Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #45

[margarita25]

Oh no:

Retired NYPD sergeant with coronavirus drops dead on Manhattan street hour after leaving hospital


“A retired NYPD sergeant left an Upper East Side hospital after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 — and was found dead about an hour later on the street outside, police sources said Tuesday

Yon Chang, 56, was at Lenox Hill Hospital early Tuesday and told an NYPD cop there he had just been diagnosed with the potentially deadly coronavirus.

He left a short time later only to collapse nearby, on the traffic island at Park Ave. and E. 77th St., about 6:05 a.m. He died at the scene.”

Retired NYPD Sergeant Yon Chang and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.(Obtained by Daily News)

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(This reminds me of that awful video in Wuhan where there was a man just lying there dead on the sidewalk... )

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Eta:

Ugh:

NYPD: 19.3% of department on sick report; 2,228 members test positive for coronavirus
Posted Apr 06, 10:08 PM

“As of Monday, 1,935 uniformed members and 293 civilian members of the department have tested positive for the coronavirus, totaling 2,228 members of the NYPD.” (BBM)

[...]

““If NYPD [employees] are getting sick ... the backfill will come from state police,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last week.

State police already have jurisdiction in New York City, while officers serving communities upstate could be deputized, however, “the NYPD is so large, I don’t know that we get to that point,” Cuomo said.”

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NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) on Twitter

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Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) on Twitter

 

[Mo Thuairim]

100 days that changed the world

It started with a warning. It turned into a pandemic that has transformed life as we know it

A turbulent decade had reached its final day. It was New Year’s Eve 2019 and much of the world was preparing to celebrate.

The obituaries of the 2010s had dwelt on eruptions and waves that would shape the era ahead: Brexit, the Syrian civil war, refugee crises, social media proliferation, and nationalism roaring back to life. They were written too soon.

It was not until these last hours, before the toasts and countdowns had commenced, that the decade’s most consequential development of all broke the surface.

At 1.38pm on 31 December, a Chinese government website announced the detection of a “pneumonia of unknown cause” in the area surrounding the South China seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, an industrial city of 11 million people.

The outbreak was one of at least a dozen to be confirmed by the World Health Organization that December, including cases of Ebola in west Africa, measles in the Pacific and dengue fever in Afghanistan. Outside China, its discovery was barely noticed.

Over the next 100 days, the virus would freeze international travel, extinguish economic activity and confine half of humanity to their homes, infecting more than a million people and counting, including the British prime minister, the heir to the British throne, an Iranian vice-president, and Idris Elba. By the middle of April, more than 75,000 would be dead.

But all that was still unimaginable at the end of December, as 11.59pm ticked over to midnight, fireworks exploded and people embraced at parties and in packed streets...

Coronavirus: 100 days that changed the world

 

[margarita25]

New Jersey:

N.J. projects peak of 86K to 509K coronavirus cases. Strict social distancing needed for best case, Murphy says.
Updated Apr 07, 9:20 AM; Posted Apr 06, 2:52 PM

The New Jersey Department of Health provided charts of the projections for coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.

“Gov. Phil Murphy insisted Monday that New Jersey residents need to continue to strictly adhere to his orders to stay home and practice social distancing to combat the coronavirus outbreak, but he said officials are beginning to see some encouraging news as he offered projection charts for the peak in coronavirus cases for the first time.

“What you’re doing is making a difference. We have enough data now to say that comfortably,” Murphy said during his daily coronavirus press briefing, while cautioning that any wavering in that effort could produce disastrous results.

“We’ll be overwhelmed, like a tsunami,” Murphy said, referencing a worst case scenario.“

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New Jersey closes most public parks, extends emergency order as deaths surge
UPDATED TUE, APR 7 20206:43 PM EDT

“KEY POINTS

• New Jersey is extending its public health emergency and is closing all state and county parks as it records its highest single-day increase in COVID-19 deaths yet, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Tuesday.
• Murphy announced that 232 people died of the coronavirus over the past day, bringing the state total to 1,232.
• Social distancing appears to be effectively curbing the spread of the virus in New Jersey, Murphy said, telling residents to “stay at your home unless you absolutely need to go out.””

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Gov. Murphy secures FEMA money through end of May for coronavirus testing sites

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Mayor: At least 12 dead from COVID-19 at Elizabeth nursing home

 

[tresir2012]

What happened between the US and India?
President Trump - who, according to the New York Times, owns a "small personal financial interest in Sanofi, the French drugmaker that makes... the brand-name version of hydroxychloroquine" - called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, a day after India banned all exports of the drug "without exception". \


That^^^ accusation by the NYT has been debunked. Sanofi no longer owns the malaria drug. They sold the rights in 2013. And besides that, Trumps 'small' personal financial interest in sanofi is equal to about 1500 to 5000 dollars total. In a mutual fund.

That story is just another political hit by the press, one of countless bashes, which are unfounded.

Trump’s promotion of unproven drugs is cause for alarm, but not because he’s making money off it
For one, the president doesn’t directly own Sanofi stock. His 2019 financial disclosuressuggest he holds it in three family trusts through an investment in the mutual fund company Dodge & Cox’s international stock fund. According to Dodge & Cox, that fund includes shares of a number of drug companies — including AstraZeneca, Novartis, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi. But it also includes shares of companies in other industries, from online retail to banking to electronics. And of the drug companies it does include, only some, like Novartis and Sanofi, are major manufacturers of hydroxychloroquine.

This would suggest that the president — and anyone else who bought this particular Dodge & Cox product — may not profit very much from increased hydroxychloroquine sales, and that any benefits drug companies in the portfolio see may not be enough to offset the loses of other included companies.

Trump’s financial disclosures don’t show exactly how much each trust has invested in the fund, but they do say it is $15,000 or less. Financial Times reporter Kadhim Shubber wrote this means the president’s stake in Sanofi is likely worth about $450.

I'm more interested in getting these drugs to those that need them than whether Trump has invested in them. Here in UK we have the drugs being used in at least 15 Health areas in England and Scotland and the EU has allowed compassionate use also. I have posted those links so hope you have seen them too. I am just posting info from links so if it is wrong then please don't blame the messenger (me) but the publication.

 

[margarita25]

Florida:

Coronavirus Florida Update: 1,118 new cases, 42 new deaths on Tuesday
Updated Apr 7, 2020 at 6:01 PM

“Florida added 1,118 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 since Monday night, according to the Florida Department of Health’s Tuesday evening update. Florida now has 14,747 people who have tested positive for COVID-19. (BBM)

The number of COVID-19 deaths in Florida grew by 42 since Monday evening to 296.”

[...]

“Despite early efforts to keep the coronavirus from infiltrating Florida’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities, state data indicates the communities remain vulnerable, with 323 residents and workers testing positive as of Monday evening, including 35 in Sarasota and Manatee counties.”

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As COVID-19 toll rises, South Florida prepares for more patients, tests and hardships

“On Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $22 million contract to convert the 1.4 million-square-foot Miami Beach Convention Center into a field hospital, a measure taken in case local hospitals are overwhelmed. It has not yet been announced whether the hospital would house coronavirus patients or serve as an overflow facility for hospitals.

“This is obviously a precaution that assumes the worst case scenario, but it’s better to be prepared for the worst case than to hope for the best case,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. “It will sit vacant hopefully until it is dismantled.”

Authorities expect the field hospital to be complete by April 27, but preliminary work to install 450 beds may begin as early as Wednesday. The total number of beds at the facility has not been determined.”

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Miami food distribution site forced to turn away people in need during coronavirus pandemic
April 7, 2020, 3:26 pm

“The United Way is in need of volunteers and not all of them have to be brave enough to work at the food distribution events. Some can volunteer from home.”

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Find a Volunteer Opportunity Near You | United Way Worldwide

 

[gregjrichards]

The coronavirus death toll in New York City has skyrocketed by 806 to 3,544 in just 24 hours.

The coronavirus death toll in the US has hit 12,876 with more than 398,000 confirmed cases.

The figure is almost double the number of deaths recorded on Tuesday in the country's coronavirus epicentre.

It comes Central Park was transformed into a 68-bed makeshift field hospital in just 48 hours to take the pressure off overwhelmed hospitals in the city.

The hospital has 41 patients currently - three of which are in the ICU - mostly from the hardest-hit boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.

Eight hundred and six people die in New York City in a day | Daily Mail Online

I’m so sorry. My heart goes out to everyone in New York and all over the United States for the tragic loss you are suffering.

 

[Rocco]

I'm more interested in getting these drugs to those that need them than whether Trump has invested in them. Here in UK we have the drugs being used in at least 15 Health areas in England and Scotland and the EU has allowed compassionate use also. I have posted those links so hope you have seen them too. I am just posting info from links so if it is wrong then please don't blame the messenger (me) but the publication.

No one has to worry about Trump getting rich. He's already rich. He doesn't even keep his presidential salary


Donald J. Trump donates his $400,000 annual salary to various federal departments.10 Trump's net worth is $3.1 billion, according to Forbes

Trump donates his 2019 fourth-quarter salary to help combat coronavirus


Key Points

• President Donald Trump donated his fourth-quarter 2019 salary to the Department of Health and Human Services.
• Trump’s $100,000 will “support the efforts being undertaken to confront, contain, and combat Coronavirus,” said White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham.
• Trump has previously donated his salary to the Department of Homeland Security and the Surgeon General’s office, among others.

Trump donates his 2019 fourth-quarter salary to help combat coronavirus

 

[margarita25]

What to know about the Coronavirus and Blood Donation

“Donating blood products is essential to community health and the need for blood products is constant. As part of our nation’s critical infrastructure, healthy individuals can still donate in areas that have issued shelter in place declarations. The Red Cross follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and volunteer donors are the only source of blood for those in need.

There is no known end date in this fight against coronavirus and the Red Cross needs the help of blood and platelet donors and blood drive hosts to maintain a sufficient blood supply for weeks to come. In times of crisis, the Red Cross is fortunate to witness the best of humanity as people roll up a sleeve to help those in need. We greatly appreciate the generosity of the public to keep hospital shelves stocked during this uncertain time.”

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“Blood drive availability during COVID-19 outbreak.

To support social distancing, appointments are now required. With thousands of blood drives cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working hard to open new donation sites. In the meantime, please search 14 days out or beyond. The need for blood is constant - patients need your help.”

Upcoming blood drive. Help save lives.

 

[zecats]

Thank you! Scary here in Jersey!

Yes. It certainly is. I live in South Jersey, which is less overwhelmed at the moment. But that’s probably a matter of time and also distance from NYC. Hope you are ok.

 

[margarita25]

Whatcom asks FEMA for $1.34 million for Motel 6 coronavirus quarantine site


“Whatcom County officials are seeking federal reimbursement for $1.34 million for an isolation/quarantine site at the Bellingham Motel 6 for people infected with the new coronavirus, according to a county document obtained by The Bellingham Herald.

“There are key populations requiring non-congregate sheltering during this immediate response to protect public health; these include but are not limited to: first responders, the general public, travelers and those who are currently unhoused,” according to aletter from John Gargett, deputy director of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, to Washington state’s representative to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Gargett is also an incident commander at Whatcom Unified Command, the multi-governmental agency directing local efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic.”

[...]

““The county request is part of a comprehensive strategy to provide hospital bed space capacity while allowing patients to be discharged from the hospital and still recover and address the critical need to provide individuals with quarantine or isolation solutions to limit the COVID-19 spread,” Gargett’s letter said.”

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FEMA Employee Working On Coronavirus Response Tests Positive For COVID-19
April 7, 20202:41 PM ET

 

[tresir2012]

Dang I wanted to see the pink moon tonight. It's storming

I think it is supposed to be tonight as well. It isn't actually coloured pink though apparently.

 

[margarita25]

Texas:

Weeks earlier than expected: April 19 named new projected peak date for coronavirus in Texas

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Houston VA hospital nurse dies from COVID-19
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 8:47PM

“HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A nurse at the Michael E. Debakey Medical Center has died due to complications from COVID-19, becoming the first healthcare worker in the Houston area to die.

The VA Medical Center said they were "deeply saddened and mourning" the death of the registered nurse.”

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Coronavirus updates in Central Texas: Austin Fire Department employee tests positive for COVID-19

Top Headlines:

• When will Austin see coronavirus cases peak? Mayor Adler weighs in
• Direct deposits coming soon to Texans, Gov. Abbott says
• Austin-Travis County coronavirus cases reach 502, 6 deaths
• Coronavirus cases rose 85% since Monday, but that's not that all happened
• Central Texas Food Bank serves 1,515 households at special free food event in Austin
• We Are Blood prepares to implement FDA change in blood donor eligibility
• Austin H-E-B employee tests positive for coronavirus
• LIST: Confirmed Central Texas coronavirus cases by county

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Majority Of COVID-19 Cases In Austin-Travis County Are Hard To Connect, Health Official Says
12 HOURS AGO

“But the city has been able to identify eight clusters, or groups of infected people where they know how the disease was contracted. These include clusters at nursing homes and out-patient care centers, Escott said, although he said he could not publicly release the locations.

The ability to test others when a cluster is identified at a nursing home is limited, he said, because of the availability of the tests.

"We have tested the individuals that are living in that same hallway [as someone who is symptomatic and tested], for instance, as well as the staff,” Escott said. “We do not have enough tests to test everybody in every nursing home that has a case.”

Another cluster includes the 70 UT Austin students who traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in mid-March for spring break. Last week, 44 of those 70 students had tested positive for COVID-19.”

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Dallas:
Exclusive: Neighborhoods at Greatest Risk for Severe COVID-19 Cases

“The neighborhoods in the red zones on the map below have the highest prevalence of risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease. Those conditions – heart disease, diabetes, stroke, asthma, COPD, kidney disease and obesity – are often contributing factors that can land coronavirus patients in already-stressed hospitals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

 

[margarita25]

I just saw a commercial with Ophra (sp ???) to stay at home. First time I have had the tv on in weeks. I hope she did not get paid for this commercial. I hope she did it voluntarily. Not a fan of her but I hope she did the right thing.

I love Oprah so much. I’ve been waiting to hear from her. I’ve been thinking about her. I’d love to see her commercial if it’s online. Of course “she did it voluntarily” and “did the right thing”?? Love ya Kenzie but not sure what the insinuation is here...nobody’s holding a gun to her head I’m sure. Thank God she’s getting involved to help spread the word jmo.

 

[gregjrichards]

Russia

Russia reported a record increase in new coronavirus cases for a third straight day as the country’s tally of confirmed infections rose above 8,600.

Health officials reported 1,175 new cases in the country, a 15.7% increase to bring Russia’s total number of cases to 8,672.

It recorded 1,154 new cases on Tuesday and 954 on Monday. The majority of the cases are located in Moscow, where 12 million city residents have been told to stay at home until the end of April.

Veronika Skvortsova, a senior Russian health official, said yesterday that Russia should expect to reach its peak for infections in the next 10-14 days, with the plateau lasting until mid-June.

Coronavirus live news: China's Wuhan city reopens as Boris Johnson spends second night in intensive care

 

[gregjrichards]

Spain

Spain Total Coronavirus Deaths Rise To 14,555 From 13,798

Total Coronavirus Cases Rise To 146,690 From 140,510

Source Sky News U.K

 

[tresir2012]

One good thing that has come out of this Pandemic is the pandas finally got it on after ten years.

Hong Kong's pandas mate for first time in decade in privacy of coronavirus lockdown | Giant pandas | The Guardian

Warning-- this link contains actual Panda *advertiser censored*!
Giant Pandas Mate For First Time In Empty Hong Kong Zoo After 10 Years Together

"While some people wait until at least the third date to sleep with someone, these two giant pandas waited a whole 10 years before doing the dirty."

Aah, so all they needed was a bit of privacy. I wonder if any progeny will be called Corona or Covid ? How long is Panda gestation? Off to Google.

So that's why it is called a pandemic

ETA 95-160 days

Life cycle

 

[margarita25]

Opinion | Italy Is Sending Another Warning
This is what a country a month into lockdown looks like: desperate, hungry and scared.

Volunteers distributed meals outside Real Albergo dei Poveri, a former public hospital and almshouse in Naples, Italy, on Saturday.Credit...Cesare Abbate/EPA, via Shutterstock

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Impossible dilemma? World watches Italy as businesses plead to return to work
UPDATED 6 HOURS AGO

“ROME (Reuters) - Many Italian companies and academics are pressing the government to reopen factories to prevent an economic catastrophe, as the world watches how the first Western country to impose a lockdown can extricate itself from the unprecedented measures.

The same debate is being held around the globe: how long and stringently can bans to combat the coronavirus pandemic be held in place before irreversible damage is wrought, with businesses sunk and swathes of the population jobless? “

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BBC:
The Italians struggling to feed their families

Video at link
“People in Italy have been living under strict lockdown conditions for a month now and, with many unable to earn any money in this time, some have run out of savings.”

 

[tresir2012]

Nobody in the USA has gotten any of the promised money.
This is really bad.
I am fearful of angry people rioting. Especially in big cities.
No joke.
Where is the promised money?

Noone has it in the UK either. Most people got their March normal salary hopefully so shouldn't need it till end of April but others on here are saying it should be next week. Banks have been told to give loan and mortgage holidays and even interest free loans in some cases here in UK. Is there anything similar available where you are to tide you over?

 

[tresir2012]

How China is using color-coded QR codes to control the spread of coronavirus

A passenger shows a green QR code on his phone to a security guard to indicate his health status at Wenzhou railway station in China on February 28.

In China, authorities are using technology to track who is likely to be healthy -- and who poses a risk.

Residents are each assigned a color-coded QR code on their phones -- and that color correlates to what they're able to do. In Wuhan, even now the lockdown is lifted, residents still need to produce a green QR code to leave their compounds. For those returning to work, they also need to produce a letter from their employer.

To get into places such as restaurants, people need to show that QR code -- and only people with a green code will gain entry.

But if your code is yellow or red, it means you've been flagged for some reason. If, for instance, you had been on a plane with a person infected with coronavirus, you would be flagged and your code might change color.

[...]

Coronavirus live updates: Cases top 1.4 million globally - CNN

Note: Video in the article about how the QR codes work.

Won't people just borrow other people's phones to get around that?

 

[margarita25]

Louisiana cancer-ridden county known for toxic air pollution tops NYC for highest coronavirus death rate
18 hours ago

“A parish in Louisiana once dubbed "cancer alley" after making headlines for its high air pollution is now reporting the highest coronavirus death rate in the country, according to a report.

St. John the Baptist parish sits about 30 miles from New Orleans on the Mississippi River. It is sparsely populated and is home to about 43,000 people.”

[...]

“In a White House briefing Sunday, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the federal coronavirus response, said the parish would join the list of counties around the country being monitored for their coronavirus outbreaks alongside more densely populated hot spots in New York, California and Washington state.”

[...]

“St. John the Baptist parish is home to a petrochemical plant owned by the Japanese firm Denka. In 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) map showed those who lived near the Denka plant, in the parish’s largest city of LaPlace, were at the highest risk of developing cancer caused by airborne toxins.”

[...]

““Being in areas of higher exposure to common air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter, does increase the risk of acquiring pneumonia,” he said. “So to the extent that COVID behaves in a similar way to bacterial pneumonia, which is more common, or other viral pneumonias, we have evidence that long term exposure well increases your susceptibility to acquiring the disease.”

Denka has denied its plant is responsible for the high fatality rate of COVID-19 patients in the community, claiming state officials have said other factors, including high instances of diabetes and obesity in residents, could also be at play.”

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‘The Purge’ Siren Used to Signal Curfew in Louisiana, Police Apologize – Variety

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“Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at the briefing that the U.S. can possibly avoid the worst case scenario as long as areas keep up their mitigation efforts. He pointed to Washington and California as spots that "did a really good job from the beginning."

"I think if we do it right, you're going to see those who have not peaked will not peak, and those who have peaked – New Orleans, New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Detroit and others – you're going to see the same thing if we keep our foot on the accelerator."

Louisiana officials on Monday said they are starting to see signs that their mitigation measures are working. Gov. John Bel Edwards said his team is "hopeful that we're starting to see the beginning of the flattening of the curve."”

U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Nears 11,000 While Louisiana, N.Y., N.J. Report Positive Trends
President Trump on Monday attributed the U.S.’s high virus numbers to testing.

April 7, 2020, at 9:00 a.m.

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Gov. Edwards: 16,284 cases of COVID-19 in Louisiana, 582 deaths ... but curve possibly flattening
Updated April 7 at 3:11 PM