“Everyone I interviewed for this article has observed that keeping 6 feet from others is definitely a challenge.” Now I don’t feel so bad. The best tips I have ever seen on this Very Important Topic! 4 minute Video
Humans are social animals. We crave getting close together. Overcoming habits you’ve always done since you were a child is very difficult.
Persons of all ages become sick for a long time, months, and possibly years, which often starts after mild initial symptoms.
As with many other aspects of Covid, seeing is better than reading. Watch These Videos. You will not forget them.
UPDATED 1-13-21 Watch the video below to hear the stories of people in their 20s with long Covid. PBS Newshour 13 minutes
The medical community scrambles to understand COVID-19 ‘long haulers’ This video is about people in their 20s and their struggle to get help and their persistent symptoms.
Persons with Long Covid interviewed included a personal trainer, a competitive marathon runner, and a physician treating long haulers. The video below is about people in their 40s and a New York clinic that is helping them.
What is a Covid Long Hauler and what are the symptoms?
Any person, of any age, who gets Covid can become a long hauler. Often long haulers don’t go to the hospital as they don’t feel very sick. The symptoms start later.
Long haulers test negative for SARS-CoV-2. The damage has been done, and there is nowhere for the virus to infect, and it is gone from our bodies.
Covid travels through our bodies in our blood vessels and can significantly affect many parts of the body, including the brain, heart, liver, etc., and can cause death.
Click continue reading for lots more information on symptoms, long term effects on society from disabled persons, why medical professionals took so long to recognize it as physical and not “just in your head”, etc..
Appraiser/Educator Bryan Reynolds and COVID-19 Podcast April 7, 2020 31 minutes
“I had a bit of a difficult time with this podcast. We like to think we’re invincible, immune, unaffected, but that’s silly. We are, at the end of the day, all vulnerable. This chat with my long time friend and partner, Bryan Reynolds, brought that realization home, in stark reality and made it tangible and personal.”
“People, we damn near lost Bryan. Please give this podcast a listen. I’ve posted it here, largely unedited. This podcast is the epitome of authentic. “
Before he got Covid, I interviewed Bryan for an article I was writing. I regularly attend his free webinars on youtube. Whenever I am asked if I know anyone who has had covid with symptoms, I say yes. I don’t know anyone else who had terrible symptoms like Bryan’s. I had been writing about Covid and appraisers in my appraiser newsletters since February 2020.
Hearing about his experience directly from Bryan made Covid much more personal for me.
Listen to this podcast!! I saw a short video live on March 26. Hal Humphreys was speaking from his front yard and said that Bryan had coronavirus. I am so glad that he is recovered!
This analysis has some of the best illustrations I have seen, using a living room, a bar, and a classroom.
One time examples, such as the church choir in Seattle or infections in bars, are useful. But we are a visual species. Illustrations and animations can help understand what is happening.
Spanish paper El Pais ran various simulations using the Covid Airborne Transmission Estimator developed by scientists from the University of Colorado. Excellent Illustrations of Covid spreading indoors.
A few excerpts: Irrespective of whether safe distances are maintained, if the six people spend four hours together talking loudly, without wearing a face mask in a room with no ventilation, five will become infected, according to the scientific model explained in the methodology.
The infection risk drops to below one when the group uses face masks, shortens the length of the gathering by half, and ventilates the space used.
If two hours are spent in the classroom with an infected teacher and 20 students, without taking any measures to counter the number of aerosols, there is the risk that up to 12 students could become infected.
To watch the Excellent Illustrations of Covid spreading indoors, translated into English, click here.
More than one-third of adults in the United States are obese. In the United States, 36.5 percent of adults are obese. Another 32.5 percent of American adults are overweight. In all, more than two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. Now, CDC says there is overweight Covid Risk. Before it was just obese.
Recorded 10-8-20 8 min. 19 sec. video. The interviewer asks Fauci the very tough current questions about infections in the NFL, Trump, and the White House, surges in some states, etc. Fauci does not “point the finger” at anyone. Instead, he repeats what the science says about what should be done. Listen to the video or read the transcript. Fauci on Current Status of Covid Infections
Excerpts: “…obviously, this is a formidable virus that has an extraordinary capability of being transmitted from person to person. But the kind of outbreak that we had in the United States and that many other countries have had does not necessarily have to have been inevitable.”
“I have said (this) multiple times, and I have no problem repeating it now, that what you should do to avoid acquisition and transmission of infection is the universals wearing of masks, avoiding close contact, avoiding crowded situations, trying to do things outdoors much more than indoors, and washing your hands regularly.”
9-25-20 5 common coronavirus misconceptions and the science you need to know– 4-minute video plus a short, well-written article with lots of references for more information Speaker: Dr. Sanjay Gupta CNN Chief Medical Correspondent. To watch the video and read the explanations, click here.
I have written about all of these topics in this blog and previous newsletters . This short video and article put the primary misconceptions in one place. I hear and read about them online a lot. These Five Covid-19 Misconceptions Are Very Important To Know
The 5 Misconceptions
Misconception No. 1: Only older people are impacted by the virus
Misconception No. 2: Masks don’t protect you against coronavirus
Misconception No. 3: You can only catch Covid-19 if you’ve been in close contact with someone who has symptoms
Misconception No. 4: This is like the flu
Misconception No. 5: Everyone can a get a vaccine this winter
9-22-20 on Citizen CNN 27 minutes Dr. Sanjay Gupta interviewed Dr. Fauci- vaccines and winter risks. Good questions and answers. Fauci and Gupta make some relevant comments and analysis on many important topics. Fauci’s lab does vaccine research, plus he is on the White House Coronavirus Task Force Team.
Fauci works on the Task Force and in his lab every day. Plus he gives virtual presentations all over the Internet, from very technical scientific conferences to Instagram and Facebook. Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Dr. Fauci- vaccines and winter risks make a good team.
19-minute Audio recording of the above video. Checking in with Dr. Anthony Fauci on Gupta’s Podcast “Corona Virus Fact and Fiction with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Good, short podcasts, usually around 10 minutes.
What will happen when we get colds and the flu and start coughing or sneezing? Will everyone near you run away? Getting your flu shot can help! I can’t remember the last time I heard the sounds of either one after Covid came, so I don’t know what will happen. Many people move away now when another person does not wear a face mask. Updated 11-7-20
Loss of taste and smell is a unique indicator of Covid infections. Estimates of how many have these symptoms varies. But, if you have it, get tested ASAP preferably with a PCR test, the most reliable. You do not want to infect others!
Do you want to risk getting the flu and having to go to a hospital with a lot of very sick Covid patients? Covid and flu symptoms are very similar. Public health experts are very worried about hospitals being packed with both flu and Covid patients. Only about 40% of people get the annual flu shot. Getting both Covid and the flu, although unlikely, would be a nightmare! 410,000 flu hospitalizations in 2019-2020.
Appraisers are exposed to the virus when going inside homes, apartments, and other buildings for relatively short periods of time. Understanding appraiser Covid safety risks is important.
Everyone decides their own level of risk. Some rarely leave their homes or only leave to go to the grocery store. Others, such as appraisers, are essential workers who must leave their homes to work.
Appraiser Personal Risks
Age – the older the higher the risk
Underlying health conditions
Who is in your household and their risk factors
Your level of personal protection risk – from none to a lot. If you get infected, you could infect your household members. To me, that is the most significant risk.
All types of properties have Covid risks inside. To me, 2-4 unit properties are the most difficult apartments to appraise, due to different types of buyers (owners, investors, etc.). They can also be more tricky to inspect and keep safe from Covid. Larger properties focus on income.
I have appraised many apartment properties, from duplexes to hundreds of units. From converted Victorians to new construction. The fewer the units, the more difficult the appraisals, for appraising and sometimes risk, such as all the units have a different floor plan or a converted Victorian with difficult to measure unit locations.
Face Masks: You and every occupant must have a face mask. Bring extras, such as inexpensive disposable or re-usable cloth masks which you can re-wash. Your PPE: The usual: mask, gloves, etc. Do not re-use masks at another property. Hand sanitizer in car. Gown for apartments with lots of personal belongings.
Minimize the risk of going into the units – time, unit selection, etc.
Even if you are tested today and got the results back in a day, you could be infected after your test. Assume everyone is infected. Maybe someday we will get instant testing results at home. Everyone must wear a face mask and keep physical distancing!