Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #64

[10ofRods]

Would it be stupid of me to say that I wish I’d get the virus just to get it over with? Since so many people say most people will get it eventually anyway? I am high risk anyway due to age and I have a lung condition.

Please just wait for a vaccine! I do understand your feelings, though - I have them a couple of times a day. I am missing my granddaughter so much and sometimes I feel so sad. How long will we have to wait? I try to be optimistic and think it's another 6 months. Let everyone else get it! If they're under 65, the ones who are 44-64 have about a 2-3% chance of dying if no underlying conditions, 3.5-4% if they are even mildly obese or have diabetes or heart issues.

I don't know your age, of course, but I do know that I personally do not want lung damage. Almost everyone who gets CoVid (even the mildly symptomatic) get damage to their lungs.

You are not high risk for GETTING the disease - but you are high risk for having negative outcomes, just like me, like many of us. It is indeed very depressing and anxiety-producing, but hang tough and don't give up on self-isolation.

 

[tresir2012]

It may depend on how the people within the gatherings interact with one another. Will they be just random people, walking in one direction while maintaining social distancing? Will they be sharing meals, or drinking, or chitchatting in little clusters? Will there be face-to-face interaction? Will the outside event actually have inside times too?

I wouldn't count on seeing no uptick from outdoor rallies and 4th of July celebrations.

Using megaphones, shouting and spitting in people's faces, sharing water bottles, it can all become a problem.

 

[Cryptic]

The real culprit is that businesses have basically gone back to normal, there are parties in backyards every weekend night (and obviously people are using bathrooms inside houses).

I agree, those factors are probably the culprit. But, at the end of the day, measures that make sense medically, are not sustainable economically or socially.

- Economic shutdowns are simply not sustainable given the fact that most people do not have the luxury of working from home. States cannot afford to pay benefits indefinitely and the benefits that can be paid will not replace lost wages. Many of those unable to work from home must work continuously to provide for basic needs.

- Though some social controls are possible in democratic societies, they have their limits. Even enforcing mask orders is problematic. Banning activities at private homes is simply not sustainable.

In the end, a lot of hard questions with no easy answers, and no solution in sight.

 

[beatrixpotter]

A local paper in GA notes that hospitalizations at Emory Hospital in Atlanta have doubled only this past week. I assume CFR will start going up in a couple of weeks.

But our dingleberry of a governor doesn't think we need a mask mandate. Instead of that he's going on a 6 city tour to wear masks in public and try and encourage people to wear them. I'd think our increasing numbers contradict the idea that we don't need a mask mandate. Clearly Georgians can't do the right thing on their own. And that would be due to the concerted campaign starting with the federal government and the CDC earlier this year to lie to them and tell them they didn't work.

Kemp, health experts urge mask wearing in Georgia

 

[tresir2012]

Haha, not surprised you don’t remember, April was about a million years ago!

View attachment 253709

Gosh yes. And it was only in trials then - just 2 months or so ago. I certainly did not remember the name. Thanks for finding that. I only searched back till mid June.

 

[10ofRods]

I would think if you can get it through your eyes, many more people would be contracting the virus. A mask obviously doesn't cover your eyes and no public health officials are telling people to wear shields. There is just so much we don't know ---

Early on, there was tons of press about the eyes - and it is one of the main vectors by which healthcare people got the virus. There's even a specific symptom (red-ringed eyelids) associated with it.

When people got all up in arms about masks, the whole coverage of the eye thing seemed to go away. I have face shields, but I would feel okay in outdoor settings with just sunglasses (although I need a different pair that's more wrap around). There are pictures of people on airplanes wearing all manner of goggles/eye coverings.

Coronavirus FAQs: Can I Catch It Through My Eyes? Will Goggles Help?

It's less likely than through the nose and mouth, but those who are in places with high numbers of airborne aerosols have gotten through the eyes, as did the man mentioned in the above article.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Gosh yes. And it was only in trials then - just 2 months or so ago. I certainly did not remember the name. Thanks for finding that. I only searched back till mid June.

When you search (top right) it gives the option to search a particular thread or the whole forum. I did the whole forum and it brought up about 10 posts, not all Covid related, some were in other threads. It did actually come up on the corona threads back in February, but only as a long list of medicines, nothing specific.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Early on, there was tons of press about the eyes - and it is one of the main vectors by which healthcare people got the virus. There's even a specific symptom (red-ringed eyelids) associated with it.

When people got all up in arms about masks, the whole coverage of the eye thing seemed to go away. I have face shields, but I would feel okay in outdoor settings with just sunglasses (although I need a different pair that's more wrap around). There are pictures of people on airplanes wearing all manner of goggles/eye coverings.

Coronavirus FAQs: Can I Catch It Through My Eyes? Will Goggles Help?

It's less likely than through the nose and mouth, but those who are in places with high numbers of airborne aerosols have gotten through the eyes, as did the man mentioned in the above article.

I remember WAY BACK WHEN, oh, 6 months ago, WAY WAY WAY BACK, lol.

Scottish Ben and his American lady friend sported eyewear in order to grocery shop in Wuhan. Ben wore swim googles and his lady friend had sunglasses (as well as masks).

At the time, didn't we all run out to the Dollar Store for swim googles?

 

[Sundog]

Yes, that's a great idea. You could project them onto faces on the night of July 4th. And put tears in their eyes too.

How many editorial cartoonists will use this idea?

This image was shown on Laura Ingraham's show last night. Mt. Rushmore with masks.

Cards and postcards are also available to purchase on zazle

https://www.zazzle.com/mt_rushmore_...card-256268232091923637?rf=238388074102543268

 

[CoverMeCagney]

You'll like this @tresir2012 , lots of juicy stats to get your chops around!

NHS Providers

 

[ilovewings]

https://theconversation.com/a-few-superspreaders-transmit-the-majority-of-coronavirus-cases-139950

An interesting article about Superspreaders-
Whether or not a person is a superspreader or not will depend on some combination of the pathogen, the patient's biology, and their environmental behavior. Some infected individuals might shed more virus into the environment than others if their immune
system has trouble subduing the invader. Additionally, asymptomatic individuals, up to
50% of all those who get Covid 19 will continue their normal activities, inadvertently infecting more people; Even people who ultimately show symptoms are capable of transmitting the virus during a pre-symptomatic diagnosis.

A person'as behavior, travel patterns, and degree of contact with others can also
contribute to superspreading. An infected shopkeeper mightcome in contact with a large number of people and goods each day: an international business traveler may crisscross the globe in a short period time: a sick health care worker might come in contact with large numbers of people who are especially susceptible, given the
presenceof other underlying illnesess. Public protests, where it is challenging to
keep social distance and people might be raising their voices or coughing from
tear gas-are conducive to superspreading.

The article states that a FEW SUPERSPREADERS TRANSMIT THE MAJORITY
OF COVID CASES

The article states that some sick people might not spread the virus much further, but some people infected with Covid are what epidemiologists call "superspreaders"-

Researchers have estimated that only 20% of all those infected with Covid
were responsible for 80% of all local transmission. Importantly, they also
showed that these transmission events were associated with people who
had more social contacts-beyond just family members- highlighting the
need to rapidly isolate people as soon as they test positive or show symptoms.

Typhoid Mary is an example of a superspreader. During the last two decades superspreaders have started a number of measles outbreaks in the United States.
Sick, unvaccinated people visited densely crowded places like schools, hospitals,
airplanes and theme parks, where they infected many others. Superspreaders
have also played a key role in the outbreaks of other coronaviruses, including SARS
in 2003 and MERS in 2015. For both SARS and MERS, superspreading mainly
occurred in hospitals, with scores of people being infected at a time.

The good news is that the right control practices specific to how pathogens are
transmitted-- hand washing, masks, quarantine, vaccination, reducing social
contacts and so on, can slow the transmission rate and halt a pandemic.

 

[Sundog]

Just before isolating in March, we bought a couple of pair of eye goggles at the Dollar Tree store, I think they are designed for wood working, etc. They fit well and you can wear your prescription eye glasses underneath. If I have to go out, I plan to wear them with a summer hat/cap, as they don't look too odd with a hat and mask, not that noticeable because they are clear plastic, with no openings on top, bottom or side. And white elastic that goes around your head.

 

[JerseyGirl]

UK has "adequate supplies" of remdesivir, top medical official says

The UK has “adequate supplies” of the antiviral drug remdesivir, England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam told lawmakers Wednesday.

Van-Tam was speaking to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee after the United States bought 100% of the production of the drug, which has been shown to have some effect against coronavirus.

He said that although quantities of the drug will be “less plentiful” and “less easy to obtain,” the UK has “adequate supplies” of the treatment drug.

The UK has not yet conducted its own formal assessment of the drug, which has been recommended for European authorization by the European Medicines Agency.

Van-Tam said the UK Task Force had been keeping “a very close eye” on the progress of trials elsewhere. Remdesivir is currently available for emergency use by clinicians in UK hospitals.

He also spoke of the UK’s successful clinical trials of the steroid dexamethasone, saying that the government task force made the decision to gather supplies weeks before a successful outcome to put the UK “in the best possible position.”

Van-Tam called the dexamethasone trials “the most dramatic success in terms of active success and rapid recruitment,” hailing the drug as an “extremely cheap” and “accessible” form of treatment.

“Depending on which medicine you discover works for Covid-19, if it’s one of the ones that is already licensed for something else, then it tends to be plentifully available. But if it’s something brand spanking new from a developer it is likely to be in short supply in the first instance,” he added.

 

[JerseyGirl]

The World Health Organization is working to verify reports that the United States is hoarding the antiviral coronavirus drug remdesivir.

“We're aware of the reports in the media around this purchase or procurement of remdesivir stocks, and we're obviously working through our colleagues and our partners and the access to Covid Tools Accelerator to clarify and verify this report,” Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO executive director of Health Emergencies Program, told a briefing Wednesday.

Ryan said WHO continues to work with the United States — even though President Trump has said he has split with the organization. “We are grateful for and continue to engage with our technical counterparts in the United States on all matters related to science and public health,” he said.

Speaking directly about the remdesivir situation and WHO’s contact with the United States, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “We’re in contact and we’re still discussing and there are collaborations. It’s not specific to one thing that you raised, but on many issues.”

Coronavirus pandemic: The latest updates from around the world

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Putting masks on the presidents on Mt. Rushmore would be an excellent idea. Picture it in your mind. How novel.

Done

PHOTO GALLERY: Utahns react to coronavirus pandemic

 

[JerseyGirl]

Egypt restarted international flights and reopened major tourist attractions including the Great Pyramids of Giza on Wednesday after over three months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The country closed its airports to scheduled international flights and shut famous historical sites in mid-March as the government looked to curb the spread of the virus.

 

[jjenny]

Just before isolating in March, we bought a couple of pair of eye goggles at the Dollar Tree store, I think they are designed for wood working, etc. They fit well and you can wear your prescription eye glasses underneath. If I have to go out, I plan to wear them with a summer hat/cap, as they don't look too odd with a hat and mask, not that noticeable because they are clear plastic, with no openings on top, bottom or side. And white elastic that goes around your head.

I kind of gave up on my concern of looking weird. If I look weird, so be it.

 

[24Roses]

Iowa news today: 346 (IMO)-349 new confirmed cases and 4 more have passed away. As of 11:00 a.m today, we now have 29,290 total confirmed cases of which 23,447 have recoverd and 714 have passed away. Iowa COVID-19 Information
Iowa surpasses 29,000 positive COVID-19 cases
State Education Association hosts briefing on returning to school safely

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

It may depend on how the people within the gatherings interact with one another. Will they be just random people, walking in one direction while maintaining social distancing? Will they be sharing meals, or drinking, or chitchatting in little clusters? Will there be face-to-face interaction? Will the outside event actually have inside times too?

I wouldn't count on seeing no uptick from outdoor rallies and 4th of July celebrations.

I’d take my chances at a 4th of July celebration over a protest any day. Not likely to have people spitting in your face.

If there’s no uptick in cases because of protests then we can expect there won’t be an uptick caused by rallies or 4th of July events.

 

[BlueShoe]

Yes, the virus can enter through the eyes and goggles are a good idea. However, remember that masks don't prevent your getting infected, but are worn to keep you from infecting others. So if people are not wearing masks and you are, the virus can get you anyway, so the goggles won't protect you. Wearing your mask will keep you from infecting others if you have the virus. Since plenty of people have this virus without having symptoms, it is always good to wear a mask. You will not be shedding the virus to others from your eyeballs, so even if you can get the virus that way, you will not infect others that way if you do have the virus. So, while wearing masks should be mandatory, the goggles should be optional. MOO

Edited to add: Don't cry on anyone's shoulder, though.