Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #45

[MsArk]

DBM

 

[NuttMegg]

https://nypost.com/2020/04/10/recovered-coronavirus-patients-in-south-korea-testing-positive-again/

Another 40 patients 'cleared' of coronavirus test POSITIVE for Covid-19 again in South Korea | Daily Mail Online

 

[xtrain]

DBM - double post

 

[HongKongPhooey]

My hubby has O negative blood that is free of cytomegalovirus (CMV). His blood can be given to babies, even those in utero. He gives blood as often as he can.

He has an appointment to give blood soon. I'm very worried about this. He will have to go to the Red Cross facility (in a different county) to do it. He will wear a mask, and the facility is taking precautions, but I'm still quite concerned because he's in his mid-70s and has heart disease, including a prosthetic heart valve.

I would honestly be concerned too. My parents are in their 70s and have been on total lockdown with no visitors for three weeks already here in the UK. Government advice is they should stay home for at least 12 weeks.

If your husband stays home and safe now, much better that so he can give blood in the future.

ETA - jmo

 

[Deleted member 158085]

The surgeon general just proved he has a soul and integrity, his brief talk at the presser was outstanding.

I missed it. Summarize?

 

[anneg]

.

I'm not sure - this is only a guess:

The people getting it the second time might not have been tested for antibodies. They may have been given the test for the virus and tested negative, but then either got the virus again or that negative was incorrect.

But I don't know if they were given an ANTIBODY test, which is different than a test for the virus.

Again, this is my non-medical-person guess. There are two tests: One that tests if you have the virus and another type of test that tests if you have antibodies to the virus (which means you won't catch it again).

I think.

jmo

BBM
I'm afraid there is no guarantee you can't catch it again. I don't think we have adequate data yet on this.

Can You Become Immune to Coronavirus? | Science | Smithsonian Magazine

"Resolving the COVID-19 pandemic quickly hinges on a crucial factor: how well a person’s immune system remembers SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the disease, after an infection has resolved and the patient is back in good health.

This phenomenon, called immune memory, helps our bodies avoid reinfection by a bug we’ve had before and influences the potency of life-saving treatments and vaccines. By starving pathogens of hosts to infect, immune individuals cut off the chain of transmission, bolstering the health of the entire population.

Scientists don’t yet have definitive answers about SARS-CoV-2 immunity. For now, people who have had the disease appear unlikely to get it again, at least within the bounds of the current outbreak. Small, early studies in animals suggest immune molecules may stick around for weeks (at least) after an initial exposure. Because researchers have only known about the virus for a few months, however, they can’t yet confidently forecast how long immune defenses against SARS-CoV-2 will last."

 

[Inthedetails]

BBM
I'm afraid there is no guarantee you can't catch it again. I don't think we have adequate data yet on this.

Can You Become Immune to Coronavirus? | Science | Smithsonian Magazine

"Resolving the COVID-19 pandemic quickly hinges on a crucial factor: how well a person’s immune system remembers SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the disease, after an infection has resolved and the patient is back in good health.

This phenomenon, called immune memory, helps our bodies avoid reinfection by a bug we’ve had before and influences the potency of life-saving treatments and vaccines. By starving pathogens of hosts to infect, immune individuals cut off the chain of transmission, bolstering the health of the entire population.

Scientists don’t yet have definitive answers about SARS-CoV-2 immunity. For now, people who have had the disease appear unlikely to get it again, at least within the bounds of the current outbreak. Small, early studies in animals suggest immune molecules may stick around for weeks (at least) after an initial exposure. Because researchers have only known about the virus for a few months, however, they can’t yet confidently forecast how long immune defenses against SARS-CoV-2 will last."

I agree - seems like we don't know enough about this virus to move ahead with the immunity cards. But, this is beyond my non-medical non-expertise, for sure.

jmo

 

[anneg]

I'm not so sure that seniors are concerned about rising property values. In my case, I'm not. I'll stay in my home until I die and whatever it's worth will go to the executors of my estate or the state itself. Most seniors live on fixed incomes while the cost of everything continues to rise. If seniors cannot be completely relieved of the tax burden, then I think they should at least be given a reduction. MOO

In NC there is a reduction for seniors and disabled people but it's based on income. I think many states have this.

 

[KALI]

Well, We have both of those. We'll see. I'll post if they really do, and how much...

State Farm, Progressive to return up to $2 billion to policyholders amid coronavirus pandemic

 

[otto]

.

I'm not sure - this is only a guess:

The people getting it the second time might not have been tested for antibodies. They may have been given the test for the virus and tested negative, but then either got the virus again or that negative was incorrect.

But I don't know if they were given an ANTIBODY test, which is different than a test for the virus.

Again, this is my non-medical-person guess. There are two tests: One that tests if you have the virus and another type of test that tests if you have antibodies to the virus (which means you won't catch it again).

I think.

jmo

At this time, many countries are trying to develop an antibody test. I have not seen any information confirming that an antibody test has been developed, tested, and is ready for use.

The idea that an antibody test will be used to issue identity cards to people who are virus-safe seems like science fiction. As has been pointed out, there's no information confirming that people have immunity after illness.

Identity cards could be used for people who are symptom free for a period of time, such as one month. Precautions should probably continue, even with identity cards, using masks and physical distancing. Contact tracing would be necessary for every new case of the virus, and identity cards - or codes on those cards - should be modified requiring that everyone in contact with an infected person is again restricted for a period of time, such as one month.

It seems overly simplistic to state that identity cards will be issued to all recovered people who test negative based on non-existent antibody testing and uncertain immunity.

 

[NuttMegg]

I missed it. Summarize?

I don't have the text, sorry. He spoke directly to the AA and Hispanic communities about the high rate of contracting the virus. He went thru the previously believed myths that AAs were immune, some tips to avoid it, and to think of your older relatives, using nicknames popular in those communities. It just rang true, this time, as though he was speaking from the heart. Weeks ago I pretty much wrote him off as a sycophant. Sorry, that's how I feel from his previous performances at the pressers. IMO

 

[anneg]

Well, We have both of those. We'll see. I'll post if they really do, and how much...

We got an email from our insurance company that says:
"Nationwide has helped our members through challenging times for 94 years, and together, we'll get through this one. To get relief in your hands quickly and simply during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are offering a one-time premium refund of $50 per policy for personal auto policies active as of March 31, 2020.

You don't need to do anything. Refunds will automatically be credited to your most recent method of payment (for example, automatic withdrawal, credit card, personal check) within the next 30 days...."

The bill we paid last month for the next 6 months was almost $700, so $50 doesn't seem like a lot--but better than nothing.

 

[cass523]

I have heard about "government cheese" and wondered what that was. Maybe they will start that up again, or shops should stop restricting sales of milk to people.

My husband has a large family, 7 brothers and 5 sisters, raised in Philly. He told me about his family receiving government food items. Cheese, peanut butter, spam, rice and powered milk when he was growing up.

 

[PommyMommy]

About half of all US coronavirus deaths are in New York and New Jersey, CDC says

[...]

The CDC’s numbers lag behind those maintained by other sources, such as Johns Hopkins University, but the agency on Friday released a detailed report outlining the geographic distribution of coronavirus in the US.

New York City has had the highest “cumulative incidence” of reported cases, with 915.3 cases per 100,000 people, according to the CDC. Minnesota had the lowest incidence, at 20.6 cases per 100,000 people.

[...]

UK's coronavirus curve beginning to bend, but it's still a "dangerous," health official says

[...]

Britain’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van Tam said that the curve of coronavirus infections is starting to bend — but it's "impossible" to say the United Kingdom has reached its peak.

"This is just not over, we have to keep pushing as a nation to maintain social distancing. We have to take the pain now to take the gain in the next few weeks," Van Tam said during the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing on Friday.
London has seen a decrease in the number of cases in the last day, but the north of England has seen a rise, he added.

[...]

Pennsylvania reports more than 1,700 new coronavirus cases

Pennsylvania added 1,751 new Covid-19 cases bringing the statewide total to 19,979, according to data from the state.

There were 78 more deaths, bringing the statewide death toll to 416.

[...]

Coronavirus live news and updates: Pandemic changes way of life - CNN

 

[BHughes]

IRS (Finally!) Launches Registration Tool For Stimulus Checks

IRS (Finally!) Launches Registration Tool For Stimulus Checks

 

[PommyMommy]

Fauci: US should not "be pulling back at all" when it comes to coronavirus mitigation

[...]

"This is the end of the week — that famous week that we spoke about last weekend," Fauci said today during a White House coronavirus task force meeting. "It's important to remember that this is not the time to feel that since we have made such important advance in the sense of success of the mitigation that we need to be pulling back at all."

Dr. Deborah Birx, an HIV researcher and the White House coronavirus response coordinator, struck a similar tone. She commended the Washington and Baltimore areas for their adherence to social distancing guidelines, while cautioning that the US has "not reached the peak" of coronavirus infections.

[...]

FDA commissioner says health care workers can now use cloth gowns

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said the federal government has provided guidance to manufacturers to make cloth gowns — as opposed to the plastic ones typically used — for health care workers.

[...]

Hahn said this is an effort to "increase the number of gowns" available for health care workers with "no further regulatory red tape to go into circulation."

US Surgeon General: High infection rate for people of color is "alarming"

US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams pulled out his asthma inhaler during today's White House briefing to prove that even "if you look fit" you could be at risk of getting coronavirus.

Adams was addressing data that shows coronavirus is disproportionately impacting people of color. He noted that people of color are not "biologically or genetically predisposed to get Covid-19." But that they "are socially predisposed to coronavirus exposure."

[...]

Coronavirus live news and updates: Pandemic changes way of life - CNN

 

[musicaljoke]

We got an email from our insurance company that says:
"Nationwide has helped our members through challenging times for 94 years, and together, we'll get through this one. To get relief in your hands quickly and simply during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are offering a one-time premium refund of $50 per policy for personal auto policies active as of March 31, 2020.

You don't need to do anything. Refunds will automatically be credited to your most recent method of payment (for example, automatic withdrawal, credit card, personal check) within the next 30 days...."

The bill we paid last month for the next 6 months was almost $700, so $50 doesn't seem like a lot--but better than nothing.

If vehicle insurance is based on mileage to work, and now everyone is working from home, this may be an attempt to head off millions of clients requesting policy changes.

I asked our church's insurance provider if they could issue a discount since the programs have ceased and no one is using the building. They said no, not unless the government mandates it.

 

[CeeCeeCat]

980 dead in UK hospitals in deadliest day of pandemic yet

It wasn’t so long ago I posted that ‘soon we’ll hit 1000 deaths’ - but that was the cumulative figure. Now we’re going to be reaching 1000 deaths a day. I read a very depressing piece in the Guardian earlier this week, that at the peak the UK will see more than 2000 fatalities a day. It makes me wonder what those numbers would’ve been like if we’d only locked down earlier.
Sometimes it’s impossible to see any light at the end of the tunnel, isn’t it.

 

[xtrain]

In NC there is a reduction for seniors and disabled people but it's based on income. I think many states have this.

That is good to know! Yay! Bravo, NC!

 

[tresir2012]

At this time, many countries are trying to develop an antibody test. I have not seen any information confirming that an antibody test has been developed, tested, and is ready for use.

The idea that an antibody test will be used to issue identity cards to people who are virus-safe seems like science fiction. As has been pointed out, there's no information confirming that people have immunity after illness.

Identity cards could be used for people who are symptom free for a period of time, such as one month. Precautions should probably continue, even with identity cards, using masks and physical distancing. Contact tracing would be necessary for every new case of the virus, and identity cards - or codes on those cards - should be modified requiring that everyone in contact with an infected person is again restricted for a period of time, such as one month.

It seems overly simplistic to state that identity cards will be issued to all recovered people who test negative based on non-existent antibody testing and uncertain immunity.

This post below seems to indicate these tests will be available very soon, in the US within a week or so.

Fauci says antibody tests will be available in the US within "a week or so"

Top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says antibody tests, which show who has already been infected with the coronavirus, will be available soon.

“Within a period of a week or so, we're going to have a rather large number of tests that are available,” Fauci told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota.

[…]

Fauci: There might be "merit" to the idea of coronavirus immunity certificates

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday on CNN's "New Day" the idea of Americans carrying certificates of immunity to prove they have tested positive for the antibodies to the coronavirus might "have some merit under certain circumstances."

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Alisyn Camerota immunity certificates are being discussed.

[…]

Fauci: We're seeing "some favorable signs" that the curve is flattening

[…]

"What we're seeing right now are some favorable signs as I've discussed with you a few times on this show," Fauci explained. “It's looking like that in many cases, particularly in New York. We're starting to see a flattening and a turning around."

Fauci added that prior to re-opening the country, he would like to see a "clear indication" that reported cases are going down.

"One thing you don't want to do is you don't want to get out there prematurely and then wind up — you're back in the same situation," Fauci told CNN's Alisyn Camerota. "We're looking for the kinds of things that would indicate that we can go forward in a gradual way to essentially reopen the country to a more normal way."

Coronavirus pandemic: Live updates - CNN