What’s Up?
We decided to cut the spoonbill boat gig short by a day. We did two full days, THURS and FRI MAR 19 & 20. We enjoyed a ton of great Brown Pelican flight photography both afternoons, lots of huge am and pm White Ibis blastoffs, and few really good spoonbill flight opportunities. I drove a friend to the airport early on Saturday morning. MCO was pretty much desolate.
As there were very few cases of coronavirus in Polk County, I decided to get myself as protected as possible and do some shopping sooner rather than later so that I could hole up alone (self-isolate) at my home in Indian Lake Estates. So that is what I did. The story is continued below.
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Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
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artie dressed for shopping |
BIRDS AS ART and COVID-19 and You
In order to self-isolate, I spoke with my two employees — right-hand man Jim Litzenberg and older daughter Jennifer Morris — and informed them that they would be getting a paid vacation for as long as it takes for things to return to normal. When I went shopping yesterday, I wore a single rubber exam glove on my right hand and kept my left hand in my pocket. I grabbed my items and pushed my cart with my right hand and used my left hand to pay with my credit card and open my vehicle when I was done. I discovered a gray headband in my car that I used to cover my nose and mouth (as seen in the image above). Note: The CDC states, If you are NOT sick: You do not need to wear a facemask unless you are caring for someone who is sick (and they are not able to wear a facemask). They also say this under Know How it Spreads: Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet). Via (sic) respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.. Now I am no doctor but it seems that wearing some sort of face mask would offer at least some protection should you get sneezed on by an infected person … So I opted for the headband-mask and looked a bit dumb.
I saw many dozens of folks in two different Publix supermarkets shopping while conducting business as usual — many with total disregard for social distancing and all but one other person wearing gloves touching cart handles and goods with impunity. What really struck me as odd was seeing couples shopping with their kids — from infants to teenagers — in tow. You might think that having one parent stay at home with the kids while the other shopped would greatly minimize exposure. That especially true because it seems quite likely that folks can have the virus, be asymptomatic and feeling great, all the while infecting others.
When I got home, I gloved both hands and got all the bags out of the car. Then still wearing the gloves mixed one cup of bleach with 16 cups of water, grabbed a hand towel, removed all of my items, discarded the plastic bags, and then wiped each item with a wet cloth soaked in the diluted bleach solution. We are advised to let the items dry rather than drying them with a clean cloth. After a few minutes, I removed my gloves and put each item away. Then I put the gloves back on and wiped down all the counters. Since Jim had been here recently, I went through the house and wiped down all the light switches, doorknobs, desktops, countertops, phones, and computer mouses — it seems strange to type computer “mice.” The I put all of my clothes in the washing machine, added a touch of bleach, and used hot water. Note that the CDC recommends a much more diluted bleach solution be used to disinfect: 1/3rd cup bleach per gallon of water.
I canceled the DeSoto Spring IPT with full refunds. On Monday, with Jim’s phone help, I will try to get into the BAA Online Store and fill any orders. If you have placed an order please shoot me an e-mail with your confirmation e-mail showing your order and I will do my best to get it filled as soon as possible. I plan on heading down to the lake once or twice a day to do some photography, swimming every day, and doing some extra blogging to give others who are self-isolating something to do. Coming tomorrow: 1200mm down-the-lens-barrel Roseate Spoonbill Flight Insanity.
Please, please, pretty please start taking COVID-19 seriously if you have not done so already.
Early predictions are that coronavirus might spread to as many as 50 or 60% of the approximately 331,000,000 million Americans. Some suggest infection rates as high as 40-80% in densely populated US cities. A major factor is that it seems that the virus can live on a surface for a long as 48 hours, and possibly for a lot longer than that. It is entirely possible that we ain’t seen nothin’ yet … The good news is that about 80% of those infected will have mild symptoms. For a different take on things, you might find the STAT First Opinion piece here an interesting read. This op-ed piece is written by John P.A. Ioannidis, professor of medicine, of epidemiology and population health, of biomedical data science, and of statistics at Stanford University and co-director of Stanford’s Meta-Research Innovation Center. Be sure to read all the comments, many of which trash the article and the author. Me? I am not so sure and am hoping that Ioannidis is more correct than not.
Don’t Forget
Washing your hands often with plain old soap is highly recommended.
Your Immune System
Folks interested in strengthening their immune system can consider the following protocol:
Take daily:
2,000mg Vitamin C — the liposomal form is preferable.
5,000 units Vitamin D3
10,000 units Vitamin A
15mg Zinc
I began the protocol above today, Sunday 22 MAR 2020.
At the first sign of viral infection, to turbocharge your immune system, take:
DAY 1: 50,000 units Vitamin D3, 150,000 units Vitamin A.
DAY 2: 35,000 units Vitamin D3, 100,000 units Vitamin A.
On DAY 3, if feeling better, repeat day 2; if not, repeat day 1
On DAY 1 take 15,000mg Vitamin C — the liposomal form is preferable. Follow that with 7,500mg each day thereafter for 10 days — the Chinese experience found this to be helpful.
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Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
What is scary about those numbers you mentioned Artie is that if half the U.S. population gets the virus, roughly 5 million people would die from it.
you have had long hair forever. when did you shave your head? nice look!
Guys, don’t overdose on vitamins… It can do more harm than good. It’s best to ask your doctor first. Best thing to do right now is to stay at home as much as possible. Stay safe!
Yes all good info haven’t read Stanford article yet. I might suggest taking some good probiotic capsules to help build up good bacteria flora especially if anyone has recently had a coarse/course of antibiotics which kills good and bad bacteria in the gut and intestines. Also and maybe I’m wrong here but having more good things fighting with any virus for a food source should help limit it’s feeding and multiplication. Consider some L-Lysine for helping to nullify reproduction and multiplication similar to Zinc which I take as well. God Bless One and All and let’s all stay diligent and practice the guidelines provided and encourage our youthful young H.S. & College age Americans and Global citizens to stay in and protect our elderly population. Thanks Artie
Probiotics are probably helpful in restoring a depleted gut flora but of no use whatever in fighting off a virus to which we have zero immunity. Bacteria do not ‘compete’ with viruses for food in the gut or anywhere else for that matter. Viruses attack cells in the body. In the case of covid-19 the cells of the respiratory tract. There is no defence other than robust good health (and a strong immune system) and avoiding getting infected in the first place.
There is no evidence that L-lysine or zinc ‘nullifies reproduction and multiplication’ of any virus.
This kind of ill-informed pseudoscience is at best a waste of time and money and at worst downright dangerous.
Both the USA and Europe and especially GB, have taken an excessively relaxed stance to this pandemic. Too little, too late. These governments are more interested in saving money and their corporate friends than saving people. There will be a price to pay medically, politically and economically.
Hi, Artie, or is it Dr. Morris? 🙂 I think what you’re doing is wise, as is exercising and eating well. I’m not normally a great exerciser but I’ve been walking half an hour a day at least recently. I figure that will improve my lung function and generally improve my health. I agree with you about carts in grocery stores; I regard every surface in a store as a source of infection. Same with gas pumps, which I use only with my left hand and with a paper towel if possible. Interesting piece by Ioannidis. One thing we do know about this new virus is that it’s much more contagious than flu. So even if all the other parameters (e.g., virulence) were the same as flu, it would be much more dangerous. Another issue is that the virus, like many others, mutates readily, and so everything can change over time. While I accept Ioannidis’s point in principle, I think it’s more likely that we’re doing too little as a country than too much. You, clearly, are taking it extremely seriously. In any case, thanks for your post and may we all stay well.
You also need to protect your eyes, because droplets falling into the eyes can cause infection.
Given your age, the best option is probably to absolutely avoid any contact whatsoever as far as possible.
“2019-nCoV transmission through the ocular surface must not be ignored”
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30313-5/fulltext
Artie, re Covid19. Seems like a well thought out and reasonable plan. If we can keep the transmission curve lower there will be more time to increase present resources and maybe develop an effective treatment. Stay safe.
Artie,
What you are doing is a good plan. The face mask works as a barrier that can block large airborne drops of saliva when someone near you coughs or sneezes. I also practice wiping the surfaces with bleach. plastic surfaces are the worst with viruses living up to 3 days on them. . The vitamins and zinc can also help.
I would like to add my recipe for boosting immunity or fighting viruses very early on, in addition to what you do. I take daily elderberry, either in tablet form (may be out in stores now) or tincture. Tincture is my favorite. about 30 drops in 1 cup of warm water and drink as a tea. Elderberry has antiviral property. I also have stocked up on a mushroom complex called My community – Comprehensive immune support. This has a strong antiviral action. Take 1 capsule daily for prophylaxis and 2 capsules very early in any viral syndrome. You start to feel a little ill with a scratchy throat – that is when to start it.
I have been using this formula for nearly 10-15 years. In my practice, I see many patients with viral upper respiratory infections. it has worked well for me and my family. Since the start of COVID-19 epidemic, I have been seeing and testing patients with suspected coronavirus infection, with a few positive test results. I take the daily prophylactic dose before I go to work. Of course, I wear complete protective equipment, but these supplements add extra protection. These items may already be sold out, but it is worth using them if available. If My community is not available, then one can try shiitake, Mytaki or Cordiceps (these are mushrooms) extracts if available as individual supplements. My 2 cents worth.
Hope everyone stays safe and healthy through this dangerous time.
Is there any science verifying this elderflower and mushroom cocktail? Or is it just another example of homeopathic pseudoscience?
You can look in Pub Med. Beta Glucan is the active ingredient in these mushrooms. In order to narrow the search, you can use the term ‘immunogenicity of beta glucan’. also search for elderberry to see research articles.