Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #77

[Yesiamapirate]

Well, what I’m about to relate feels totally freaky. I’m sure it is just statistics, but to my non mathematical brain this is mind-boggling:

A friend told me to type any three numbers followed by the words “new cases” in the google search bar. So, for example I might type: “582 new cases”. Keep trying any three-digit number. There’s always plenty of news stories with that specific number of new cases of coronavirus somewhere. No matter what number you choose.

However—ATTENTION! I do NOT believe in conspiracy theories, so let’s not go there. I just thought it was interesting.

I told my husband this, but he only shrugged. He remembers one of his professors once said in a class that often there is at least two who will share the same birthday, that it’s just the odds. That fact would amaze me, too! But, like I said, I do not have a good mathematical mind. LOL

 

[MimosaMornings]

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms renews some COVID -19 orders | 11alive.com

“Atlanta's mayor has reissued a series of administrative and executive orders meant to protect residents from unneeded fines or losing their homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”

 

[mickey2942]

Texas doesn’t pay much.
Petit jurors will be reimbursed $6.00 for the first day of jury service; Grand jurors $10.00 for the first day; $40.00 for each subsequent day of jury service.

I am hoping that maybe they can allow jurors to hook up with Zoom or some sort of technology. And still have an effective jury process, with the pandemic.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Covid updates at Georgia colleges

Georgia Tech more than doubles new COVID-19 cases in just 7 days

“Just a week after Channel 2 Action News reported that Georgia Tech officials had locked down a fraternity house due to a COVID-19 outbreak, the number of confirmed cases on campus has more than doubled.”

“By Saturday, the school was reporting 641 confirmed cases, more than double the number of people on campus who have been infected since the pandemic began in just 7 days.”
———
https://www.macon.com/news/local/education/article245326200.html

“Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville has reported 535 confirmed COVID-19 cases since June 18 and 253 cases this week. With fewer than 8,000 students, that gives Georgia College one of the worst college case rates in the country.

The Georgia College Chapter of United Campus Workers of Georgia organized a “die-in” Friday morning at the campus to protest what some students, employees and parents said was poor planning by university leadership.

Georgia College didn’t test students, faculty or staff before they returned to campus earlier this summer and there have been complaints about a lack of social distancing and limited virtual education options.”

 

[SouthAussie]

Victoria has now got itself down into double digits ... 73 new cases today. I'll bet they are happy.

Melbourne is two weeks away from its planned end to the stage four lockdown. Their premier is going to tell them, on Sunday, what will happen next.



Mr Andrews said there was no economic benefit to pushing a plan ''too fast'' and then being forced back into restrictions.

"But there is an enormous amount of work going on, modelling scenarios being run through various supercomputers ... and we will be in a position to be able to share that road map, what it will look like, its various components and phases, with the community on Sunday," he said.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/vic...rus-cases-41-more-deaths-20200831-p55qsz.html

 

[SouthAussie]

Seems that there are ethical considerations for some with the promising Oxford vaccine. Not anti-vaxx, but the ethics of the origin of the vaccine. This could put a dent in getting every sector of our country vaccinated. Possibly sectors of other countries will have a problem with it, too.


Three Sydney archbishops recently penned a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, urging him to reconsider an agreement with UK manufacturer AstraZeneca to secure 25 million doses, if trials are cleared.

'I'd feel uncomfortable cooperating with this evil': Why some Christians are against the Oxford vaccine

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Coronavirus: Masks now mandatory for secondary pupils in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Pupils in Scotland and Northern Ireland now have to wear face masks in school corridors and communal areas to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission.

The new rules, which kick in today, apply to all children over 12 in Scotland - and on school transport for primary pupils five and above.

In Northern Ireland, post-primary pupils and teachers will also have to wear face coverings in corridors and communal areas. Masks on school buses are strongly recommended but not mandatory.

Face coverings are not mandatory in classrooms in either country.

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Coronavirus: Zante flight linked to COVID-19 cases 'had no social distancing', says passenger

Stephanie Whitfield was on the Tui flight 6215 to Cardiff on Tuesday and has described how passengers were not wearing masks correctly.

Speaking to Sky News, she said there was "not much social distancing" on the flight and "people didn't seem to be very well educated in the use of wearing masks".

She continued: "We had people wearing masks under their noses, underneath their chins.

"People took the mask off to talk to other people and others taking the mask off to wander down the aisles and talk to other people - so it wasn't fantastic, to be honest."

 

[tresir2012]

At least 50% of adult Americans have underlying conditions. Some say 60%. Obesity and overweight being the first, largest category with significant co-morbidity.

So that's a lot of people who, whether they know it or not, fall into the category of "pre-existing conditions." High blood pressure, absent being overweight, adds about another 2% and of course, heart disease adds a few more.

It does put the spotlight on America (and UK's) obesity issue.

Unfortunately the report and other items @CSIDreamer linked are not available to UK/Europe so wondering if you could paraphrase what it said about UK comorbidities. I would be interested.

 

[tresir2012]

Seems that there are ethical considerations for some with the promising Oxford vaccine. Not anti-vaxx, but the ethics of the origin of the vaccine. This could put a dent in getting every sector of our country vaccinated. Possibly sectors of other countries will have a problem with it, too.


Three Sydney archbishops recently penned a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, urging him to reconsider an agreement with UK manufacturer AstraZeneca to secure 25 million doses, if trials are cleared.

'I'd feel uncomfortable cooperating with this evil': Why some Christians are against the Oxford vaccine

This is the case with most vaccines. This article explains they are using manufactured cells on a continuing basis as it has been proved in prior vaccines.

The cells used to develop the Oxford coronavirus vaccine candidate were harvested from a 1973 foetus

 

[SouthAussie]

A couple of the business things being considered by the Victoria govt when they lift the lockdown in a couple of weeks:

Workplace bubbles, where staff are split into teams, and you only work with your team at any time.
Meetings and lunchbreaks to be held outside, keeping people outside in the fresh air as much as possible during their workday.
Nursing home staff can only work at one location, they cannot work casually at more than one location.

(Workplaces were considered to play a big part in the spread of the virus).

Source: Ch9 Evening News

 

[FrostOwl]

This is the case with most vaccines. This article explains they are using manufactured cells on a continuing basis as it has been proved in prior vaccines.

The cells used to develop the Oxford coronavirus vaccine candidate were harvested from a 1973 foetus

These foetal cells are not the only immortal cells used in medical research, the HeLa cells cloned in 1953 have been used in polio vaccines, HPV vaccines, as well as cancer studies. In this case the cells were taken without asking for permission to use them from Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951.
HeLa - Wikipedia
Are there protests against the use of HeLa cells for vaccines, or doesn't it matter as they are from a grown woman?
Henrietta Lacks - Wikipedia

 

[Sundog]

Seems that there are ethical considerations for some with the promising Oxford vaccine. Not anti-vaxx, but the ethics of the origin of the vaccine. This could put a dent in getting every sector of our country vaccinated. Possibly sectors of other countries will have a problem with it, too.


Three Sydney archbishops recently penned a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, urging him to reconsider an agreement with UK manufacturer AstraZeneca to secure 25 million doses, if trials are cleared.

'I'd feel uncomfortable cooperating with this evil': Why some Christians are against the Oxford vaccine

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has taken the recommendation from the Pontifical Academy in that there may be situations related to public health where no alternative vaccine is currently available, and therefore it is allowable to take such a vaccine. Otherwise, normally a Catholic Christian would be granted a religious exemption or a conscience exemption from required vaccines. Of course, a long term solution would be to develop future vaccines that don't use aborted foetuses or foetus stem cells.

 

[SouthAussie]

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has taken the recommendation from the Pontifical Academy in that there may be situations related to public health where no alternative vaccine is currently available, and therefore it is allowable to take such a vaccine. Otherwise, normally a Catholic Christian would be granted a religious exemption or a conscience exemption from required vaccines. Of course, a long term solution would be to develop future vaccines that don't use aborted foetuses or foetus stem cells.

Australia is religiously very diverse, as well as pretty relaxed about it all, and the Archbishops who wrote to the Prime Minister were Anglican.
I don't think it will be a huge issue here. Just because the Archbishops stated their views, doesn't mean that their congregations will follow their views. imo

From our last census:

2016 Census: Religion

 

[tresir2012]

These foetal cells are not the only immortal cells used in medical research, the HeLa cells cloned in 1953 have been used in polio vaccines, HPV vaccines, as well as cancer studies. In this case the cells were taken without asking for permission to use them from Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951.
HeLa - Wikipedia
Are there protests against the use of HeLa cells for vaccines, or doesn't it matter as they are from a grown woman?
Henrietta Lacks - Wikipedia

I don't know but Mods may possibly want to move these vaccine discussions to the vaccine thread. I will self report.

 

[CSIDreamer]

Unfortunately the report and other items @CSIDreamer linked are not available to UK/Europe so wondering if you could paraphrase what it said about UK comorbidities. I would be interested.

The article I linked didn't reference the UK.

 

[JerseyGirl]

US coronavirus cases near 6 million as Birx says don't wait for vaccine to 'do the right thing'

As the United States nears 6 million Covid-19 cases, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus response urged Americans not to wait for a vaccine to stop community spread of the virus.

"Do the right thing today," Dr. Deborah Birx said. "Because if we do the right thing today, we go into the fall with much fewer cases."

"Right now, we gain freedom through wearing our masks and socially distancing," Birx said.

She urged vigilance, noting that crowds gathered at concert venues can spread the virus, but so too can people gathered in a backyard.

"We know we can't always be perfect. We know that we'll put this message out about private gatherings and something will happen and you'll realize you have been in a situation, you've been around people, you didn't have your mask on," Birx said. "That is the time to make sure you're protecting others in your household and around you by wearing a mask when you're around them, even if they're family."

 

[JerseyGirl]

India sets global record with single-day rise in coronavirus cases

India on Sunday reported the biggest single-day jump in coronavirus infections of any nation in the COVID-19 pandemic, as the epicentre shifts to the south Asian giant.

India's 78,761 cases exceeded the 77,299 recorded in the United States on July 16, a Reuters tally of official data showed.

The world's second-most populous nation is, with 3.54 million cases, the third-hardest hit by the pandemic, following the United States and Brazil, but its daily tallies have exceeded those of the other two countries for almost two weeks.

The COVID-19 death toll in India jumped by 948 to 63,498, the federal health ministry data showed.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Hawaii mandates 'Safe Travels' coronavirus screening for travelers

The Aloha State on Tuesday will roll out a digital Safe Travels application that collects health and travel information during COVID-19 required by all travelers.

The Safe Travels app replaces the state’s current paper-based process, which includes two forms for travel to and in the state.

A mandatory 14-day quarantine is still in place for out-of-state travelers to curb the spread of COVID-19 while a partial interisland quarantine was also reinstated on Aug. 11.

Ige announced earlier this month that the state will not open to tourism until at least October.

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Sturgeon 'concerned' over 160 new virus cases

Nicola Sturgeon has voiced concerns after 160 more people tested positive for coronavirus in Scotland.

The latest increase in new cases follows 123 reported on Sunday, with a number of "clusters" across Scotland.
A total of 69 of the new cases were reported in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, with Ms Sturgeon saying "particularly close attention" was being paid to this.
The number of people in hospital with the virus has increased to 258, five of whom are in intensive care.

The first minister said it appeared the figures in the Glasgow area "seem to reflect a number of small clusters, rather than one or two more significant outbreaks".
Another 27 cases were reported in Lanarkshire, 18 in Lothian, and eight in Ayrshire and Arran - with Ms Sturgeon warning that the latter "seem to be linked to indoor gatherings".