Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #54

[cody22]

https://www.news18.com/news/world/m...rump-for-coronavirus-ventilators-2607291.html

Mexico Virus News....moo

 

[JerseyGirl]

Uber will lay off 3,700 employees

That amounts to roughly 14% of Uber’s workforce and is limited to the company’s customer support and recruiting teams.

The company also estimates that it will incur approximately $20 million related to severance and other termination benefits.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi also agreed to waive his base salary for the remainder of the year ending on December 31.

US coronavirus update: Latest on cases, deaths and reopening

 

[mickey2942]

Here's why some people are not wearing masks during the coronavirus crisis

National Virus News...moo

I really don't like how they made this a political issue. I don't like to wear a mask. It can be traumatic for some people, and actually trigger rage, helplessness, fear.

It isn't easy for some people. And it could also be a cultural issue. I would like to see a lot of prominent African Americans wearing a mask, like the Mayor of Chicago, to name one. And some prominent figures, in sports, music, normalize mask wearing.

That would be a huge help.

 

[JerseyGirl]

New York City deliberately shut down its subway system for the first time ever early today

For the first time in its history, New York City deliberately shut down its entire subway system early this morning.

The cleanings will now be done on a nightly basis, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

US coronavirus update: Latest on cases, deaths and reopening

 

[tabitha111]

Reopening restaurants with digital handwashing

The COVID-19 lockdown and subsequent reopening scheduled have raised the bar on restaurant cleanliness, especially hand cleanliness.
Operators are filling their entryways with hand sanitizer dispensers as one might expect following all the public briefings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But there is also unexpected use of technology that even the CDC hadn’t thought about. Crushed Red, in their seven restaurants, assures customers that prep-line handwashing is a verified reality, even for restroom hand washes.

Please wash vs. Thank you for washing
Some restaurants facing reopening will be replacing their restroom mirror handwashing reminders with fresh signage. Crushed Red, thanks to Voice Recognition technology, has data rather than an aspirational plea.

Customer trust is the simple outcome of a well-conducted symphony. When it comes to the handwashing factor, data is the maestro, according to concept founder, Chris LaRocca. “We replace hope they wash with know they wash. Data gives us facts which further drive staff motivation and professionalization.”

The Crushed Red employees find this paperless logging of handwashing convenient and even motivating. First, their name appears in a window on the voice recognition box, attached to the soap dispenser. Then, via realtime reports, their compliance to the handwashing policy is confirmed. Their personal performance becomes a link in the chain of teamsmanship success.

Each employee knows their WIN, their individual Wash Index Number, MyWIN. They also know the OurWIN factor which is a team measurement by shift.
— Jim Mann,
Handwashing for Life Institute

The OurWIN™- MyWIN™ Commitment Methodology

 

[JerseyGirl]

Marion County (Indiana) to remain under stay-at-home order through May 15

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Marion County health leaders reaffirmed Marion County's restrictions are in effect through at least May 15, despite Gov. Eric Holcomb's statewide guidance. That includes restrictions on food and beverage businesses and large gatherings.

 

[JerseyGirl]

JetBlue is donating pairs of roundtrip flight certificates for 10,000 healthcare workers at the Mount Sinai Health System, including their Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island campuses, as well as at NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public healthcare system in the United States with more than 70 locations across the city’s five boroughs.

JetBlue is now calling on customers to thank the healthcare heroes in their life – from doctors and nurses, to pharmacists, therapists, social workers, public health administrators and more – by nominating them for a chance to receive one of 90,000 pairs of roundtrip flight certificates for two to use when the time is right. Starting today through May 15, 2020, customers can submit a brief description of why they are nominating their healthcare hero. For more information and full terms, please visit jetblue.com/healthcarehero.

Info found here: JetBlue to Honor 100,000 Healthcare Workers with Pairs of Roundtrip Flight Certificates

 

[JerseyGirl]

JetBlue will also bring the Clap Because We Care movement to the skies with a three aircraft, low altitude flyover salute above New York City tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET.

Every night, New Yorkers take to the streets at 7 p.m. to applaud the efforts of healthcare and essential workers near and far. Tomorrow, JetBlue will take the Clap Because We Care movement to new heights by flying its three New York-themed liveries at a low altitude over the Big Apple during the evening clap. The aircraft, I Heart Blue York, co-branded in partnership with Empire State Development with the I LOVE NY; Blue Finest, dedicated to the New York Police Department; and Blue Bravest, honoring the Fire Department of New York, will make an appearance over New York City between 7-8 p.m. tomorrow evening.

The flyover is being operated at no cost to JetBlue. The airline thanks its partners at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, JetBlue Air Line Pilots Association, CarbonFund.org and a fuel provider. JetBlue also thanks NYC Emergency Management, as well as the Federal Aviation Administration for their incredible logistics support to make these flights happen, on top of all of their support of JetBlue during this pandemic.

JetBlue to Honor 100,000 Healthcare Workers with Pairs of Roundtrip Flight Certificates

 

[Cool Cats]

am I the only one that thinks she is the one most in danger? The rest of us are already acting like someone has licked and coughed on all surfaces, lol. That is why we madly disinfect ourselves and anything that comes inside.

I hope she gets jail time, though.

She was sitting in jail as of this article being written because she needs $100,000 bond.

Not long before covid-19 there was a video put out of a person the police wanted to arrest. The person was on video in a grocery store taking the lid off ice cream containers and licking the ice cream then putting them back. The ice cream company said they would start using plastic seals.

I think that from this day hence, these types of crimes will be charged as greater offenses. We will never look at this petty spreading of germ nonsense the same again.

Your right, she could be more at risk from picking up something then the rest of us who keep sanitizing everything.

Let me tell you this. If she tries this in jail they will have to lock her in solitary for her own protection if you know what I mean!

 

[Reasonable & Just]

I really don't like how they made this a political issue. I don't like to wear a mask. It can be traumatic for some people, and actually trigger rage, helplessness, fear.

It isn't easy for some people. And it could also be a cultural issue. I would like to see a lot of prominent African Americans wearing a mask, like the Mayor of Chicago, to name one. And some prominent figures, in sports, music, normalize mask wearing.

That would be a huge help.

I was just thinking the other day about what a sea change it has been compared to almost 20 years ago...in 2001 you wouldn't dream of walking into an airport with a mask on. Now it's required to fly with some airlines. People with certain ethnic backgrounds may have been viewed with extra suspicion for covering their faces. Maybe the mask becomes a great equalizer Or redraws lines, this time between the considerate and the inconsiderate. Just my idle pondering (JMIP?)

ETA - I do feel bad for people who are extra sensitive to clothing, like kids on the autism spectrum or people who have experienced trauma. But maybe this is a chance for entrepreneurs to develop extra comfy "wonder masks".

 

[Tadpole12]

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In Thailand, each new case is given a number and information is published in the media as to which positive case they are presumed to have contracted the infection. Interesting. For all to see, now that is transparency.

"Canada, we are slightly concerned about the trajectory ...
For the moment, the current trajectory in Canada for increasing deaths is slightly steeper ... than the United States and the United Kingdom"


"We need to wear masks in public."

 

[10ofRods]

Less information (about anything), never sits well with me

[AZ] State health department tells university COVID-19 modeling team to stop work, limits data access
State health department tells university COVID-19 modeling team to stop work, limits data access

This is so concerning. And there are other states whose data are irregularly reported as well. I don't think California is going to open up as quickly as many other states (Nevada, Arizona), and while we are coordinating with Washington and Oregon (and Colorado too, I think), I wouldn't be surprised to see border checks at the highly traveled Arizona crossings. We have border checks there already - but will we be forced to quarantine non-essential travelers? I don't even see how that can be done.

People come in across the Arizona borders from many other states and from all over the world. I can actually foresee California only allowing semi trucks and not passenger cars, unless there is some evidence of travel being essential (medical).

Otherwise, Los Angeles is going to continue to be out of control, virus-wise.

 

[Cool Cats]

According to this and other studies I’ve seen, cloth masks can block 73% of .02 micron particles. (It doesn’t show results for .03.) Now, add to that the studies on blue shop towels, if you are using a cloth mask with that as a filter, you’ve got some decent protection.

What Are The Best Materials for Making DIY Masks? - Smart Air Filters

Yes, they need to fit properly and be worn properly. But they are not useless.

And then there’s this:

Face masks and coronavirus: Asia may have been right and the rest of the world is coming around - CNN

Burch pointed to a Cochrane Review -- a systemic analysis of published studies on a given topic -- which found strong evidence during the 2003 SARS epidemic in support of wearing masks. One study of community transmission in Beijing found that "consistently wearing a mask in public was associated with a 70% reduction in the risk of catching SARS."

ETA

Writing last month, Adrien Burch, an expert in microbiology at the University of California, Berkeley, noted that "despite hearing that face masks 'don't work,' you probably haven't seen any strong evidence to support that claim. That's because it doesn't exist."
In fact, there is evidence of the exact opposite: that masks help prevent viral infections like the current pandemic.

Thankx...for mask info...

So...I haven't been wearing a mask because unless they are high grade hospital ones, viruses still get through them.

So my son says that if someone were to sneeze in my face I would get some viral load with a mask but I would get far LESS viral load with a mask.

I believe he is correct. I think alot of how sick people get depends a great deal on the viral load.

It's just my opinion but I think alot of people walking around without symptoms have picked up a smaller amount of virus. I think the reason why healthy 30 year old health care workers die from this is because their viral load is so high from working with sick patients and working in enclosed spaces for hours.

Maybe I will put on the mask, but only in buildings.

 

[10ofRods]

Disney: Shanghai park reopening with masks; how about US parks, cruises?

Disney's Shanghai theme park to reopen May 11 with precautions; what about US parks?

Disney announced yesterday that they have no plans to reopen in the US and that we must stay tuned. They are still trying to figure it out.

 

[Gardener1850]

Reopening restaurants with digital handwashing

The COVID-19 lockdown and subsequent reopening scheduled have raised the bar on restaurant cleanliness, especially hand cleanliness.
Operators are filling their entryways with hand sanitizer dispensers as one might expect following all the public briefings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But there is also unexpected use of technology that even the CDC hadn’t thought about. Crushed Red, in their seven restaurants, assures customers that prep-line handwashing is a verified reality, even for restroom hand washes.

Please wash vs. Thank you for washing
Some restaurants facing reopening will be replacing their restroom mirror handwashing reminders with fresh signage. Crushed Red, thanks to Voice Recognition technology, has data rather than an aspirational plea.

Customer trust is the simple outcome of a well-conducted symphony. When it comes to the handwashing factor, data is the maestro, according to concept founder, Chris LaRocca. “We replace hope they wash with know they wash. Data gives us facts which further drive staff motivation and professionalization.”

The Crushed Red employees find this paperless logging of handwashing convenient and even motivating. First, their name appears in a window on the voice recognition box, attached to the soap dispenser. Then, via realtime reports, their compliance to the handwashing policy is confirmed. Their personal performance becomes a link in the chain of teamsmanship success.

Each employee knows their WIN, their individual Wash Index Number, MyWIN. They also know the OurWIN factor which is a team measurement by shift.
— Jim Mann,
Handwashing for Life Institute

The OurWIN™- MyWIN™ Commitment Methodology

I'm torn between thinking this is a really cool use of technology to make sure employees wash their hands and on the other hand thinking it sounds like a terrifying and humiliating overstep of authority... Brave New World anyone?

 

[Tadpole12]

Article tracking layoffs in Canada as a result of COVID-19.
Quite sobering.

COVID-19: Canada layoff tracker - Macleans.ca

Oh, that's quite the list.

Jobless rate at 20%, it's demoralizing.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/jobs-unemployment-rate-covid-19-1.5526961

 

[Sundog]

Free testing for all (no symptoms necessary) with appointment in Sacramento at Cal Expo

https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article242536901.html?

 

[Kensie]

For the Georgia folks:

Kemp Warns Of Growing Outbreak Stressing Northeast Georgia | 90.1 FM WABE

 

[CSIDreamer]

"Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday he’ll have to start furloughing or laying off essential municipal employees if the city doesn’t receive federal stimulus funds to fill budget gaps caused by the coronavirus pandemic....

'...the exact people who have been the heroes in this crisis who we should be celebrating and supporting — first responders, the health care workers, the educators,' de Blasio said on CNN’s 'New Day'...

President Trump told The Post in an exclusive interview Monday that cash-strapped states run by Democrats, such as New York, shouldn’t expect a bailout because it would be unfair to Republicans."

https://nypost.com/2020/05/06/nyc-preparing-to-furlough-or-layoff-some-workers-de-blasio/

Almost every state, county, and city in the US is facing the same hardship.

 

[cass523]

Coronavirus: How does contact tracing work and is my data safe?

This is the bit I am interested in as not everyone has smartphones. This part of the link states you can use a bluetooth enabled wristband instead. I hope the UK takes this up once the IOW trial is complete. Click on the bit about tracking wristbands to see some interesting info about putting these wristbands on people who are quarantining. Also, some countries are giving these wristbands out for free. What a great idea to defeat the virus.

"Take-up will have to be colossal for the virus to be totally supressed. Academics advising the NHS estimate 80% of smartphone users - 60% of the population - would have to actively use it.

By comparison, about 67% of UK smartphone users have downloaded messaging app WhatsApp.

The academics' model does not take into account the over 70s, due to their average low smartphone usage , and the assumption many will be shielding and so not coming in to contact with lots of other people.

People would also have to be honest about displaying any potential symptoms and inform the NHS.

Those without smartphones could end up wearing a Bluetooth-enabled wristband, like those used in other countries to detect lockdown breaches.

• A SIMPLE GUIDE: How do I protect myself?
• AVOIDING CONTACT: The rules on self-isolation and exercise
• HOPE AND LOSS: Your coronavirus stories
• LOOK-UP TOOL: Check cases in your area
• STRESS: How to look after your mental health

What can the government do with my data?
Not everyone is happy with the government and third parties being given access to people's data. Civil rights group Liberty said the government must take the risks seriously, and should not make installing the app a condition to leaving the lockdown or returning to work.

''Millions of us are going to need to trust the app and follow the advice it provides,'' says NHSX, the technology arm of the health service. It says the information gathered will only ever be used for health and research purposes, and that the app can be deleted at any time.

The UK app will use a "centralised model", meaning the matching process will take place on a computer server.

An alternative, decentralised model was put forward by Apple and Google, where the exchange happens on people's handsets.

The tech giants say their version makes it harder for hackers or the authorities to use the computer server logs to track and identify specific individuals.

But NHSX says its centralised system will help give it more insight into how the disease spreads and help it to make the app more efficient.

Mr Hancock said the app will take "full consideration" of privacy concerns. "

Countries around the world are scrambling to create contact-tracing apps that will help track the spread of COVID-19. But a beta app launched by the UK this week shows the huge challenges they face and, crucially, the difficulty in designing an effective app without the help of the tech giants that make our phones.

The UK is one of the few countries that has chosen to create a contact-tracing app that is incompatible with the contact-tracing API currently being developed by Google and Apple. Instead of decentralizing the data across devices, the UK will pool the information it collects in a single database operated by the National Health Service, or NHS.

The government argues this will provide greater insight into the spread of COVID-19 and allow the NHS to decide which users are most at risk. Privacy advocates, though, warn it creates new avenues for state surveillance. Already, the UK government appears to have undermined prior assurances that it won’t share the data it collects outside the NHS, suggesting other organizations might use the information for public health research in the future. This is something Apple and Google forbid for any app using their API, and another reason the UK has to build its app without the companies’ help.

But in addition to privacy issues, researchers have identified a major problem in the UK’s efforts to build an app without Google and Apple: it simply won’t work as advertised.

The core issue is one familiar to mobile security experts: app permissions. Contact-tracing apps use Bluetooth to create a log of nearby devices using the app, and, by extension, people with whom users have come into contact. When a user is diagnosed with COVID-19 or starts to show symptoms, they notify their app which then pings the devices of those people. Some apps, like the one built by Singapore, constantly broadcast Bluetooth pings to find nearby devices. Others, like the one built by the UK, try to create active Bluetooth pairings or “handshakes.”

The problem is that both Google and Apple restrict how apps can use Bluetooth in iOS and Android. They don’t allow developers to constantly broadcast Bluetooth signals, as that sort of background broadcast has been exploited in the past for targeted advertising. As The Register reports, iOS apps can only send Bluetooth signals when the app is running in the foreground. If your iPhone is locked or you’re not looking at the app, then there’s no signal. The latest versions of Android have similar restrictions, only allowing Bluetooth signals to be sent out for a few minutes after an app has closed. Such restrictions will block devices from pinging one another in close quarters, drastically reducing the effectiveness of any contact-tracing app.

Without Apple and Google, the UK’s contact-tracing app is in trouble