Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #49

[astheworldfallsdown]

This is from the same church encouraging people to donate their whole stimulus check. So how many other people congregating in here in hospital? Probably more after today with 27 buses coming in.

Louisiana lawyer hospitalized with COVID-19 less than 10 days after visiting controversial church | News Break

A Baton Rouge lawyer who visited Life Tabernacle Church on two occasions in early April was hospitalized with COVID-19 on April 16. Before he became ill, Jeff Wittenbrink, 59, was helping put together a legal defense of the church and its pastor on anticipated charges of defying Louisiana’s social-distancing order and its ban on large gatherings.

So greedy and completely reckless then. JMO

 

[tresir2012]

Ireland's testing backlog cleared and Trump issues warning to China: Today's Covid-19 main points

(Ireland)

A FURTHER 41 people who contracted Covid-19 have died in Ireland, health officials have confirmed.

The Department of Health also confirmed yesterday that 630 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded here, and 148 more cases from a testing backlog were confirmed by a lab in Germany.

The testing backlog has now been cleared, the HSE confirmed today.

The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland stands at 14,758 and there have been 571 deaths overall.

Here are today’s Covid-19 main points:

• A further 41 deaths and 630 new cases have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland, plus 148 positive cases from the March backlog.
• Of the 571 people who have died in Ireland overall, 330 had been admitted to hospital and 46 were in intensive care.
• Ireland’s testing backlog has now been cleared, HSE CEO Paul Reid has said.
• Reid added that the acquisition of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers remains “challenging” due to the global demand. The HSE has asked Chinese suppliers to consolidate deliveries into one large order worth €130 million. That delivery will include 7.5 million gloves, 2.5 million face shields, six million respirator masks, 10 million surgical masks and three million gloves.
• Lifting restrictions on people’s movements will happen in a “slow and controlled manner”, the chairman of the Covid-19 expert advisory group has said.
• The HSE has said an internal memo at a Dublin nursing home describing patients as ‘dirty’ was issued in error without any formal approval.
• The Home Care Coalition, a group of 23 charities, has urged the Department of Health and the HSE to take immediate action to support people experiencing a stoppage in their home-care provision as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, and to provide sufficient levels of PPE and other supports to home-care workers and family carers.
• Oaklodge Nursing Home in Cloyne in Co Cork has become the first nursing home in Ireland to pilot remote temperature-checking software that can detect early Covid-19 warning symptoms in staff.
• GAA broadcaster Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh has launched an initiative by the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists encouraging people who are cocooning to exercise if they can.
• In our latest ‘Debunked’ article, we look at whether or not 2020 is a ‘normal’ year for deaths from respiratory illnesses.

New one on me. What's "cocooning" ?

GAA broadcaster Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh has launched an initiative by the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists encouraging people who are cocooning to exercise if they can.

Is it sitting around surfing WS and the internet all day?

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

New one on me. What's "cocooning" ?

GAA broadcaster Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh has launched an initiative by the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists encouraging people who are cocooning to exercise if they can.

Is it sitting around surfing WS and the internet all day?

Kind of.
It's basically staying in and not having contact with anyone else, even if they live in your house.
Cocooning

 

[Jax49]

New one on me. What's "cocooning" ?

GAA broadcaster Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh has launched an initiative by the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists encouraging people who are cocooning to exercise if they can.

Is it sitting around surfing WS and the internet all day?

The risk of catching coronavirus in Ireland is high. For people most at risk of serious illness if they catch coronavirus, we are giving special advice called cocooning. Cocooning is for people who are extremely medically vulnerable. It is for your personal protection.

Cocooning means you should stay at home at all times and avoid face-to-face contact. Even within your home, you should minimise all non-essential contact with other members of your household.

Cocooning

 

[imstilla.grandma]

New one on me. What's "cocooning" ?

GAA broadcaster Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh has launched an initiative by the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists encouraging people who are cocooning to exercise if they can.

Is it sitting around surfing WS and the internet all day?

I hadn’t heard that term applied to this virus. It’s interesting. Here’s what Wikipedia says:
Cocooning is staying inside one's home, insulated from perceived danger, instead of going out.
Cocooning (behaviour) - Wikipedia

 

[Inthedetails]

Exactly. The sermon was on the car radio.

I'm in favor of lockdowns to lower the curve, but I don't see the problem with church services in cars in a parking lot.

I recall as a kid on a camping trip with family, we attended church service at a drive-in theater. It was set up specifically for "weekenders" who didn't belong to local churches but still wanted to attend a service.

Everyone sat in their cars and the sermon was broadcast over the drive-in speakers - remember those things, pulling them in the window of your car?

I recall it being uncomfortable/boring to sit in the car in a parking lot so the kids escaped to play in the playground, but, of course, kids couldn't do that now.

I think we need to be reasonable on both sides of this issue. Church service in cars seems to maintain social distance AND removes the fight about it. Go in peace, imo.

And, good morning. Today is Sunday.

 

[CSIDreamer]

It would be interesting to see if they accept responsibility for their actions that exposed them to the coronavirus. That doesn’t mean (to me) that they should refuse treatment, but they ought to think twice about who deserves a ventilator. JMO

Ventilators are merit based now? When did that happen and who decides if someone "deserves" one?

 

[tresir2012]

Kind of.
It's basically staying in and not having contact with anyone else, even if they live in your house.
Cocooning

Ah ok, similar to "shielding" .

Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19

 

[mickey2942]

Get My Payment | Internal Revenue Service

I just checked this, my payment will be in my account on April 22.

 

[Henry2326]

ECUADOR - The novel coronavirus has ravaged the coastal Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil, which has struggled to cope with the number of corpses as hospitals, morgues and funeral parlors have been overwhelmed. Some social media videos show unattended bodies lying on the street with nowhere else to go.
The outbreak in Ecuador has sickened at least 3,100 people, according to Johns Hopkins' latest data map. The epicenter in the country is in Guayaquil, where residents have criticized the government's response.
Briones tweeted about his neighbor's body — wrapped in a blanket and left outside on Sunday — pleading for someone to pick it up. He told CBS News on Thursday that eventually it was taken care of. While he said he doesn't feel like citizens are being ignored, he believes this is the consequence of the health care system collapsing.
"All of this is a consequence of the bad direction that authorities took and not taking precautions nor being prepared for this despite knowing what was going on in Europe," he told CBS News in Spanish. "Adding the fact that people didn't worry — because more so than the government, the blame falls more so on people that didn't collaborate and took this as a regular cold."
The city's mayor, Cynthia Viteri, announced in Twitter message Wednesday that three refrigerated trucks have been deployed to help store corpses.
"What is happening is with the public health system in his country?" she said in a recent video message. "They're not recovering bodies from homes. They're left in the sidewalks. They fall in front of hospitals. No one wants to recover them."

Https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ecuador-bodies-streets-guayaquil-coronavirus-covid-19/#

 

[Deleted member 158085]

I don't know the details but it sounds like the church broadcast on the radio, it wasn't 'open'. Congregation came in their cars and parked while listening on their radio. I don't think the pastor was giving the sermon in the car park. Sitting in your car in a car park listening to the radio appears to be an allowed pastime. But hey, we are all learning in this crazy situation.

Really? It was on the radio and they could have listened at home? There goes the argument that the elderly can’t figure out the technology to listen to that sermon.

 

[Henry2326]

I'm in favor of lockdowns to lower the curve, but I don't see the problem with church services in cars in a parking lot.

I recall as a kid on a camping trip with family, we attended church service at a drive-in theater. It was set up specifically for "weekenders" who didn't belong to local churches but still wanted to attend a service.

Everyone sat in their cars and the sermon was broadcast over the drive-in speakers - remember those things, pulling them in the window of your car?

I recall it being uncomfortable/boring to sit in the car in a parking lot so the kids escaped to play in the playground, but, of course, kids couldn't do that now.

I think we need to be reasonable on both sides of this issue. Church service in cars seems to maintain social distance AND removes the fight about it. Go in peace, imo.

And, good morning. Today is Sunday.

Morning, my friend. The devils in the details. Are they going to pass a donation plate from car to car? How many people does it take to setup and take down the speaker system? Are the kids allowed out of the cars to go play?

 

[Reasonable & Just]

Ventilators are merit based now? When did that happen and who decides if someone "deserves" one?

I know, I felt the same way when people here and on the national stage were basically saying that people in certain states just have to take the hit because they felt our governors weren't prepared, rather than get ventilators from the federal government. Fortunately, my state got more than they ultimately needed (though possibly a little too late for some patients), but the mean-spiritedness is really what leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Since we're all fellow citizens, and even if we the Everyday Joes are churlish, our leaders have the actual job of looking out for all of us. JMO.

 

[Inthedetails]

Morning, my friend. The devils in the details. Are they going to pass a donation plate from car to car? How many people does it take to setup and take down the speaker system? Are the kids allowed out of the cars to go play?

Sure - make sure it is done safely! Of course! I assume that is a given.

If everyone is in their cars listening to their own car radio or over a speaker, seriously.....what's the prob?

I'm not seeing this as something to make into an argument in a community/country.

To me, this looks like an excuse to drive another wedge between people.....and that's the opposite of what we need now.

jmo

 

[Reasonable & Just]

Sure - make sure it is done safely! Of course! I assume that is a given.

If everyone is in their cars listening to their own car radio or over a speaker, seriously.....what's the prob?

I'm not seeing this as something to make into an argument in a community/country.

To me, this looks like an excuse to drive another wedge between people.....and that's the opposite of what we need now.

jmo

Sure, if it's good enough for some of the protestors to protest from the safety of their cars, then why not this.

I think some governors and politicians appear to be a little power mad. MOO.

I think we have a political climate that makes it VERY hard to say, "we could have timed this action differently", or "we can rethink this one". But someone has to act with integrity, and accept that yes, we live in a bullying culture where you will be criticized, no matter what. But showing humility and doing the right thing as a powerful person helps to tear that culture down, as there are still good people who will support you. It may also win you the support of younger people, many of whom just want to see leaders acting like adults, IMO and IME.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I like your comment about people with "control issues" having more difficulty with this situation. Those people thrive on making people uneasy so they can manipulate the situation. If they're alone, they're harmless - but very likely seriously uncomfortable with having to live with themselves. If they have a family, that is probably one source for the increased spousal abuse that we read about.

I mentioned that my son has hit his limit today. He was down, didn't care about being careful of the virus anymore, doesn't see a light at the end of the tunnel, doesn't know what direction to turn because he doesn't understand tomorrow. People of all ages are destabilized, but young adults full of dreams and ambitions stopped dead in their tracks are struggling in different ways than those who lived most of their lives normally and therefore somewhat resigned to the possibility the virus will kill them in the next 2 years - having lived a good life.

How old is your son? I think about this a lot.... who is going to get through this better...in the long run... as relating to their age. I have felt glad that my kids are in their 30s.. old enough to understand this "is not the end of the world", but young enough to have plenty of time to start over, so to speak. But the strains on their marriages is evident. One lives in NYC and has to listen to ambulences round the clock. One lives in NH, relatively safely, but interestingly, is regretting that he didn't finish gaining Canadian citizenship a number of years ago! But I am feeling it is worst on teens, twenties, and fifties. The two younger generations because "life as they knew it" is blown away. And fifties--well, i just think getting, staying and trusting safty in their later work lives is so jeopardized. Who knows. Books will be written about all of this of course... But I guess this is a long-winded way of saying...i get it...that your son has lost his course. There will be so much work to do....

 

[oceanblueeyes]

With the President advocating the reopening it is hard to criticise the protesters really.

Trump unveils plan to reopen states in phases


From the link

What is in the plan?
The administration's 18-page guidance document details three phases to reopen state economies, with each phase lasting, at minimum, 14 days. The guidelines in full can be seen here.

They include some recommendations across all three phases including good personal hygiene and employers developing policies to ensure social distancing, testing and contact tracing.

Phase one includes much of the current lockdown measures such as avoiding non-essential travel and not gathering in groups. But it says large venues such as restaurants, places of worship and sports venues "can operate under strict physical distancing protocols".

If there is no evidence of a resurgence of the coronavirus, phase two allows non-essential travel to resume. The guidance says schools can reopen and bars can operate "with diminished standing-room occupancy".

Under phase three, states which are still seeing a downward trend of symptoms and cases can allow "public interactions" with physical distancing and the unrestricted staffing of worksites. Visits to care homes and hospitals can resume and bars can increase their standing room capacity.

Some regions could begin returning to normal after a month-long evaluation period, at the earliest, according to the document.

In places where there are more infections or where rates begin to rise, it could take longer.

The co-ordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, Dr Deborah Birx, told Thursday's briefing that as states worked through the three phases, they could allow for more and more employees to return to work in increments.

Phase three would be the "new normal", she said, and would still include suggestions that vulnerable people should avoid crowded spaces.

Media captionCoronavirus: The unexpected items deemed "essential"
What has Trump told governors?
The president has argued with governors in recent days about the timing of easing restrictions and reopening businesses - but he has now conceded that his powers are limited to issuing guidelines.

During Thursday's call, Mr Trump told governors: "You're going to call your own shots."

"You're going to be running it, we're going to be helping you," he added.

On Wednesday, White House coronavirus task force leader Vice-President Mike Pence said 24% of the counties in the US have had no reported coronavirus cases. He added that half of US states have fewer than 2,500 cases.

The Trump administration had previously pencilled in 1 May as a possible date to reopen the nation, and on Wednesday Mr Trump said some states may be able to reopen earlier than that.

However, some health experts and state governors have cautioned against reopening the economy too soon.

On Tuesday, Dr Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, told AP news 1 May was "a bit overly optimistic" for many areas of the country, as a strong testing and tracing system would be needed before social distancing measures were lifted.

What have US governors said?
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday that his state would remain under stay-at-home orders until 15 May.

Officials in the state, which is the epicentre of the outbreak in the US, say the situation is showing signs of stabilising this week, though there are still hundreds of deaths daily.

The governors of Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky have announced they will work together to reopen the region.

"We recognise that our economies are all reliant on each other, and we must work together to safely reopen them so hardworking people can get back to work and businesses can get back on their feet," they said in a statement on Thursday.

There was no timeline offered, but the governors said they planned to phase in sectors of the economy.

In Michigan, which has seen over 1,700 deaths due to the virus, there has been pushback against Governor Gretchen Whitmer's stringent lockdown measures.

On Wednesday, residents took to the streets after the governor announced the stay-at-home order would be extended.

Media captionMichigan residents protest against governor's stay-at-home orders

What are other countries doing?

• 
  
  
  • Germany is easing restrictions, shops may open as early as next week
  • Austria has reopened thousands of shops
  • France has extended its lockdown to 11 May
  • Italy is allowing limited number of shops to reopen in less-affected regions
  • India has extended its lockdown until 3 May
  • The UK has extended lockdown for at least three more weeks
  • Denmark has said it intends to ease its lockdown faster than originally planned
  • Spain has allowed some businesses to return to work
  • Poland will begin lifting restrictions this weekend

So it seems several counties are beginning to reopen.

I know how deadly this virus is, and how contagious while knowing I'm in the age group that puts me at risk. I get it.

However poverty can be just as dangerously deadly to millions, imo.

It's such a horrible predicament to wrestle with. We must try to stop the spread, but if millions have no hope, and are unemployment that can be just as deadly as the virus.

Americans pride themselves as worker bees so if they have no work what will they be living for when unable to work to provide for their families,?

I already wonder how many have committed suicide because they saw no hope in sight. Since we've been socially distancing for weeks now many who have committed suicide may not have been discovered yet.

I wouldnt ever want to be any of the leaders of all the countries involved by having to walk in their heavy shoes now. It's such a heavy burdern to carry.

Imo, they know people can die from the virus, but they also know if their economies collapse even more could die. If that happens all hope will be gone, and very little to live for anyway.

It's the worst situation to ever be in for all leaders of affected counties, and even a heavy burden for state or local officials.

I dont envy any of them for the tremendous responsibility they must carry, and the pressure they are all under, but I do pray for all.

Jmho

 

[sallye818]

https://nypost.com/2020/04/17/pastor-urges-people-to-donate-stimulus-checks-to-church/

Louisiana pastor urges people to donate stimulus checks to church

The Rev. Tony Spell is imploring followers to join a new online challenge he dubbed the #PastorSpellStimulusChallenge because churches have been starved of “offerings” amid the pandemic, he said in a video posted to YouTube on Wednesday.

“Donate it to evangelists, North American evangelists who haven’t had an offering in a month; missionaries, who haven’t had an offering in a month; music ministers, who haven’t had an offering in a month,” Spell, of Baton Rouge, says in the video.

I am a strong Christian--my faith is the basis of my life. I have a suggestion for "Pastor" Spell (I am trying to say this in a very Christian way)--take all your 2o-something buses and yourself and staff and fill them with bags of necessities for your parishioners. Instead of begging for money from the poorest, and busing inner-city folks to your church to hear your voice drone for hours, do what Jesus said and did: go to the poorest of the poor, the vulnerable, the widows and orphans, and serve them. Pray for and with them. Ask what they need and how the church can help. Lessen the lines at the food banks. Do what true Christian charity is meant to do.

 

[tresir2012]

Really? It was on the radio and they could have listened at home? There goes the argument that the elderly can’t figure out the technology to listen to that sermon.

It was on a big screen in the car park apparently so they could watch and listen from there cars like a drive in. Personally, if everyone is following social distancing, what are they doing wrong?

 

[Tigerlily75]

Australia

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-19/payne-calls-for-inquiry-china-handling-of-coronavirus-covid-19/12162968

A bipartisan push has begun for a global inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, including China's handling of the initial outbreak in the city of Wuhan.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has urged China to allow transparency in the process and does not believe the World Health Organisation (WHO) should run the inquiry.

Senator Payne told Insiders any probe of the crisis would require international cooperation.

"It will need parties, countries to come to the table with a willingness to be transparent and to engage in that process and to ensure that we have a review mechanism in which the international community can have faith," she said.