Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #55

[JerseyGirl]

Ohio hopes to begin coronavirus antibody testing next week

Ohio may soon have a better understanding of exactly how widespread the coronavirus is, as the state hopes to begin testing for antibodies next week.

The state will pick 1,200 households randomly from across the state. These Ohioans will receive a postcard, followed by a letter notifying them of their selection, and when to expect a team of ODH workers to visit their home. During the visit, one adult will be randomly picked for testing.

Participation is voluntary. Anyone who is picked can opt out of testing by phone or email beforehand, or turn away ODH workers in person.

 

[CSIDreamer]

Hello Bravo, and everyone!!

Tell your daughter Happy Birthday. I'm sure it will be a very special day for your family including celebrating Mother's Day.

Our eldest grandson's birthday is tomorrow also.

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. I decided rather than discussing this most difficult time for all of us the best thing for me to do is live it instead by staying busy, and being productive as possible. At my age every day matters. Lol!

Out of our five children two of them/families live only a few miles from us while the other three live 100s of miles away. I have to admit they all spoil me rotten even during average days, but now I have been receiving numerous cards from those out of town, and gifts all this week.

The happiest part of my MD will be when they all call me, and the other two will be here tomorrow.

We give our daughters a gift for MD since they are wonderful moms to our grandchildren.

The two here have told us they have gotten together, and prepared a big lunch, and will bring everything when they come tomorrow

The weather is beautiful here so we all plan to enjoy being outside. We have three patio tables so when eating we plan to socially distance as we have done when anyone comes over.

Even inside we try very hard to stay 6 feet apart. The grandchildren will play on our four acres. So at least they can have fun while here. We have setup games to play. It's been hard for the younger ones when understanding they can't hug us right now, and it's been very hard on my hubby, and me too especially since southerners tend to be touchy feely who enjoy giving hugs, and kisses to those we love. Ha!

So we are trying to make the best of this dire situation like I know those all over the world are trying to do.

I think one of the hardest adjustments for most everyone is not being able to socialize with our families, friends, and simply not being able to be among other people in general. Humans are very social animals. That's what we do as human beings. LOL!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY Bravo, and to all of our other amazing great moms on WS!

Now I'm off to work in my flower gardens.

Take care everyone, and please be safe.

Ocean

Jmho

Happy Mother's day to you, too!

We had a nice door visit yesterday for our grand daughter's 2nd birthday. I put the gifts by the door and ran back to the driveway. Once the gifts were inside we plopped down on the deck and the gift opening at the door commenced. Under the circumstances, it was a good visit.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

I’m listing a few of the most recent highlights from this article re: COVID-19 and it’s effect on Higher Education. Details listed at link for each. Announcements regarding other institutions of higher learning are also listed. Many parents of disappointed and disillusioned pending freshman must be at a loss as to now how to proceed and advise. Plans and goals must be rearranged, discarded or delayed. Campus lifestyles are sure to be altered. COVID-19 sucks!

Wells College Will Shut Down if Campus Remains Closed in Fall
May 8, 4:07 p.m. Wells College, which is located in New York, in a statement said the college will shut down if the state in the fall continues to require that the campus to remain closed.

Lincoln University in Missouri Declaring Exigency
May 8, 1:20 p.m. Lincoln University in Missouri is declaring financial exigency as it suffers from economic impacts tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jefferson City News Tribune reported today.

Survey: 80 Percent of High School Students Still Plan to Attend College
May 8, 12:55 p.m. An April survey of high school juniors and seniors, as well as their parents, found that 79 percent are still planning to attend college, an increase of four percentage points compared to a January version of the survey.

Dallas Community College District to Remain Mostly Online
May 8, 9:15 a.m. The Dallas Community College District has decided to extend remote learning for most courses through fall to protect the health of its faculty and staff members and the district’s 160,000 students.

Simmons to Deliver Online Curriculum This Fall
May 8, 8:30 a.m. Simmons University announced this morning that it would redesign hundreds of its courses this fall so they could be delivered online as well as in person for new and returning students, so they can “continue their studies in the event the campus is not fully open in the fall” because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

American College Health Association Issues Guidelines for Reopening
May 7, 4:58 p.m. The American College Health Association has issued guidelines for reopening campuses. The guidelines say colleges “can anticipate restrictions and limitations in activities will be in place for the next 12-18 months, if not longer” and that “resumption of activities will be gradual and phased based on local public health conditions as well as institutional capacity.”

Furlough, Job Cut Plan Approved for University System of Georgia
May 7, 3:55 p.m. The Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia has granted the system authority for a plan to possibly cut jobs or furlough employees. The system said it is working with its 26 colleges and universities to develop a new spending plan for the 2021 fiscal year that would feature a 14 percent reduction from the current fiscal year. Georgia's tax revenues dropped by roughly $1 billion in April.

Purdue Plans for On-Campus Term Through Thanksgiving
May 7, 3:07 p.m. Purdue University is forging ahead with plans to reopen for face-to-face instruction come fall, despite faculty concerns about that timeline. The institution’s Board of Trustees on Thursday approved a set of measures recommended by the Safe Campus Task Force on reopening, including starting the fall semester in August and ending classroom instruction by Thanksgiving. Fall breaks are eliminated, and students will finish the balance of the term remotely after Thanksgiving.
Live Updates: Latest News on Coronavirus and Higher Education

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Such beautiful words, Kali. I always say that love gets people through, and it seems to be your mantra as well.

I lost my husband last year...and it was some very hard and difficult years, healthwise... But I would do anything to have him back. My purpose in life for the last few years was 'keeping him alive" and I would still love to be doing that...

I feel like most of us here feel similarly about our spouses. I know I’ve read other members express these same sentiments. So many years together. Good times. Bad times. Easy times. Tough times. Happy. Sad. Glad. Mad. All of it mixed together in a lifetime journey. I’m doing my very best to keep mine alive. Whether he likes it or not! I’m trying to make him happy right now. Whether he likes it or not! Depression is a cruel debilitating disease. If I can do that, I feel like wellness will follow. Our granddaughters are such blessings. They dearly love their Papa. I can count on him smiling when they’re together.

 

[Inthedetails]

Doctors in the state say children are not presenting with symptoms until 4 to 6 weeks after exposure to the virus.

Snipped

Egad.

Did they get the virus while still in school/daycare but with no symptoms until now?

jmo

 

[ilovewings]

Not all viruses are airborne.
Corona virus appears to be airborne, but it can only remain in the air for so long. The most infectious truly airborne virus is measles.
"The reason the measles is so, well, viral, is that the microbe is so small and hardy that it is able to stay suspended in the air where an infected person coughed or sneezed for up to two hours, making it one of the only viruses that can exist as a true aerosol."
The coronavirus likely can remain airborne. It doesn’t mean we’re doomed

Thanks for your response!!!

 

[tresir2012]

Coronavirus up to 100 times more infectious through eyes, airways than SARS: report

“We culture tissues from the human respiratory tract and eyes in the laboratory and applied them to study the SARS-Cov-2, comparing it with SARS and H5N1. We found that SARS-Cov-2 is much more efficient in infecting the human conjunctiva and the upper respiratory airways than SARS with virus level some 80 to 100 times higher,” Chan told the outlet. “This explains the higher transmissibility of COVID-19 than that of SARS. This study also highlights the fact that eyes may be an important route of SARS-CoV-2 human infection."

Face shield it is then. I knew there was a reason why I prefer them to masks.

 

[10ofRods]

Popped back in to post this strange and disturbing article, unsure if it as already been posted and if this is the correct thread in which to post it..
3 Russian doctors have fallen from hospital windows amid COVID-19 pandemic: reports

It has been posted - but I haven't seen the other news from Russia posted, in which some other non-doctors also mysteriously fell of windows. The first doctor who fell (5 stories) was on the phone at the time, calling some high ranking bureaucratic, to complain about lack of PPE. Articles in Russian say the phone was still in her hand.

Meanwhile, other nations and states are struggling to tally the number of doctor deaths from CoVid. Italy tallied over 100 just among doctors. The Guardian has tried to compile its own stats for UK (it says 165 NHS staff). The Guardian is also compiling stats for the United States in a similar fashion. They aren't breaking out doctors as a group, AFAIK, which seems the right approach to me, all these healthcare workers are irreplaceable and wonderful human beings.

UK data on deaths among healthcare workers:

Doctors, nurses, porters, volunteers: the UK health workers who have died from Covid-19

USA data on deaths among healthcare workers:

A beloved small-town nurse, a ‘karaoke master’: the US health workers who died from Covid-19

All of the data is incomplete but I do believe the reporters are trying to collect it.

 

[LadyL]

If you're one of the many Canadians who think the COVID-19 pandemic has given them ample time to train a new canine companion, reputable breeders have a warning for you — watch out for scammers who are taking advantage of the rising demand for puppies.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toro...Vr2VRVxoOulrcGdDen77J0PWRrshu_pQPLbPP4QcLqiac

 

[LadyL]

Two men have been arrested and one has been charged in connection with the theft of thousands of personal protective items from a seniors' home in Vancouver, say police.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...M5gxaTAuOdASqlzUENa5S-rERZWmciyWpjc_EuS_JObTA

 

[Henry2326]

FRANCOIS BALLOUX

I've seen many alarmist and incorrect claims about mutations in #SARSCoV2 . In this thread I will address some of the major misconceptions. Parts of the material I cover can be found expressed more formally in an article we published recently. Emergence of genomic diversity and recurrent mutations in SARS-CoV-2 - ScienceDirect.
(1/11) Prof Francois Balloux on Twitter

Mutations are random errors arising during replication of the genetic material of an organism. A possible analogy would be mistakes made by Medieval copyist monks who were making copies of the bible over centuries.
(2/11) Prof Francois Balloux on Twitter

Most 'copying mistakes' both in texts and genomes are unlikely to alter the information, and can be considered as 'neutral typos'. Of those that change the meaning of a text/genome, few are expected to improve it. Those that do are likely to be retained in the future.
(3/11)

The mutation rate of #SARSCoV2 is largely unremarkable for an RNA virus and has been estimated to ~18 mutations/genome/year. A strain in circulation today is on average ~10 mutations away from its ancestor that jumped into humans in Oct/Nov 2019.
(4/11)

When #SARSCoV2 jumped into humans in late 2019. Its population was essentially invariant. Limited genetic diversity has since emerged. In a comparison of 7666 complete genomes (~30k base pairs), ~4k sites show some variation, the vast majority are 'irrelevant typos'.
(5/11)

As #SARSCoV2 is a recent human pathogen, it may not be perfectly adapted to its host and we may expect some mutations beneficial to the virus to increase in frequency. Virus don't 'benefit' from hurting their host but more transmissible lineages will increase in frequency.
(6/11)

It is plausible #SARSCoV2 will evolve to become more transmissible but there is no reason to expect its virulence will increase. Despite many claims to the contrary, there is no convincing evidence at this stage that the virus has become more/less transmissible/virulent.
(7/11)

Some positions in the #SARSCoV2 genome are candidates for adaptation to its novel human host. In particular, recurrently emerging mutations have been observed at some positions ('homoplasies'). None of these have been confirmed to affect transmission at this stage.
(8/11) Prof Francois Balloux on Twitter

There are no 'S', 'G', 'European', 'American' or whatnot #SARSCoV2 lineages. All such classifications are arbitrary and largely meaningless. Two random #SARSCoV2 genomes in circulation today are only ~10 mutations apart. This is a 'largely clonal population' at this stage.
(9/11)

Due to extensive international transmission, the whole diversity of #SARSCoV2 is recapitulated in most countries . Below, strains from Iceland are highlighted on the phylogenetic tree of strains from the whole world.
Everything is everywhere!
(10/11) Prof Francois Balloux on Twitter

mutations in #SARSCoV2 need to be closely monitored, in particular to ensure long-run potential of future vaccines. There's no reason the virus should become more virulent, but it may become more transmissible. At this stage, there's no strong evidence this has happened.
(11/11)

Prof Francois Balloux on Twitter

 

[weepingangel]

Ugh. Time to go scavenge Dh’s piles of home improvement goodies. Must be some safety glasses in there. Jeez this just keeps better and better

Coronavirus up to 100 times more infectious through eyes, airways than SARS: report

“We culture tissues from the human respiratory tract and eyes in the laboratory and applied them to study the SARS-Cov-2, comparing it with SARS and H5N1. We found that SARS-Cov-2 is much more efficient in infecting the human conjunctiva and the upper respiratory airways than SARS with virus level some 80 to 100 times higher,” Chan told the outlet. “This explains the higher transmissibility of COVID-19 than that of SARS. This study also highlights the fact that eyes may be an important route of SARS-CoV-2 human infection."

 

[tmar]

It is Autumn in Australia, but Spring in other parts of the world.
What effect will the change of seasons have?
What effect will winter have in Australia, as numbers relatively low during Summer (in comparison to other parts of the world)?

Photo provided by Daily Mail.
This heartwarming scene was captured by Bangladeshi photographer Rafid Yasar in his home country. He said: 'The black-naped monarch is a small bird that lives throughout tropical Southeast Asia. During spring, the female lays three eggs in a small cup-shaped nest up in a tree. In the photo, you can see the male bird feeding its newborn chick. Unfortunately, it's the only hatchling that remained alive in the nest, as it has been previously destroyed by a bunch of local kids who stole the two other eggs'.

 

[tmar]

11 Secret Service employees infected with coronavirus, 60 in self-quarantine

Kevin Johnson and Michael Collins, USA TODAY
1 hour ago
...
At least 11 U.S. Secret Service employees were reported to be infected with the coronavirus and about 60 other staffers were in self-quarantine, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
...
The service, which provides personal protection for the president, vice president and their families, along with visiting heads of state, has 7,600 employees, including more than 3,000 agents who work in close proximity to those they protect.
...
The development, first disclosed by Yahoo News, comes as the pandemic has crept closer to the inner circle of the White House.

The revelations comes after two White House employees tested positive for the virus this week.
...

 

[mickey2942]

@COSCitizen I had an eye exam today. And wearing a mask during the entire exam is a problem. The field test, where you focus on the dot, and press a button down when you see flashes of light, can be difficult when your glasses are fogged up because of a mask. And then lens of the machine as well.

Same with the lensometer. "1 or 2". Well, everything is foggy...

Well, I guess I passed, new glasses...

This mask wearing full time is going to be hard for me.

 

[jjenny]

Face shield it is then. I knew there was a reason why I prefer them to masks.

Face shield is not supposed to be used instead of the mask, but with the mask. Face shield does not seal your face. It's a splash protection, but mask still has to be worn.

 

[10ofRods]

The UK with approx 60 million has peaked at way less than 115 per million ( peak was approx 15 deaths per day per million population approx) so that seems really high.

You're misunderstanding that dashboard. Death peaking is different than cumulative deaths per capita. You can toggle the data on that dashboard, I believe.

It's not about the "daily" mortality rate when they give those figures. It's total mortality, which is well known, well reported and fairly accurate. Here's another source:

Mortality Analyses

(Click on the deaths per 100,000 - I personally prefer that as it humanizes the data) or move the decimal point to get numbers very close to the Stanford numbers. The above link is Johns Hopkins.

Belgium leads the world in per capita mortality rates with 750 per million or 75 per 100,000. That's high, for any respiratory virus. Or you can go here:

Total confirmed COVID-19 deaths per million: how rapidly are they increasing?

and see it in graphical form - I specialize in European matters, so I selected a set of nations that suit my own research interests, but you can pick any set of nations. As you can see, all of these nations are reaching a plateau (which is a way better word for describing a pandemic than "peak" as we will sit on plateaus and either experience new peaks or slowly go down, which is usually called a tail. You can't know if a pandemic has peaked until it's over.

Data are roughly the same. After Belgium, come Spain, Italy and UK in that order. UK sits right now at 470 deaths per million of population, with Italy just above at 500. Italy has been on a plateau for a few days (for deaths, less than 1% increase per day for a few days now - with luck, UK can begin its plateau in a few days - I'd predict in 2-4 days). However, comparing studies of social interaction in northern Italy with social interaction in London, it looks like Italy is far more shut down and vacant than London - studies in that area are weak but the statistics support that view so far.

The United States is in 9th place, and has slowed its creep up the ladder, but we shall what happens on Monday.

The Stanford projections are optimistic, actually and designed to disaggregate data at lower levels for certain places. The authors took into account various aspects of social distancing, and so far, their model has been strongly predictive for places like Hawaii or Ecuador - and New York City. San Marino doesn't appear in most data sets, but the data is certainly accurate and scary - the reasons why San Marino suffers so badly support existing hypotheses about Coronavirus.

Note that since the Stanford projections were done on May 5, the numbers have changed. It will be interesting to see what the authors deduce from that when they do their next projections.

Where is the data inaccurate? Nursing home deaths in particular (everywhere it seems), and deaths at home, especially among the elderly. Excess death data takes time to aggregate - the CDC has US data for the end of April.

Anyway, Stanford's figures make the world look slightly more healthy on May 5 than where we are on May 9.

 

[tmar]

Australian tourist stuck in New York claims he was charged $13,000 for a hospital visit after developing flu-like symptoms - even though he DIDN'T get a coronavirus test

Louise Ayling For Daily Mail Australia
1 hour ago
...
An Australian stranded in the United States received a hospital bill for AUD$13,700 after being sent to a hospital emergency department for a coronvirus test.

The traveller was asked to pay up for being shuffled around the New York hospital for five hours and eventually being ejected without ever having a test done.

'Andy' told news.com.au he was shocked by the figure on the invoice when he got the letter several weeks later.

'Obviously that's really expensive. And I still don't even know if I had it (coronavirus),' he said.
...
The traveller contacted a doctor when he started experiencing mild flu-like symptoms including a sore throat and a fever in early March.

He said the doctor 'didn't want a bar of him' and told him to contact the state government but they only redirected him back to a doctor.

He said he reached an impasse after four hours on the phone, eventually being told no one wanted to see him.
'Finally they said 'we're too scared for you to come see us so you need to go to the hospital,' he said.

He had no other choice but to walk to nearest emergency department.
This was despite an underlying desire not to set foot in the public healthcare system.

After being admitted to the emergency department he was made to wait five hours before being told my hospital staff they weren't giving him a coronavirus test.

He said they barely had access to testing equipment and any screening in March was being reserved for high-risk patients.
...
Andy was given a blood test and a chest-x ray and after nurses were able to confirm he didn't have severe symptoms he was told to go hoe and self isolate.

He received the medical bill several weeks later.

The Australian is hopeful his private health insurer will cover the cost of his tests and medical treatment.

 

[firebird]

Just went by my nail salon and they are open. Restaurants opening starting Monday and I heard an announcement on the radio by the local public health person saying they absolutely don't have the personnel to enforce the "requirements," so they won't be. Can't wait to see who made it through. I'm hoping it's not just the chains.

 

[10ofRods]

Face shield is not supposed to be used instead of the mask, but with the mask. Face shield does not seal your face. It's a splash protection, but mask still has to be worn.

I saw a picture of a guy wearing goggles, mask and face shield in an airport. Also, there was a great picture of a guy on an airplane wearing what looked like a gas mask type thing that was connected to a protective helmet - like the top of a hazmat suit.

I want a hazmat suit.