Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #57

[Trino]

Ridiculous. I honestly hope this is the beginning of the end for public schools, but my guess is that the goal is to sell the real estate and go 100% online over time. Will be fun to see how the SPED entitlements are handled.

I agree that brick and mortar schools will eventually disappear, but this is going to take years and years - maybe even a hundred years. Obviously, there's also the question of what to do about less than motivated students and online learning, plus kids who do not have internet access. Years away, but it will eventually happen.

 

[mickey2942]

Montana reopening economy more June 1; travel quarantine order to end

Sure, everyone should come to Montana for vacation. Yellowstone National Park is open for business.

Noooooo.....

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Singapore sentences man to death via Zoom call

A man convicted of drug-trafficking offences has been sentenced to death in Singapore via a Zoom video-call, the city-state’s first case where capital punishment has been delivered remotely.

Rights groups condemned the sentencing of Punithan Genasan, a 37-year-old Malaysian, as inhumane, and a reminder of the country’s continued use of the death penalty for drug-related offences.

[...]

A spokesperson for Singapore’s supreme court told Reuters the case involving Genasan was conducted online “for the safety of all involved in the proceedings”.

[...]

Genasan’s lawyer, Peter Fernando, said his client received the judge’s verdict on a Zoom call and is considering an appeal. He said he did not object to the use of video-conferencing since it was only to receive the judge’s verdict, which could be heard clearly, and no other legal arguments were presented.

Rights experts described the decision to hold the case remotely as callous. “The absolute finality of the sentence, and the reality that wrongful convictions do occur around the world in death sentence cases, raise serious concerns about why Singapore is rushing to conclude this case via Zoom,” said Phil Robertson, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division.

[...]

Zoom did not immediately respond to a request for comment made via its representatives in Singapore.

A similar case in Nigeria, where a man was sentenced to death via Zoom for murdering his employer’s mother, has also been criticised by rights groups.

Singapore sentences man to death via Zoom call

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Irish antibody testing planned, questions over Direct Provision and South Koreans return to school: Today's Covid-19 main points

Here are today’s Covid-19 main points

Ireland

• Health officials confirmed that a further 16 patients with Covid-19 have died and there are 51 new cases of the disease in Ireland.
• A study that will test Irish people for coronavirus antibodies is planned for June, with Dr Cillian de Gascun saying a random sample of the population will be invited to take the test.
• A total of 36 children aged under 15 have been hospitalised with Covid-19, according to the Health Protection Surveillance centre.
• A man in his 60s has been charged with breaking the emergency Covid-19 restrictions in Cork.
• The HSE has outlined its strategy for Covid-19 in Direct Provision centres but warned that some accommodation may be “insufficient or unsuitable” for self-isolation.
• Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has rejected calls to close a Kerry Direct Provision centre, but has apologised to local residents for how it was opened.
• Finance Minister Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe has said that he is “examining the issue” of women returning from maternity leave not being eligible for the Covid-19 Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme.
• More than a third of women and over a quarter of men have reported feeling “downhearted and depressed” due to the Covid-19 emergency.

 

[Deleted member 158085]

May 19, 2020, 2:15 PM EDT

Coronavirus patients who tested positive twice cannot pass on virus, South Korean study finds

The findings of the South Korean study will be welcomed by countries starting to ease their lockdowns, including the UK - AP

Patients who tested positive for Covid-19 after recovering from it could not then transmit coronavirus, according to a study by South Korea's disease control centre.

Tests carried out on almost 300 patients strongly imply that they have acquired immunity after becoming infected, in a major boost to hopes of overcoming the pandemic.

The South Korea Centre for Disease Control and Prevention examined 285 Covid-19 survivors who had recovered, tested negative and then tested postive for a second time.

I'd like to know how long a person remains infectious after the first time they test, and what they consider "recovered."

 

[tresir2012]

New study to provide insight on hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 prevention in health care workers

New study to provide insight on hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 prevention in health care workers

April 29, 2020

The Henry Ford Health System in Detroit recently announced it is leading the WHIP COVID-19 study, which will assess whether hydroxychloroquine will prevent or impede COVID-19 in health care workers and first responders.

Researchers aim to enroll 3,000 volunteers for the randomized, double-blind study, and preliminary results may be ready in as soon as 4 months, according to a press release from the institution. The trial is one of many underway to better understand how to treat COVID-19.

We also recognized that in both Italy and China, up to 15% of patients with COVID-19 were hospital workers. It was apparent that there is a huge risk that hospital workers would become infected.

When we looked at the literature, we saw a note from a publication that about 187 patients with lupus in China who were taking chronic hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine therapy did not get COVID-19. There was a question as to whether or not hydroxychloroquine was effective in preventing COVID-19. The drug has also been used for malaria prophylaxis.

The question then is: Would hydroxychloroquine, given prophylactically, prevent COVID-19 infection? There was no literature and no data on this. We were extremely concerned about the risks of COVID-19 to our health care workers. Unfortunately, that has borne to be true; more than 800 Henry Ford employees have been infected by the novel coronavirus. (Editor’s note: This number was accurate as of the time of publication.) Use of personal protective equipment and other equipment is helpful, but it would be better to find something more definitive for prevention of COVID-19.


https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013587/full

Despite lack of data on prophylaxis, the Indian Council of Medical Research has already recommended HCQ as pre‐exposure prophylaxis for frontline healthcare workers having “high‐risk” contact with patients with suspected or confirmed COVID‐19, and post‐exposure prophylaxis for household and healthcare worker contacts of patients with confirmed COVID‐19 (ICMR 2020). The background section of this recommendation states there is in vivo evidence for efficacy of HCQ for treatment of COVID‐19, and prophylactic efficacy is inferred from therapeutic efficacy (ICMR 2020).

Coronavirus (COVID-19): To use malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, or not to

This article explains that India has been giving out Hydroxychloriquine to police, health workers and others in CV19 hotspots for at least a month. Also slum dwellers have been given it. It is being given either with Vitamin C or with Zinc as a preventative. Another couple of reasons that India may only have 2 deaths per million is their lower life expectancy and the fact it is a malaria zone. Therefore visitors would take anti Malaria pills before visiting so that has probably helped too. A high percentage of the population probably take it too. The population generally self medicates a lot. MOO.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

The days are starting to feel more and more surreal to me too. At least once a day I'll stop whatever I'm doing and think, "This is just bizarre." More and more deja vu and waking dream moments, I feel like.

...

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Dr. Campbell is fabulous today. He truly explains the new South Korean study of "no reinfection". He does indicate the study is only in Korean for now....so until it comes out in Englilsh better to study it with a doctor, than a journalist!

It certainly answers my questions in regards to the sailors on the ship.

Just thinking about "dead virus particles" is such good news.

ALSO good discussion regarding HIV, and why you can never fully recover, and what appears to be not the case with Covid. DOES NOT INVADE THE NUCLEUS.

This is the absolute best news we have learned so far.... Changes everything.

 

[tresir2012]

Dr. Campbell is fabulous today. He truly explains the new South Korean study of "no reinfection". He does indicate the study is only in Korean for now....so better to study it with a doctor, than a journalist!

It certainly answers my questions in regards to the sailors on the ship.

Just thinking about "dead virus particles" is such good news.

ALSO good discussion regarding HIV, and why you can never fully recover, and what appears to be not the case with Covid. DOES NOT INVADE THE NUCLEUS.

One thing I have noticed is that nobody with HIV as an underlying condition appears to have died so I am wondering if their medication has a prophylactic effect against CV19. Does he address that at all? MOO.

Here's an article from Spain about it.

“We Are Seeing Few Cases of HIV-Positive People With Severe COVID-19”

"So why test Truvada as a COVID-19 prophylaxis? “We are seeing few cases of HIV-positive people with severe COVID-19,” Jose Arribas, MD, rese"rch director of HIV and infectious diseases at La Paz Hospital in Madrid, tells The Washington Blade. “This is surprising because the immune system of an HIV-positive person has similarities to that of older people, who do have severe cases of COVID-19. Furthermore, there is evidence from in vitro studies…that Truvada can have an immunomodulatory effect,” meaning that it may affect the immune system’s activity and thus lower its inflammatory response."

 

[The Night Watchman]

The new IHME model has an interesting "heat" plot of COVID deaths in Europe. It plots the deaths per 100,000 from February to August, and it is interactive where you can scroll in time. You can see where the outbreak hit hardest early on and how it spread across countries. Interesting.



The color scale is odd is that the color scale divisions are not linear, logarithmic, or scaled. The divisions are completely arbitrary. Maybe it has to do with color gradient perception.

IHME | COVID-19 Projections

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I'd like to know how long a person remains infectious after the first time they test, and what they consider "recovered."

D...

 

[tresir2012]

First article discusses low death rate.

The 'mystery' of India's low Covid-19 death rate

This second article below explains how they think the virus got to India.

Inside the race to halt the virus in a vast Indian slum

 

[The Night Watchman]

dbm- old data

 

[dixiegirl1035]

I agree that brick and mortar schools will eventually disappear, but this is going to take years and years - maybe even a hundred years. Obviously, there's also the question of what to do about less than motivated students and online learning, plus kids who do not have internet access. Years away, but it will eventually happen.

Released this morning, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health did a podcast at this link that discusses such.

Here is PDF of report https://www.centerforhealthsecurity...e/pubs-pdfs/2020/200515-reopening-schools.pdf
Filling in the Blanks: National Research Needs to Guide Decisions about Reopening Schools in the United States
and this is a summary at Filling in the Blanks: National Research Needs to Guide Decisions about Reopening Schools in the United States

Most important question in report is are kids getting the virus and transmitting to household and vulnerables, and that transmissible studies need to be done.

 

[CharlestonGal]

Still in preprint, but interesting.

"Conclusions Our meta-analysis does not suggest improvement in clinical progression, mortality, or viral clearance by RT PCR among patients with COVID 19 infection who are treated with hydroxychloroquine. There was a significantly higher incidence of adverse events with hydroxychloroquine use."

Hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

 

[nhmemorymaker]

First article discusses low death rate.

The 'mystery' of India's low Covid-19 death rate

This second article below explains how they think the virus got to India.

Inside the race to halt the virus in a vast Indian slum

Thanks for posting this. I just love BBC writing..they just tend to cover so much data in regards to the subject they are reporting. This is filling in a lot of the blanks about India...as I always say--->learning every day.

I am still wondering if there is some type of country immunity build up against malaria in the country, which also may lend it self to why they were quick to use the HCQ, since it so often prescribed ...for travellers there anyway. I'll have to go back to read a couple more of the posted articles.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I'd like to know how long a person remains infectious after the first time they test, and what they consider "recovered."

did i already answer you? sorry if repeating. But these were discussed a bit in relation to re-infection in the Dr. Campbell video today. Def worth watching.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Coronavirus (COVID-19): To use malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, or not to

This article explains that India has been giving out Hydroxychloriquine to police, health workers and others in CV19 hotspots for at least a month. Also slum dwellers have been given it. It is being given either with Vitamin C or with Zinc as a preventative. Another couple of reasons that India may only have 2 deaths per million is their lower life expectancy and the fact it is a malaria zone. Therefore visitors would take anti Malaria pills before visiting so that has probably helped too. A high percentage of the population probably take it too. The population generally self medicates a lot. MOO.

This is good info especially in addition to the BBC article i just read also. There is such great collective international data and research going on. Sweden, South Korea, and now India are just teaching us so much.

 

[zecats]

Montana reopening economy more June 1; travel quarantine order to end

Sure, everyone should come to Montana for vacation. Yellowstone National Park is open for business.

Noooooo.....

Yellowstone is mostly in Wyoming. What's happening in that state?

ETA I just read that the park is beginning to open and "First Phase" began May 18.

 

[sallye818]

@Simply Southern , so proud of your cousin and all of our Virginia farmers!!!!