D&D and the rising pandemic

[Umbran]

I was listening to an old radio drama where there was a fictional (I think) substance that was a contact poison in its powder form, but not when it was mixed in water. So the way to use it diabolically was to carry it around diluted, paint it on what your target would touch, and then be sure not to touch it yourself after it dried. This got me thinking about cloth masks that are worn for a long time or reused without sitting several days. So, the mask does what we're hoping it does and catches the droplet with the virus because the droplet is well above the minimum size. After the droplet dries, is the virus just sitting on the mask and capable of getting inhaled through?

For other contaminants, yes. Like, say mold spores - if you wear a mask to protect yourself from mold, and then handle the mask afterwards, you can contaminate yourself.

Coronaviruses, however, are not hardy in that way. If the drops they are in dry out, they quickly die.

Mind you, some viruses do survive in such a state. Just not coronaviruses.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Just saw this. Hope things are still mild(or better) for you. Get well soon.

Well, for those curious-
Sunday I started to feel something.
Monday was rough, ESPECIALLY Monday night.
Tuesday morning tested positive.
Tuesday through Wednesday was like a bad cold.
Today I'm feeling better, with a lingering cough and slight congestion, but the headache and other symptoms are gone.
Currently planning on continuing the quarantine and re-testing Saturday, assuming our tests hold out until then.

But the area I am in is absolutely devastated right now. Luckily, we have a fairly high vax rate, but it is crazy with things shutting down, police escorts for testing sites, and so on. It's kind of surreal how quickly the post-holiday wave just crashed over us.

The high vax rate is the real saving grace, as there are a huge number of positives, but our medical situation is seriously strained right now, but not completely overwhelmed. That said, if you have something other than COVID, you're S.O.L.

 

[Maxperson]

Well, for those curious-
Sunday I started to feel something.
Monday was rough, ESPECIALLY Monday night.
Tuesday morning tested positive.
Tuesday through Wednesday was like a bad cold.
Today I'm feeling better, with a lingering cough and slight congestion, but the headache and other symptoms are gone.
Currently planning on continuing the quarantine and re-testing Saturday, assuming our tests hold out until then.

But the area I am in is absolutely devastated right now. Luckily, we have a fairly high vax rate, but it is crazy with things shutting down, police escorts for testing sites, and so on. It's kind of surreal how quickly the post-holiday wave just crashed over us.

The high vax rate is the real saving grace, as there are a huge number of positives, but our medical situation is seriously strained right now, but not completely overwhelmed. That said, if you have something other than COVID, you're S.O.L.

I'm glad you are feeling better. And yes, it's just crazy how bad things became and how quickly it happened. My group is going back to virtual gaming for a while. It's just not worth the risk with literally everyone in the group knowing people who are getting covid and/or having close contacts.

 

[CleverNickName]

I'm glad you are feeling better. And yes, it's just crazy how bad things became and how quickly it happened. My group is going back to virtual gaming for a while. It's just not worth the risk with literally everyone in the group knowing people who are getting covid and/or having close contacts.

My gaming group is getting together tomorrow night for our annual "holiday" dinner and gift exchange (we do a Secret Santa thing every year). It's also the time of the year that we have our group discussion on the State of the Group where we talk about the campaign, changes we'd like to make, who's going to be the DM next, and all that.

(We're going about it as safely as we can, we are all getting tested beforehand and we'll be wearing masks and all that. )

One of the things I expect we are going to discuss, over various amounts of cheese and ham, is whether or not we were ready to go back to in-person gaming. But honestly, I don't think we ever will. We've been playing virtually for so long, that we're pretty comfortable with it...it's really convenient to not have to worry about traffic, parking, food, designated drivers, babysitters, etc. This most recent spike in Covid-19 cases isn't helping anyone feel safer, either, and nobody really thinks the pandemic is going to end anytime soon.

I predict that we will be a virtual group for at least another year, and possibly from now on.

 

[Mannahnin]

Yes, I've been lucky with that thus far. When they first started selling them I bought tons of masks. I can't find them anywhere around here anymore, so what I have is it. I'm lucky that I still have a decent supply, but once it is gone I'll have to go online and see if I can somehow determine which are the official ones and which ones are not. It seems hard to figure it out from what I've seen.

Assuming you're in the US, to figure out if it's a NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)-approved mask, look on the mask for a Testing & Certification approval number. Then you can check the CEL (Certified Equipment List) to confirm.

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2021-124/pdfs/2021-124.pdf

Certified Equipment List | NPPTL | NIOSH | CDC

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), under authorization of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, provides a testing, approval, and certification program assuring respirators used in the workplace meet the standards of 42 CFR Part 84.

www.cdc.gov

Approved Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators | NPPTL | NIOSH | CDC

A listing of NIOSH-Approved Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators that health care workers can use to help protect themselves from diseases potentially spread through the air such as SARS or Tuberculosis.

www.cdc.gov

 

[Mannahnin]

Well, for those curious-
Sunday I started to feel something.
Monday was rough, ESPECIALLY Monday night.
Tuesday morning tested positive.
Tuesday through Wednesday was like a bad cold.
Today I'm feeling better, with a lingering cough and slight congestion, but the headache and other symptoms are gone.
Currently planning on continuing the quarantine and re-testing Saturday, assuming our tests hold out until then.

If you do start to get worse at all, or have cause to see a doctor for any reason, be sure to have your O2 saturation checked. One of the worst things with Covid has been people having really impaired breathing and decreased lung function while only feeling "a little out of breath".

But the area I am in is absolutely devastated right now. Luckily, we have a fairly high vax rate, but it is crazy with things shutting down, police escorts for testing sites, and so on. It's kind of surreal how quickly the post-holiday wave just crashed over us.

The high vax rate is the real saving grace, as there are a huge number of positives, but our medical situation is seriously strained right now, but not completely overwhelmed. That said, if you have something other than COVID, you're S.O.L.

It's really rough. A friend of mine slipped and broke her arm yesterday (lovely freezing rain here), and when she went to the ER they initially told her it'd be a five hour wait. Thankfully they did get her in more quickly once the triage nurse was informed it was an acute serious injury.

 

[Ryujin]

If you do start to get worse at all, or have cause to see a doctor for any reason, be sure to have your O2 saturation checked. One of the worst things with Covid has been people having really impaired breathing and decreased lung function while only feeling "a little out of breath".

It's precisely this symptom which makes me wonder if I didn't have Covid very early on, prior to the lockdown. During the preceding Jan/Feb I was feeling short of breath and tired easily. Other family members had the same symptoms.

 

[Mannahnin]

It's precisely this symptom which makes me wonder if I didn't have Covid very early on, prior to the lockdown. During the preceding Jan/Feb I was feeling short of breath and tired easily. Other family members had the same symptoms.

It's possible, though I'm speaking specifically about a really serious symptom of lung damage, which doesn't resolve immediately or generally without assistance. It's scary in part because it doesn't FEEL as bad or dangerous as it is.

Have you felt more out of breath/easily winded ever since, or did you for a period of months?

 

[Thomas Shey]

Working at my university (in the SE US), it feels odd/sad to read about the lack of tests. Faculty and students here could do pretty much an unlimited number of saliva tests with no waiting and get the results back by the next morning at latest. It's sad that folks in general don't even have a meaningful fraction of that support.

Its very weird locally. Its not impossible to find a test, but if you don't have an HMO (where you can get it immediately but will likely have to deal with the usual "wait two hours to get it done) or are having to go to a hospital for something else, the wait times run around a week--which seems to defeat half the point.

 

[Thomas Shey]

@Umbran (and anyone else who might know/speculate off the top of their head).

I was listening to an old radio drama where there was a fictional (I think) substance that was a contact poison in its powder form, but not when it was mixed in water. So the way to use it diabolically was to carry it around diluted, paint it on what your target would touch, and then be sure not to touch it yourself after it dried. This got me thinking about cloth masks that are worn for a long time or reused without sitting several days. So, the mask does what we're hoping it does and catches the droplet with the virus because the droplet is well above the minimum size. After the droplet dries, is the virus just sitting on the mask and capable of getting inhaled through?

Technically for a bit, but a mask is usually a porous surface, so its survival time is fairly limited (I believe the listed best time is for non-porous materials and is up to 72 hours).