Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #69

[tresir2012]

Philadelphia has over 27,000 cases of the coronavirus. The city's positivity rate stands at about 5%. Nationally, the overall test-positivity rate is 9.5%.

People under the age of 30 have accounted for 40% of new cases in Philadelphia, as the Mayor announced that large public events will be banned through Feb. 28, 2021.

Banned events include parades, concerts, fairs and block parties. The ban does not apply to demonstrations and first amendment activities.

Coronavirus updates: 'We are headed in a terrible direction' says Nashville mayor as city breaks case record

Jeez for 6 months till Feb 2021? Poor Philadelphia.

Yes. Did you see how Tate posted that NY had zero deaths the other day?

That is what I mean about them turning it around.

Anyway, subject closed for me.

What subject is closed? I'm not following. The CDC/HHS issue or the climbing death numbers?

 

[JerseyGirl]

36 Lake Zurich High students test positive for COVID-19

Lake County health authorities said Tuesday that 36 Lake Zurich High School students have tested positive for COVID-19 since the school suspended its summer sports camps last week amid several confirmed infections among participants.

However, Lake County Health Department officials say contact tracing and case investigation has identified multiple social gatherings prior to the athletic camps where the exposures may have occurred.

 

[zecats]

Philadelphia has over 27,000 cases of the coronavirus. The city's positivity rate stands at about 5%. Nationally, the overall test-positivity rate is 9.5%.

People under the age of 30 have accounted for 40% of new cases in Philadelphia, as the Mayor announced that large public events will be banned through Feb. 28, 2021.

Banned events include parades, concerts, fairs and block parties. The ban does not apply to demonstrations and first amendment activities.

Coronavirus updates: 'We are headed in a terrible direction' says Nashville mayor as city breaks case record

It also apparently applies to sporting events (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) and the banning of fans in any seats. Some uproar over this, but most seem on board according the sports stations I listen to and their Twitter polls.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Jeez for 6 months till Feb 2021? Poor Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is breathing a sigh of relief.

ALL (non political) large events, galas, parades, rodeos, festivals, concerts, fairs, conferences, launches, premieres, award ceremonies, screenings and the like have been shut down or postponed until 2021 throughout the US.

HUGE list here:
All the Live Events, Movie Releases, and Productions Affected by the Coronavirus

 

[tresir2012]

I posted their death rates just a bit ago. Did you see them? They're really high.

Ours in UK are really high too but thankfully down to double figures and hoping for a zero death day soon also, but it doesn't mean a good job has been done just because we get to that stage. We can go back in to lockdown at any stage as two places here have recently found out. It almost seems like the game of keeping all the plates spinning at the same time.

Today 22 England + 2 Wales deaths just reported for the UK.

Coronavirus LIVE: UK hospital death toll rises by 24 in England in Wales

 

[Reasonable & Just]

Walmart will start requiring all customers to wear masks - CNN

Finally, and thank you. But we need to support all retail workers so they aren't enforcing this alone and protect them from those who do not care about anyone's safety and feel privileged enough to be violent about it.

 

[gngr~snap]

It is starting to look like the bigger stores are taking the lead and making important decisions.
Thank God someone is putting their foot down!
Moo

Masks required: Walmart, Sam's Club to require shoppers wear masks

Face masks required at Best Buy: Retailer's mandate starts July 15

Starbucks requiring customers to wear masks starting July 15 :: WRAL.com

 

[dmac55]

Snipped by me

What subject is closed? I'm not following. The CDC/HHS issue or the climbing death numbers?

Re: "What subject is closed? I'm not following."

Did you read the post @SouthAussie was replying to?
Here it is:

CSIDreamer said: ↑
I posted their death rates just a bit ago. Did you see them? They're really high.

 

[Reasonable & Just]

Ours in UK are really high too but thankfully down to double figures and hoping for a zero death day soon also, but it doesn't mean a good job has been done just because we get to that stage. We can go back in to lockdown at any stage as two places here have recently found out. It almost seems like the game of keeping all the plates spinning at the same time.

Exactly. We cannot get too comfortable, no matter where we are. And in many towns like mine, we will have college students returning any day now.

 

[oviedo]

yes, BUT-
Florida's numbers are so fradulent. We've been battling transparency here since the virus started. So many different methods the state/Gov. has tried to muzzle the public reporters of numbers of cases and deaths.
It's way worse than reports from our Fl. Dept. of Health numbers because our Governor has
taken his cues from WH to minimize the serious surge of cases and deaths.
Here's just one example where he muzzled the
county medical examiners from reporting
the numbers of Covid deaths. reporters had
to get this info from state Dept. of Health, who
Governor controlled. When head scientist for
state Dept. of Health balked at fudging the numbers, the Governor fired her.
My point is, C-19 in Florida is way worse than
reported. But how do you attract tourists back to Florida if your state is one big petri-dush?
How do you justify opening schools on Aug. 10th? Or allowing restaurants to stay open?
So don't believe Florida figures, they're way worse and many residents know it.
Florida officials are no longer publishing the state's medical examiners' coronavirus death data

Yep - we are a hot mess and getting worse everyday - the opening of schools is in a few weeks and I would be terrified to send my child in -
JMO

 

[tresir2012]

US coronavirus deaths could reach more than 220K by November

U.S. coronavirus deaths are projected to reach more than 220,000 by the beginning of November as many states continue to report a surge in new cases and hospitalizations.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington estimates 224,089 fatalities from COVID-19 by Nov. 1, which is roughly 90,000 more than the current number of deaths in the U.S.

However, the IHME says that if 95% of Americans wore masks when leaving their homes, the number of projected fatalities would drop by more than 40,000.

So that's another 90k deaths over 4 months so 22k per month, is an average of more than 700 per day? I can't see that happening TBH.

 

[CSIDreamer]

Re: "What subject is closed? I'm not following."

Did you read the post @SouthAussie was replying to?
Here it is:

CSIDreamer said: ↑
I posted their death rates just a bit ago. Did you see them? They're really high.

And for some reason discussing death rates per million population is an issue. Not directed at you.

 

[SouthAussie]

Exactly. We cannot get too comfortable, no matter where we are. And in many towns like mine, we will have college students returning any day now.

We have a person from Victoria in our state at the moment. Our state health minister is being raked over the coals. The person from Victoria has tested 'inconclusive', and is being tested again. The media all want to know why we don't know what the results from the 2nd test are (yet).

That is how twitchy we are at the moment.

I am wondering how a test can be 'inconclusive'. Perhaps the person has something in their system that is interferring with the test results?

 

[JerseyGirl]

France aims to open schools by new academic year

France is aiming to reopen all schools for the new academic year under as “normal” conditions as possible, President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday, despite lingering virus concerns from some parents and teachers.

France gradually reopened schools in May and June as the country emerged from virus lockdown, and most children returned to class. While new infections prompted a few schools to close again, the vast majority stayed open until the school year wrapped up earlier this month.

“We have learned a lot” from that period, Macron said. “We developed a new way of teaching” to take the virus into account.

Schools adjusted schedules to keep children from mingling freely and kept students in one classroom instead of having them move around for different subjects. They were required to air out classrooms regularly, and masks were necessary for middle and high school students.

Macron pledged that teachers would be “well-protected” and that schools would adapt again if the virus takes off again before France’s 12.9 million pupils return to school around Sept. 1.

 

[tresir2012]

Re: "What subject is closed? I'm not following."

Did you read the post @SouthAussie was replying to?
Here it is:

CSIDreamer said: ↑
I posted their death rates just a bit ago. Did you see them? They're really high.

I am not aware any poster can mandate a "subject closed" certainly not regarding death rates. Hence my incredulity in wanting SA to clarify. I believe death rates will continue to be discussed as they are what this whole pandemic is about unfortunately.

 

[Sundog]

CNN's Jake Tapper on Cuomo and death rates in New York.

NY state has lost more than 32,000 lives to COVID-19. So while it's great that the numbers have gone down, it's perplexing to see crowing, Cuomo going on Fallon, etc. No other state has lost as many lives, not even close. New Jersey is next with 17,000+," Tapper began a Twitter thread. "Yes, this has been a major challenge for every leader, but New York's leaders do not have a success story to tell. It's been about missteps and late actions."

Referring to Cuomo's poster:

"There are no illustrations, however, of the more than 32,000 dead New Yorkers, the highest death toll by far of any state. No rendering on that poster of the criticism that Governor Cuomo ignored warnings, no depiction of the study that he could have saved thousands of lives had he and Mayor De Blasio acted sooner, no painting of his rescinded order that nursing homes take all infected patients in," the CNN anchor continued.

Jake Tapper tears into Cuomo for touting New York's COVID response: There are 'more than 32,000 dead New Yorkers'

ETA excerpts from MSM article

 

[JerseyGirl]

We have a person from Victoria in our state at the moment. Our state health minister is being raked over the coals. The person from Victoria has tested 'inconclusive', and is being tested again. The media all want to know why we don't know what the results from the 2nd test are (yet).

That is how twitchy we are at the moment.

I am wondering how a test can be 'inconclusive'. Perhaps the person has something in their system that is interferring with the test results?

From the US: Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19 Testing

What does an “inconclusive” result mean?
The UW SARS-CoV-2 Real-time RT-PCR assay targets two distinct gene regions (see SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Qualitative PCR [NCVQLT] for details). When one of the two targets, but not both, is present above the threshold for positivity, the test is reported as “inconclusive”. This is usually seen with low amounts of viral DNA. In practice, “inconclusive” results should be treated as presumptive positive COVID cases.

Is confirmatory testing performed for inconclusive results?
No. The state lab is no longer requesting specimens with inconclusive results for confirmatory testing.

 

[Footwarrior]

The death rate so far tells us where the virus has been. Moving forward we need to understand look at current rates of infection and other factors that indicate the current risk for a specific state or county.

This site shows new infections per 100,000 population at the county level. (Unfortunately it doesn’t work well on mobile devices).

https://globalepidemics.org/key-metrics-for-covid-suppression/

This site estimates the risk level of states using four different factors. The search window can be used to look at county level data. It is now showing 10 states as red, the highest level of risk. Click on a state for the details.

https://covidactnow.org/

 

[JerseyGirl]

Maryland reports more than 700 new coronavirus cases for the second straight day

Maryland reported 756 new cases of the novel coronavirus Wednesday — continuing a recent uptick in new cases — and announced seven more people have died from COVID-19.

Wednesday’s report shows a continued high infection rate among younger people. Those under the age of 40 represented 53% of Wednesday’s newly announced cases. The highest number of new cases — 193 —came from people between 20 and 29-years-old.

Gov. Larry Hogan will speak at a press conference Wednesday at 4 p.m., where he may discuss surging cases among young people, plans for the upcoming school year or coronavirus-related restrictions for bars and restaurants.

In a letter to local health officials Tuesday, Hogan criticized establishments that are not following the state’s rules. Restaurants can only operate at 50% capacity indoors, and can only serve seated customers. Customers are not permitted to congregate in bar areas or elsewhere.

Overall, the new case numbers have ticked upwards of late. Tuesday marked the first time since early June that the state reported more than 700 cases, and on Wednesday it inched even higher.

 

[JerseyGirl]

These nurses traveled to New York during the coronavirus peak. Now they are educating skeptics back home.

Nurses who battled virus in New York confront friends back home who say it’s a hoax

“It made me feel terrible because at that point, I was scared for my own life, just being out there on the front lines, providing care for my patients and also just living day to day because we were all nervous. … So I had to educate my friends and let them know the virus is real and they have to stop doing what they were doing,” said Olumide “Peter” Kolade, a nurse from California.

Oklahoma nurse Courtney Sudduth said that she felt relief to finally get back home after seeing the virus cause so many deaths in New York. But now, she said she is taking care of Covid-19 patients in their 30s who are on ventilators. “When I came back here, there weren't people taking any precautions and people weren't social distancing. And now, for two weeks, we’ve had daily record number cases…and our hospitals are being overrun. Our ICUs are full,” she said. One of Sudduth’s brothers, who lives in Mississippi, believed conspiracy theories about the virus and continued to socialize at cookouts — until last month, she said, when he came down with the virus. “That changed his mind.”

Tamara Williams, a nurse from Dallas who came to New York, said she had to remove 50-100 friends from her Facebook account because she could not stand seeing their posts with false information about the pandemic. Several times since returning from New York, Williams has run into acquaintances who have told her that they believe the coronavirus is no more than the flu — even though coronavirus cases in Texas have surged since mid-June. “It’s infuriating,” she said. Sometimes she pushes back, telling stories about the young patients she treated who had no underlying health conditions. Other times, she tunes people out. “There’s no other way,” Williams, 40, said. “I literally feel like I would lose my mind — it would eat me alive — if I sat there and got into a verbal, back-and-forth banter.”

Virginia Bernal, a 45-year-old nurse who spent months working in New York, could tell from her conversations over the phone with relatives back in Phoenix that they were not taking the surge in cases there seriously. She said she had tried to discourage her mother from attending a graduation party for a friend’s daughter. But a few days later, when Bernal called, her mother did not answer her phone because she was at the party. “I’ve done my part, so if you choose to go, that’s on you,” Bernal said she told her mother.

Heather Smith, a nurse from Topsail Island, off the coast of North Carolina, who worked at Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, struggled to hold back tears when describing how she felt when her brother said he did not believe the virus was real. When Smith started typing a rant on Facebook, she said, “I realized how angry I was.” She said she could not get out of her mind the images of patients who died alone: “No one understands how serious and how traumatizing it is.