Covid 19 - Thoughts and feelings

[Jitter]

Have there ben cases of dogs getting sick with it? In the beginning there were some cases where a dog tested positive, but didn’t have any symptoms.

Are there farms of European minks in the Netherlands? From Finland the European mink (which is not called mink at all in Finnish) has disappeared in the 1950s although there was a single sighting in 1992. But American minks, which are farmed for fur and have from time to time escaped from the farms, are a very troublesome species here.

[Auxivele]

I heard dogs can carry it but not get sick. When the news came out a couple months ago it was also uncertain if they could pass it back on to humans, but I have to admit I haven't been following the story that closely. It might've changed.

[phocena]

I think in the beginning I was way too optimistic about how much work I could handle this summer, and I'm so drained right now.  I'm doing an academic internship, but unlike anyone else in the course I have not met any of the prerequisites and got in on a recommendation. So I've been thrown in the deep end where I'm trying to write a research paper using programming languages and software that I have little to no exposure with, while stuck in isolation. So yeah, Covid really hasn't been fun.

[thorny]

Have there ben cases of dogs getting sick with it? In the beginning there were some cases where a dog tested positive, but didn’t have any symptoms.

I heard dogs can carry it but not get sick.

Unfortunately, not always asymptomatic.

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200731/first-us-dog-with-covid-19-has-died


Or maybe not. They're not actually sure what he died of:

July 31, 2020 -- Buddy, a 7-year-old German shepherd, that was the first dog to test positive for the coronavirus in the United States, has died after being sick for three months, CNN reported Thursday.

Whether the dog died from the coronavirus or lymphoma isn't clear.

[lumilaulu]

30 mink farms already? Wow. Seems like mink are more susceptible than cats or dogs. I also guess they're American mink rather than European.

But even without this, those farms would only have been allowed to exist for a few more years anyway.

[Vulpes]

I think in the beginning I was way too optimistic about how much work I could handle this summer, and I'm so drained right now.  I'm doing an academic internship, but unlike anyone else in the course I have not met any of the prerequisites and got in on a recommendation. So I've been thrown in the deep end where I'm trying to write a research paper using programming languages and software that I have little to no exposure with, while stuck in isolation. So yeah, Covid really hasn't been fun.

I think a lot of people bit off more than they could chew. Sounds great - locked down, nowhere to go, nothing to do, easy to get lots done. But everything seems to take extra long, often for no obvious reason! Don't be afraid to look for help - but you don't have to (metaphorically) flail your arms and yell help. E.g. show someone else in the course some code and ask what they think of your approach, or describe a particular task you're struggling with and ask if they can see where you've gone astray. Most people love the chance to demonstrate their knowledge... and you might just get "gee I didn't think of doing it that way, if you tweak this it works better than what I was doing" in reply.

[Jitter]

My son got sore throat, runny nose and cough on Thursday so we had to take him out of school. He got worse so that on  Saturday we had him tested for COVID-19. Luckily the result came in fast, and even better it was negative. I haven’t really been personally worried, but of course when he was getting feverish Saturday night, I couldn’t help but wonder. But so, all is well.

We are continuing working from home. It suits me well, but it would be great to meet some colleagues! I wouldn’t mind being at the office, but I don’t want to commute by public transport. Maybe I’ll splurge on a taxi one day and go to the office. Weird what kind of things may seem like a luxury!

[Vulpes]

Big sigh of relief on your behalf, Jitter. That must have been a bit nerve-wracking. Very glad all is well.

A few weeks ago I met a friend for lunch at a cafe with a nice patio, and we both commented how luxurious it seemed. This whole situation has certainly made me look at things very differently.

[wavewright62]

I get what you mean about the feeling of undue luxury of what we've taken for granted.  My apartment building is perched on a ridge, so every foray ends with a slog uphill to get home.  (I do not have a car nor a place to put one.) 
We have only just been allowed mass transit for non-essential purposes, albeit with compulsory masking and half the seats marked off-limits.  Getting my big weekly grocery shop up the hill is such a luxury taking the bus.

[Mica Hind]

My thoughts have generally been along the line of:

"Well this puts play to anyone on here insistent that the UK could survive the Rash...."
(I still think Scottish Islands would do okay though, but not the highlands - in fact what I thought would happen did happen, loads of English twats drove North to 'get away' from Covid and just put pressure on rural services not equipped to deal with large volumes.  Result - Trolls everywhere )

My second thought was:

"Yeah, I'm pretty convinced now that New Zealand does have a post-Rash population and is not part of the 'Silent World,' at least South Island, anyway." 
Not that anyone in the Nordics is likely to be aware of that. 

Also, seeing Sweden's response (or lack thereof) to the real-world Pandemic, initially, its not hard to see why it didn't manage to keep a larger population in SSSS!

[Róisín]

Mica, have you seen Onnenlintu’s delightful fanfic ‘The Man From the Waves’, in which an Expedition from New Zealand finds Norway? It is on Archive of Our Own, and well worth a read.

And I think Sweden’s response to Covid was unwise. The trouble with the concept of ‘herd immunity’ is that you lose a lot of people along the way there, usually from the most vulnerable parts of the population.

And here in South Australia, husband and I have just tested clear of Covid. He gets hay fever, sinusitis and nose bleeds in the dust, smoke and pollen of our summers here, and the local medical clinic recently had several Covid cases come through at times when we were there having husband’s dressings changed, which happens twice or thrice a week. So when we last had that done  the nurse noticed that he was slightly sniffly and had had a nosebleed, so raced us off for testing.  Just got the test results back, and we are clear. Sighs of relief!

[Annuil]

My sister received a positive test. My parents are negative. Mine hasn’t come yet, but they don’t call you if you’re negative, so there is a possibility that I’m negative too. At least I hope it is so. It doesn’t make it any easier though, because we live in one house and we can still get the virus at any time. I feel like that “random mage” on page 338. You never really know if that thing is within you or not. 

[Yastreb]

May the Fates watch over you always, Annuil. We are all with you.

[Annuil]

Thanks, Yastreb, that is comforting   

[Mirasol]

Oh no! May your sister get well soon, and may the rest of you stay healthy!