was half price. They made a wonderful breakfast. I have a few tasks I could be doing today, filing for one. I have a stack of papers that have accumulated over the past month, and they need to be stowed away. There are usual things of course, making the bed, doing the dishes, cooking, the little daily things that make for a comfortable life. I have a few larger projects in mind, so much to choose from. Humming and hawing over what to tackle next is almost as much fun as getting going on a project. It is supposed to be sunny on the weekend, cold, but sunny. I think that is when I will take my first garden tour of the … Continue reading →

Rain and March Wind

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Does anyone else remember the images of children with umbrellas, struggling with the wind, as symbols for the month of March. My elementary school classrooms sported these images at this time of year, and it seems the weather this year is picture perfect. Another quiet day here at Mist Cottage. Attila’s last grocery run was Friday, and we will avoid the grocery stores as long as we can from now on. I drink lactose free milk, and there was none in the stores last week, so whatever I have in the refrigerator will have to last as long as possible. So I will stop making yogurt for now, and perhaps freeze some of the existing milk supply, two cartons, to be used sparingly in the weeks and months to come. Of course, I might be able to get some again when we start ordering groceries to be picked up, but we will wait as long as we can before trying to obtain more food. The fewer exposures to other humans in close proximity, the better. Our current supplies allow us to eat healthy food until our attempt to order for pick up. NoFrills, our local store, is offering free orders … Continue reading →

Sophie got sick, then Canada Changed

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Two weeks ago I began self-isolation. It isn’t complete though, Attila must still go to work, he is not completely self-isolated, so neither am I. On the job he is near hundreds of different people every day, what are the chances he will come in contact with COVID-19? Just a matter of time really, so I really want him to stay home! Sigh. That is not possible. Hopefully, since he is in a high-risk category, the powers-that-be will allow him to self-isolate with some sort of financial support, but I doubt very much they are thinking that far ahead for the daily challenges of the little people. Nero comes to mind. Or things might get to the point that they did in Italy, and everyone will be confined to their dwellings, how we pay for food if that happens, I do not know. Time will tell. So far the isolation is not stressful, but it does narrow an aspect of the view. We were not out and about much anyway, only to buy groceries and supplies, so not much has changed. With the weather warming up, soon we will be busy right here at Mist Cottage, preparing for the garden, … Continue reading →

Decisions on High: Too Little, Too Late

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Attila will have to return to work on Monday, and as the pandemic intensifies here, I find I don’t want him to go. He has no choice of course, he has to go. But if we could manage to survive financially, we both agree, he would stay home and we would self-isolate. Both of us are in the high risk-for-complications category. We are both quite willing to self-isolate for the sake of our country, if means of financial survival were provided. We live in a very small space, and will be unable to implement the recommendations for living with a COVID-19 patient, even though we would be quarantined here together. I am not happy about this, and I feel the Canadian government, and employers, could do a lot better, on the ground, to set things up to protect seniors and health compromised people. Proactive prevention should be a priority at this stage in the game. Soon this window of opportunity will close also, just as the window of opportunity for containment closed before our governments caught on. Wise up. I don’t feel confident though, that the government is savvy enough to get moving on things like this, allowing people who … Continue reading →