Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #46

[HongKongPhooey]

Did it come back?

Yes, gradually. I think about 14 days into the illness itself. My sense of smell tho is still not quite right. My son asked me to check a jar of pesto seemed ok a couple of nights ago and I couldnt smell it at all!

 

[NuttMegg]

Former coworker was in line at Walmart for pickup - watching people go in. She counted 98 people with only 4 wearing masks of any type. Laughing, talking, like nothing was going on. Harris County TX .

I just heard on Anderson Cooper (CNN) that Texas is not expected to peak for 2 weeks. I wonder if some of those people at Walmart know what that means.

 

[CSIDreamer]

I'm flipping through resources and not finding what I'm looking for. Anyone know why New York's death rate (513/1M pop) is so high? Are there that many elderly in New York?

 

[NuttMegg]

How a Premier U.S. Drug Company Became a Virus ‘Super Spreader’
The Biogen meeting was one of the earliest examples in the United States of what epidemiologists call “superspreading events” of Covid-19, where a small gathering of people leads to a huge number of infections. Unlike the most infamous clusters of cases stemming from a nursing home outside Seattle or a 40th birthday party in Connecticut, the Biogen cluster happened at a meeting of top health care professionals whose job it was to fight disease, not spread it.

“The smartest people in health care and drug development — and they were completely oblivious to the biggest thing that was about to shatter their world,” said John Carroll, editor of Endpoints News, which covers the biotech industry.

The official count of those sickened — 99, including employees and their contacts, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health — includes only those who live in that state. The true number across the United States is certainly higher. The first two cases in Indiana were Biogen executives. So was the first known case in Tennessee, and six of the earliest cases in North Carolina."

 

[Inthedetails]

Former coworker was in line at Walmart for pickup - watching people go in. She counted 98 people with only 4 wearing masks of any type. Laughing, talking, like nothing was going on. Harris County TX .

I hope they change their ways. It's now totally normal to wear a mask where I am - seeing someone without a mask now stands out as strange and my local grocery store insists that customers wear masks (in addition to limiting the number of shoppers in the store).

Remember the signs outside of stores in the 70s: "No shirt, no shoes, not service."

Now it should be "No mask, no distancing, no service."

jmo

 

[Sundog]

My cousin is a pastor in the Netherlands. This Sunday, he live-streamed his communion service from the edge of a hyacinth field. The whole field was in full bloom with rows and rows of purple hyacinths. I could smell them from here in Canada.

Sounds beautiful.

 

[PommyMommy]

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"Some countries and communities have now endured several weeks of social and economic restrictions. Some countries are considering when they can lift these restrictions; others are considering whether and when to introduce them"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus
11:18 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"In both cases, these decisions must be based first on foremost on protecting human health, and guided by what we know about the #coronavirus and how it behaves. Since the beginning, this has been an area of intense focus for WHO"-@DrTedros #COVID19
11:19 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"As we’ve said many times before, this is a new virus & the first pandemic caused by a #coronavirus. We’re all learning, all the time & adjusting our strategy, based on the latest available evidence. We can only say what we know & we can only act on what we know"-@DrTedros
11:19 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"Evidence from several countries is giving us a clearer picture about this virus, how it behaves, how to stop it & how to treat it. We know that #COVID19 spreads fast & we know that it is deadly – 10 times deadlier than the virus responsible for the 2009 flu pandemic"-@DrTedros
11:21 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"We know that the #coronavirus can spread more easily in crowded environments like nursing homes. We know that early case-finding, testing, isolating caring for every case & tracing every contact is essential for stopping #COVID19 transmission"-@DrTedros
11:22 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"We know that in some countries, #COVID19 cases are doubling every 3 to 4 days. However, while COVID-19 accelerates very fast, it decelerates much more slowly. In other words, the way down is much slower than the way up"-@DrTedros #coronavirus
11:23 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"That means control measures must be lifted slowly, and with control. It cannot happen all at once. Control measures can only be lifted if the right public health measures are in place, including significant capacity for contact tracing"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus
11:23 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"But while some countries are considering how to ease restrictions, others are considering whether to introduce them – especially many low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus
11:24 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"In countries with large poor populations, the #StayHome orders & other restrictions used in high-income countries may not be practical. Many poor people, migrants & refugees are already living in overcrowded conditions with few resources & little access to health care"-@DrTedros
11:25 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"How do you survive a lockdown when you depend on your daily labor to eat? News reports from around the world describe how many people are in danger of being left without access to food"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus
11:26 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"Meanwhile, schools have closed for an estimated 1.4 billion children. This has halted their education, opened some to increased risk of abuse, and deprived many of their primary source of food"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus
11:26 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"As I've said many times, physical distancing restrictions are only part of the equation & there are many other basic public health measures that need to be put in place"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus
11:27 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"We also call on all countries to ensure that where #StayHome measures are used, they must not be at the expense of human rights. Each government must assess their situation, while protecting all their citizens & especially the most vulnerable"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus
11:28 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"To support countries in making these decisions, WHO will tomorrow be publishing its updated strategic advice. The new strategy summarizes what we’ve learned and charts the way forward"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus
11:32 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"[The new strategy] It includes 6 criteria for countries as they consider lifting restrictions that:

transmission is controlled

health system capacities are in place to detect, test, isolate & treat every #COVID19 case & trace every contact"-@DrTedros #coronavirus
11:32 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter

outbreak risks are minimized in special settings like health facilities & nursing homes

preventive measures are in place in workplaces, schools & other places where it’s essential for people to go

importation risks can be managed"-
@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus
11:32 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
6 communities are fully educated, engaged & empowered to adjust to the “new norm”.
Every country should implement a comprehensive set of measures to slow down #COVID19 transmission & save lives, with the aim of reaching a steady state of low-level or no transmission"-@DrTedros
11:32 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"Countries must balance between measures that address the mortality caused by #COVID19, and from other diseases due to overwhelmed health systems, as well as the social economic impacts"-@DrTedros #coronavirus
11:33 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"As the #COVID19 pandemic has spread, its public health and socioeconomic impacts have been profound, and have disproportionately affected the vulnerable. Many populations have already experienced a lack of access to routine, essential health services"-@DrTedros #coronavirus
11:33 AM - 13 Apr 2020

World Health Organization (WHO) on Twitter
"Our global connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of #COVID19 will continue. Ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission"-@DrTedros #coronavirus
11:35 AM - 13 Apr 2020

 

[musicaljoke]

The federal government is providing $50 million to help farmers and food processors cover the costs associated with mandatory quarantine rules for workers coming in from outside the country.

[Canadian]Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says the labour shortage on farms is acute and depends on foreign temporary workers.

But rules designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 mean this year’s incoming workers must quarantine for 14 days.

Bibeau says employers are committed to making sure workers follow those rules but they do come at a cost.

She says the money is designed to help offset those and will give employers $1,500 per worker to help put quarantine measures in place.

Ontario has aquired more than 13 million masks , Health Canada approves rapid, portable test, Canada reports 734 deaths

 

[imstilla.grandma]

I came across his by happenstance. I didn’t even know kids still got the measles. What do you think about the rash growth and containment chart? I realize we’re talking crabapples and sweetoranges here.


As of April 5, 2020, there have been 12 confirmed cases in 7 jurisdictions.*Jurisdictions refer to any of the 50 states, New York City, and the District of Columbia

• From January 1 to December 31, 2019, 1,282* individual cases of measles were confirmed in 31 states. Of these cases, 128 were hospitalized and 61 reported having complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis.
• This is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1992. More than 73% of the cases were linked to recent outbreaks in New York. The majority of cases were among people who were not vaccinated against measles. Measles is more likely to spread and cause outbreaks in U.S. communities where groups of people are unvaccinated.

All measles cases were caused by measles wild-type D8 or B3.
Measles Cases and Outbreaks

Measles was eliminated in the United States in 2000. High national coverage with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and rapid implementation of measles control measures prevent widespread measles transmission.

During January–September 2019, 1,249 U.S. measles cases were reported, the highest annual number since 1992. Eighty-nine percent of measles patients were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status, and 10% were hospitalized. Eighty-six percent of cases were associated with outbreaks in underimmunized, close-knit communities, including two outbreaks in New York Orthodox Jewish communities that threatened measles elimination status in the United States.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/figures/mm6840e2-F.gif
Abbreviations: NYC = New York City; NYS = New York State.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/pdfs/mm6840e2-H.pdf

 

[PommyMommy]

South Dakota will be first state to conduct hydroxychloroquine trial, governor says

[...]

"We’ve received the initial doses we need," Noem said. "We’re now the first state to do a full clinical trial to test whether hydroxychloroquine can treat and perhaps prevent #COVID19."

Coronavirus pandemic: Live updates - CNN

Governor Kristi Noem on Twitter
From day one, I’ve said we’re going to let the science, facts, and data drive our decisions in South Dakota. Throughout last week, I communicated with White House officials to let them know that SD’s medical community was ready to step up and lead the way on research efforts.
12:25 PM - 13 Apr 2020

Governor Kristi Noem on Twitter
I made direct requests to @POTUS and @VP Pence to supply us with enough hydroxychloroquine so that it could be made available for every hospitalized person in the state, as well as for those healthcare workers on the frontlines and those in the most vulnerable populations.
12:25 PM - 13 Apr 2020

Governor Kristi Noem on Twitter
We’ve received the initial doses we need. Thanks to the leadership, of @SanfordHealth with assistance from @AveraHealth & @_monumenthealth, we’re now the first state to do a full clinical trial to test whether hydroxychloroquine can treat and perhaps prevent #COVID19
12:25 PM - 13 Apr 2020

(Also posted in the South Dakota thread)

 

[dotr]

I'm flipping through resources and not finding what I'm looking for. Anyone know why New York's death rate (513/1M pop) is so high? Are there that many elderly in New York?

Wondering if it has anything to do with New York being very much a city where people walk (on crowded sidewalks/ subways) as opposed to California where people tend to drive? imo speculation.
Also as others have pointed out possibly helpful vitamin D/ California's sunshine..

Why New York has been hit so hard by coronavirus (opinion) - CNN
''Why does New York seem to be having a different epidemic from most other parts of the country?
Is the reason simply population size and density? New York is by far the nation's most populous city, with more than 8 million people, twice as many as Los Angeles. But New York also has eight or nine times more cases than any other city — so what gives? No other city or county has a fraction of the cases of New York City.''

''The density explanation may explain some of the difference, but not all of it. New York's densest borough is Manhattan, while relatively sprawling Queens sits at fourth out of five. But Queens has more than twice the cases and twice the rate of cases as Manhattan.
Maybe it's because so much testing is being done in New York. If you test more, you find more, and if you find more, you test even more. It is likely that more tests, and more tests per population, are performed in New York than elsewhere in the United States, and that the New York rate stacks up favorably to countries with aggressive testing programs, such as Iceland and South Korea and Germany, but comparative information is sketchy''.

''Sadly, the likeliest explanation for the high death rate, though, is the chronically inadequate health care given to minorities and the poor throughout New York City, as in the rest of the country. New York City and New York state have only now released the race distribution of cases and deaths, as well as by zip code, a surrogate for poverty rates. It is clear that severe disease has not been distributed equally by race and ethnicity.'

 

[Sundog]

CDC study suggests coronavirus can travel 13 feet in air and live on shoes

ETA - "In addition, as medical staff walk around the ward, the virus can be tracked all over the floor, as indicated by the 100 [percent] rate of positivity from the floor in the pharmacy, where there were no patients," researchers wrote in the study. "Furthermore, half of the samples from the soles of the ICU medical staff shoes tested positive. Therefore, the soles of medical staff shoes might function as carriers. The 3 weak positive results from the floor of dressing room 4 might also arise from these carriers. We highly recommend that persons disinfect shoe soles before walking out of wards containing COVID-19 patients."

Researchers also discovered the "[v]irus was widely distributed on floors, computer mice, trash cans and sickbed handrails."

 

[Reasonable & Just]

I'm flipping through resources and not finding what I'm looking for. Anyone know why New York's death rate (513/1M pop) is so high? Are there that many elderly in New York?

Lots of elderly, but they aren't the only ones who die. High population density in the city, lots of commuting from one area to the next and mass transit. Major destination for business and tourism, domestically and worldwide. That's my understanding, anyway, so JMO and all that.

 

[Trino]

What is this???
Trump says he has the authority to reopen. Really? According to this and a few other statements, he did not close businesses/cities/counties/states.

Trump Declares He Has Power to ‘Open Up’ States, Not Governors

 

[Inthedetails]

I came across his by happenstance. I didn’t even know kids still got the measles. What do you think about the rash growth and containment chart? I realize we’re talking crabapples and sweetoranges here.


As of April 5, 2020, there have been 12 confirmed cases in 7 jurisdictions.*Jurisdictions refer to any of the 50 states, New York City, and the District of Columbia

• From January 1 to December 31, 2019, 1,282* individual cases of measles were confirmed in 31 states. Of these cases, 128 were hospitalized and 61 reported having complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis.
• This is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1992. More than 73% of the cases were linked to recent outbreaks in New York. The majority of cases were among people who were not vaccinated against measles. Measles is more likely to spread and cause outbreaks in U.S. communities where groups of people are unvaccinated.

All measles cases were caused by measles wild-type D8 or B3.
Measles Cases and Outbreaks

Measles was eliminated in the United States in 2000. High national coverage with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and rapid implementation of measles control measures prevent widespread measles transmission.

During January–September 2019, 1,249 U.S. measles cases were reported, the highest annual number since 1992. Eighty-nine percent of measles patients were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status, and 10% were hospitalized. Eighty-six percent of cases were associated with outbreaks in underimmunized, close-knit communities, including two outbreaks in New York Orthodox Jewish communities that threatened measles elimination status in the United States.
View attachment 242902
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/figures/mm6840e2-F.gif
Abbreviations: NYC = New York City; NYS = New York State.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/pdfs/mm6840e2-H.pdf

There is a WS thread about the measles outbreak. Not sure it's currently active, but it was during the outbreak peaks.

jmo

 

[otto]

Canada has developed and approved a rapid test for the virus using locally sourced materials from start to finish.

"Health Canada has approved an Ottawa company's new technology that is aimed at expanding the country's COVID-19 test capacity.

Spartan Bioscience was one of the companies to receive federal funds announced in mid-March to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

It adapted its portable DNA test kits to a similar hand-held, cube-shaped device that could do quick tests for the novel coronavirus outside laboratories in settings such as airports, border crossings and remote communities.

Last month, company CEO Paul Lem said the tests would involve two mouth swabs plugged into the coffee cup-sized cube, which would light up if the germs are detected."​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/spartan-covid19-test-kit-new-1.5530669

"The CEO said the manufacturing needs are essentially the same for many of the tests that Spartan Bioscience already prepares. The company also uses a local supply chain, Lem said, meaning they're not facing a shortage of swabs affecting health care professionals elsewhere. "
​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/spartan-bioscience-test-covid-19-1.5505241

 

[NuttMegg]

South Dakota will be first state to conduct hydroxychloroquine trial, governor says

[...]

"We’ve received the initial doses we need," Noem said. "We’re now the first state to do a full clinical trial to test whether hydroxychloroquine can treat and perhaps prevent #COVID19."

SBM

(Also posted in the South Dakota thread)

That will be interesting to see Noem's approved scientific study design for proving "prevention" of COVID 19.

 

[CSIDreamer]

Wondering if it has anything to do with New York being very much a city where people walk (on crowded sidewalks/ subways) as opposed to California where people tend to drive? imo speculation.
Also as others have pointed out possibly helpful vitamin D/ California's sunshine..

Why New York has been hit so hard by coronavirus (opinion) - CNN
''Why does New York seem to be having a different epidemic from most other parts of the country?
Is the reason simply population size and density? New York is by far the nation's most populous city, with more than 8 million people, twice as many as Los Angeles. But New York also has eight or nine times more cases than any other city — so what gives? No other city or county has a fraction of the cases of New York City.''

''The density explanation may explain some of the difference, but not all of it. New York's densest borough is Manhattan, while relatively sprawling Queens sits at fourth out of five. But Queens has more than twice the cases and twice the rate of cases as Manhattan.
Maybe it's because so much testing is being done in New York. If you test more, you find more, and if you find more, you test even more. It is likely that more tests, and more tests per population, are performed in New York than elsewhere in the United States, and that the New York rate stacks up favorably to countries with aggressive testing programs, such as Iceland and South Korea and Germany, but comparative information is sketchy''.

''Sadly, the likeliest explanation for the high death rate, though, is the chronically inadequate health care given to minorities and the poor throughout New York City, as in the rest of the country. New York City and New York state have only now released the race distribution of cases and deaths, as well as by zip code, a surrogate for poverty rates. It is clear that severe disease has not been distributed equally by race and ethnicity.'

That last paragraph might explain a lot. Also, maybe density brings about a higher viral load?

I've noticed the fb page from the Texas RN going to NY being linked a couple of times. She's in Elmhurst. She had posted about machines (EKG) not working, cockroaches, etc. Part of the poverty?

 

[momrids6]

We are going to be closed for a decade if going by the WHO recommendations. We don’t have anything close to the capacity listed to test

 

[tresir2012]

I'm flipping through resources and not finding what I'm looking for. Anyone know why New York's death rate (513/1M pop) is so high? Are there that many elderly in New York?

I don't know if there is data in here that may help. If you see the New York entry in this list and go across to the right hand column you will see some reference numbers you can click on to give a lot more info.

"United States Coronavirus: 573,827 Cases and 22,950 Deaths - Worldometer" United States Coronavirus: 573,827 Cases and 22,950 Deaths - Worldometer