Coronavirus COVID-19 *Global Health Emergency* #12

[Henry2326]

Coronavirus: LIVE updates as location of Scotland's two new COVID-19 cases confirmed

Scottish Government
https://twitter.com/scotgov
✔@scotgov
A further two patients have been diagnosed with coronavirus (#COVIDー19) in Scotland, bringing the total number of cases to three.

I want to flee to Antarctica right now.

Ditto....

 

[zecats]

Exactly. And just because someone is Chinese it doesn't mean they must have been anywhere near China recently! I wouldn't have an issue eating Chinese food.

The problem appears to have originated from what the Chinese were eating IN China (as in unregulated and endangered species of animal(s)). It has nothing to do with Chinese food, especially Chinese food prepared locally by the restauranteurs who own places in the Chinatown neighborhoods, etc. JMO

 

[FrostOwl]

View attachment 236108 View attachment 236109

Commuters spotted wearing boxes and bags over heads amid coronavirus panic

As Covid-19 continues to spread, people in the UK have started taking rather interesting precautions to protect themselves from the virus

Commuters spotted wearing boxes and bags over heads amid coronavirus panic

Well, I'm glad that I decided to not go to London two weeks from now for a concert. I cancelled not because of the virus, but because I would have to place my cats in a boarding cattery for too many days, which they wouldn't like very much. They are both over 10 years old now, so they are better at being at home instead.

 

[Henry2326]

US too.....

Coronavirus: aged care homes in Australia need audit of infectious disease protocols, advocates urge Coronavirus: aged care homes in Australia need audit of infectious disease protocols, advocates urge

 

[JerseyGirl]

Chicago State cancels hoops games due to virus

The Chicago State University men's basketball team will not travel for two regularly scheduled Western Athletic Conference games this week, and its women's team will not host two games, citing the spread of the coronavirus.

The school said in a statement it was making the move with the "health and well-being of the campus community in mind."

The cancellations are believed to be the first by a major sport in the United States due to the virus.

 

[zecats]

The World Health Organization announced on Tuesday that the global death rate of the disease caused by the new coronavirus was 3.4 percent.

RIGHT NOW

Deaths outside China exceeded those inside the country for the first time since the start of the outbreak.

Coronavirus Live Updates: Fatality Rate of Covid-19 Is Higher Than the Flu

The head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday that the global mortality rate for Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, was 3.4 percent, a figure that primarily reflects the outbreak in China, where the vast majority of cases have been detected.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the organization’s director general, said in a news conference in Geneva that Covid-19 was deadlier than the seasonal flu but did not transmit as easily. “Globally, about 3.4 percent of reported Covid-19 cases have died,” Dr. Tedros said. “By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1 percent of those infected.”

 

[Inthedetails]

Round and round it goes....

China's Custom Authority says 75 international arrivals into the country have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Custom Authority said that as of March 3, 6,728 international arrivals to China were showing symptoms, with 779 arrivals classified as suspected cases and 75 testing positive.

Coronavirus cases pass 92,000 worldwide as more reported in US and Australia

Very interesting that this refers to shipments INTO China.

What about shipments out of China?

jmo

 

[asyousay]

The problem appears to have originated from what the Chinese were eating IN China (as in unregulated and endangered species of animal(s)). It has nothing to do with Chinese food, especially Chinese food prepared locally by the restauranteurs who own places in the Chinatown neighborhoods, etc. JMO

I was not aware these chiefs couldn’t travel and don’t have family’s who also never travel globally. That’s how this has spread because of global travel when I last checked.

 

[Inthedetails]

Coronavirus panic: Why are people stockpiling toilet paper?

Consumer psychology experts say the behaviour is "obviously irrational", and a clear example of herd mentality whipped up by social media and news coverage.

The pictures of bare aisles haven't helped.

"What you've got to remember is that when 50 packs of toilet paper rolls disappear off shelves, you really notice it because they take up so much room," says Prof Debra Grace from Griffith University.

"It's much more noticeable than say 50 cans of baked beans or hand sanitiser disappearing."

FOMO syndrome - or Fear Of Missing Out - is in full force here says Associate Professor Nitika Garg from the University of New South Wales.

"They think if this person is buying it, if my neighbour is buying there's got to be a reason and I need to get in too," she told the BBC.

Prof Garg compares the rush to what occurred in many Asian nations. She notes that in China for example, there was a greater motivation to stock up on white ply because "there's a thinking that toilet paper can be substituted for tissues and napkins and to make makeshift masks".

Using toilet paper as a medical resource isn't fuelling the Australian demand so far, she says. The local buy-up is driven by fear.

She suggests the situation is unprecedented. Australians have stocked up on household goods before but it's been due to a natural disaster like a bushfire or cyclone, and restricted to certain communities.

"But when it comes to coronavirus, people aren't certain as to how things are going to pan out, or how much worse it's going to get," Prof Garg says.

"They want to be prepared because it's the one thing they can do to get some sense of control."

Another consumer expert, Dr Rohan Miller from the University of Sydney, believes it is a reflection of an urbanised society and lifestyle where modern convenience reigns supreme.

"We're not used to shortages and scarcity, we're used to being able to pick and choose what we want, when we want. So the rush to get toilet paper is just this sheep mentality to maintain that status," he says.

Soft, white squares of toilet roll - marketed with pictures of puppies and pure snow - are a daily "luxury" that Australians and others just aren't willing to mentally part with.

"I think people want to make sure they have some comforts in their lives if they're going to be shacked up with their family for a long time," he says.

"Toilet paper doesn't really matter - it's just so far down the survival list compared to other things like food or water - but it's just something people cling to as a minimum standard."

Coronavirus panic: Why are people stockpiling toilet paper?

I worked as a grocery store check-out clerk one year during college. Whenever bad weather was forecast, there would be a surge of shoppers....buying TP and milk. Never failed. TP and milk.

jmo

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Oh my word, people...

Boxes on heads, condoms on fingers, unopened parcels... I don’t know whether to laugh or cry!

 

[PayrollNerd]

Snips from the link:

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Tuesday, Governor Ron DeSantis’ office told ABC7 that there is a third “presumptive positive” case of coronavirus in Florida.

Gov. DeSantis says Florida now has a third “presumptive positive” case of coronavirus

A “presumptive positive” case means the state has tested a patient and that test has come back positive, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have yet to confirm the positive result.

Several media outlets are reporting the new case involves the sister of the 20-year-old woman in Hillsborough County who the CDC confirmed as one of the two cases of coronavirus, or COVID-19, in Florida. The second case involves a man from Manatee County.

In updated numbers on their website, the Florida Health Department says in addition to these three cases, 16 people have results pending and 247 are being monitored.
The first cases were announced late Sunday when Gov. DeSantis issued an executive order directing state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees to declare a public health emergency as Florida tries to control the spread of the contagious disease.

Already the Suncoast is feeling the effects. ABC7 spoke to a woman whose daughter, a nurse, and 17-year-old grandson, a student at Sarasota Military Academy, are currently being quarantined following possible exposure at Doctors Hospital in Sarasota.

The Manatee County case involves a man who does not have a history of traveling to countries that have been identified for restricted travel by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health said. The man, whose name and age were not released, sought health care and will remain isolated until cleared by public-health officials.

The Hillsborough County case involves a woman in her 20s with a history of traveling to Italy, which is under a travel warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because of an outbreak of the respiratory illness. The Hillsborough County patient is isolated and will remain so until cleared by public-health officials, the Department of Health said.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

“I'm thinking that in a pandemic, it's probably best to have family sprawled across the planet to ensure optimal familial survival.”

Wow....that is DEEP. Holy moly.



I absolutely second this.

Wow @otto , that is a good one

The scourge might be that antibiotics were overused in the 1980s until warnings of antibiotic over-use to treat viruses (rather than bacteria) was leading to stronger viruses. It was warned that eventually viruses would become too strong for antibiotics. Are we there yet?

Antibiotics work to interupt DNA reproduction of the bacteria, or to "poke holes" in their cell walls etc. They do NOT work against viruses as viruses don't have DNA, nor do they have "cell walls" that the antibiotics act upon.

I’m watching Monday’s WHO Presser now. I’m noting there are 1.2K thumbs up and 1.4K thumbs down. Yikes. I love Dr. Tedros and Dr. Mike.

Are people ranking popularity of a health expert during a global epidemic?

I don't think they are giving them the thumbs down, just the news. Kinda like sometimes we wish we didn't only have a like button here iykwim

I agree. IMO, the focus needs to be on SLOWING the spread within each community as they get hit. We all stand a better chance of beating the odds as long as we can receive quality treatment. I don’t see containment in the typical sense as a realistic option. But we need to find a way to space it out so the medical community at large doesn’t get completely overwhelmed.

If we look at Hubei as the model for the progression of infection, the results are rather misleading. The “peak” of the virus in Hubei was artificially created by the extreme lockdown placed on the province. Scientists are already warning of a second “wave” in Hubei when the quarantine measures are relaxed. So, unfortunately, we don’t know yet just how long it would take for this virus to naturally peak on its own. Had they not locked it down, the numbers would have skyrocketed, and according to early projections, the peak would not yet have occurred. If true, then what we witnessed taking place in Wuhan was really just the tip of the iceberg if left to natural progression. IMO, pacing the speed will be the key to the best possible outcome. The real question is how?

Every day that we gain by slowing the progression puts us one day closer to better treatment options, one day closer to a vaccine. Someone recently posted an article on this thread that a 98(?) year old woman that had been infected in Wuhan was recently classified as “recovered”, so it appears treatment options are already improving.
Maybe we start by insulating the elderly in nursing homes and the like, as they are in the highest risk category, this would provide a delay for that group and in turn would reduce the number of patients that are most likely to need medical attention if/when they get infected.
Not necessarily the “right” answer, but just an example of one possibility.

What I do know, is that having our hospitals as packed as our stores are on Black Friday is not the best scenario for any of us - and specifically for the frontline healthcare workers that will be overtaxed no matter how this all plays out. I honestly feel for the healthcare workers the most. As we explore the various options to limit our exposure - hiding in isolation will be one option they won’t have.

To anyone working the frontlines of the medical field that reads this post - my heartfelt thanks in advance!!!

Great post. To my non-understanding friends (ha, those that don't think like us here) I'm going to use the analogy of the hospitals are going to be in a position of being Black Friday shopping lines and not getting what you want if needed. They''ll understand then when I speak to flattening of the curve and why delay/isolation etc is needed then. Naw, probably not. pfft.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Evangelical service in eastern France is center of new virus outbreak

French authorities have asked people who took part in an Evangelical Lent celebration in eastern France last month to limit social contact after 10 new confirmed coronavirus infections were traced to the event.

Christophe Lannelongue, head of the eastern France health agency, said he expected more confirmed cases of coronavirus infection to appear in the region following the discovery of the 10 cases in two families, all linked to a Lent church service in which some 2,000 people took part.

 

[Henry2326]

Georgia Governor this morning......risk is low. See video at link...

Singing off the song page.....

Kaitlyn Pratt on Twitter

CORONAVIRIS IN GEORGIA
@GovKemp on @GoodDayAtlanta -
“We are preparing for days ahead... while dealing with cases we have. Do fist bumps instead of handshakes, use hand sanitizer.” Kaitlyn Pratt on Twitter

 

[Henry2326]

Recent case history.....

Timeline (GMT)
4 March

• 12:55: 6 new cases in San Marino. (Source)
• 12:42: 6 new cases in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. (Source)
• 12:41: 4 new cases in Tokyo, Japan. (Source)
• 12:40: 1 new case in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. This is the first case in Miyazaki Prefecture. (Source)
• 12:39: 9 new cases in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. (Source)
• 12:38: 15 new cases in the Netherlands. (Source)
• 12:37: 1 new death in South Korea. (Source)
• 11:50: 4 new cases in Bavaria, Germany. (Source)
• 11:30: 1 new case in Northern Territory, Australia. This is the first case in Northern Territory. Patient is a 52-year-old tourist who arrived in Darwin via Sydney. (Source)
• 10:58: 10 new cases in Belgium. Nine of the new patients recently returned from Italy. The other patient had contact with a prior case. (Source)
• 10:48: 586 new cases and 15 new deaths in Iran. (Source)
• 09:50: 1 new case in Portugal. Patient recently traveled from Italy. (Source)
• 09:38: 1 new case in Greece. Contact of an earlier case. (Source)
• 09:31: 3 new cases in Austria. (Source)
• 09:28: 2 new cases in Iceland. Both patients recently traveled from Italy. (Source)
• 09:10: 2 new cases in Belarus. (Source)
• 09:05: 37 new cases in Germany. (Source)

 

[Lilibet]

Flu shot doesn't even always gives you immunity for the flu, let alone coronavirus. I know several people who got flu shots and still got influenza this winter.

I’ll still take my chances with the flu shot, but you’re right that it’s not 100% effective and doesn’t protect you from coronavirus. The latest estimate from the CDC on the effectiveness of the 2019-20 vaccine is 45%. See below and entire report.

Interim Estimates of 2019–20 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine ...
Summary
What is already known about this topic?

Annual vaccination against seasonal influenza is recommended for all U.S. persons aged ≥6 months. Effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine varies by season.

What is added by this report?

According to data from the U.S. Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network on 4,112 children and adults with acute respiratory illness during October 23, 2019–January 25, 2020, the overall estimated effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccine for preventing medically attended, laboratory-confirmed influenza virus infection was 45%.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Vaccination remains the best way to protect against influenza and its potentially serious complications. CDC continues to recommend influenza vaccination while influenza viruses are circulating in the community.
BBM

I’ve recommended the Netflix series “Pandemic.” One of the stories the series follows is that of a scientist in San Francisco who is attempting to develop a “universal” flu vaccine that wouldn’t need to be changed every year. He’s had some success so far with pigs and has received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that will enable him to proceed to human trials. Fascinating stuff...and very cute little piggies (who are not harmed during the research).

 

[zecats]

I was not aware these chiefs couldn’t travel and don’t have family’s who also never travel globally. That’s how this has spread because of global travel when I last checked.

If that's what concerns you, I assume you are not frequenting Italian restaurants either then?

In other words, there is a point to perhaps not going out in public to any restaurant due to community spread. I don't see a reason to just refuse to eat Chinese food.

 

[Inthedetails]

I was not aware these chiefs couldn’t travel and don’t have family’s who also never travel globally. That’s how this has spread because of global travel when I last checked.

I posted (a couple of threads ago) about virus cases in China, from people who arrived in China from Italy. They worked in a restaurant in Italy. That tells me that restaurants COULD BE a source of spread, if the workers have recently traveled.

I HATE not going to my local Chinese places, but, to be honest, my appetite for that food is gone right now. One place on my street put up a sign in their window that they are Tibetan. I'm sure that was in reaction to a downturn in business because of the virus.

jmo

 

[Tippy Lynn]

Coronavirus: LIVE updates as location of Scotland's two new COVID-19 cases confirmed

Scottish Government
✔@scotgov
A further two patients have been diagnosed with coronavirus (#COVIDー19) in Scotland, bringing the total number of cases to three.

I want to flee to Antarctica right now.

We still don't have any confirmed cases in Minnesota. Feb. 13 and 14th most of the state saw wind chills of at least minus 30, and some areas in northern and western Minnesota the wind chill was minus 40 or colder. I can't help but wonder if that played a role somehow.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Oh my word, people...

Boxes on heads, condoms on fingers, unopened parcels... I don’t know whether to laugh or cry!

Desperate times call for desperate measures Not laughing or crying, but I'm doing a lot of this for now