Missouri Virus Update, not looking good here

This info is gathered daily from Matthew in Missouri. He does this as a father and a volunteer to share with the people of Missouri.

Good evening! Here is my Missouri COVID-19 Update for 09/02.

I was able to identify 1655 cases from 95 jurisdictions and 23 deaths today.

To submit cases or deaths, please use the new submission tool located here: http://MOCOVID.info

[Trends]

- 81% of counties added at least one case today (95 of 117 jurisdictions), which is a new record for the state.

- At our current pace, we will reach 100,000 cumulative cases on 09/09. I would say that this seems unrealistic, but the numbers keep proving me wrong.

- We are now averaging over 1,400 cases per day added over the last 7 days, breaking yesterday's record high.

- We’ve added 1,500 or more cases only four times during the pandemic --- 3 of those instances have been in the last 21 days.

[News]

- A collective warning has been issued to Kansas City residents as the metro area is on the cusp of a very dangerous situation. In an online event, the group comprised of health care and city leaders shared that Kansas City is averaging 90 new hospitalizations every day for COVID-19. There are some great statistics shared in the article which is here: https://www.kcur.org/health/2020-09-02/top-hospital-doctors-warn-kansas-city-is-on-the-verge-of-uncontrolled-coronavirus-spread?fbclid=IwAR0fVs1PQ4GnqJaA_WqLz4OiEQqvZN5XiRlGwPSRjNjvVHwY5Onlextd-T0

- Oxfam has published their rankings for the best states to work in during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each state (plus DC and and Puerto Rico) has been placed into an index based on employee precautions (45% weight), unemployment support (35% weight), and healthcare (20%). If you’re looking for a way to quantify the miserable response we’ve had, you can add this to your argument, as Missouri ranks #51 out of 52 on their list.

https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/issues/economic-well-being/covid-map/

- Believe it or not, I have good news. A new set of pooled research pieced together from the World Health Organization suggests that patients who are severely ill due to COVID-19 can reduce mortality by individuals on a ventilator by up to 35%, and individuals who are on assistive oxygen by up to 20% (from an Oxford study back in June) by using dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that is widely available. The National Institutes of Health has revised their US treatment guidelines to include using steroids, but only for individuals who are on supportive oxygen. If I am remembering correctly, MERS and SARS reacted poorly to steroids and had a tendency to prolong the presence of the virus.

- Even more good news, during a press conference today Dr. Fauci publicly stated that he feels comfortable saying that a safe and effective vaccine will be developed by the end of the year, given the current status on a number of vaccine trials. That does not mean it will be widely available, but it is an encouraging sign nonetheless. He did not address rumors of having vaccines ready to ship out by November.

- The first death linked to the Sturgis rally --- a man in his 60s --- has occurred in the state of Minnesota, per the state’s infectious disease doctor.

- Thailand has officially gone without a new localized case of COVID-19 for 100 consecutive days.

- I once jokingly referred to those who were refusing to wear masks on the basis of makebelieve science as sociopaths… as it turns out, a study has been published from Brazil of almost 1,600 individuals were assessed on maladaptive personality traits, empathy, and compliance, and found that individuals who were less likely to comply with mitigation strategies greatly exhibited more characteristics associated with sociopathy. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886920305377

[Deaths]

[14] St. Louis County

[2] Jasper

[1] Audrain, Buchanan, Cape Girardeau, Cole, Jefferson, New Madrid

[Cases]

- Someone caught a typo on Howard County’s total, yesterday they read 151 but were and still are at 161.

- No decreases were reported today.

[College/University Cases]

I just want to issue a reminder that this is something that was asked of me from several people. I really, really don’t have the time to independently look up the numbers each and every day. I set up the submission form, and the only way I can keep providing it while maintaining the rest of my stuff is by collecting crowdsourced data and verifying it through screenshots.

I am in contact with someone who collects this data in a far more comprehensive manner, and I hope to be able to maybe collaborate with this individual at some point in the near future, but asking me to start running down cases per capita based on admission and tracking daily changes and where the individuals are being isolated… I hate saying no, but, it’s just too much for me.

Ask not what you can do for me

As predicted Missouri fought the mask mandate. And now Missouri is becoming like NY. Our Covid cases are climbing very fast. And still we have people not wearing mask, nurses, teachers, adults and people who know better. I just hope they do not get the virus. We are still staying home. wearing a mask when out, avoid all shopping, church and other "normal" things. Only dentist and grocery pick up and that is it. 

We have avoided people and get stared at for wearing mask in public. But we just do not want to end up in the over burden hospital. We have noticed that business are open, schools are open and most are not wearing masks. And this is why our virus numbers are up and up. The virus is finally here in MO just like the rest of the US. And life is not normal. Toilet paper is still restricted on line and in stores, you can't get some products, many stores are closed and going out of business. But here in the Ozarks you can raise your own food, so we did that. We are gearing up for winter now. Time to cut firewood and get things ready. I miss what was normal and I hope things can change for the better in the new year.

 

Canning we will go

The harvest came in great this month. Tomatoes, peppers, tomatillo, cucumbers and more.

I canded diced tomato, juice and sauces out of roma, ox heart and slicing tomato. I gave away several bushels to whomever wanted any.

 I was able to harvest green beans as well. Only about 15 quarts but still a good amount for our needs.

And I got a cool apron from my big brother. Tee-Reaux is my nickname. It was a nice surprise and it will be put to work on the farm. Nice to have a Louisiana apron on a Missouri farm.

 

Sea Lover Box

This is what my husband and I have been working on these last few weeks. Am 8" x 6" birch wood box laser carved, painted and assembled for a gift for my older brother. His birthday was soon and I wanted to make him something special. We bought the thicker birch wood off Amazon. 

We have a glow forge laser and are still learning how to use it. But found a free pattern for the box here and I used some coloring book cartoons for the waves. Once we tested the pieces on draftboard we then made corrections for sizes and material thickness. Then burned the birchwood.  After the burning I peeled off the tape and started to paint the undercoat.

The  top of the box was thick and deep burn to showcase the waves.

Painting the top.

Testing the stains. I used unicorn spit stain which is a water based stain in brilliant colors. And they have some with glitter as well. But I wanted the scrimshaw look not glitter.  The unicorn spit is very rich hue and binding to the material. After the stain dried I tested out sealers. Most ran until I used a water based polyacrylic sealer. You can find Unicorn spit on line. 

All the pieces are painted and sealed and ready for assembly, glue and wax cover. I used bowling alley wax to give the box a nice soft sheen. I sanded 3000 grit between each stain coat, seal coat and then wax.

The final box finished. Left the inside unpainted and the bottom plain. Note the all wood mechanical hinges, no metal needed.

This was a learning curve for both of us. I had the designs and kind of box, but my husband had to work out the maths and the computer part. But it did turn out quite nice. And my big brother is very happy.