Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #51

[tresir2012]

I know how China kept their 'death totals' so low. ....All they had to do was fill out the form with less numbers than the actual ones...no problem at all...

They missed off a zero?

 

[Sundog]

Excellent doc..
Last Train Home | POV | PBS

Good documentary film made in 2009, and is still relevant for many of China's rural population who are still undergoing economic development. But the wealthy Chinese diaspora is the group that is flying home to China for Chinese New Year from cities like Vancouver, B.C., New York, San Francisco, Toronto, etc. Also now there is a back and forth from countries like Hungary, that are recruiting young Chinese professionals and their families to increase population in their countries. Grandparents go back and forth, children and grandchildren absolutely go back from Budapest to Beijing for the two week long New Year celebration each year. Here in Ohio, many parents of students in K-12 private schools came to the U.S. to visit their children for western Christmas and New Year break, and couldn't go back after the holidays, and were stuck here in the U.S. and had financial challenges, along with medical. I serve on the Board of a private K-12 school with a high percentage of Chinese students and we really had to scramble to help their parents who were stranded here after winter break. They have all repatriated by now. Tough on the young kids though.

 

[Sundog]

I hope this finds everyone doing well health wise. All good here. Have not been here for a bit. I was on the thread for Nova Scotia's horrific tragedy. It's just too much to keep up with 2 threads.

I read the bios and information posted in the Canadian MSM on each of the victims of the Nova Scotia tragedy. Hard to even imagine.

 

[katydid23]

What ever happened to the goal of self isolating so that the virus couldn't find any more victims? When did we give up trying to eradicate the virus? What ever happened to the calls, "They went to war so you could live. They ask you to stay home so they can live"?

Are we sure that locking up the vulnerable and letting the rest go back to work is not just lulling us into the foundation for a second wave? And how many homes truly have no one within who is vulnerable? How many vulnerable people still need to use shared spaces?

I do agree that there may be some safe places for people to work. But if we open up venues without having achieved our control goals, and without assurance that people going back to work have any requirement for testing and tracking and perhaps may have no perceived need for care in places where vulnerable people still have to live, then we deserve what lies before us. We can't say that we didn't see it coming.

"What ever happened to the goal of self isolating so that the virus couldn't find any more victims? When did we give up trying to eradicate the virus?"

The problem is, I think that ^^ is an impossible task. China didnt warn anyone about Wuhan until thousands were already infected, and many were already traveling out of their country, spreading it globally.

it is past the point of 'eradicating it' when a million patients are affected. JMO

Now it is about managing it as best as we can and protecting the most vulnerable, imo.

 

[Sundog]

Spain lets children out of lockdown for one hour a day of supervised activity.
Spain lets children outside after 44 days in coronavirus lockdown, sees lowest daily deaths in more than month

 

[Satchie]

Thank you for posting these details. A priorities' list seems to be key, and organizing materials so they are ready and at-hand in case of an emergency. I have taped an envelope to the inside of our front door, with information on next of kin, medications we take, physician contact information, etc. in case one or both of us had to leave in a health emergency situation, we can just grab the envelope on the way out. But other thoughts on how to organize for this kind of emergency are welcomed by me. What are others doing?

I think a list is as good as physically organizing, since important things are often being used, and I don't have a garage or cupboard for a full go bag. I read about someone whose spouse was rushed to hospital just before an emergency evacuation order. He was let into his home for a couple of hours, but just took the pets and grabbed a laptop, was otherwise too boggled to think of things like wedding rings, extra clothes, photos and journals, altho there would have been plenty of time and car space to round those up...his spouse was being treated in emergency. The home was destroyed and they sure would have liked to have those.

My priorities are
- File marked 'important docs' from front of file cabinet, includes IDs, current insurance, property registration
- Basket where I keep electronics including charging cords, earbuds, etc.
- Hidden envelope with emergency cash/chequebook/spare keys
- small binder where I keep business cards, misc passwords that aren't stored electronically

I don't have any jewellry photos, art, etc that I couldn't bear to lose. But I'd grab a suitcase for
- Suitable clothes for a couple of weeks and a variety of situations, including shoes, nightwear.
- daily essentials from bathroom.
- water jug and snack bars from kitchen

Good to go round your home and make a list, then organize in priority order. Depending on time allowed to go down the list.

 

[BUF]

I hope this finds everyone doing well health wise. All good here. Have not been here for a bit. I was on the thread for Nova Scotia's horrific tragedy. It's just too much to keep up with 2 threads.

So very sad compounded by a very sad time.

Missed you @Bravo

When Hugs Can Kill: Mourning Nova Scotia’s Mass Shooting in a Pandemic

 

[Warwick1991]

As an expat Quebecoise, I have been following Quebec's news closely and it saddens me deeply. I grew up in Montreal and have many close friends who still live there with their families.

Quebec is the epicenter of the pandemic for Canada, and Montreal is the epicenter of the pandemic for the province of Quebec. Montreal is a densely populated island. And they had spring break in Quebec that was 2 weeks earlier than Ontario. A lot of Quebecois travelled to New York, the U.S. (think Florida for the retirees), and to France. Also, seniors are a higher percentage of the population in Quebec, which has hit long-term care facilities hard. And this article mentions the French cultural greeting of kissing on the cheek, as they do in France, which has stopped now. Prayers for Quebec.
Analysis: Why is Quebec the COVID-19 epicentre of Canada?

Edited to add: Montreal has a large Hassid Jewish community that travels back and forth to New York City, and that is part of the travel issue and infectivity rate that Quebec has been dealing with, as well as travel to France and Europe during spring break.

I live in Palm Beach County, Florida, and have several neighbors who are from Quebec. They are not from Montreal, but mainly from the area near St Jean Richelieu. They are native French speakers. Shortly before the borders closed, all of them returned to Quebec. Apparently, there are issues using Canadian health insurance here, and the impending border restrictions also played a role in their journey north. It was a large exodus, and was mentioned in the local newspapers, including the Palm Beach Post and the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Those newspapers are behind paywalls for the most part. Many Québécois also returned from the county to our south, Broward County, which began to have a substantial number of cases stemming from cruise ship arrivals and spread from the cruise ship terminal, among other causes. I think the huge exodus back to Quebec must have included many asymptomatic cases, and perhaps some active cases as well. The border crossings had a lot of traffic.

I have relatives in Montreal. One man is a dentist, and after hearing about the virus in January, decided to cancel his annual stay here. He knew that the virus had to be here, due to the volume of international travel... He’s hunkered down at home, but there’s a lot of cases in his neighborhood.

I think the speed, range and extent of modern air travel virtually guarantees the spread of the virus to anyplace with a decent sized airport. At the state level, our government did not address the pandemic until it was too late. Cruise ships, Spring Breakers, Disney World - the travel here made the spread of the virus inevitable.

 

[Sundog]

Article (at the end) says that Boris Johnson had an audience with the Queen this week. Wonder if it was virtual.

Boris Johnson set to return to work after coronavirus fight, faces mounting pressure

 

[tresir2012]

"What ever happened to the goal of self isolating so that the virus couldn't find any more victims? When did we give up trying to eradicate the virus?"

The problem is, I think that ^^ is an impossible task. China didnt warn anyone about Wuhan until thousands were already infected, and many were already traveling out of their country, spreading it globally.

it is past the point of 'eradicating it' when a million patients are affected. JMO

Now it is about managing it as best as we can and protecting the most vulnerable, imo.

I think this is the right approach now.

 

[tresir2012]

Article (at the end) says that Boris Johnson had an audience with the Queen this week. Wonder if it was virtual.

Boris Johnson set to return to work after coronavirus fight, faces mounting pressure

I think I read it was by phone.

 

[Satchie]

"What ever happened to the goal of self isolating so that the virus couldn't find any more victims? When did we give up trying to eradicate the virus?"

The problem is, I think that ^^ is an impossible task. China didnt warn anyone about Wuhan until thousands were already infected, and many were already traveling out of their country, spreading it globally.

it is past the point of 'eradicating it' when a million patients are affected. JMO

Now it is about managing it as best as we can and protecting the most vulnerable, imo.

New Zealand has that goal. But, IMO, that will mean they'll never be able to let anyone in or out. For example, even if you require strict 14 day quarantine for those entering the country, they still pass through immigration and customs, and you'd need a direct route (no human contact) to a quarantine hotel, and ignore them if they get sick or die in there.

Sorry if this sounds harsh to New Zealanders, but I think the goal is unrealistic in todays global world.

minor edits

 

[firebird]

Another pop-up hospital closed because it wasn't needed. No big, though -- it only cost $60 million. ugh

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Coronavirus updates: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls Hidalgo's facial covering order 'ultimate government overreach'

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick issued the following statement after Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Houston and Harris County residents must wear facial coverings starting Monday.

“On the same day Harris County Commissioner’s Court plans to close the $60 million-dollar pop-up hospital at NRG Park, because it wasn’t needed, Judge Lina Hidalgo orders anyone over the age of 10 to wear a mask in public. Her abuse of the use of executive orders is the ultimate government overreach. These kind of confused government policies fuel public anger – and rightfully so.”

 

[Bravo]

So very sad compounded by a very sad time.

Missed you @Bravo

When Hugs Can Kill: Mourning Nova Scotia’s Mass Shooting in a Pandemic

Thanks so much BUF

 

[Sundog]

Texas DA investigates mayor for violating coronavirus stay-at-home order to go to nail salon

Glad I don't have this problem, I am following @margarita's advice to keep fingernails cut short, and trim them weekly. (Although they were never very long to begin with.) We also aren't wearing wedding bands so that we know we are getting hands really disinfected well with handwashing. First time in over 30 years we aren't wearing wedding bands. It's just safer and easier to keep everything disinfected. Removed keys from keychain so that only use house key and car key when we have to go out. Simplifying where we can.

 

[Warwick1991]

Yes, that's true, as in I can't physically distance from the person I am caring for. But if I physically distance from all others, then I can care for someone. The A/C may be a huge problem though. We absolutely have to get that sorted out before the fall.

As far as spread from A/C is concerned, it depends on what kind of system you have. Here where I live in Florida, I have a residential central A/C system. The 2 major components are an indoor air handler and a condenser outdoors. Refrigerant piping, which is sealed, circulates the refrigerant between them. My system, which is fairly typical for Florida, takes in no outside air directly. It recirculates the indoor air, and some air infiltrates from doors and windows. In this kind of system, the chances of getting airborne virus transmission is extremely small, unless someone indoors is carrying the virus.

 

[branmuffin]

Obviously, with dense urban cities like NYC and Detroit, we are going to have some very devastated areas with lots of cases and deaths.

But if we compare California to Canada. we are looking pretty good.

CALIFORNIA=pop 39.51 million (2019)
Confirmed
41,137
Recovered
-
Deaths
1,651

CANADA=pop 37.59 million (2019)
45,354
Recovered
16,425
Deaths
2,465


So California has 2 million more people than Canada, but 800k less deaths so far

I don't think you can compare the whole of Canada to California. Most of Canada's population is in one province, Ontario. The total population of Ontario at the last census was 14.57 million. That's nearly 40% of Canada's population of 37.6 million.

United States population is around 328.2 million and California's population is around 39.5 million which makes it 12% of America's population.

For a population of 39.5 million I don't think California's death total of 1651 is an alarming number for 12% of total population.

But I find Ontario's death total of 835 for 40% of the country's total population to be amazingly low.

 

[otto]

This bit in the report worries me though. It has happened before.

"Now it is possible for viruses to escape from a laboratory by infecting a worker. In the early 2000s, there were three documented cases of the original SARS virus escaping from a laboratory environment, according to Lim Poh Lian, a senior consultant at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore. But the circumstances surrounding those escapes were vastly different.

In the case of a 2003 incident in Singapore, a student became infected with SARS after his samples were cross-contaminated with live virus. That virus was being grown in relatively large quantities in the lab for studies on the disease, and the student was not properly trained in safety procedures for the lab he was working in."

Could the same thing have happened in Wuhan and the infected person then went to a restaurant in Guangzhou where it was transmitted via A/c to other tables? Then onto a cruise ship to other countries. This is what I think really happened. MOO.

My understanding is that the strain has been analyzed and there is evidence that it evolved independently and there is no previous relationship in nature.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30251-8/fulltext?

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(...AESif6hv40AFRTfVE8zLY34el8BWt9m1MyU1g6tiQ6qAA

 

[Sundog]

On Bartering

With our public libraries closed, and we have excellent public libraries in the state of Ohio, I am interested in finding some good online articles (free) related to bartering. With high unemployment and financial challenges as we move forward during this pandemic (and when it is safe to do so), I think that bartering may be a strategy for some functions when possible (and safe). I saw a few books I liked at our public library just before lock down, but didn't check them out before the libraries closed. I wonder what bartering will be most in demand, and how to identify ideas for bartering for those who are at high-risk and must shelter-at-home during the reopening of states.

 

[MajorHoople]

Trade Association: $1 Billion Drop In Monthly Revenues For Tennessee Hospitals

On Friday, the Tennessee Hospital Association announced the monthly loss of $1 billion in revenues for hospitals across the state due to the COVID-19 crisis, according to an analysis conducted by the nonprofit trade association.

The pandemic created what could be seen as a perfect storm for hospitals’ operating margins. The negative economic impact wave — preparing for hospital surge capacity, saving PPE and other critical supplies needed to treat a potential mass of COVID-19 patients, postponing of nonessential and elective surgeries, and the stay-at-home order – is washing through even though state officials are touting the positive impacts of social distancing and decreased day-over-day positive COVID-19 case percentages.

A surge is no longer being talked about with urgency. But facilities seem somewhat ready for one. On Thursday, Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey addressed the current surge capacity in state hospitals, with 33% of in-patient hospital beds available, 32% of ICU beds available and 75% ventilator access available.

Also on Friday, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital President and CEO Keith Goodwin released a statement regarding the revenue losses to hospitals across the state:

“We have always been dependent on fundraising to make up the deficit of what we get paid and what it costs to operate Children’s Hospital. Currently, we are experiencing up to an 80% decline inpatient volumes for some services. The dramatic reduction in services, coupled with the increased costs of preparing for a surge of COVID-19 patients, has placed Children’s Hospital in a very difficult financial position."