The ordinary everyday stuff

The other day, daughter Mary and her husband were swinging their two-year-old. After they put her down, she cried out in pain and held her arm in a bend. She did not move that arm for many hours. Her night was miserable, and the following morning Mary brought her to a children's hospital.

She had dislocated a ligament. It is called "nursemaid's elbow" and is common for little ones. Their ligaments are like rubber bands that can get caught between bones. The physician pulled on her arm gently and relieved the pain. In ten minutes, Nelly was feeling great again.

The hospital, Mary said, was deserted. We are all so concerned about Covid-19 that most of us are avoiding the hospitals to avoid infection. Rightly so. This situation means that hospitals are not taking in their regular scheduled surgeries and therefore losing money, and many health care professionals are being laid off or given shortened hours. In places where the outbreak is severe, however, they can't keep up with the load. Many nurses and doctors are transferring from the lightly-infected areas to the heavily-infected areas to help out.

Personal protective equipment continues to be in short supply. I am working on a reusable isolation gown to give to Animal Foundation here in Vegas so that they can save the disposable gowns for use in people hospitals. Unfortunately, I have a back pain issue. When I cut out the pattern yesterday my back went into this pain and it stayed all day. It is impossible to do much when that comes along. Normally, sleep fixes that. It did, almost. I still feel a little hint of that pain. I am hoping that it does not increase as I sew that gown.

3,427,265 confirmed cases worldwide
240,513 deaths worldwide

1,134,084 confirmed cases US
65,888 deaths US

5,248 confirmed cases Nevada
254 deaths Nevada