Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #51

[KALI]

Honestly, I could not disagree with you more.
China absolutely could have, and should have, warned the world about their newest deadly virus.
Personally, I am furious with China's leaders.
Absolutely furious.
I cut them zero slack for this global pandemic that is not only killing more people then a war, but also leading us into financial hardships for millions upon millions of innocent unsuspecting innocent people and animals.
I cannot say more or, I will be banned from this website. Which, I do not want to be. Kali

Every night, I walk my mind through the New York issue. If ONLY they had been warned by either the WHO or the CDC. Or even major universities. Earlier. At first, it seemed like this virus wasn't absolutely terrible, then we learned that people in densely populated areas with lots of public transit are...going to be devastated by this longterm.

Dozens of scientists, if not hundreds or thousands, have published on this possibility before. Science fiction writers and movie buffs know it too.

But...even though I try to keep up on science, I don't think I "saw it coming" until early February. I asked many colleagues about it (none of the medical doctors had heard yet, but they aren't specialists in viruses). Biologists knew, anthropologists knew way more than I did, especially the ones about 20 years younger than me. I started stocking up on certain things, but not TP and not gloves. I did not at all expect what was about to happen in any meaningful, medical way. Just wanted to have personal "disaster" preparedness (but couldn't visualize exactly what).

It hit ALL of us on the planet by surprise. China doesn't have the ability to "sound an alarm in the US," nor would it try to do exactly that.

China did what many nations do (temporarily suppress a negative) but did their best to provide tons of data (and still are). They also knew what to do in a pandemic and, frankly, have an authoritarian political system. It has mellowed quite a bit since 1950, but it's still very powerful. No constitution that I know of.

Given the severity and surprise of this, there are bound to be many problems, especially in freedom-loving states like the US. I think we're handling it fairly well (C+ overall at this point; in early March, D-). And I'm not pointing at any particular sector of our society. Only a few college professors were trying to educate (huge problem there IMO). National journals of education, public policy, public health, etc failed to adopt rapid standards of publication or even email chains or newsletters.

The WHO does need criticism, but not excoriation or punishment - it needs to be funded (there are private interests in the US who can do that and are doing that). The CDC, though, well, that's a whole 'nuther topic and when we're further down the line here and fewer people are dying, I hope someone writes a book about it.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Are you feel much better now? I hope so. Was it awful or mild? I hadn't seen you around now that I think about it. I wish I could get some milk over to you. Yes, coffee with milk is a must have for me. Gee, you deserve milk in your coffee after surviving Covid. You take good care of yourself.

Hi CM much better thanks. I still get tired a month on but that doesn't matter while we're working from home. I didnt need hospital care and other than feeling that I couldn't quite get a nice deep breath sometimes my breathing was ok. My legs ached to the point of needing paracetamol round the clock and the fatigue floored me. Other typical symptoms re taste etc. But I was v lucky and think they would class it as mild. I am so hopeful we will get clarity re immunity etc at some point!

To add, 6 of my colleagues also had it and have all recovered. Most of us are aged 50 and over. None needed hospital care.

Hope you are keeping well and upbeat and thanks for the reply.

HKP xX

 

[tresir2012]

Or they're unable to furnish any toilet paper.

Hadn't thought of that. You are probably right.

 

[tresir2012]

The hot weather makes it harder to tell people to stay home. Only some beaches will open, but there's these rules. You can walk on the beach, but you can't stop. May 1st is the official date everyone must wear masks if you leave the house. It's going to be bikinis and face masks.

Scorching Temps Stretch into Weekend for San Diego County

County to Require Mask-Wearing for All Starting May 1

County Clears Way for Beaches to Reopen as Soon as Monday at Cities’ Discretion

"Under the first phase, running and walking allowed at beaches, but stopping, sitting, and lying down are not. The public can surf, swim, kayak, and paddle board in the ocean and bays, but cannot boat. Boardwalks, piers, parking lots, and Fiesta Island are closed, and there are no gatherings or non-physically distant activities allowed on the sand. Boating will not be permitted at this time."

BBM

What happens if you fall over and can't get up? Is that allowed?

In the UK this is in the headlines.

Seek urgent medical care if needed, public told

"People should seek medical care when they need it and not be put off by the coronavirus epidemic, say doctors, charities and the health service.

Anyone who delays seeking treatment is putting their long-term health at risk, as well as their life, they warn.

Half the usual number of people are going to A&E and treatment for heart attacks and strokes is down.

Seeking medical help is one of the four reasons people can safely leave home, government guidance says.

NHS England's medical director Stephen Powis said he was concerned by the reduced numbers.

"If you do have symptoms of stroke, chest pain and think it might be a heart attack, a sick child who is deteriorating, if you are a pregnant woman and the baby is not moving as much as it used to - it is important you don't delay," he said.

He suggested the falling numbers were due to people worrying about bothering the NHS and fears of contracting coronavirus in a medical environment.

But he said he wanted to reassure people that A&E departments and GPs' surgeries had made changes to keep staff and patients safe, for example GPs talking through a patient's symptoms on the phone before asking them to go into a surgery.

• A&E visits down 29% during epidemic in England

A public information campaign persuading people to use the health service will feature NHS staff and start next week.

It comes as the UK's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty warns of the impact of deaths from causes other than Covid-19 during the lockdown.

Despite NHS efforts to free up thousands of beds across the country and build new Nightingale hospitals over the last few weeks, there is concern that people are not using the NHS either because they don't want to be a burden or because they are worried about catching the virus.

Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the government needed to move to testing and tracing those who had come into contact with the virus as soon as possible so that people's lives could return to normal.

"Either we are in lockdown for that 18 months which is clearly unsustainable for the economy and it means other health issues build up," he told BBC's Breakfast.

"People are not going to hospital, peoples' treatment is cancelled, people with cancer are not getting the treatment they need." "

Long article so more at link.

 

[Really?]

What We Can Learn From 1918 Influenza Diaries | History | Smithsonian Magazine

Testing.........can I link?

Looks like I can

 

[tresir2012]

US states partly reopen as virus deaths top 50,000

Love the photo of the one person in the hair salon. That is real social distancing.

From the link -

• Coronavirus pandemic

Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionSalons and spas were allowed to reopen in Georgia
Three US states have allowed some shops to reopen after measures imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as the country's death toll passed 51,000.

Salons and spas could reopen in Georgia and Oklahoma while Alaska lifted restrictions on restaurants.

On Friday, President Donald Trump walked out of a shorter than usual briefing, refusing to take questions.

He has faced criticism after suggesting that injecting household disinfectant into patients could be beneficial.

His remarks have been condemned as dangerous by doctors and manufacturers.Disinfectants are hazardous substances and can be poisonous if ingested, and even external exposure can be dangerous to the skin, eyes and respiratory system.

Mr Trump said on Friday that the comments - made at a news conference one day earlier - were sarcastic and taken out of context.

Media captionDoctors dismantle Trump's treatment comments
What is happening in the three states?
Customers visiting the newly reopened businesses in Georgia, Oklahoma and Alaska will be expected to continue adhering to social distancing measures. But some cities and areas have decided to keep their lockdowns in place.

In Georgia, which has one of the fastest reopening timetables in the country, bowling alleys, spas, hair and nail salons, tattoo parlours and other personal care businesses will be allowed to resume operations. On Monday, dine-in restaurants and theatres will be allowed to re-open.

With unemployment claims reaching 26 million people - or around 15% of the population - since mid-March, many US states are feeling the pressure to resume trading.

 

[tresir2012]

Care homes - BBC News

Special BBC link just regarding the UK care homes crisis.

Lots of info and reports from all over the UK and Ireland.

 

[tresir2012]

Captain Tom tops the charts at the age of 99

Nearly 100 as his birthday is on 30th April.

From the link

Captain Tom tops the charts, breaking record
Captain Tom Moore has become the oldest artist to reach the top spot of BBC Radio 1's The Official Chart.

His rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone is the fastest-selling single of 2020, with 82,000 copies and proceeds going to the NHS Charities Together fund.

After previously raising millions for the NHS with a sponsored walk, he collaborated with Michael Ball and The NHS Voices Of Care Choir to release the song.

• 24 Apr 2020

 

[zecats]

we'll be calling our good friends in New Jersey tomorrow to get their take on this. Hubby grew up in New Jersey.
So far, we think, it's the work commuters, taking mass transit to New York, but we want to hear what they think.

I agree with that as likely, as the original hot spots of NJ have mostly been in areas where commuters have access to trains and ferries to NYC. There was also the spread from NY to New Jersey due to a connection to the Yonkers Racetrack.

N.J.’s coronavirus outbreak may have started at a Yonkers racetrack. Horsemen are still unravelling the mystery.

We are in South Jersey and it's still not even close to being as overrun with cases and deaths, though we have the proximity to Philly. Not immune of course, but North Jersey and the Northern Shore counties are where the virus first took off. And, of course, DH has had it.

 

[weepingangel]

Total coronavirus cases in Massachusetts is now at more than 50,000; officials announce 196 new deaths


The number of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts now stands at 50,969, as health officials announce nearly 5,000 new cases of the virus.

Officials announced 4,946 new cases of the virus as of Friday, which they note is due to a reporting error made by Quest, a national commercial laboratory. The Department of Pubic health says there has been a backlog of nearly 10,000 patient results dating back to April 13 that has been incorporated into today’s data.
More than half of the reported deaths — 1,429 — were in long-term care facilities. The share of the death toll among the elderly in long-term care has been steadily increasing.

 

[weepingangel]

Virus treatment showing promise


Although it is early in the process, UMass Memorial Medical Center is seeing positive results in two patients who have received plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients as a treatment for the disease.

One patient was extremely ill and on the brink of death, but is now much more stabilized. The second, who had problems with kidney function that prevented the use of antiviral medication, is also improving. Neither is out of the woods yet, but are getting there.

more at link

 

[SA55]

try to encourage basic common sense

If you master this approach, please share, as this is what I seem to be lacking the ability to convey

 

[BUF]

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article241640166.html

COVID CRUISES
Cruise ships sailed on despite the coronavirus. Thousands of people paid the price.

As the coronavirus spread across the world in early 2020, millions of people found themselves in what is now understood to be one of the most dangerous places during a pandemic: a cruise ship.

Just how many passengers and crew got sick or died is impossible to know. No global health body or regulatory agency is known to be tracking those statistics. And the cruise industry — which downplayed the dangers to consumers and kept sending out ships despite outbreaks on board and warnings from public health officials — has largely stayed silent about the toll.

So the Miami Herald began tracking outbreaks on board. Already the numbers are alarming. As of publication, reporters found that at least 2,592 people have tested positive for COVID-19 during or directly after a cruise and at least 65 people have died, according to a database built by the Herald. That is far more than the industry or public health officials have acknowledged. It’s also likely not the complete picture.

The Herald found COVID-19 cases linked to at least 54 ocean-going cruise ships — roughly one-fifth of the global ocean cruise fleet. That number could grow as more cases are reported.


Much more at link, including timeline

 

[BUF]

26 Navy Battle Force Ships Have Had COVID-19 Cases - USNI News

 

[Deleted member 158085]

San Diego is to re -open beaches on Monday at midnight!
Yay!
But it's been hotter than blazes today, news was reporting that beaches here were already packed.
same hot temperatures on call for tomorrow and Sunday. I anticipate the beaches will be packed the next two days as well, quarantine or no quarantine.
For me, I'm heading down to my 42 year old sailboat in Monday when it's supposed to cool down 10 degrees or so.
I can do research and phone calls from the boat.
P.S. In anticipation of this trip, I went out for veggies, fruits and dog food today to take care of hubby and doggies while I'm gone.
While in the grocery store I was hit with a major case of, I need to go to the bathroom now!
I asked worker for a key to the bathroom, she told me, the bathroom is Closed! All- public bathrooms are Closed.
I did not know that!!!
So, that ended my shopping, I quickly checked out and made it to my house in 5 minutes and saved the day. Whew, I'm pretty well known in town, I'd rather a social disaster like that, not end up on our local Facebook pages.
So, a word to the wise, if your area has this same lockdown requirements!!! Sheesh!!!

Wowzers. I have no idea if it’s a thing here because I’ve successfully avoided the issue so far. I’ve gone back to the rules I followed 25 years ago in Nashville because of traffic jams. If you have to go, even a little, do so before you get in the car. I remember one particularly long and miserable traffic jam where I considered climbing a rock wall to find a place to pee!

That situation occurred because I was trying to avoid using a public restroom. So right now, short trips only, minimal amount of drinks brought with in the car, and so far, so good. This is another reason we are shopping more local, even though there are things we need in the cities. I have issues that would prevent me from making it there and back without having to use a public restroom. I’m glad you were only 5 minutes from home!

 

[margarita25]

I'm curious on everyone's opinion. How many do you know, who are prepared for and expecting a second wave? Is this going to be exactly like the first wave or will it be better/worse...in your opinion?

Well, as we know with the 1918 flu, the second wave was worse. Imo there’s no way to tell yet if CV-19 will follow the same path, but I’d certainly be curious to hear what the experts and scientists that are studying the mutations have to say about this.

Re: a second wave, I’m not sure there will even be a “separation” between wave 1 and wave 2 so to speak, meaning I don’t think we will get a handle on all cases in this current wave. Easing restrictions as we know brings the expectations of cases to rise again, and unless we can nip those that re-emerge in the bud immediately with testing, isolation, contact tracing and quarantines, this will just go on and on and on.

So my guess is that this first wave will continue to last through the summer and into fall/winter, basically making the first wave like one big wave.

As for preparing for the second wave, I’m preparing for having to live with this for a long time, at least another year, more like two, like I said, more like “one big wave”.

Also, if it does slow down in the summer, (again I don’t think it will be eradicated completely this year), I most certainly am expecting cases to increase in the winter.

I was just thinking about ordering a Christmas tree online earlier before all those sell out too lol, so yes I’m most certainly expecting a second wave and/or continuation of the first wave for the long term.

Jmo

 

[BUF]

Great idea...children asking questions. On now

CNN teams with Sesame Street for 'ABC's of COVID-19' town hall

CNN announced it will team with Sesame Street for a town hall on Saturday morning designed to educate children on the novel coronavirus.

The 90-minute event, "The ABC's of COVID-19," will be moderated by CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, anchor Erica Hill and Sesame Street's Big Bird.

The virtual offering will "tackle issues including education, anxiety, screen time and playdates," CNN said.

 

[Trino]

What's wrong with this scenario?
A pair of South Dakota speedways are forging ahead with plans to hold two auto races expected to draw hundreds of fans this weekend, even as the state's governor warns against attending them.

Gov. Kristi Noem said she won't be taking any action to shut down the events planned for Saturday and Sunday nights even though she thinks they are a bad idea and could lead to the spread of the coronavirus.

South Dakota's Republican governor said the crowds at the races would violate her guidance not to gather in groups of more than 10, but she has not said why she won't stop the races from proceeding.

Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #51

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I am sure that there will be a 2nd wave. And it will be much worse.

Nothing I can do about it, but wait for it.

Truly curious. Why do you think it will be much worse.?

 

[PommyMommy]

Coronavirus is spreading fast in states that may reopen soon, study finds
[...]

The data also show that COVID-19 cases are growing more rapidly in places that have not been as heavily hit as New York City, Seattle, San Francisco and other early coronavirus hot spots. "The growth rates that are highest are now in the Midwest and in the South," Fisher said.

Read more here.

Small Business Administration disaster loan program is a disaster, business owners say
[...]

"We put in our EIDL application right away. First we were told it was for $10,000. About a month later, on April 23, we found money in our account, but it wasn't anything close to what we thought we were getting," said K.B. Brown, owner of Wolfpack Promotionals, a print shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Weeks after he applied, Brown said he received a $3,000 advance on the loan, which isn't enough to cover even one month of business expenses. He doesn't know if he'll be approved for a larger disaster loan, noting that he hasn't received any follow-up information from the SBA.

[...]

Read more here.

Doctor details "torture" of watching her 4-year-old son struggling to breathe
[...]

"At the time of admission, he needed 2 Liters (L) of oxygen. That same night, he progressed up to needing 4L. By the next day, he was on 6L and then 9L," Zimmermann wrote. "He was working so hard to breathe - using all of the muscles in his chest, abdomen, and neck to help him breathe. As a doctor, I knew he was working hard to breathe. The medical terms used to describe respiratory distress - seesaw breathing, nasal flaring, grunting, retracting, tachypneic - he had them all. As a mom, it was torture watching him struggle."

Read more here.

Doctors experiment with unproven stem cell therapy on COVID-19 patients
[...]

One hospital in New York tried it as an experiment with 12 patients, 10 of whom were able to come off of ventilators.

[...]

"We don't know" if the 10 people removed from ventilators would not have gotten had they not gotten the stem cells, she said. "And we would never dare to claim that it was related to the cells."

She explained that only a "randomized controlled trial" would be the only way "to make a true comparison."

San Francisco officials warn public to resist urge to break stay-at-home order
San Francisco Mayor London Breed warned on Friday that now is not the time to lose sight of the goal. She said the city's stay-at-home order would likely be extended weeks, even a month, CBS SF Bay Area reports.

"What we don't want to see is on nice days like this and other days, people who are out there in the communities, and because they have on a mask, they're still not social distancing themselves from one another," said Breed.

[...]

Stay-at-home orders are loosened in some states
[...]

Georgia and Alaska started reopening businesses Friday, while Oklahoma and Michigan also had limited reopenings. On Monday, Tennessee, Minnesota and Colorado will join them.

[...]

Even Governor Jay Inslee of hard-hit Washington state put a crack in his stay-home order. He said officials there found a way for low-risk construction to resume.

But he said," the day of opening our whole economy certainly is not today."

"It would be way too dangerous," he said. "And all of our data shows that if we did this today, this virus would return with a vengeance."

An overwhelming majority of Americans agree, according to a variety of opinion polls.


Coronavirus updates: Some states start to reopen as U.S. death toll mounts