Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #51

[tresir2012]

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.

View attachment 244547

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

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

Something similar to that example of a student being cross contaminated would appear natural though. If they cannot determine how it got from bats to humans then they really don't know IMO.

 

[otto]

What ended that pandemic? There was no vaccine and no treatment, so what made it finally end? Was it herd immunity? Or something else? Anyone know?

In all the documentaries I've watched and articles I've read, there is no explanation for why the virus died out after 3 waves. The first wave was moderate, the second wave was deadly and the third wave was relatively mild. I'm inclined to think that it was social distancing, as people were very wary of others and the illness after so many deaths.

Influenza 1918 | American Experience | PBS

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Sunday 26 April Global inequalities

This, is so sad the stats he goes over. Yeah, we have difficulties staying at home... this is reality for others as to global inequalities. Hoping that WHO and others do indeed do the vaccines etc based on need when/if happens.

 

[cass523]

Chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and a loss of taste or smell.

Those are the six new symptoms the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautioned could be signs of the coronavirus.

The additions come as health experts' understanding of the confounding disease evolves. The CDC previously listed fever, cough and shortness of breath as symptoms.

Shortness of breath was tweaked to "shortness of breath or difficulty breathing" by the CDC.

Coronavirus patients can experience a diversity of issues – from mild symptoms to severe illness. These symptoms generally appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Patients may be most infectious in the days before they began showing symptoms, studies show.

What we know about COVID-19:What we know about coronavirus keeps changing. Here's all the things you may have missed.

The expanded CDC list is significant: Most testing sites require a patient to have a COVID-19 symptom before the individual can be tested.

The CDC recommends seeking "medical attention immediately" for trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure on chest, bluish lips or face or a new "confusion or inability to arouse."

Another more recent phenomenon: purple or blue lesions on a patient’s feet and toes, most commonly appearing in children and young adults, dubbed “COVID toes.”

Though experts can’t pinpoint the condition, some hypothesized that it could be excess inflammation, a clotting of blood vessels or a thrombotic disorder known as purpura fulminans.

Coronavirus symptoms: CDC adds six symptoms for COVID-19

 

[SkylarSid]

Teachers here are NOT union. And it is not hard to fire anyone here either. Many here are not coming back in August- as they have found much better paying jobs with better health insurance in the private sector.

I am a teacher in a right to work state. So while there is a union there is no contract (imagine that). I am still being paid below my years because they never quite recovered from the 2008 recession. My state just released the budget and there is a lot less than was originally anticipated for education. Schools should also be making sure they have adequate ventilation (my district is behind in that). And you can be sure the teachers, as they have for sometime), will be providing all the disinfectants and hand sanitizer in the classroom. That is just for the teachers. The same will apply for all the public service workers. It wont be pretty.

 

[MajorHoople]

Knox County population = 470,313 = 25 active Covid-19 Cases

Coronavirus In Tennessee: 25 Active Knox County Covid-19 Cases, Free Testing Event

"The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Knox County grew by two on Saturday to 209 with active cases at 25.

The total number of recovered cases rose to 180 from 179. Recovered cases refer to those who have been released from isolation after seven days from their onset of symptoms, plus 72 hours of being symptom-free. Recovered does not mean necessarily the person had to be hospitalized.

Active cases in Knox County rose to 25 on Saturday, up from 24 on Friday.

Of the 209 cases, 31 of them have resulted in hospitalization at any point during the illness. This figure does not reflect the number of patients currently hospitalized in the county.

Seven cases currently require hospitalization."


Free COVID-19 testing event at Knoxville Civic Coliseum Saturday, April 25

"The Knox County Health Department released more information regarding free COVID-19 testing opportunity at Knoxville Civic Coliseum.

KCHD announced a free COVID-19 testing opportunity at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum on Saturday, April 25 in the parking facility."

 

[CSIDreamer]

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

------------

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.”

Speaking of masks, I was thinking yesterday about masks for everyone ages 2 and up. I literally have no clue how my daughter could keep a mask on her 2 year old. Jmo

 

[otto]

Nice post, otto.

But how does the coronavirus pandemic compare to the 1918 swine flu and past seasonal flu?

Very hard to know since actual coronavirus numbers are generally withheld from the public. I've previously noted that the Massachusetts Dept. of Health has been very open about their collected numbers (every state has these numbers).

Looking at a plot of past swine and seasonal flu data, I have plotted the Massachusetts CV deaths per 100,000 population per age group numbers on the graph (red) for comparison. I have actually doubled the current MA numbers to represent an estimate of what might be expected in exiting this potential first wave (maybe by July). Here is a plot of the waves of the 1918 swine flu for context.

View attachment 244540


Now for the comparison data plot of CV vs swine flu and seasonal flu.

View attachment 244541

Difference between the influenza mortality age-distributions of the 1918 epidemic and normal epidemics – deaths per 100,000 persons in each age group, United States, for the inter-pandemic years 1911–1917 (dashed line), pandemic year 1918 (solid line), and coronavirus 2020 (red line).

First, the overall death rates are much lower today. That is the result of better preventative guidelines and improved healthcare, among many other things, IMO. These are different eras.

What stands out is that coronavirus is of little danger to children and the general working class (if you ignore one-off media stories), and a real danger to older people. Not on this graph, but we also know pre-existing health conditions are the second critical risk group. 98% of coronavirus deaths in MA have had underlying health issues.

What is the point? The point is that with CV, we know exactly who is at risk and in the past, including the recent flu seasons, we had less knowledge of the risk groups.

I expect there will be a lull in cases over the summer like with the swine flu and typical pandemics, and there is the expectation of a second wave of CV in the late fall (how can you have a second wave without a lull?).

How will America approach the second wave, without a vaccine but with many months to prepare? We should know if previous CV exposure gives future immunity, and this is expected (although not proven).

I am certain there will not be a repeat of this lockdown. There is a majority of the population that is close to no risk from coronavirus. Herd immunity and greatly improved protection of all risk groups is a potential approach. And this may save a lot of lives and minimize collateral damage.

• Taubenberger, Jeffery K.; Morens, David M. (January 2006). "1918 Influenza: the Mother of All Pandemics". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 12 (1): 15–22. doi:10.3201/eid1201.050979. PMC 3291398. PMID 16494711.

https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-dashboard-april-25-2020/download

We have no idea what the curve looks like for this pandemic. We are in the middle, not the end, of the first wave. We don't know whether waves are seasonal. There may be faulty assumptions that it is under control when the number of new cases slows for a week or two.

We don't know anything about this virus. We do know that many people are not too concerned about the virus, believing that healthy people under the age of 60 will have, at most, minor symptoms. We hope that is true, even though there are many counter-examples to this belief.

This deaths/million graph is based on available data, but we have to remember that many countries, such as China, are under-reporting and other countries, such as African nations, lack testing. The data is incomplete at this time.

There is no question that politicians have down-played the virus due to economic priorities. Government leaders want to sustain the pre-virus economic prosperity, and the only way to achieve this is to get everyone back to work immediately. However, there is no evidence of herd immunity today or in 1918, so increased exposure to the virus could result in increased death rate, and nothing will be gained.

Regarding age-related risk, in 1918 first wave, age 20-40 was highest risk. In the second wave, the older population was highest risk. We are blind regarding best decisions, although if we look at history and prevent transmission we may have a chance.

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) - Statistics and Research

 

[dixiegirl1035]

China investigating ex-Biogen employee who fled there while sick with coronavirus - The Boston Globe

Not sure of the message of the OP as this article from over a month ago that someone from the US flew back home? Not understanding the relevance of this post. TIA

 

[CSIDreamer]

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.

I believe the subject of heating and cooling is more directed towards buildings such as nursing homes. It's pretty standard to recirculate the inside air of a building. It's these multiple resident buildings with one central unit that are becoming suspect.

Jmo

 

[zecats]

Chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and a loss of taste or smell.

Those are the six new symptoms the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautioned could be signs of the coronavirus.

The additions come as health experts' understanding of the confounding disease evolves. The CDC previously listed fever, cough and shortness of breath as symptoms.

Shortness of breath was tweaked to "shortness of breath or difficulty breathing" by the CDC.

Coronavirus patients can experience a diversity of issues – from mild symptoms to severe illness. These symptoms generally appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Patients may be most infectious in the days before they began showing symptoms, studies show.

What we know about COVID-19:What we know about coronavirus keeps changing. Here's all the things you may have missed.

The expanded CDC list is significant: Most testing sites require a patient to have a COVID-19 symptom before the individual can be tested.

The CDC recommends seeking "medical attention immediately" for trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure on chest, bluish lips or face or a new "confusion or inability to arouse."

Another more recent phenomenon: purple or blue lesions on a patient’s feet and toes, most commonly appearing in children and young adults, dubbed “COVID toes.”

Though experts can’t pinpoint the condition, some hypothesized that it could be excess inflammation, a clotting of blood vessels or a thrombotic disorder known as purpura fulminans.

Coronavirus symptoms: CDC adds six symptoms for COVID-19

DH started with extreme fatigue and being unstable on his feet. Progressed to body aches and pains, chills, shaking and slight fever. His doc and a tele-health consult first thought flu (as many do). Was not the flue - was CoVid. Fatigue, body aches and pains (enough to make it difficult for his body to touch the mattress) and shaking chills continued. Fever went away after a couple days. He never had a sore throat or any cough. Developed more difficulty catching his breath on or around day 9 of symptoms. This did not last more than a day.

Now, after 3 weeks since symptoms first appeared and 10 days after chills and aches ceased, he is still experiencing some fatigue and breathlessness, but seems more related to recovering from any illness, for example, when he walks and tries to do his laundry, etc.

Myself, my daughter and my SIL, as well as 3 year-old grandson did not experience any symptoms, unless, for me you consider some tightness in my chest and an occasional cough. We were never tested. so who knows if or when...

 

[ilovewings]

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.

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.

I am here in Southwest Florida and we had lots of canadians also in our condo ----- as you pointed out, because of insurance issues and impending border restrictions they left a few weeks ago. We are in Lee County, and it is pretty quiet here. I hesitate to travel back to Southeast Michigan (suburb of Detroit) where there are way more cases there and there is much more population density. Fort Myers is fairly quiet: not much traffic. it is kind of nice. I am nervous as hell to travel through Georgia, Kentucky and Ohio to get back home, but at some point we are going to have to go back home. I am thinking mid-May. We are considered vulnerable: right now we are hunkered down pretty good. We do go grocery shopping but the stores are not really busy and i always wear a mask now.

 

[otto]

Teachers here are NOT union. And it is not hard to fire anyone here either. Many here are not coming back in August- as they have found much better paying jobs with better health insurance in the private sector.

In Canada, all teachers are unionized. It is nearly impossible to fire a tenured, salaried teacher who is paid through the summer and guaranteed future work.

 

[otto]

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?

Home care has something called a green sleeve that is stuck on the fridge. It contains all medical information, similar to what you have listed.

Advance Care Planning: Green Sleeve

 

[zecats]

Speaking of masks, I was thinking yesterday about masks for everyone ages 2 and up. I literally have no clue how my daughter could keep a mask on her 2 year old. Jmo

Same for my just-turned 3-year old grandson. Good luck to my daughter and SIL (and eventually his nanny if and when she returns) with that. After they go back home to North Jersey. We can't keep one on him for long just in our house, for the fun of it.

 

[Deleted member 158085]

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.

We did the same thing. No rings for the last month. Still feel naked.

 

[drama_farmer]

Same for my just-turned 3-year old grandson. Good luck to my daughter and SIL (and eventually his nanny if and when she returns) with that. After they go back home to North Jersey. We can't keep one on him for long just in our house, for the fun of it.

Creative moms out there are probably already brainstorming. It wouldn't surprise me to see a new type of pacifier that was attached to some sort of mask. Or, maybe a built-in lollipop. Those candy "rings" attached to the inside of a mask could also be an incentive to keep it on! IMO LOL

 

[otto]

Something similar to that example of a student being cross contaminated would appear natural though. If they cannot determine how it got from bats to humans then they really don't know IMO.

The virus evolution chart does not tell us how the virus jumped from bats to humans, but it does tell us that the virus is not manufactured in a lab.

 

[cass523]

There most definitely is a need to make sure violent offenders are not released. How is NY deciding who to release?

Our Prosector, Monmouth’s prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni made sure dangerous criminals were not released.

"There is, though, growing concern by many prosecutors across the state that defense attorneys and prison reformers are trying to use the COVID-19 pandemic as a 'get-out-of-jail free' card, following the release of lower-level offenders, as a foothold on the way to seeking release of more dangerous inmate,'' Gramiccioni said."

''You are starting to see opportunistic efforts to get defendants out of jail at all costs, no matter the situation or facts - Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, Bernie Madoff, Michael Avenatti, and R. Kelly are a few examples nationally,'' Gramiccioni said.'' What's more, little regard seems to have been given for victims' rights and concerns, something that is required by statute in New Jersey. Regardless of the claimed health risks to the prison population, we still have a moral and constitutional obligation to protect society from dangerous criminals.''

FREEHOLD, N.J. – 22 prisoners. One of them – a Megan’s Law violator – murdered a 16-year-old girl decades ago. Another compelled his own 7-year-old daughter to perform oral sex… on him. Two others are convicted arsonists.

Those four and 18 others (including some who assaulted police officers) were set to be released from Monmouth County Jail under a N.J. Supreme Court order purportedly designed to reduce the risk of COVID-19’s spread by springing hundreds of inmates from county fails. Thanks to the intervention of Monmouth’s prosecutor and sheriff, 14 of 22 will now stay behind bars for the time being.

Coronavirus NJ: Murphy calls for release of some inmates

UPDATE #2: Monmouth prosecutor, sheriff block release of 14 of 22 dangerous inmates »

 

[MimosaMornings]

Not sure of the message of the OP as this article from over a month ago that someone from the US flew back home? Not understanding the relevance of this post. TIA

Oops. I was multitasking and posted here in error. I will ask mod to remove. Thank you!