Did you or family member have COVID-19 ?? Knowing what you know, what advice for people pondering travel in 2020 ??

[LynnHilton]

Have you or a family member had COVID-19 ?? If willing, can you please tell us about your symptoms, your amount of pain and suffering, etc ??

Having experienced COVID-19, what advice or comments would you share with HGVC members pondering possible travel in calendar year 2020 ??

 

[Talent312]

I have not myself experienced COVID-19, but as someone who has watched the news almost non-stop, here's my 2 cents...

1. Some peep have no symptoms (ex: Jack Nicklaus' wife). Some have mild symptoms, but even those say they're weak, feverish and short of breath (ex: CNN's Chris Cuomo). Some otherwise healthy peep spend months in a hospital (a mid-aged guy spent 20 days on a ventilator and cannot lift himself up)... and then there's 143,000 who've died. The Gods know how any one person would respond.

2.My advice: If you can, avoid travel to any hot spots (Florida, Texas, California), but wherever you go... wear a mask, keep your distance, wash your [hands] and anything you use to eat, and avoid gatherings with groups of strangers (no excursions).

.

 

[brp]

2.My advice: If you can, avoid travel to any hot spots (Florida, Texas, California), but wherever you go... wear a mask, keep your distance, wash your haves and anything you use to eat, and avoid gatherings with groups of strangers (no excursions).

Agree with the advice, But worth noting again that the wearing of the mask does little, if anything, to protect the wearer. Still a good thing to do for others, but wearing a mask in a hot spot likely does very little as it's already a hot spot, so the wearer is less likely to introduce anything.

Distance and washing, spot on.

Avoid people and ya really get get the virus

Cheers.

 

[Nocdavis]

Myself, wife, and son had it. We picked it up during vacation to Cancun. Wife was sick for 3 days, I was sick for 2 days, son was maybe a day. Temps ran 102-103, dry cough, lost taste and smell, but worst part was body aches. Even laying in bed everything ached and felt like I was the Tin Man from wizard of Oz w/out oil. None of us got pneumonia, and never had difficulty breathing. We quarantined for 2 weeks and even after symptoms passed would be winded/tired after going up a flight of stairs. 3 weeks on from last symptom and everything is back to normal, except now we have tested positive for antibodies.

This is going to continue to go on for sometime. Yes 146K deaths is horrible but my expectation is we will be close to 500K deaths even after flattening the curve. And flattening the curve is not the same as eliminating the virus. The virus can't be eliminated. Once I wrapped my head around around those points the politics and news didn't have nearly the effect on me anymore. I am not trying to be glib, diminish the loss of life, or underplay the sadness surrounding this. I'm particularly concerned for my parents and those in the high risk category. For me knowing the endpoint helps me process and manage the fear surrounding the pandemic.

Ultimately here is where I landed on advice:

1. There is a virus. It’s not a hoax.
2. The numbers being reported are not accurate. The false positive % is way higher than false negatives.
3. At some point in time, you will get it. So choose to be responsible but yet continue living. (It why we decided to take our cancun vacation)
4. I detest the media and political spin on this.

Anyway that's my two cents. I hope I haven't offended anyone and don't really care to get into a debate.

 

[Finsadbel]

Very glad that you made it through with minimal secondary/lasting symptoms!

My two cents:

We are all aware of the potential morbid effects COVID-19. Take a minute, think, research, and make an educated decision.

You can be very successful at eliminating risks by following health guidelines. Be smart. Remember secondary exposure items and don’t touch your face.

Gloves protect your hands but can also be a detriment. Certain masks ARE effective at protecting you AND cutting down on infectious transmission from infectious carriers, but also come with several limitations. Cloth masks assist in cutting down viral transmission from a carrier, however, not very protective.

I have friends/family that have had the virus. Several were similar to above posts experience and some were in ICU for weeks, none were on a ventilator.

I’ve seen first hand what the virus can do and hold a great respect for it. I would give the same advice to all I talk to. Don’t let it run your life, respect it. You cannot guess your risk based off of risk factors/co-morbidities alone. Perfectly healthy individuals have succumbed.

As far as travel, I’ve cancelled some and continued some. I base our travel off of research and the current viral transmission rates.

It’s a personal decision.

Disclaimer: everyone has their right to their opinions. I also do not care to debate. My opinions are based off my own of training/experience, and are just that. Opinions.

 

[elaine]

My friend (55) was quite sick for 5 weeks. Another (60) was in hospital and then on oxygen for over 6 weeks at night. DD’s friend’s Dad (50) died.
If you travel, wear a mask. Masks such as n95 (or kn95) do protect you. Plus if you and all others wear face coverings, My dr said there’s a very low transmission rate. Outdoors is safer than indoors. We will choose outdoor travel/family vacations over indoor venues.
Agree with prior poster, respect seriousness of covid and take measures to protect yourself/family whether by avoidance (no travel) and/or precautions.

 

[brp]

If you travel, wear a mask. Masks such as n95 (or kn95) do protect you.

Certainly contrary to what I've read, but there's a lot of data out there. Last I read, wearing a mask actually puts the wearer at slight more risk as the sense of complacency that comes with doing something that one thinks works, but doesn't makes people relax in other areas. Also, people tend to touch the masks bringing more hand/face contact.

We all have to believe what we choose from what we read. i wear masks for others as I;m quite sure that they (any type) do nothing for me. The science I've seen support that (and I have seen stuff on the other side, just less compelling). I know what the mask is not doing for me, so I don't get complacent.

Cheers.

 

[Tank]

Trying something (all wearing masks)
Versus nothing (Allowing choice)
Best chance to slow the spread and prevent another lockdown again
We can not afford another lockdown
it’s not comfortable but doable.

I would rather try to do something to Try to help mankind and be wrong
vs
Sure wish we would have.

My wife is a nurse so this is “ real” to us because she sees it’s ugly side and number increases. People who will never have a normal life again, yet not a death statistic.


it is one heck of a “ Snowball “ statistic wise.
That alone should be an eye opener.


I have 4 different family groups that have had this, lost one.
They warn us
“you do not want to get this. “

 

[Ckhawaii]

Certainly contrary to what I've read, but there's a lot of data out there. Last I read, wearing a mask actually puts the wearer at slight more risk as the sense of complacency that comes with doing something that one thinks works, but doesn't makes people relax in other areas. Also, people tend to touch the masks bringing more hand/face contact.

We all have to believe what we choose from what we read. i wear masks for others as I;m quite sure that they (any type) do nothing for me. The science I've seen support that (and I have seen stuff on the other side, just less compelling). I know what the mask is not doing for me, so I don't get complacent.

Cheers.

What “science” have you seen that supports the argument that wearing a mask puts you at a slight more risk?
I would love to see these studies.

 

[brp]

What “science” have you seen that supports the argument that wearing a mask puts you at a slight more risk?
I would love to see these studies.

Sorry, been through the literature search many times. The basic idea is that folks not used to wearing masks for long periods tend to touch/adjust them more which includes added hand/face contact. You can do a search and find things on this yourself, or not. Seems pretty reasonable to me (even without citations), so I am inclined to believe that this is a possibility. By the way, if you read what I wrote, I never called this part "science" as it is empirical studies. Yes, I know the difference

Cheers.

 

[CPNY]

Have you or a family member had COVID-19 ?? If willing, can you please tell us about your symptoms, your amount of pain and suffering, etc ??

Having experienced COVID-19, what advice or comments would you share with HGVC members pondering possible travel in calendar year 2020 ??

Got scorching sore throat abruptly while packing for a trip along with swollen lymph nodes. Gargled with hot salt water immediately. That was mid Jan. Spent feb short of breath then end of bed all hell broke loose. Then shortness of breath on and off for 5 months.

 

[Talent312]

The basic idea is that folks not used to wearing masks for long periods tend to touch/adjust them more which includes added hand/face contact...

Whatever incidental contact masks may engender is vastly outweighed by the benefits, both to the wearer and others.
The notion that masks are ineffective has been debunked by snopes.com.

"The varied claims in these viral posts (with their dubious origins) for the most part misrepresent information provided by OSHA and the CDC. Scientific wisdom indicates that wearing a mask is more effective than doing nothing, and, combined with social distancing and other safety measures, offers protection not only to the wearer but to others. Given these posts’ combination of only a few correct facts and largely incorrect conclusions, we rate their various claims as “Mostly False.” -- https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/effectiveness-face-masks/

 

[brp]

Whatever incidental contact masks may engender is vastly outweighed by the benefits, both to the wearer and others.
The notion that masks are ineffective has been debunked by snopes.com.

"The varied claims in these viral posts (with their dubious origins) for the most part misrepresent information provided by OSHA and the CDC. Scientific wisdom indicates that wearing a mask is more effective than doing nothing, and, combined with social distancing and other safety measures, offers protection not only to the wearer but to others. Given these posts’ combination of only a few correct facts and largely incorrect conclusions, we rate their various claims as “Mostly False.” -- https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/effectiveness-face-masks/

Yup, if someone spews droplets in your face (as the snopes link says), a mask will help. No doubt. And this is why I leave the N95 masks to the front line workers who actually do face that. I don't as I keep distance anbd droplets don't hang in air long in time or distance. So, yeah, not doing anything for me. But may help others is I happen to have it. So I weer a mask.

Cheers.

 

[HGVC Lover]

Whatever incidental contact masks may engender is vastly outweighed by the benefits, both to the wearer and others.
The notion that masks are ineffective has been debunked by snopes.com.

"The varied claims in these viral posts (with their dubious origins) for the most part misrepresent information provided by OSHA and the CDC. Scientific wisdom indicates that wearing a mask is more effective than doing nothing, and, combined with social distancing and other safety measures, offers protection not only to the wearer but to others. Given these posts’ combination of only a few correct facts and largely incorrect conclusions, we rate their various claims as “Mostly False.” -- https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/effectiveness-face-masks/

Agree.....Wearing a mask is promoted pretty much world wide and countries that have controlled Covid-19 have made that one of the strategies. Covid-19 deniers are just unrelenting in the false spin they put out there which is actually one of the major factors in why the US is in the state we are today with Covid-19. Thanks for keeping it real and truthful....

 

[CPNY]

Stay state side and drive. No reason why you can’t social distance and eat outdoors in a new city, the same you would in your own hometown. Take precautions and wash your hands

 

[bbodb1]

There has never been a better time to travel to someplace very remote...