Nice! I have a nice beef stew going in the old school crock pot right now - the house smells great!
Bathroom - done! Bedroom - done! Bedroom closet? Well, that needs another days work - next weekend.
I also got CMM’s ashes transferred into the nice urn I bought.
Slowly but surely getting everything pulled together.
Had walnut pancakes with bananas and peaches again for brunch with my son, after a nice early morning walk and coffee with Survival Goddess (she has a new puppy!) .
Now I’m celebrating my very productive day with a glass of wine and watching Yellowjackets. (Like Lord of the Flies with high school girls in a wilderness plane crash - very good).
Last edited by job; 01/17/2201:25 PM. Reason: edited a word for kml
Excellent Your Local Epidemiologist post today about Covid testing. I highly recommend reading it. It will help you use the rapid tests you have appropriately. Also great data on duration of infectious ness and how long to quarantine if you test positive. Such a great resource for the facts, written by an epidemiologist at the University of Texas who also has a Master’s degree in public health. Some snippets:
“ The first study followed 30 people in high-risk jobs from December 1 to December 31, 2021, during Omicron outbreaks at five workplaces in New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and San Francisco, CA. Everyone was fully vaccinated (boosted by choice) and was being tested daily. The scientists compared how well nasal antigen tests worked against saliva PCR tests. They found a few interesting patterns:
The average time from first positive PCR to first antigen positive was 3 days Peak viral load was 1-2 days earlier in saliva than the nose All individuals developed symptoms within two days of the first positive saliva PCR test It’s possible to be contagious yet have a negative rapid test. Four of the 30 people in this study spread COVID19 between negative rapid tests.”
“ This study tells us that we need to be super careful when using rapid tests in the first few days of exposure or infection. To get the most from your rapid test, wait at least 48 hours after symptoms and 5 days after exposure before taking an antigen test. If you’re negative, test again 24 hours thereafter. You can certainly test sooner, but any negative results will be unreliable. A positive antigen test result, on the other hand, is very reliable right now, especially after exposure or with symptoms.
(For the record, the CDC rapid testing website FAQ section advises testing 5 days after close contact or as soon as you begin feeling symptoms. We think it’s better to wait a bit longer after symptoms.)”
Obviously, if you have unlimited tests, you could test every day after an exposure, but that’s not real world.
Also: “ A separate modeling study in the U.K. estimated the impact of leveraging antigen tests to end isolation (something the CDC is not recommending). Specifically, the scientists were interested in how many people would be infectious given different policy recommendations. What did they find?
During a 5-day isolation period (and not using an antigen test), there is a 1 in 3 (31%) chance you’re still infectious. During a 7-day isolation period (and not using an antigen test), there is a 1 in 6 chance you’re still infectious. If you use an antigen test on Day 7 of isolation and it’s negative, there is less than a 1 in 10 chance you’re still infectious. This is the same odds as if you isolated for 10 days without testing.
” And her final assessment : “ Bottom line: Use antigen tests. Use antigen tests. Use antigen tests. Do so wisely.
Be aware of false negatives in the early stages of infection, and know that it can take several days after symptoms for the virus to take hold in your nose. Once you reach the tipping point, rapid tests are a reliable way to detect and monitor your infection. Trust your positive test during the Omicron wave. If at all possible, do not leave isolation without testing (I don’t care what the CDC says). If you can’t access tests, assume you are contagious for 10 days, and act accordingly.”
