Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #53

[BUF]

New Mexico invokes a riot law to seal off Gallup, amid an outbreak on the nearby Navajo Nation.

All the roads into Gallup, N.M., a city on the edge of the Navajo Nation, are closed. The soldiers at the checkpoints have their orders: outsiders must turn around and drive away.

The threat of the coronavirus in Gallup became so serious last week that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham invoked the state’s Riot Control Act to lock down the entire city. The downtown of shops, bars and Indian trading posts is now nearly deserted.

“We’re scared to death, so this had to be done,” said Amber Nez, 27, a shoe store saleswoman and Navajo Nation citizen who lives in Gallup. “I only wonder why we didn’t do this sooner.”

The lockdown comes as state and local authorities grapple with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the United States on the nearby Navajo Nation, the country’s largest Indian reservation, and a surge in detected cases in places near the reservation.

Gallup, a city of 22,000, serves as a regional hub for the Navajo and other nearby Native American pueblos. Many citizens of various tribal nations regularly drive into Gallup to buy food and other goods.

As of Sunday, the Gallup area had the third-highest rate of infection of any metropolitan area in the United States. Only the areas around New York City and Marion, Ohio, the site of a large prison cluster, had higher rates.

Coronavirus Live Updates: As States Move to Reopen, Trump Administration Privately Predicts Deaths Will Rise

 

[Seattle1]

With the NFL set to announce the 2020 schedule this week, here’s an exclusive look at how the@MiamiDolphins are safely preparing@HardRockStadium
for the upcoming season amid the pandemic, including a major accreditation. Our report on@GMA

video Victor Oquendo on Twitter

This will be interesting as to who gets to attend games. Game attendance by season ticket holders only -- alternating games?

 

[tresir2012]

Teenagers with Nando's withdrawal?

LMAO.

 

[The Night Watchman]

Photos: Protesters gather in front of Mass. State House demanding reopening | Boston.com

Frightening pictures of protesters in close proximity, without masks. A fair amount of older, more at risk people as well.

 

[Bravo]

3 Hospital Workers Gave Out Masks. Weeks Later, They All Were Dead.

 

[gngr~snap]

We'd be better to start stocking up some goods made in China. Which is almost everything. We need a new computer in the near future, so will order one from Costco today.

I ordered one a few days ago!
Well, a notebook, but...
It's a Samsing so chances are...
It's made in China.
Moo

 

[pocketaccent]

Plastic waste is booming from the coronavirus pandemic - CNN
...
Surgical masks, gloves, protective equipment, body bags -- the Covid-19 crisis has spurred a rapid expansion in the production of desperately-needed plastic products, with governments racing to boost their stockpiles and regular citizens clamoring for their share of supplies.

Surgical masks, gloves, protective equipment, body bags -- the Covid-19 crisis has spurred a rapid expansion in the production of desperately-needed plastic products, with governments racing to boost their stockpiles and regular citizens clamoring for their share of supplies.

From people discarding plastic gloves and masks in cities across the world to important regulations on the use of plastic being scrapped, rolled back or delayed, the problem has taken a back seat during one of the most significant public health crises of modern times.

The implications of those trends could spell years of trouble for our already polluted oceans.
...

 

[tresir2012]

The COVID-19 Riddle: Why Does the Virus Wallop Some Places and Spare Others?

The coronavirus has killed so many people in Iran that the country has resorted to mass burials, but in neighboring Iraq, the body count is fewer than 100.

The Dominican Republic has reported nearly 7,600 cases of the virus. Just across the border, Haiti has recorded about 85.

In Indonesia, thousands are believed to have died of the coronavirus. In nearby Malaysia, a strict lockdown has kept fatalities to about 100.

The coronavirus has touched almost every country on earth, but its impact has seemed capricious.

Global metropolises like New York, Paris and London have been devastated, while teeming cities like Bangkok, Baghdad, New Delhi and Lagos have, so far, largely been spared.

WOW...

I just quickly looked at life expectancy for some on these countries and Dominican Republic was 74 and Haiti was 64 so not so many elderly people in Haiti. I am going to check some of the others too.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Carnival announces plan to resume cruises amid coronavirus pandemic

• Beginning Aug. 1, Carnival plans to resume cruises on the following ships:
  • Galveston: Carnival Dream, Carnival Freedom and Carnival Vista
  • Miami: Carnival Horizon, Carnival Magic and Carnival Sensation
  • Port Canaveral: Carnival Breeze and Carnival Elation

 

[musicaljoke]

Herd immunity is the ultimate aim. The shutdowns are just slowing it up so health services can cope. We need about 50% to have had it before the winter sets in again in November.

Is herd immunity through widespread infection the ultimate aim? We don't know if a person remains immune for very long after being sick with CoV-19, or if mutations will expose the population to repeated illnesses. At this point, we don't know if herd immunity is possible, even if the entire population gets sick.

It's possible, although unknown, that herd immunity might come as a consequence of not getting CoV-19 under control, but I sure hope it's not the aim, at least not without a vaccine. I think that the ultimate aim is to shut down transmission through physical distancing, testing, tracking and quarantining in order to stop the spread, or at the very least, to keep the infection rate as low as possible until a vaccine can stop the spread.

 

[Tadpole12]

Carnival announces plan to resume cruises amid coronavirus pandemic

• Beginning Aug. 1, Carnival plans to resume cruises on the following ships:
  • Galveston: Carnival Dream, Carnival Freedom and Carnival Vista
  • Miami: Carnival Horizon, Carnival Magic and Carnival Sensation
  • Port Canaveral: Carnival Breeze and Carnival Elation

Carnival Cruise Line Announces Plan To Phase-In Service | Carnival Corporation & plc

ETA wondering about the destinations, from Carnival port to port?

 

[Seattle1]

Plastic waste is booming from the coronavirus pandemic - CNN
...
Surgical masks, gloves, protective equipment, body bags -- the Covid-19 crisis has spurred a rapid expansion in the production of desperately-needed plastic products, with governments racing to boost their stockpiles and regular citizens clamoring for their share of supplies.

Surgical masks, gloves, protective equipment, body bags -- the Covid-19 crisis has spurred a rapid expansion in the production of desperately-needed plastic products, with governments racing to boost their stockpiles and regular citizens clamoring for their share of supplies.

From people discarding plastic gloves and masks in cities across the world to important regulations on the use of plastic being scrapped, rolled back or delayed, the problem has taken a back seat during one of the most significant public health crises of modern times.

The implications of those trends could spell years of trouble for our already polluted oceans.
...

I don't know that we'll ever have a solution to the global issue with plastic. I recall a conversation recently with a friend in Sweden about how they were going to be required to pay a surcharge when shopping -- depending on the size of the plastic bag used to bag your purchases (probably filled with more plastic goods)! I thought maybe the vote was to ban plastic carrier bags but I was wrong.

Seattle banned merchants from using plastic bags and there's a surcharge for the store's paper bag if you fail to provide your own bag when shopping.

Sweden: Parliament Votes to Adopt Tax on Plastic Bags | Global Legal Monitor

 

[10ofRods]

The COVID-19 Riddle: Why Does the Virus Wallop Some Places and Spare Others?

The coronavirus has killed so many people in Iran that the country has resorted to mass burials, but in neighboring Iraq, the body count is fewer than 100.

The Dominican Republic has reported nearly 7,600 cases of the virus. Just across the border, Haiti has recorded about 85.

In Indonesia, thousands are believed to have died of the coronavirus. In nearby Malaysia, a strict lockdown has kept fatalities to about 100.

The coronavirus has touched almost every country on earth, but its impact has seemed capricious.

Global metropolises like New York, Paris and London have been devastated, while teeming cities like Bangkok, Baghdad, New Delhi and Lagos have, so far, largely been spared.

WOW...

Several epidemiologists have cited subways as one of the factors affecting the cities who ended up with so many deaths. Also, many deaths everywhere were not classified as CoVid, due to inavailability of tests. Bangkok had early use of masks. New Delhi is likely not reporting all its CoVid cases and most are probably dying outside of hospitals

 

[10ofRods]

Gilead CEO says remdesivir will be available to treat coronavirus patients as early as this week | Daily Mail Online

May 4, 2020

The CEO of Gilead Sciences, the company that makes the promising drug remdesivir, says it will be available to treat COVID-19 patients as early as this week after receiving approval from the FDA.

The drug showed promising results in a study of more than 1,000 people around the world and has been touted as one of the first steps in reopening the economy.

[..]

In an interview with Face The Nation on CBS on Sunday, Gilead CEO Dan O'Day said the company had donated its entire supply of the drug to the government to roll out to hospitals across the US and that it will also send some overseas.

Unfortunately, they've given all of their supply directly to federal agencies, presumably FEMA or similar. If anyone sees an article with more details, that would be great.

At any rate, there goes my hope that we'll have much or any in California. Too bad, as it was invented and manufactured here. My own doctor says they have no access to it at all at this point.

 

[Tadpole12]

Carnival Cruise Line Announces Plan To Phase-In Service | Carnival Corporation & plc

ETA wondering about the destinations, from Carnival port to port?

Aug,

Cruise Search | Find Cruises for 2020-2022 | Carnival Cruise Line

 

[tresir2012]

Is herd immunity through widespread infection the ultimate aim? We don't know if a person remains immune for very long after being sick with CoV-19, or if mutations will expose the population to repeated illnesses. At this point, we don't know if herd immunity is possible, even if the entire population gets sick.

It's possible, although unknown, that herd immunity might come as a consequence of not getting CoV-19 under control, but I sure hope it's not the aim, at least not without a vaccine. I think that the ultimate aim is to shut down transmission through physical distancing, testing, tracking and quarantining in order to stop the spread, or at the very least, to keep the infection rate as low as possible until a vaccine can stop the spread.

I believe that the point of the lockdown, to slow the rate of cases and prevent hospitals being overwhelmed and herd immunity would be the result if no vaccine is discovered.

 

[firebird]

Watching the live stream. AZ retail restaurants, salons, etc. opening back up with guidelines starting this Friday.

Livestreaming

 

[jjenny]

I believe that the point of the lockdown, to slow the rate of cases and prevent hospitals being overwhelmed and herd immunity would be the result if no vaccine is discovered.

For herd immunity, 60-70% of population needs to be infected. We appear to be nowhere near that, even in states like New York.
Millions will die if we are going for herd immunity.

 

[cass523]

3:32 a.m.: Italy cautiously emerges from world's longest lockdown

Italy, the first country in the world to impose a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, eased some restrictions on Monday as the number of new infections continued to decline.

Starting Monday, parks and public gardens will reopen, people will be allowed to visit relatives within the same region, restaurants can provide takeaway services and athletes will be able to resume training for individual sports. Still, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has insisted that social distancing must remain at all times and large gatherings will not be permitted
__________________________________

@DrJAshton breaks down the dangers of moving too fast to reopen and the new highly-touted antibody test.

"We see that Italy is being very cautious with this, but are they potentially still moving too quickly at this point?"

"Well, first, I think we have to remember that this virus is not going anywhere, so it is a matter of learning how to live with it, until a point, at which, a vaccine is available, or certainly better treatments are available.

So that's the foundation on which all of this reopening has to be predicated.

Then, I think you have to look to places like Asia, that did start to see cases go up as they reopened.

Again, they thought most of them were imported from outside their countries.

Then, here in this country, Utah, Texas, cases going up and we have to remember the gating criteria here for reopening was that areas, states, cities saw a sustained, two week, downward trend in new cases, and that's really important to realize this is not an on/off switch where it is all or none."

Then they continue to discuss antibody testing.

"We know that there is a new antibody test that has been touted as effective, very effective. How optimistic are you about this new test and do we know anymore about whether or not antibodies mean you could possibly be immune to the virus?"

"We don't, but three important things.

When a disease has not affected the majority of the population, it affects the false positive and false negative rates and right now the estimates from epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists are that at most, 5% of the U.S. population has been affected and that is a factor. and
(The cc on the video reads affected, not sure if that should be infected)

"In medicine, I say it all the time, you should not do a test unless you know what you will do with the results of that test. And right now, everyone is clear, you should not alter any social distancing behavior based on the results of any antibody test yet, it is too soon."

Video
Good Morning America on Twitter
Coronavirus updates: Global death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 250,000

 

[otto]

For herd immunity, 60-70% of population needs to be infected. We appear to be nowhere near that, even in states like New York.
Millions will die if we are going for herd immunity.

If politicians decide that the best option during pandemic is to get sick, I vote that they get sick first with a hefty viral load. When they come out the other end of the illness, if they survive, they can tell us whether that really is the best option.