Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #67

[CharlestonGal]

'Excess' deaths raise concerns about pandemic’s death toll in Florida

A look at the past six months in Florida shows why health experts are increasingly concerned about death toll numbers here. Between January to June 30, Florida reported 8,671 excess deaths, that’s more than double the 3,650 deaths the state attributed to COVID-19.

Dr. Troy Quast is a health researcher at the University of South Florida. He said the increase in the excess mortality rate during this time is a sign the state may be underplaying the virus and its death toll on Florida.

“It does leave you thinking there might be more investigation needed,” he said.

Dr. Tsai agreed and warns with the state’s surge in cases, Florida’s death rate will go up while its window to control it is quickly closing.

“This is not the time for half measures. This is a time for focused action to truly flatten the curve on the pandemic in Florida. We don’t want to see the pandemic show itself in the fatality numbers, that’s too little too late.” he said.

 

[JerseyGirl]

What is airborne transmission? WHO adds guidance on 'aerosols' in coronavirus spread

"There have been reported outbreaks of COVID-19 in some closed settings, such as restaurants, nightclubs, places of worship or places of work where people may be shouting, talking, or singing," the WHO said in its updated review of the evidence. "In these outbreaks, aerosol transmission, particularly in these indoor locations where there are crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces where infected persons spend long periods of time with others, cannot be ruled out."

The agency said more research is "urgently needed to investigate such instances and assess their significance for transmission of COVID-19."

 

[CSIDreamer]

What is airborne transmission? WHO adds guidance on 'aerosols' in coronavirus spread

"There have been reported outbreaks of COVID-19 in some closed settings, such as restaurants, nightclubs, places of worship or places of work where people may be shouting, talking, or singing," the WHO said in its updated review of the evidence. "In these outbreaks, aerosol transmission, particularly in these indoor locations where there are crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces where infected persons spend long periods of time with others, cannot be ruled out."

The agency said more research is "urgently needed to investigate such instances and assess their significance for transmission of COVID-19."

Well, we've known that forever. Maybe the WHO should follow WS. Lol.

 

[CharlestonGal]

https://www.newsweek.com/federal-di...eployed-texas-coronavirus-cases-surge-1516892

As novel coronavirus cases in Texas approach nearly 236,600, seven federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) are being deployed across Texas to provide additional medical staff and help hospitals cope with the surge in COVID-19 patients.

DMAT members have already been sent to a couple of Texas cities, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar confirmed Thursday.

"We've already sent teams to San Antonio. We've sent medical disaster teams, doctors and nurses into Houston, and we're going to keep fulfilling governor Abbott's requests there to make sure the people of Texas are supported through this," Azar told Houston's ABC13.

Federal medical teams will also be deployed in the cities of Dallas, Austin, Laredo, Midland and McAllen. The teams include doctors, physicians assistants, nurses, nurses aides, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists and paramedics, CBS Dallas Fort-Worth reported.

 

[JerseyGirl]

'Vaccine nationalism' could lead to the coronavirus devastating public health and the economy, experts warn

"Vaccine nationalism" is turning the search for a Covid-19 cure into an arms race, which will ultimately damage the economy and public health, experts have warned.

Analysts at Eurasia Group speculated that tension over a vaccine would heat up over the summer, predicting a battle for access that will stretch into 2021 or 2022.

The research group argued that some governments were already attempting to seize first access through large-scale investments.

"In the U.S., the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA) has been spreading its investments across a number of vaccine candidates in an effort to reduce the financial risks for pharmaceutical firms and lock in priority access to a successful vaccine," the note's authors said.

In May, the U.S. also invested $1 billion in AstraZeneca's potential vaccine, which is being developed by scientists at the University of Oxford. The British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant is aiming to produce 2 billion doses of the vaccine, with a view to roll 400 million doses out to the U.S. and U.K. by October.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government's National Research Council has signed a deal with China's CanSino Biologics to manufacture its vaccine for clinical trials in Canada this summer — giving Canada "an inside track on access," according to Eurasia's analysts.

There are currently at least 160 potential Covid-19 vaccines being tested around the world, according to the WHO.

 

[CharlestonGal]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/10/coronavirus-live-updates-us/?utm_source=reddit.com

With coronavirus caseloads and hospitalizations soaring, many hard-hit states are facing pressure to reimpose stay-at-home orders. Harvard Global Health Institute researchers say shutdowns should be mandatory in Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Louisiana and South Carolina, where severe outbreaks are unfolding. At least another 15 states should be weighing the possibility, they say.

Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, said this week that some parts of the country reopened too quickly — and that “any state that is having a serious problem … should seriously look at shutting down.” But some officials worry that a return to restrictive measures could lead to dire economic consequences and trigger a significant backlash.

 

[CharlestonGal]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/10/coronavirus-live-updates-us/?utm_source=reddit.com

Nevada plans to shut down bars in counties with rising coronavirus caseloads, making it the latest state to roll back some aspects of reopening.

The order, which has yet to be finalized and will go into effect on Saturday, will not apply to counties that have reported only a small number of cases, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) said at a Thursday evening news conference. Clark County, home to Las Vegas, and Washoe County, where Reno is located, will “certainly” have mandatory shutdowns.

Other potentially fraught activities, such as indoor dining, will be allowed for the time being, he said. The state is also keeping an eye on whether to close swimming pools and gyms.

 

[SouthAussie]

This one is clearly wrong though. In Wales we had a 5 mile limit but feeding animals was considered essential, farmers and horse owners have to travel to where their animals are kept. That is quite clear. I would imagine Oz had a similar clause and this must have been a mistake. MOO.

https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/heal...eding-her-horse-just-13km-from-home-c-1158979

What part of Stage Three lockdown did she not breach?
You can read the 'care and compassion' reasons in the link I have provided.

This lady needed to arrange for someone else to care for her horse at this point in time. It sounds as if she agists her horse on someone else's property.

She might be angry. I am sure all of the parents of the 16 year olds are angry that they were fined. How many concessions does the city make for these people?

We need to get this outbreak under control. Fast. Practises like this could stop all of Melbourne from coming out of lockdown. Then everyone else's efforts are in vain.



Department of Health and Human Services Victoria | Stay at home: Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire

 

[JerseyGirl]

WHO advance team on way to China to set up probe into virus origin

 

[CharlestonGal]

'Vaccine nationalism' could lead to the coronavirus devastating public health and the economy, experts warn

"Vaccine nationalism" is turning the search for a Covid-19 cure into an arms race, which will ultimately damage the economy and public health, experts have warned.

Analysts at Eurasia Group speculated that tension over a vaccine would heat up over the summer, predicting a battle for access that will stretch into 2021 or 2022.

The research group argued that some governments were already attempting to seize first access through large-scale investments.

"In the U.S., the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA) has been spreading its investments across a number of vaccine candidates in an effort to reduce the financial risks for pharmaceutical firms and lock in priority access to a successful vaccine," the note's authors said.

In May, the U.S. also invested $1 billion in AstraZeneca's potential vaccine, which is being developed by scientists at the University of Oxford. The British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant is aiming to produce 2 billion doses of the vaccine, with a view to roll 400 million doses out to the U.S. and U.K. by October.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government's National Research Council has signed a deal with China's CanSino Biologics to manufacture its vaccine for clinical trials in Canada this summer — giving Canada "an inside track on access," according to Eurasia's analysts.

There are currently at least 160 potential Covid-19 vaccines being tested around the world, according to the WHO.

Human behavior through history has been ugly indeed when fighting over scarce resources. I hope we don't see instances of outright aggression, though I fear we might. jmo

 

[JerseyGirl]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/10/coronavirus-live-updates-us/?utm_source=reddit.com

Nevada plans to shut down bars in counties with rising coronavirus caseloads, making it the latest state to roll back some aspects of reopening.

The order, which has yet to be finalized and will go into effect on Saturday, will not apply to counties that have reported only a small number of cases, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) said at a Thursday evening news conference. Clark County, home to Las Vegas, and Washoe County, where Reno is located, will “certainly” have mandatory shutdowns.

Other potentially fraught activities, such as indoor dining, will be allowed for the time being, he said. The state is also keeping an eye on whether to close swimming pools and gyms.

Why bother? People will just drive over to the next county, continuing the spread. Just close bars, PERIOD.

 

[mickey2942]

What seems absolutely criminal to me, is that it seems like the hardest hit places, desperately need rapid results Covid tests. Yet, in Orlando, 1000's of tests are being used so basketball players can play ball.

COVID testing priority a potential issue for NBA

Great values and use of valuable resources.

 

[CharlestonGal]

Looks like the US is well on the way to meeting Dr Fauci's prediction of 100,000 new cases per day.

US posts new record daily virus caseload of more than 65,000: Johns Hopkins

WASHINGTON (REUTERS, AFP) - The United States on Thursday (July 9) posted 65,551 new coronavirus cases, a record for a 24-hour period, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

And based on Reuters' tally, it was the third day in a row infections have risen by at least 55,000.

With California, Florida and Texas recently breaking records, hopes are fading for an economic rival and US stocks closed down about one per cent as investors worry another lockdown will cripple businesses.

Even outside the nation's three most populous states, cases are rising.

 

[JerseyGirl]

California to sue Trump administration's international student visa

California is set to become the first state to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration's new policy that prevents international students from staying in the U.S. if their college or university switches to online-only classes in the fall because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The state's attorney general, Xavier Becerra, made the announcement Thursday during a virtual news conference.

It will be the state's 86th lawsuit against President Donald Trump, Beccera said.

"Shame on the Trump administration for risking not only the education opportunities for students who earned the chance to go to college, but now their health and well-being as well,” Becerra said. "Not on our watch."

The University of California also announced plans Wednesday to file a lawsuit.

“At a time when college students across America are struggling to deal with the challenges and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic while focusing on their studies, this capricious and illegal order from the federal government plunges them into deeper anxiety and uncertainty,” said UC President Janet Napolitano in a statement.

“It is illegal, unnecessary and callous,” she added.

 

[tresir2012]

Well, we've known that forever. Maybe the WHO should follow WS. Lol.

I think they are preparing to say it is carried by A/C, which also has been known since the Gangzxhou restaurant study that we are all familiar with.

COVID-19 Outbreak Associated with Air Conditioning in Restaurant, Guangzhou, China, 2020

 

[JerseyGirl]

Central Jersey Doctor Reports Patients Reinfected With Coronavirus

 

[CharlestonGal]

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent...something-miraculous-happens-doctor-1.5641745


The U.S.-Canada border should remain closed until next year unless "something miraculous" happens to lower COVID-19 rates south of the border, says infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch.

"They're having over 50,000 new cases per day in the country, and on top of that, it doesn't appear like they are getting this epidemic under control," said Bogoch, a physician and researcher based at Toronto General Hospital.

"I can't think off the top of my head about what a number or a metric would look like, but I can tell you that [reopening the border] is going to be a long, long, long way away," he told The Current's guest host Rosemary Barton.

Nova Scotia and P.E.I. confirmed new cases of COVID-19 this week, believed to be connected to a man in his 20s who flew from the U.S. to Halifax via Toronto. He came to Canada on a student visa, but failed to self isolate upon entering Nova Scotia.

"This is just a stark reminder that we can't let our guard down and that … places that have been COVID-free for some time can certainly import this and this can cause an outbreak," said Bogoch.

He said that Canada has "to be very, very careful about travellers, and especially with travellers coming from high-burden areas, namely the United States."

 

[CharlestonGal]

Coronavirus hospitalizations jump 97% in Orange County in less than a month

The number of patients hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections reached new heights Thursday in Orange County — jumping 97% over the past three weeks — an indicator that health experts say makes it clear the virus is spreading more rapidly in the region.

County health officials on Thursday reported that 691 patients were being hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections. Seven days earlier, 556 people were hospitalized. A week prior there were 437 people in hospitals, and a week before that there were 351.

The spike has prompted hospitals countywide to begin to prepare for a surge of sick patients, said Orange County Health Care Agency Director Dr. Clayton Chau.

 

[JerseyGirl]

‘Mississippi Hospitals Cannot Take Care of Mississippi Patients’: ICUs Full, COVID-19 Booms

Mississippi hospitals are “stretched thin,” and Mississippians “will not be able to get the health care (they) need” as the outbreak accelerates across the state, top health experts warned during a dire press conference. Already, State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said, five of the state’s largest hospitals have already run out of ICU beds for critical patients.

“At the (University of Mississippi) Medical Center, we are full. Many days, we have more patients than we have rooms,” UMMC Vice Chancellor LouAnn Woodward said.

The cast of health experts warned that at the current rate of COVID-19’s spread, the state risks a New York City-level crisis.

“Mississippi hospitals cannot take care of Mississippi patients,” Dr. Dobbs told a room of reporters this morning.

 

[CharlestonGal]

US Daily Coronavirus Cases Will Hit 240,000 By November If Masks Not Used, Restrictions Eased

At current rates, projection show that by Nov. 1 the United States will report a worst case 240,000 infections per day and would have recorded more than 215,000 coronavirus deaths since January.

According to the latest estimate released Wednesday by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), the number of coronavirus cases per day can top 260,000 by Election Day, Nov. 3, if states continue to reopen — as some of them now insist on doing.

IHME director Dr. Christopher Murray predicts more than 208,000 people will die by November from COVID-19, considering the rising opposition in some states to reimposing restrictions.

Reopening schools in the fall regardless of the COVID-19 severity in each location, which is what the Trump administration wants, will also add to the overall fatality and daily case count.

“Many states are expected to experience significant increases in cases and deaths in September and October,” Murray told Politico.