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And yet, protests continue over mandatory masks....sigh!

Probably not the smartest move he has ever made. Given what happened recently at Brandi's, this was not a well thought out move. Is this kid ever going to grow up? I've seen 15 year olds with more maturity.

While I want to see our team be successful, I won't be upset if any player chooses not to play this abbreviated end of season/playoff. Everyone has to make the decision for themselves based on their individual circumstances and I respect that. I'll be disappointed for sure, as it adds a bit of "what if" to the outcome, but first and foremost should be individual player safety and wellbeing, and that extends to their family as well.

So true. Hard to know whether there are no cases, or just no reported cases. As we've all been made aware, many people may be asymptomatic, or have very mild symptoms and not know they are sick. Seeing that in the PGA with some golfers testing positive and being surprised as they felt no symptoms. Also most likely that Island Health may be the only ones that know whether the person got sick from someone who visited the Island or whether the person may have visited the mainland and brought it back with them. No one can let their guard down as I think the virus is still everywhere.

I follow this fellow on Twitter, he is a doctor in San Antonio. Generally he writes some really cool stories using Twitter as a medium which is a challenge. Yesterday he posted a "day in the life" in a hospital in San Antonio that consisted of 22 tweets. I've compiled it below, it's a frightening story, heartbreaking and a reminder to do all we can as individuals to slow the spread. If you are interested in checking him out, his name is Sayed Tabatabai and his Twitter handle is "The Real Doctor T". I'd highly recommend a follow. "I turn off the lights.These bulbs are old, not the newer LEDs. There is a lingering glow as the hot tungsten filaments gradually cool.I watch them as the room slowly goes dark.A lingering glow... and then nothing.I am exhausted, but I can’t sleep.A monster awaits.Morning comes far sooner than it has any right to, and before I know it I’m back in the hospital.It’s almost like my time away from this place was the dream, and the hospital is my waking reality.N95 on, surgical mask over it.Face shield for when it’s time.Armor up.You don’t face the monster without armor. Even if it’s in short supply, you reuse what you have, and you find a way to make it work.And you don’t face the monster alone.The intensivist sits with me in the dictation room.She is a seasoned veteran.She leads naturally.I’ve known her for five years now. She is kind, with a smile that brightens the room. Like when she shows me photos of her son’s graduation, or a funny meme.But beneath the kind smile is a steely resolve.And above the mask her green eyes are twin pools of calm strength.Something is different today.Something in the air, quite literally.The monster is on the prowl.The intensivist is more stressed than I can remember her being. Her smile is thin.“Tubed several so far. Floor people decompensating. ER is packed.”Short, staccato updates.We are in the dictation room together. A sort of fishbowl in the middle of the ICU, with large glass windows.A nurse comes up and opens the door, her voice terse. “Doc, we need you out here.”“Coming.” She gets up quickly, grabbing her stethoscope.I follow, to see.The COVID rooms are sealed, negative pressure rooms, constantly keeping air flowing inwards.Outside the doors are sets of IV pumps, so they can be adjusted without going inside.Face shields hang on makeshift hooks when not in use, names written on them in Sharpie.One of the patients is not yet intubated, but experiencing that rapid decline that is the hallmark of the monster attacking aggressively.The breathing is becoming shallow, labored, despite multiple interventions.The ICU team prepares for another intubation.Armor up.I am a nephrologist by training, but I am also board-certified in internal medicine, and I spend a fair amount of my time practicing critical care medicine.I sit down at the table outside the room. Backup, just in case things go sideways.The team preps rapidly, smoothly.To enter the monster’s lair and perform an “aerosolizing procedure” requires special precautions.The team (the doc, a respiratory therapist, and an ICU nurse) wears PAPR hoods.PAPR - Powered Air-Purifying Respirator, running on batteries.They put them on in silence.Once the PAPR is active you can’t hear much while wearing it. The whirring of the fan drowns out a lot of sound.To make sure they can hear each other, the team dials in to a special number, and tapes their headphones to their ears so they won’t dislodge accidentally.Sitting outside the room, I dial into the line on my phone, and I can hear them too.They enter the room, the door sliding open slightly with a hiss.Now they are in the monster’s lair.“You got everything?”“Yup.”“I’m going to move fast.”“Ready to position.”“On it.”They talk to each other with the calm efficiency of a cohesive team of professionals, at the peak of their expertise.I can hear the patient through their mics. She’s gasping with each labored breath.“Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod-“Her voice is growing quieter.Ominous.Sometimes when people sound quieter and calmer during a respiratory issue it’s a sign of impending doom.You can’t make noise if you can’t breathe.The team moves rapidly.“Etomidate.”“Yes.”“Succs.”“In.”The intensivist’s eyes are keenly focused as she intubates.She is a mother, and just a few weeks ago she was proudly showing me her son’s socially distanced graduation photos.As I watch her team save a life, I wonder how I could make people see.The risks that some have to take because of the simple steps that others wouldn’t.Afterwards we are back sitting in the dictation room. She reviews the chest x-ray to confirm the placement of the breathing tube.“Looks good.”She exhales deeply, rubbing her eyes. Then she looks up.“You ok Sayed? Did you eat something?”Her empathy is her strength.Before either of us can grab a bite to eat, another emergency page.Another patient beginning to succumb.The monster is raging like a wildfire.She opens a small packet of gummy bears, and pops a handful in her mouth.The sugar will help.Time to go.Armor up.The day passes in this way, and turns to night.Not every life has been saved. People have died today.My fatigue is the kind that makes my soul feel shallower.I am hollow.The work isn’t done, but it isn’t ours anymore. Backup arrives in the form of the on-call team.Before we leave for the day, I tell the intensivist I’m going to write about her.She is exhausted, her face marked with the indentations of her PPE, but she smiles.“Aw really? Be sure to tell your readers to wear their masks.”I nod. “You got it.”Time to go home.On the elevator to the garage, I run into the patient’s respiratory therapist.I tell her I’m going to write about the day.I ask her if she has any messages.She nods, and her smile is faint.“Wear your f***ing masks. Distance. None of this had to happen. None of it.”As I drive home I pass a restaurant less than a few blocks from the hospital.It’s packed, and I can see only a few masks as I drive by.The thought occurs to me.The monster isn’t just in those hospital rooms.Everywhere.People risking other people’s lives.I finally get home.Get ready for bed.I turn off the lights.These bulbs are old, not the newer LEDs. There is a lingering glow as the hot tungsten filaments gradually cool.I watch them as the room slowly goes dark.A lingering glow... and then nothing.A monster awaits.

https://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040/canucks-hughes-says-rest-has-him-ready-to-elevate-his-game-1.1491004 VANCOUVER – Quinn Hughes has put the hockey world on notice: he thinks he will be better coming out of the COVID-19 break than when he entered it four months ago. And that’s saying something because the 20-year-old defenseman has set the bar ridiculously high for himself with 53 points in the 69 games he played in his rookie season in the National Hockey League. Speaking to media via Zoom after his first on-ice session in Vancouver since March 10th, Hughes expressed his excitement to get back to work at training camp soon and beyond that a play-in series with the Minnesota Wild. “I think maybe the four months off here was a blessing in disguise for me,” Hughes revealed. “I feel really strong now. I think I can perform better in the playoffs now than I would have three and a half months ago.” Hughes returned to Vancouver over the weekend after spending the break at home with his parents and younger brothers Jack and Luke. He says while he missed the competitive nature of the NHL, he says he maintained his edge by battling his siblings in a variety of sports on a daily basis. “I’m more competitive at home than I would be here, honestly, I think,” he said. “Whether it was ping pong or basketball or anything really, we were competitive. We’d play basketball for two or three hours a day and then we’d work out. Towards the end we could skate, too. And our pool was in, too, so we did a lot of swimming. It was pretty rowdy at the house and we had a lot of fun.” While Phase 2 small group skates are the first step toward a return to NHL life, Hughes has had plenty of time to consider what lies ahead for himself and his hockey club. For months now, the Canucks have known they would face the Minnesota Wild in a best of five play-in series for the right to participate in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hughes has spent time thinking about his game and how he can help the Canucks get past the Wild, but he also knows the Minnesota coaching staff has had the same amount of time to game plan for its opponent. And if the Wild aren’t taking steps to keep Hughes in check, then they do so are their own peril. Despite his young age, Hughes has proven to be a one-man breakout machine, a power play wizard and a huge play driver for the Canucks. He’s well-aware that he’s going to be a target whenever the puck drops and the teams start playing for keeps. “This time away from the game has given me a lot time to reflect on where I can get better and the future and what that series might look like. They’re going to play hard and it’s going to be do or die. They’re going to play pretty physical and those are things that I’m going to have to get used to," Hughes said. "I think it’s going to be really fun, honestly. I’ve used this time to get stronger. I’ve done a really good job at that. I feel as strong as I’ve ever been. I’m confident and I’m excited to come back here.” A stronger, fresher Quinn Hughes should have the Canucks and their fans excited, too.

One can easily pull together quotes from all the nutbars and so called experts that all agree on opposing current recommended practices for dealing with COVID-19. Interestingly in looking at 3 of the so called experts listed, they aren't being quoted much recently. Most of their information is from early May. The Chief Health Officer in Sweden has admitted that the approach that Sweden took was wrong and if he had to do it over again, he would recommend a different strategy. If you talk to almost anyone who has recovered from COVID-19, it is far and away nothing like a common flu. I don't believe your article lists all available studies on COVID-19, only those ones that support the thesis of that particular article. Back to hockey talk!

Ah, that makes more sense....thanks!

I'm disappointed that one of our youngbloods thinks that "a lot of Vancity" said it - cheering against the team to do well in the Playin/playoffs. I don't think that's the case, or at least I hope not. There will always be some that look for greener grass over the fence, but I hope that most of us will cheer the team on to win as many games as possible.

Huge thank you to @mllfor the very detailed explanation of all the financial gyrations and implications. I was clear on what/how escrow operated or all the details that you shared. I really appreciate the time you took to respond and the amount of explanation you provided. Hugely educational for me and hopefully others!

Am I the only one that is wondering what on earth Bettman has on his feet? He's wearing a decent looking suit, and it looks like hiking runners??????

I'll admit...the whole draft process - percentages, odds etc makes my head hurt. Thank you to those that understand it for making it simpler for those of us who are not math prodigy's. You all are probably good at counting cards in Vegas as well?

Yeh, she was apparently at a law conference in the US in early March, got sick as soon as she got home. Never hospitalized, but interesting longer term effects. Again seems to show that there isn't a clear pattern of how the disease will affect people. Certainly it's clear older people may be at more risk, but have heard of people in their 90's recovering just fine. People with underlying health issues have more risk, but then some people develop awful issues as their body attacks itself. Nick Cordero is a solid example, 41 years old and no underlying health issues. 85 days and counting in the ICU, lost a leg, severe lung damage, may not survive or recover his health.

This story from a young Vancouver based lawyer describing her ongoing symptoms after recovering from COVID is interesting. I'm cutting and pasting from Twitter as the story is about 8 tweets long so didn't want to link all of them. After having COVID in March, I did not think I had any long-term health consequences other than a little shortness of breath. Of course, like everything with COVID, we still barely know anything. And I barely know what it has done to my body. Since recovering, I have had 2 ER visits, three COVID swabs, and countless unexplainable symptoms of illness. I will be fine for several weeks, and then suddenly my body will start to run a fever. I will get chest pains, a cough, shortness of breath, a viral rash all over my face with redness into my eyes at times, and muscle aches. When these symptoms appear they last for a week to ten days, and then just go away. Each time I've gone to the ER on the recommendation of health professionals, and each time I've had a complete blood workup, urine tests, and chest x-rays. Other than the symptoms, I am a picture of perfect health. There is no apparent cause for them. This never happened to me before getting COVID. This is new after having the virus. Is it connected? I don't know. It's a mystery. Why I have these symptoms is a mystery, but I know there are people who have inflammatory responses after COVID and I may be in that group. I don't know whether this is forever, or just for now, or whether the periods between flare ups will get longer and longer. I want to find answers, but science and available medical testing doesn't have them for me. Since I think it's important to share my experiences with COVID, I also think it's important to share this. It may not be connected, but I have a really big feeling that it is. And others should know that this may happen to them too. So many questions and so few answers. Wear a mask, stay away from others, wash your hands.

I believe they are, however in some instances they have been allowed to privatize and become "for profit" which then puts the decision making into a different bucket. IMHO there should be an independent 3rd party tasked with overseeing care homes to ensure regulations are met, a specified level of care is met through adequate training and staffing levels. I'd be happy to see my tax dollars going to ensure that our elders are provided with comfort and caring during their last years.

Did a quick search for Dr. Bush - he is selling something which makes me highly suspicious of his motives. I'll stick with Dr. Henry and her science and experience based analysis and recommendations.

It's manipulative for the care home owners/managers as they maintain part time staff and avoid having to pay all the benefits that a full time employee would earn, and the workers have to scramble, working at multiple locations to generate a living income.

In terms of care homes, a big challenge and cause for spread of COVID - 19 was the sharing of staff between care homes. Certainly not all staff was quarantined away from their families, that might have been the case in some instances, but not completely. Workers were often scheduled to work in multiple care homes so if infected they could spread the virus easily in multiple locations. That was the big push for the BC provincial government to work to establish single location scheduling which they finally achieved at all care homes in the past couple of weeks. Now all care home workers are scheduled to a single care home so that should help significantly if we end up in a spike of cases as anticipated in the fall. I think one needs to carefully examine so called experts - generally if YouTube or FB have taken down video clips it's because there were complaints about the veracity of the content. Medical doctors may have significant medical training, but they may also have underlying reasons to take a specific position, especially if they can profit financially from their position and convincing others of their position.

Sorry, I've tried several times to provide a response but anything I type sounds like I'm attacking you and trying to inflame the situation when that isn't my intent. I just prefer to look at all sides of an issue rather than take an entrenched position. I still don't think the government decision was all that risky. For a variety of reasons that I and others have provided. I guess that's what makes for healthy debate as we all come at issues from different points of view. I doubt that you're going to change yours, I'm probably not going to change mine unless there is a body of evidence that indicates that the government decision was wrong, so far I haven't seen that.

As Paul Harvey said...the rest of the story. The teacher was exposed to the virus in a social setting, found through contact tracing, was not infected in a school setting. Before KOS and others collectively gather up pitchforks and torches.....

Heard on the radio last night that the discussion for agreement is to extend the player contracts to expire on Oct 31st rather than June 30. https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhl-nhlpa-tentatively-agree-extend-expiring-contracts-oct-31/ Seems like a long extension, not sure why and the article doesn't indicate a reason. Perhaps because it's a bit unknown right now when the season will restart and end?

Story I heard is that no one is talking about it because he didn't release the info so it's private medical information. Generally teams would announce "a player" from their team but not the identity without the players permission. Makes sense.

I would think that each hub would need at least 4 NHL quality ice surfaces as teams will need practice time as well as games. It wouldn't be just the ice surface but the need for quality dressing/treatment rooms as well. Potentially Thunderbird arena could be in the mix as the Canucks use it as a practice facility now, then all the arena's you mentioned except maybe the Agrodome? Could see them using Abbotsford at the beginning, then dropping it and potentially Langley off as teams are eliminated and the need for ice drops.