East Coast Rally is Cancelled

[SuiteSuccess]

Folks,

    It is with deep regret that I am announcing the cancellation of the 2020 East Coast HDT Rally due to the continuing spread of the Coronavirus in the U.S.  As a retired physician I prefer to deal in facts, not media hype but in listening to leaders in the healthcare field from the National Institute of Health, CDC, and others it has become evident that the group at most risk for serious complications is the over 60 age group especially those with comorbid health issues.  I am hoping I am being overly cautious but would much rather take this route than have any of my friends contract the virus and suffer a serious complication.
    Several folks have already indicated they intend to keep their reservations at Deer Run but understand there will be NO formal scheduled activities or seminars.  I have informed Deer Run of the cancellation and they will be issuing refunds for any deposits already posted with them minus a processing fee.  If you DO NOT plan on keeping your site, please notify them at deerrunrvresort1@gmail.com to process your refund.  I have nothing to do with their timing of processing.
    T-shirts have not been purchased so I will begin processing full refunds for rally registrations and t-shirt orders in the next week.  If you have not received a refund in two weeks, please notify me at ecrcarl@gmail.com.
    Again, I regret the necessity of this decision but stand by it for the welfare of all.  Hopefully we will be able to resume the rally next year.  Emails have been sent to all registrations and posting has been made on Facebook.

Carl & Donna Wagner
David Dixon

Edited March 10, 2020 by SuiteSuccess

[NTPA Announcer]

Carl and Crew,

While we are very sorry to hear your decision, Miss Judy and I will still be going and attending the 2020 " Almost ECR  Rally " 

We hope to see all our friends there .....and Roger too.😀😀

[SuiteSuccess]

23 minutes ago, NTPA Announcer said:

Carl and Crew,

While we are very sorry to hear your decision, Miss Judy and I will still be going and attending the 2020 " Almost ECR  Rally " 

We hope to see all our friends there .....and Roger too.😀😀

Still be some socializing going on.  Always appreciate your support, but 35 years in medicine taught me one bad decision haunts you forever and like I said I couldn’t live with one of my friends having a bad outcome because I ignored the data.  I hope everyone still understands that our individual risks are still extremely low but at least this way we’re not crowded together for 5-8 hrs a day and we mitigate that risk even more.

[Nigel]

Sorry to hear you had to cancel but I understand why.  Considering how far it has spread worldwide in three months who knows where it will be in another month.  
We will find somewhere closer to home to go even if there is still snow on the ground.

Nigel

[rickeieio]

We'll still be there.  I know we'e putting our lives on the line, but the camaraderie is worth the risk.  Hmm.  Someone here has in their signature a line about living, rather than shying away from danger....  Dan?

[Av8r3400]

1 hour ago, rickeieio said:

We'll still be there.  I know we'e putting our lives on the line, but the camaraderie is worth the risk.  Hmm.  Someone here has in their signature a line about living, rather than shying away from danger....  Dan?

We are still going to make the trip.  We may need to plan some more activities.  Possibly rent a car to tour the area more...

[HERO Maker]

Not to cause confusion, but:

Marc Serota (one of our former allergy fellows at Childrens Mercy) posted this on facebook. I think it is the clearest statement regarding Coronavirus I have seen per one of our Current Asthma/allergy Doctors:

From an MD immunologist:

I don't post a lot on facebook but I would like to give my perspective and context on the coronavirus outbreak. I hope I can be a more reputable source of perspective as a physician who specializes and is board certified in immunology (as well as pediatrics, allergy and dermatology).

1. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses. "coronavirus" is not unique to this particular strain. Everyone reading this has likely had another different coronavirus infection. This particular strain has been named COVID-19.

2. Every upper respiratory virus has the potential to be lethal. Patients unfortunately die from many upper respiratory viral infections every year - most prominently the influenza virus. 30,000 people died from the influenza virus in 2019. The media didn't report each one. They have reported all 11 coronavirus deaths. Not telling us about the people lost but rather keeping a death "toll".

Let me repeat that:
-Coronavirus: 11 deaths (US in 2020), 3300 deaths (China in 2020).
-Influenza: 30,000 deaths (US in 2019).

*Influenza pandemic of 1918: 675,000! (US), 20-50 MILLION!! (worldwide) <---These people I think would have been in favor of receiving their annual flu vaccine.

This is not meant to minimize any of these deaths but rather to give context and put some facts to the hysteria.

3. If you're healthy, there is no need to walk around wearing a mask. In addition to looking silly and most of the time wearing/taking them off wrong - which would actually make you more prone to acquiring an infection, they don't prevent you from getting sick. If you're actually sick stay away from people and then, sure, wear a mask so you aren't spreading respiratory droplets every time you cough/sneeze. In medicine we don't wear the masks you're buying and we wear other protective equipment - not just a silly looking mask you found on Amazon. When you see doctor's walking around the world wearing a mask then you should too. Until then, stop.

4. The symptoms are that of the flu. As doctors we don't test or know about most people with mild or moderate flu symptoms. That means most people will probably get it and just think they had the flu. That means you're only going to hear about the cases that get serious - not all the minor ones which will be the vast majority of cases.

5. When it is said that people who are older or have other medical conditions are most likely to die - that is equally true for EVERY upper respiratory virus. There is nothing unique about that to this particular virus. It does mean that the only cases we tend to know about are the severe ones. Once a case is severe it then makes sense to test the patient to find out what virus in particular they have. That means you can easily overestimate how severe or lethal the virus is because the only cases you end up knowing about are the serious ones.

In summary 30,000 people died from the flu last year. Another 30,000 died in car accidents.

I remember: H1N1 (2009), MERS (2012), Ebola (2014), Coronavirus (2020).

Take it from me: The poor resident who stood at the door of the ER to triage people in 2009's swine flu (H1N1) hysteria. The over reaction is exponentially worse than the actual problem and in 2020 the over reactions I'm seeing are remarkable. In cold and flu season you'll probably get sick once or twice for about a week each. You might even get this particular coronavirus and most of you won't even know it. I've seen people raiding supermarkets, major meetings and sporting events getting cancelled and fear/racism towards Asian people. These reactions are totally unnecessary and panic based. Just do what you've always done during cold/flu season. Stay away from other people when you're sick, wash your hands and keep them away from your face, and only go to the ER if you feel your symptoms are more severe than a bad cold/flu (shortness of breath, high fever, etc.). And also realize you can't live on earth and not get viral illnesses from time to time. It's a part of nature.

Please don't ask for antibiotics (those treat bacteria - not viruses). Thats like asking for a fire extinguisher when you're drowning. It can be a life saving device - but the wrong one for the problem at hand. Some doctor's don't want to fight about it when patients insist on antibiotics so they just prescribe them - but it doesn't mean its actually helping you and in some cases they can be harmful (resistance, infections, allergic reactions just to name a few). If you're one who asks for antibiotics every time you're sick, again, take it from me: ask for a flu shot each year and a doctor's note to stay home from work when you're sick instead. You will be much better off.

The government is very proud that testing will be available to every American. Remember, we don't test for any respiratory virus other than the influenza virus routinely. The reason is thats the only virus that has a treatment (pill) you can take to shorten the duration of severity of the illness. I suspect if we start testing everyone with cold symptoms for coronavirus we're going to find lots of it. It's not going to change the recommendations to stay home and rest. And its not going to predict the small percentage of people who may develop more severe symptoms. Essentially whether someone has coronavirus 19 or some other cold/flu virus isn't going to matter to your doctor. What it will do is slam urgent cares, ER's and hospitals with every patient who has a cold so they can be tested. It is much more sensible to reserve testing for patients requiring hospitalization or more advanced treatments. Even that wouldn't change their management but would be more to confirm the diagnosis and to not waste time looking for other causes of the patients symptoms.

In conclusion, yes there is a novel virus that our immune systems haven't seen yet so to get immune to it you will have to get infected - at least until a vaccine is developed to bypass the getting sick part and just jumping straight to immune. Most people's immune systems will do that effectively and be fine. A small percentage of unfortunate patients (primarily elderly, immune compromised etc.) will not be able to do that effectively and will need more advanced care. This is true of the cold/flu viruses we deal with every year. Follow normal cold/flu precautions and seek medical care if you feel your symptoms are severe. No need to get hysterical.

These outbreaks can be instructive for overall knowledge of public health. In particular showing your immune system the uniform of a potential invader (virus) so that if it ever sees a soldier wearing that uniform it will immediately attack and neutralize it without you ever getting sick. That is a wonderful thing and probably the single biggest achievement in medicine throughout human history. That is what vaccines are. The benefit to risk ratio of them are off the charts in favor of vaccines. If viruses like coronavirus scare you, then stay up to date on your vaccines and your immune system will be running the latest software.

If you still think you should be scared consider this: Doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff are going to hospitals every day. Crowded buildings with tons of sick people. They aren't walking around the halls of the hospitals wearing masks and they haven't stopped going to work. And they are all rolling their eyes at everyone else right now.

Marc Serota, MD

 

[ARGO]

Geez, the first year I could go, too. Carl, you made the right decision. I'm still considering going if I won't be alone. Maybe a lot of alcohol will hold it at bay..............

[alan0043]

Hi Everyone,

I can feel for Carl. I know this was not and easy decision to make. It probably kept him up at night. Carl also talks about the HDT group as family. When you have a family you do everything in your power to protect them. 

Thank You Carl and Donna for what you folks do for the rally.

Al

[FarisWheels RV Journeys]

We really hate that this decision had to be made; however we still plan to be there for the month of April currently.  Was looking forward to a lot of learning and maybe some shopping of rigs for sale.  Still driving a LGT currently but ready to make the leap....LoL...

[Danandfreda]

Good then we won’t be the only one with an lgt again. 

[Twotoes]

Thanks Dr Serota. That was a good informative read. 

[Star Dreamer]

We are still planning on going, we will just have to go back to the ECR roots and make it a social event without the seminars! 

[Star Dreamer]

4 hours ago, ARGO said:

Geez, the first year I could go, too. Carl, you made the right decision. I'm still considering going if I won't be alone. Maybe a lot of alcohol will hold it at bay..............

Doesn't sound like you will be alone!

[Sculptor]

We will be there.  Last year we attended for a little while but had to leave right away.  This year we will stay for at least a few days.

 

[rickeieio]

As a side note, today my bride and I went out to lunch.  I'd been handling lumber with evidence of mice sprinkled about, so thought perhaps I should wash my hands.  Finish washing and what do I find?  No paper towel dispenser, just one of those whiz bang air dryers where it looks like you're putting your hands into a big sandwich and it blows off the water.  Issue is, my hands don't fit.  I make contact with the machine from the knuckles back.  Sanitary my butt.........

[SuiteSuccess]

1 hour ago, rickeieio said:

As a side note, today my bride and I went out to lunch.  I'd been handling lumber with evidence of mice sprinkled about, so thought perhaps I should wash my hands.  Finish washing and what do I find?  No paper towel dispenser, just one of those whiz bang air dryers where it looks like you're putting your hands into a big sandwich and it blows off the water.  Issue is, my hands don't fit.  I make contact with the machine from the knuckles back.  Sanitary my butt.........

Rick,

Air dryers like those and the other type just blow contagions all over the room.  Best are the automatic paper towel dispensers that no one touches.

[GeorgiaHybrid]

11 hours ago, Danandfreda said:

Good then we won’t be the only one with an lgt again. 

Never fear, you and Freda can be in an older version of your truck any time you need a fix.

[hone eagle]

we were going to get there week early anyway ,still a real good possibility.

[chief916]

On 3/10/2020 at 3:20 PM, SuiteSuccess said:

Folks,

    It is with deep regret that I am announcing the cancellation of the 2020 East Coast HDT Rally due to the continuing spread of the Coronavirus in the U.S.  As a retired physician I prefer to deal in facts, not media hype but in listening to leaders in the healthcare field from the National Institute of Health, CDC, and others it has become evident that the group at most risk for serious complications is the over 60 age group especially those with comorbid health issues.  I am hoping I am being overly cautious but would much rather take this route than have any of my friends contract the virus and suffer a serious complication.
    Several folks have already indicated they intend to keep their reservations at Deer Run but understand there will be NO formal scheduled activities or seminars.  I have informed Deer Run of the cancellation and they will be issuing refunds for any deposits already posted with them minus a processing fee.  If you DO NOT plan on keeping your site, please notify them at deerrunrvresort1@gmail.com to process your refund.  I have nothing to do with their timing of processing.
    T-shirts have not been purchased so I will begin processing full refunds for rally registrations and t-shirt orders in the next week.  If you have not received a refund in two weeks, please notify me at ecrcarl@gmail.com.
    Again, I regret the necessity of this decision but stand by it for the welfare of all.  Hopefully we will be able to resume the rally next year.  Emails have been sent to all registrations and posting has been made on Facebook.

Carl & Donna Wagner
David Dixon

Well stated Doc.

Thank you for explaining this.  Great info.

[rickeieio]

I confirmed with Deer Run that we're in for 4-15 through 4-28.  Campfire seminars are good.👍

[Mark&Bonnie]

Bonnie and I are still planning on being there. Still sounds like a great time. Mark

[JPL]

Carl   I think you made the right decision . We will not be there. Our thoughts and prayers will be with all of the folks that will be there. So have a great HAPPY HOUR and we will see all of you next year. If anyone gets to the Tidewater Va area let us know. Would love to see them and offer a visit to the Navy base.    Pat

 

 

The Old Sailor

[SuiteSuccess]

8 hours ago, JPL said:

Carl   I think you made the right decision . We will not be there. Our thoughts and prayers will be with all of the folks that will be there. So have a great HAPPY HOUR and we will see all of you next year. If anyone gets to the Tidewater Va area let us know. Would love to see them and offer a visit to the Navy base.    Pat

 

 

The Old Sailor

Thanks Pat.  I do not regret the decision at all.  We are still weighing our actions also.  I’m receiving a lot of loving concern from our adult kids and grandkids.  Making them worry is just not in the cards when they have other things to deal with.

[Danandfreda]

Definitely the right decision because it’s getting worse at least around here. We got kicked out of the state park we were in last Sunday when governor shut all state parks. 3campers there in the whole park, luckily we found a private campground only 9 minutes from work. Tuesday they sent us all home for at least two weeks. They will see then if they need to do it longer. So we won’t be there until April 16th now. Hopefully the truck will be ready about then. So much for planning, have to wait till places open back up South Dakota dmv sound like they are closing too. If anybody is driving trough Illinois on 55 just south of Springfield there is a campground all full hookups right on highway. It’s still open. See you all when this slows down