We have two young kids & another one due in about a month. The kids were coughing for a couple days late last week, early this week, which makes you wonder in the back of your mind. Yesterday, I started coughing & googled "dry cough" as I heard that was one of the symptoms, but I didn't know what exactly it meant. I've never been so damn happy to have phlegm in my throat when coughing as when I looked up what dry cough meant (I was guessing it involved a lack of mucus, but wasn't 100% certain).
The wife had a doctor's appointment last week & her doctor's office is located inside Rush Oak Park Hospital, where 2 ER doctors & a patient were recently diagnosed. The hospital is a small hospital, so it was a bit concerning, but my wife was an ICU nurse & decided to go, but to take some precautions. Since everything looks fine, the doctor suggested they skip the last appointment before delivery to reduce risk of exposure.
She is planning on delivering at Rush (downtown), which is a HUGE hospital. She is more impressed with that hospital than a lot of others in the area, including one near us (Advocate Lutheran General) that is generally well thought of. Even if Rush winds up with quite a few cases, one nice thing is that there is a way to get to the labor & delivery floor from the parking garage where you don't go through the rest of the hospital.
My first job (other than cutting lawns, etc) was when I was 14 at a mom & pop Pizza Place. I took hand washing very seriously and have washed my hands more than most people (especially when cooking). At one point, I was a actually bit worried that I might become obsessive about it, so tried dialing it back a bit. Because my wife was an ICU nurse, she has always taken hand washing seriously. Still a bit worried in the back of my mind over having her due next month. My biggest concern is if hospitals just get overwhelmed. Can't believe the CDC is suggesting "improvised" masks (like a bandanna or a scarf) is fine for a health care worker if supplies run out. I can understand people having to improvise, but for the CDC to suggest that is fine is a bit unnerving as it indicates how bad things already are around the country with respect to supplies.