Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #48

[tresir2012]

(CNN)Beaches and parks in Jacksonville, Florida, reopened Friday afternoon as more states consider easing restrictions put in place to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

Crowds at Jacksonville Beach cheered when the barriers came down on the beach, according to CNN affiliate WJXT.

Beaches will be open from 6 to 11 a.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m. daily with some restrictions, according to Jacksonville's website. Recreational activities such as running, biking, hiking and swimming will be permitted during this soft reopening, the city's website said.

Activities such as sunbathing or any type of group activity will not be allowed at beaches during the restricted hours and items like towels, blankets, chairs, coolers and grills will not be permitted on the beach.

Jacksonville beaches reopen in Florida as states begin easing stay-at-home restrictions

Travis Akers on Twitter
PIC IS 26 MINUTES AFTER BEACH OPENED.

Oh oh. Maybe not such a good idea.

 

[tresir2012]

Yeah.....people who didnt exercise a day in their life now feel the need to.

So true.

 

[tresir2012]

It could be worse.

We could be listening to a presentation on rectal swabs....

That would be a bum presentation IMO.

 

[tresir2012]

Did you happen to read this page about transmission on the worldometer page? I donno if it's new or if I just missed it earlier, but it is informative about how the virus is transmitted, and what common items can be contaminated. Coronavirus Transmission: How COVID-19 Spreads - Worldometer

That is brilliant info with all the sources linked. Copy pasta below.

SARS-CoV-2 Transmission
Last updated: April 16, 5:00 GMT
"COVID-19 is a new disease and we are still learning about how it spreads" according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [source]

In general, respiratory virus infection can occur through: [source]

• contact (direct or indirect)
• droplet spray in short range transmission
• aerosol in long-range transmission (airborne transmission)

Close Contact (6 feet, 1.8 meters) and Respiratory Droplets
"The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.

• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet)
• Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks" [source]

This idea, that large droplets of virus-laden mucus are the primary mode of transmission, guides the US CDC's advice to maintain at least a 6-foot distance: "Maintaining good social distance (about 6 feet) is very important in preventing the spread of COVID-19" [source]

Is 6 feet enough?
Some experts contacted by LiveScience think that 6 feet (1.8 meters) is not enough [source]

Air Currents
"Larger respiratory droplets (>5 μm) remain in the air for only a short time and travel only short distances, generally <1 m" (less than 3.3 feet) [source] [source] [source]

"Virus-laden small (<5 μm) aerosolized droplets can remain in the air and travel long distances, >1 m" (more than 3.3 feet) [source] [source]

A study of transmission occurring in a restaurant between people at a distance above 1 meter, observed that "strong airflow from the air conditioner could have propagated droplets" [source]

Humidity (best if between 50% and 80%)
"It is assumed that temperature and humidity modulate the viability of viruses by affecting the properties of viral surface proteins and lipid membrane" [source] Relative humidity (RH, or Saturation Ratio: the state of vapor equilibrium in room air) affects all infectious droplets with respiratory viruses, independent of their source(respiratory tract or aerosolized from any fluid) andlocation (in air or settled on surfaces). Relative humidity therefore affects all transmission ways but has the most pronounced effect on airborne transmission. [source]

"Measurements of indoor humidities in 40 residential apartments in New York (19) and in 6 high-quality commercial buildings in the Midwest (20) showed indoor vapor pressure of below 10 mb or indoor RH of below 24% in the winter" [source]

Experiments conducted in a study indicated "astriking correlation of the stability of winter viruses at low RH (20–50%), while the stability of summer or all-year viruses enhanced at higher RH (80%)" [source]

Airborne Transmission
The WHO states that "Respiratory infections can be transmitted through droplets of different sizes: when the droplet particles are >5-10 μm in diameter they are referred to as respiratory droplets, and when they are <5μm in diameter, they are referred to as droplet nuclei. According to current evidence, COVID-19 virus is primarily transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and contact routes" [source]

The WHO defines airborne transmission as "the spread of an infectious agent caused by the dissemination of droplet nuclei that remain infectious when suspended in air over long distances and time" [source]

Air Distance: up to 4 meters (13 feet) might be possible (in hospitals)
"The maximum transmission distance of SARS-CoV-2 aerosol might be 4 m" (13.1 feet), according to a study published on April 10 on Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal of the US CDC which also found that "SARS-CoV-2 was widely distributed in the air and on object surfaces in both the ICU and general ward (GW), implying a potentially high infection risk for medical staff and other close contacts" [source]

This is true in a hospital setting and doesn't necessarily apply to other settings. The WHO says that "in the context of COVID-19, airborne transmission may be possible in specific circumstances and settings in which procedures or support treatments that generate aerosols are performed; i.e., endotracheal intubation, bronchoscopy, open suctioning, administration of nebulized treatment, manual ventilation before intubation, turning the patient to the prone position, disconnecting the patient from the ventilator, non-invasive positive-pressure ventilation, tracheostomy, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation" [source]

And concludes that "further studies are needed to determine whether it is possible to detect COVID-19 virus in air samples from patient rooms where no procedures or support treatments that generate aerosols are ongoing" [source]

Air Duration: up to 3 hours (but not in normal conditions, according to WHO)
Virus can remain viable "in aerosols up to 3 hours" found a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine on March 17 [source]

The WHO notes that these findings need to be interpreted carefully: "in this experimental study, aerosols were generated using a three-jet Collison nebulizer and fed into a Goldberg drum under controlled laboratory conditions. This is a high-powered machine that does not reflect normal human cough conditions. Further, the finding of COVID-19 virus in aerosol particles up to 3 hours does not reflect a clinical setting in which aerosol-generating procedures are performed - that is, this was an experimentally induced aerosol-generating procedure" [source]

Objects and Surfaces
The virus could spread by touching an object or surface with virus present from an infected person, and then touching the mouth, nose or eyes.

Surface contamination as observed in the study cited above [source]:

• Computer mouse (ICU 6/8, 75%; GW 1/5, 20%)
• Trash cans (ICU 3/5, 60%; GW 0/8)
• Sickbed handrails (ICU 6/14, 42.9%; GW 0/12)
• Doorknobs (GW 1/12, 8.3%)

76.5% of all personal items sampled at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) were determined to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 [source]

Of these samples, 81.3% of the miscellaneous personal items were positive by PCR, which included:

• Exercise equipment
• Medical equipment (spirometer, pulse oximeter, nasal cannula)
• PC and iPads
• Reading glasses
  
  Other findings:
  
  
• Cellular phones (83.3% positive for viral RNA)
• Remote controls for in-room TVs (64.7% percent positive)
• Toilets (81.0% positive)
• Room surfaces (80.4% of all sampled)
• Bedside tables and bed rails (75.0%)
• Window ledges (81.8%)

Duration of contamination on objects and surfaces
Although the virus titer was greatly reduced, viable SARS-CoV-2 was measured for this length of time:

• Plastic: up to 2-3 days
• Stainless Steel: up to 2-3 days
• Cardboard: up to 1 day
• Copper: up to 4 hours

[source]

Floor
"The rate of positivity was relatively high for floor swab samples (ICU 7/10, 70%; GW 2/13, 15.4%), perhaps because of gravity and air flow causing most virus droplets to float to the ground.

In addition, as medical staff walk around the ward, the virus can be tracked all over the floor, as indicated by the 100% rate of positivity from the floor in the pharmacy, where there were no patients.

Furthermore, half of the samples from the soles of the ICU medical staff shoes tested positive. Therefore, the soles of medical staff shoes might function as carriers. The 3 weak positive results from the floor of dressing room 4 might also arise from these carriers. We highly recommend that persons disinfect shoe soles before walking out of wards containing COVID-19 patients." [source]

 

[tresir2012]

We know people went into the caves and collected bats and brought to lab to extract and study the virus. Then a researcher was infected, infected his girlfriedn, and she infected the nearby wet market.

China has disappeared/killed many of the lab workers and others researching early on and they destroyed the evidence (the viruses in the lab).

RSBM Have you got a link for this bit?

 

[katydid23]

RSBM Have you got a link for this bit?

Some of that info is in this Article.[the part about the bats being collected in cAves for the lab research, etc.]

Coronavirus & China: Origin in Wuhan Lab Unproven, But Denials Unconvincing | National Review

One of his last statements on the video is: “In the past ten-plus years, we have visited every corner of Hubei Province. We explored dozens of undeveloped caves and studied more than 300 types of virus vectors. But I do hope these virus samples will only be preserved for scientific research and will never be used in real life. Because humans need not only the vaccines, but also the protection from the nature.”

The description of Tian Junhua’s self-isolation came from a May 2017 report by Xinhua News Agency, repeated by the Chinese news site JQKNews.com:

The environment for collecting bat samples is extremely bad. There is a stench in the bat cave. Bats carry a large number of viruses in their bodies. If they are not careful, they are at risk of infection. But Tian Junhua is not afraid to go to the mountain with his wife to catch Batman.

Tian Junhua summed up the experience that the most bats can be caught by using the sky cannon and pulling the net. But in the process of operation, Tian Junhua forgot to take protective measures. Bat urine dripped on him like raindrops from the top. If he was infected, he could not find any medicine. It was written in the report.

The wings of bats carry sharp claws. When the big bats are caught by bat tools, they can easily spray blood. Several times bat blood was sprayed directly on Tians skin, but he didn’t flinch at all. After returning home, Tian Junhua took the initiative to isolate for half a month. As long as the incubation period of 14 days does not occur, he will be lucky to escape, the report said.

Bat urine and blood can carry viruses. How likely is it that bat urine or blood got onto a researcher at either Wuhan Center for Disease Control & Prevention or the Wuhan Institute of Virology? Alternatively, what are the odds that some sort of medical waste or other material from the bats was not properly disposed of, and that was the initial transmission vector to a human being?

 

[Inthedetails]

The way we get along sometimes on here, I’d say that would be a real possibility.

LOL! That hit me while holding a hot cup of coffee filled to the brim. Gimme a seat to clean up the spill.

Very funny.

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

No way would I sign up. Nope.

Same.

jmo

 

[Mo Thuairim]

(Ireland) Dr Tony Holohan: 'We think we've flattened that curve so much that there is no peak'

CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER Dr Tony Holohan has said Ireland’s Covid-19 curve has been flattened and that there is no peak expected.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Late Late Show, Dr Holohan said that as a result of public efforts to suppress Covid-19 in communities through increased restrictions, “hundreds of lives” had been saved.

“What was really important for us to do…was suppress the virus in the community,” said Dr Holohan. “We think we’ve flattened that curve so much that there is no peak, that we think we can go along at a low level and reduce it even further.”

“That’s the impact that we’ve had from all of the work that everybody across society has done,” he said.

For weeks, Dr Holohan had stressed the importance of taking the virus “out of the community” to prevent a surge in cases and better protect the most vulnerable, including those in nursing homes.

On average, Dr Holohan said last night, a person who is infected is passing the virus on to less than one person.

“If we continue on that path the rate of infection will continue to drop,” he said.

He also said it is encouraging that the numbers admitted to ICU are continuing to drop.

Dr Tony Holohan: 'We think we've flattened that curve so much that there is no peak'

 

[Inthedetails]

I don't think that is the case. This article explains it. As long as you don't touch the fabric or surface and then touch your face, it won't transfer. The virus has to enter through your eyes, nose or mouth.

How long does coronavirus live on different surfaces?

Yes, I think sometimes it gets lost in the conversations that you can't get the virus through your hands. Yes, wash items, of course, and be mindful of what you touch....but the ultimate thing is to wash your hands frequently and keep them away from your face.

jmo

 

[Inthedetails]

(Ireland) Dr Tony Holohan: 'We think we've flattened that curve so much that there is no peak'

CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER Dr Tony Holohan has said Ireland’s Covid-19 curve has been flattened and that there is no peak expected.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Late Late Show, Dr Holohan said that as a result of public efforts to suppress Covid-19 in communities through increased restrictions, “hundreds of lives” had been saved.

“What was really important for us to do…was suppress the virus in the community,” said Dr Holohan. “We think we’ve flattened that curve so much that there is no peak, that we think we can go along at a low level and reduce it even further.”

“That’s the impact that we’ve had from all of the work that everybody across society has done,” he said.

For weeks, Dr Holohan had stressed the importance of taking the virus “out of the community” to prevent a surge in cases and better protect the most vulnerable, including those in nursing homes.

On average, Dr Holohan said last night, a person who is infected is passing the virus on to less than one person.

“If we continue on that path the rate of infection will continue to drop,” he said.

He also said it is encouraging that the numbers admitted to ICU are continuing to drop.

Dr Tony Holohan: 'We think we've flattened that curve so much that there is no peak'

That is encouraging - to read that there will be no peak there.

Is social distancing what made the difference?

jmo

 

[tresir2012]

Perhaps Fauci is referencing this study?

Genomic characterisation and epidemiology of 2019 novel coronavirus: implications for virus origins and receptor binding. - PubMed - NCBI

C/P from that study

METHODS:
We did next-generation sequencing of samples from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and cultured isolates from nine inpatients, eight of whom had visited the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan. Complete and partial 2019-nCoV genome sequences were obtained from these individuals. Viral contigs were connected using Sanger sequencing to obtain the full-length genomes, with the terminal regions determined by rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Phylogenetic analysis of these 2019-nCoV genomes and those of other coronaviruses was used to determine the evolutionary history of the virus and help infer its likely origin. Homology modelling was done to explore the likely receptor-binding properties of the virus.

FINDINGS:
The ten genome sequences of 2019-nCoV obtained from the nine patients were extremely similar, exhibiting more than 99·98% sequence identity. Notably, 2019-nCoV was closely related (with 88% identity) to two bat-derived severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-like coronaviruses, bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21, collected in 2018 in Zhoushan, eastern China, but were more distant from SARS-CoV (about 79%) and MERS-CoV (about 50%). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 2019-nCoV fell within the subgenus Sarbecovirus of the genus Betacoronavirus, with a relatively long branch length to its closest relatives bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21, and was genetically distinct from SARS-CoV. Notably, homology modelling revealed that 2019-nCoV had a similar receptor-binding domain structure to that of SARS-CoV, despite amino acid variation at some key residues.

INTERPRETATION:
2019-nCoV is sufficiently divergent from SARS-CoV to be considered a new human-infecting betacoronavirus. Although our phylogenetic analysis suggests that bats might be the original host of this virus, an animal sold at the seafood market in Wuhan might represent an intermediate host facilitating the emergence of the virus in humans. Importantly, structural analysis suggests that 2019-nCoV might be able to bind to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor in humans. The future evolution, adaptation, and spread of this virus warrant urgent investigation.

"9 inpatients, 8 of whom had visited the Huanan seafood market." I am interested in the one who didn't. Also the comment "Although our phylogenetic analysis suggests that bats might be the original host of this virus, an animal sold at the seafood market in Wuhan might represent an intermediate host facilitating the emergence of the virus in humans " is not very convincing to me.

This bit interests me though too "Notably, 2019-nCoV was closely related (with 88% identity) to two bat-derived severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-like coronaviruses, bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21, collected in 2018 in Zhoushan, eastern China, but were more distant from SARS-CoV (about 79%) and MERS-CoV (about 50%). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 2019-nCoV fell within the subgenus Sarbecovirus of the genus Betacoronavirus, with a relatively long branch length to its closest relatives bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21, and was genetically distinct from SARS-CoV."

So what was "collected" in 2018 in Zhoushan?

 

[CeeCeeCat]

I’m so far behind here, around twenty pages to catch up on I think - so, before I do...
Good morning everyone!
Happy with my decision to get my Covid19 news from WS in future, because I switched BBC news on when I got up and felt my blood pressure shooting up right away. NHS staff advised to re-use PPE? A silly little ‘Care’ badge for Carers? Tweets about ‘Liberate Minnesota’? Nearly 900 deaths in the UK yesterday? Nope. I am not hiding from it but think I am at the point I realise the only person I can affect is me, myself and I. And I choose to stay protected and stay hunkered down for as long as it takes.

Meanwhile and because I’m really not as grumpy as I sound today I am batch-cooking as I listen to Stevie Wonder. Making rosemary olive oil biscuit-muffins (with rosemary from the garden), chipotle BBQ quinoa chilli and a loaf of bread.

On my gratitude list today, that same originally-destined-for-charity-shop cookery book I mentioned recently. It turns out I am a more adventurous cook than I thought!

Stay safe and well today, all

 

[tresir2012]

So I have a question for those that can explain infection and numbers and such. This is an honest question. This all started in the US back when with infected people, just a handful spreading it here and there. 1 person can infect x numbers of people. Now we are social distancing so I can see why it slows the spread. 1 person infects less people or none. But if there are even a 'few' infected people out there, what is to prevent this from going right back to the beginning? Like it started in the beginning? I am referring to the second wave. How does one even think that it won't happen? I guess I don't understand at all how this goes away.

Are enough people immune to offer protection? What is to prevent the stragglers to reigniting this. Seems one spark is all it takes given its contagiousness.

I am so READY to come out of my house. I need to grocery shop, see my new grand baby and elder parents. How will this work?

It sounds simple but wash hands, don't touch face and stay safe. Maybe don't kiss relatives or shake hands, but that will be the hardest IMO.

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Coronavirus: UK firefighters deliver medicines to the elderly and vulnerable

The UK's firefighters are stepping up to help people on their doorsteps, delivering medicines to elderly and vulnerable people confined to their homes.

It's just one of a number of ways in which the fire service is adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting people in their local community.


Called #ReadyWillingAble, the project has also seen firefighters become temporary ambulance drivers, and help with food parcel deliveries.

In some areas, they're even offering a "buddying" service, with regular phone calls to lonely people who may be feeling isolated.

 

[tresir2012]

Harvard University Professor and Two Chinese Nationals Charged in Three Separate China Related Cases
The Department of Justice announced today that the Chair of Harvard University’s Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department and two Chinese nationals have been charged in connection with aiding the People’s Republic of China.

Dr. Charles Lieber, 60, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, was arrested this morning and charged by criminal complaint with one count of making a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement. Lieber will appear this afternoon before Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler in federal court in Boston, Massachusetts.

This is dated 28 Jan 2020. So has this been mentioned on here before? It's news to me so WTH is this ????

 

[tresir2012]

What kind of “waves” have SARS and MERS had, I wonder...something to look at later.
Any input is appreciated if anyone finds this of interest.

I’ve pulled my stove and fridge out and vacuuming all the kibble nasty crumbs back there. That’s my recommended project for the day if someone is looking for something constructive to do.

I just had a horrible thought. If you wanted to kill someone and got all those nasty kibbly crumbs together....

Yuk.

 

[tresir2012]

HA. No way. A ship that big with that many people would drive me bonkers. Too old for roller coasters these days. I cannot stand to have people in my face. With these large ships that have 3000 passengers, yikes. I would just stay in my room to avoid the crowd.

It seems to me it it's a bit like going to have a holiday in a NYC apartment right now, isn't it?

 

[Mo Thuairim]

That is encouraging - to read that there will be no peak there.

Is social distancing what made the difference?

jmo

Yes. People here have mostly been very compliant about staying home and respecting social distancing. So that has reduced the R0 to under 1 now. The reason Irish people took the social distancing measures very seriously from the beginning was that our health system was already notoriously overstretched before Covid-19 and an Italy-type situation in our hospitals was absolutely possible here and everyone knew it. Thankfully that hasn't happened.
Unfortunately while this coronavirus has mostly been suppressed in the general population, our nursing homes have been horribly affected. So that's the priority now: to try to eradicate it in care home settings.

 

[rogue ant]

it can live on fabric and be transferred even after washing hands

Do you have a link for that scenario?