Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #52

[Seattle1]

Doctor behind remdesivir study says it's a 'glimmer of hope' | Daily Mail Online

April 30, 2020

• The study showed that patients who were given the Ebola drug recovered from coronavirus 31% faster than whose who did not
• It also reduced the mortality rate among them from 11.6% to 8%
• Dr. Fauci said on Wednesday the results were 'really quite important' and showed a drug can block the virus
• The FDA may approve the drug as early as Thursday to try to fast track treatment
• The flurry of enthusiasm boosted the stock markets and sent shares of Gilead Sciences, which makes the drug, up by nearly 7%
• Dr. Aneesh Mehta was among the doctors who gave patients the drug for the study
• He told Good Morning America it was a 'glimmer of hope' in the fight against COVID-19
• Other studies, including one in China, suggest the drug is less effective

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Coronavirus: Boris Johnson suggests no easing of lockdown as he tells public to 'keep going'

Boris Johnson has suggested that lockdown measures will be maintained, telling Britons "to keep going in the way that you have kept going so far".

The prime minister said ahead of his first daily Downing Street news conference since he went into hospital with COVID-19 that he understood how tough it was to give up "basic freedoms".

He assured companies and the hospitality sector which has been hit hard by strict social distancing rules that "I understand your impatience, I share your anxiety".

But, he added: "I must ask you to keep going in the way that you have kept going so far, so we can protect our NHS and save lives."

The comments come one before the review point where he will either extend or change the lockdown.

Earlier, Mr Johnson's spokesman repeated warnings from England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty that "this is a disease that is going to be around for a significant amount of time".

He added: "Let's not pre-empt the review.

"But as the PM himself has said, the worst thing we could do is relax the social distancing measures too soon and throw away all of the progress which has been made thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the British public."

 

[Henry2326]

A Michigan judge sided with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Wednesday in a lawsuit filed against her shelter-in-place order and denied the plaintiffs an injunction.

Court of Claims Judge Christopher M. Murray ruled said Steve Martinko and other plaintiffs' claims that the order infringed on their constitutional rights were not strong due to the severity of the pandemic. A preliminary injunction of the governor's order, which has been in effect since March 24, "would not serve the public interest, despite the temporary harm to plaintiffs’ constitutional rights."

"Although the Court is painfully aware of the difficulties of living under the restrictions of these executive orders, those difficulties are temporary, while to those who contract the virus and cannot recover (and to their family members and friends), it is all too permanent," he wrote in the court order.

Michigan judge sides with governor in lawsuit over coronavirus shelter-in-place order

 

[Henry2326]

Simon has announced that they were opening 49 malls on May 2.
WTHR.com
@WTHRcom

Dr. Caine concerned about Simon decision to open malls this weekend. "May undo all the good work" already done. Cites Georgia case increase after reopening.
@IndyMayorJoe
"We follow Dr. Caine's lead" and will consult with Simon today.
10:19 AM · Apr 30, 2020·TweetDeck

This links list the malls....

The biggest mall operator in the US is reportedly opening 49 shopping centers by next week. Here's where.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Coronavirus: Boris Johnson suggests no easing of lockdown as he tells public to 'keep going'

Boris Johnson has suggested that lockdown measures will be maintained, telling Britons "to keep going in the way that you have kept going so far".

The prime minister said ahead of his first daily Downing Street news conference since he went into hospital with COVID-19 that he understood how tough it was to give up "basic freedoms".

He assured companies and the hospitality sector which has been hit hard by strict social distancing rules that "I understand your impatience, I share your anxiety".

But, he added: "I must ask you to keep going in the way that you have kept going so far, so we can protect our NHS and save lives."

The comments come one before the review point where he will either extend or change the lockdown.

Earlier, Mr Johnson's spokesman repeated warnings from England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty that "this is a disease that is going to be around for a significant amount of time".

He added: "Let's not pre-empt the review.

"But as the PM himself has said, the worst thing we could do is relax the social distancing measures too soon and throw away all of the progress which has been made thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of the British public."

Interesting he specifically said "social distancing measures" in the last paragraph here and not lockdown. Hmmmm

 

[MajorHoople]

It helps a lot if you look at . The numbers.
Imo. None of the numbers, equate to the panic our news media likes to exaggerate.
Imo. Elderly people in poorly run facilities make up close to 50% of our death count.
Why don't our leaders address THIS fact ?
Why don't they do something ABOUT this fact??
All I hear about is locking down the healthy people.
Fix the long care homes!
Let us make a living with guidelines!
Guys. I cannot even tell you how bad financially these decisions by our leaders is going to hurt the USA.

That's not surprising. Most upper tier US politicians have never run a business. They have never had to meet a payroll.

 

[LadyL]

When I see those videos of workers in the market slaughtering animals in front of customers it really makes me ill.

our slaughterhouses here in North America aren't any better either
lots of videos of the torture and abuse that goes on in them

 

[Trino]

US cases continue to rise. What are we thinking?
Coronavirus deaths 'likely to continue to rise' in coming weeks, CDC says

Trump and rallys.
DONALD Trump has announced he plans to hold "25,000-person rallies" before November's election - and told reporters he doesn’t think mass coronavirus testing "is necessary."Trump wants to hold big rallies before November election and doesn’t think ‘all that testing is necessary’

July 4 celebration.
President Trump said Tuesday he’s planning to hold another Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall in Washington, one of the first big events he’s proposed since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Trump to hold July 4th celebration on National Mall again

State Fairs are still scheduled.
Forty-six states have state fairs still scheduled in 2020. CA has cancelled. Minnesota State Fair in 2019 brought in 2 million visitors.
2020 State Fair Schedule: The Full List Of Cities And Dates

 

[sallye818]

Wise words from my local county health officer. I have all the respect in the world for him and our county health department. He's also an ER doc:

Eric Yazel, MD

Daily dose of calm. Everything old is new again. We have come full circle to one of the very first posts. It feels like we have divided into two camps again. The 'end of the human race is upon us' camp and the 'this is all a hoax and conspiracy' crowd. What if I told you the real answer, as with most polarizing issues, probably lands in the middle? Is COVID surging in parts of the country, overwhelming ICU's and eating up hospital resources. Yes, it is. Are there a lot of other areas of the country that are being hit but are able to meet the need with solid response plans and good resource utilization? Sure there are. And are there parts of the country that are relatively unaffected? Yep. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Hospitals are empty and furloughing people. Wait, what? How can this be? Can a place be full and empty at the same time? Yep. ICU's in a lot of areas are overflowing and running low on vents, but wings of regular floor beds run empty. ER's are running at about 2/3 the patient volume they normally see. But the acuity is often higher with more unstable acutely ill patients than normal. How can you see meat packing plants with hundreds of cases while at the same time people living in the same household eating together, playing together, sleeping together who don't transmit it? That can't really be happening right? We have seen recommendations that are not based on a gold standard, but on supply chain issues. We all need N95 masks. Just healthcare professionals need them. Surgical masks are acceptable unless doing something high risk. Cloth masks are probably ok. Hell, use a bandanna if you need to. We hear people are dying at an alarming rate. We hear majority of people have no symptoms. Some healthcare workers are having mental health crises because of the psychological toll from what they are seeing. Some healthcare workers are saying this is an over-dramatized fabrication. Someone has to be lying right? Nope. All of us in the medical field are having vastly different experiences depending on specialty and geographic location. You can see how some of these scenarios lead to conflicting statements and general confusion. And I would love to sit here and point the finger at a lot of you who have spent your quarantine time going down rabbit holes and propagating conspiracy theories. A lot of you have been sitting in front of the computer like Pigman from PCU doing his TV thesis (more bonus points for this one) becoming amateur public health experts. It's a true shame that right when they need us the most, the general public seems to be losing trust in the medical profession . And some of that is confirmation bias. People tend to believe things that are consistent with their own existing beliefs. But to place the full blame there isn't fair or the entire truth. The medical profession needs to shoulder their portion of the blame as well. And it's for a simple reason, the inability to use 3 simple words: I don't know. COVID-19 has been one huge mess of gray areas and contradictions. And in our hurry to appear competent and in control, a lot of medical experts have given advice that isn't based on sound data. In our sprint to be cutting edge, we have rushed into treatments that aren't evidence based and have eventually shown little efficacy. There wasn't ill intent. This was a time when our country needed us most, and the pressure to rapidly meet the challenge was almost insurmountable. So what's that mean for the next challenge: opening back up? I'll get this out there right now. I don't know. Will we see a resurgence? If so, what will it look like? Again, I don't know. I have no qualms saying this. But my dad always told me when that's the case, always rely on common sense. And that's exactly what we will do. We will re-open in a cautious, data driven, step-wise approach. It won't be a linear path. I am sure there will be new 'hot spots' pop up. We will probably have missteps and take a step back here and there. But we WILL do everything we can every single day to make progress and keep the general public safe as we do so. Let's come back together, realize we have a common goal and believe in each other again. We will beat this. Together. Be smart. Make good decisions. Stay home.

This is an excellent post, and one of the most level-headed takes on this whole crisis that I've seen.
thank you for sharing!

 

[Trino]

If you are in a high risk group then you probably shouldn't work in jobs that place you around a lot of contagious people.

But I don't understand the reference to all of the 'school' related jobs. Are you saying we shouldn't open up the schools now because of the lunch ladies and bus drivers and teachers being at risk?

The schools are considered one of the first targets to open because the youngest are least vulnerable to the virus. So if a lunch lady is in the vulnerable category, she might need to find a less risky job for now?

This virus is not confined to the vulnerable and elderly. Numerous citations where the victim has been young. And, the virus can cause blood clots in younger victims. Citation below of 5 yr old:
5-year-old daughter of Detroit first responders dies after being diagnosed with coronavirus - CNN

 

[MajorHoople]

It sounds like Britain may be having a worse time than we are.

A third of UK economy has 'SHUT DOWN' because of coronavirus and another third is in 'difficulties' | Daily Mail Online

"A third of the UK economy has 'shut down' because of the coronavirus pandemic, MPs were warned today.

Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, made the astonishing revelation as pressure increased on Boris Johnson to plot a way out of the crisis.

Mr Marshall warned that another third of businesses were functioning 'with some difficulty'.

Retail, hospitality, catering, leisure and manufacturers were among those worst affected he said as he appeared remotely in front of the Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy committee this morning.

It came as a fifth of retailers suggested they will not reopen after the pandemic has passed, creating huge gaps in an already under-pressure high streets.

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of the British Independent Retailers Association, told the same committee it has been the 'worst time ever for retail'."

 

[IceIce9]

our slaughterhouses here in North America aren't any better either
lots of videos of the torture and abuse that goes on in them

I have been a vegetarian for 20 years because of that.

 

[tresir2012]

Do as I say, not as I do. Jmo

Travelling to feed and tend to animals is essential travel in the UK. Farmers often have to travel between locations. Now Illinois to Florida though? Hmmm. If the reason was to do the work of an essential employee who got sick etc etc. He just didn't answer it.

 

[LadyL]

I have been a vegetarian for 20 years because of that.

awesome!
the dairy and egg industries are horrible too

 

[tresir2012]

Interesting he specifically said "social distancing measures" in the last paragraph here and not lockdown. Hmmmm

We are going to go to the 7th May then maybe some changes if we are good boys and girls. We are down to daily deaths in the 400's and that was when things began to ease in Spain and Italy IIRC. Not going above that for the next week is important and if numbers continue to fall, then even better. MOO.

 

[cass523]

Contact Tracing

“Vital Strategies is proud to join Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Mike Bloomberg in their ambitious new contact tracing program, which we hope will serve as a catalyst for other life-saving efforts to address COVID-19 across the U.S.

An essential public health tool, country-wide contact testing and tracing will be critical to controlling the infection rate of COVID-19 and will ultimately save lives. Using the best tools available, it is crucial that we engage the public in this effort to make rapid progress in protecting and improving the health of our communities – particularly our most vulnerable.

Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of our Resolve to Save Lives initiative, has been recommending four essential actions to “box in” the virus and gradually reopen society. The detailed Box It In report outlines the critical need to trace contacts of people with COVID-19 through hundreds of thousands of contact tracers in order to get ahead of the pandemic.

Resolve to Save Lives is a five-year, $225 million initiative funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gates Philanthropy Partners, which is funded with support from the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation. It is led by Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is part of the global organization Vital Strategies. To find out more visit: https://www.resolvetosavelives.org or Twitter @ResolveTSL

Statement from José Luis Castro, President and CEO, Vital Strategies, on New York Governor Cuomo and Mike Bloomberg’s Announcement Today on New Nation-Leading Contact Tracing Program to Control COVID-19 Infection Rate:

Cuomo to Build ‘Tracing Army’ in Preparation for N.Y. Return

 

[Recidivist]

I am not sure that you can post about real meat on here anymore........LOL !.....moo

"Where's the Beef?"

 

[slowpoke]

Here’s one school in China’s attempts at having students maintain social distancing.
Children given 3ft-wide hats to help keep distance as they go back to school in China | Metro News

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Wise words from my local county health officer. I have all the respect in the world for him and our county health department. He's also an ER doc:

Eric Yazel, MD

Daily dose of calm. Everything old is new again. We have come full circle to one of the very first posts. It feels like we have divided into two camps again. The 'end of the human race is upon us' camp and the 'this is all a hoax and conspiracy' crowd. What if I told you the real answer, as with most polarizing issues, probably lands in the middle? Is COVID surging in parts of the country, overwhelming ICU's and eating up hospital resources. Yes, it is. Are there a lot of other areas of the country that are being hit but are able to meet the need with solid response plans and good resource utilization? Sure there are. And are there parts of the country that are relatively unaffected? Yep. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Hospitals are empty and furloughing people. Wait, what? How can this be? Can a place be full and empty at the same time? Yep. ICU's in a lot of areas are overflowing and running low on vents, but wings of regular floor beds run empty. ER's are running at about 2/3 the patient volume they normally see. But the acuity is often higher with more unstable acutely ill patients than normal. How can you see meat packing plants with hundreds of cases while at the same time people living in the same household eating together, playing together, sleeping together who don't transmit it? That can't really be happening right? We have seen recommendations that are not based on a gold standard, but on supply chain issues. We all need N95 masks. Just healthcare professionals need them. Surgical masks are acceptable unless doing something high risk. Cloth masks are probably ok. Hell, use a bandanna if you need to. We hear people are dying at an alarming rate. We hear majority of people have no symptoms. Some healthcare workers are having mental health crises because of the psychological toll from what they are seeing. Some healthcare workers are saying this is an over-dramatized fabrication. Someone has to be lying right? Nope. All of us in the medical field are having vastly different experiences depending on specialty and geographic location. You can see how some of these scenarios lead to conflicting statements and general confusion. And I would love to sit here and point the finger at a lot of you who have spent your quarantine time going down rabbit holes and propagating conspiracy theories. A lot of you have been sitting in front of the computer like Pigman from PCU doing his TV thesis (more bonus points for this one) becoming amateur public health experts. It's a true shame that right when they need us the most, the general public seems to be losing trust in the medical profession . And some of that is confirmation bias. People tend to believe things that are consistent with their own existing beliefs. But to place the full blame there isn't fair or the entire truth. The medical profession needs to shoulder their portion of the blame as well. And it's for a simple reason, the inability to use 3 simple words: I don't know. COVID-19 has been one huge mess of gray areas and contradictions. And in our hurry to appear competent and in control, a lot of medical experts have given advice that isn't based on sound data. In our sprint to be cutting edge, we have rushed into treatments that aren't evidence based and have eventually shown little efficacy. There wasn't ill intent. This was a time when our country needed us most, and the pressure to rapidly meet the challenge was almost insurmountable. So what's that mean for the next challenge: opening back up? I'll get this out there right now. I don't know. Will we see a resurgence? If so, what will it look like? Again, I don't know. I have no qualms saying this. But my dad always told me when that's the case, always rely on common sense. And that's exactly what we will do. We will re-open in a cautious, data driven, step-wise approach. It won't be a linear path. I am sure there will be new 'hot spots' pop up. We will probably have missteps and take a step back here and there. But we WILL do everything we can every single day to make progress and keep the general public safe as we do so. Let's come back together, realize we have a common goal and believe in each other again. We will beat this. Together. Be smart. Make good decisions. Stay home.

Fabulous post! Thanks.

 

[10ofRods]

First wave, second wave.......I have come to disbelieve the wave theory. At our current speed, will there actually be a pause before we are hit again?

I wonder if we are currently being propelled by a fully developed tsunami with no let up to gasp for breath.

That's a great metaphor - the wave has hit, and the water is now covering the land and will take a long time to recede. We all need to realize this and there will be no bell curve where CoVid drops off to zero. However, the water will continue to recede, slowly. In some places faster than others.

Of course, in the case of CoVid19 we could see human error causing the water to rise again (eg, premature opening of places like Las Vegas - but the Nevada Governor seems firmly against that).