Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #67

[JerseyGirl]

Florida's Miami-Dade County reports 28% Covid-19 positivity rate

Miami-Dade County officials reported a 28% Covid-19 positivity rate on Wednesday, according to data released by Mayor Carlos Giménez's office. The positivity rate is tracked daily by the county.

Giménez's office said the goal is to not exceed a positivity rate of 10%. The county has exceeded the 10% mark for the past 14 days. The current 14-day average is 23%, the data shows.

 

[MrX]

Melbourne begins second shutdown after cases spike

"Don't it always seem to go..." - Joni Mitchell

 

[Trino]

Texas doctors rank activities posing greatest risks for contracting coronavirus

The Texas Medical Association recently announced that it was withdrawing as an advertiser from the Texas Republican Party’s state convention in Houston later this month following a surge in cases in the city.

“Since we are no longer advertising at the event, we urge the party to use our $5,000 to buy masks for people who come to the convention without one.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner directs city to explore legal options for canceling in-person GOP convention

The gathering, set to happen July 16-18, is expected to draw roughly 6,000 attendees to the George R. Brown Convention Center as Harris County continues to be the state's biggest hot spot for the new coronavirus. Party leaders announced Tuesday that elected officials are moving their in-person speeches to videos that will be played for attendees at the convention.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said during a virtual City Council meeting that he has asked the city's legal department to work with the Houston First Corporation, which operates the convention center to review the contract with the state party.

Shut 'er down!

 

[10ofRods]

Vs who’d be watching them two or three days a week every week ? Lol idk there obviously needs to be support for parents who need child care due to their essential jobs. Including all the usual essentials/ expendables - including school staff/ teachers They’re extremely essential imo and imo I feel like they’ve been dealt a bad hand in the covid game. Same cruise line different ships right ? Or however that saying goes.

The parents are going to feel like they're in a whirlwind. Local school authorities will have to figure out what to do each time one person has CoVid Symptoms - obviously take them (student or teacher) out of school and get them tested - but do they quarantine all who had contact (they should) until results come back? (By which time, some other kid will also have sniffles).

Oof.

Too bad we don't have testing capacity to just have a quick test for each student and teacher on the first two days of the week.

 

[Lilibet]

Too bad we don't have testing capacity to just have a quick test for each student and teacher on the first two days of the week.

At the task force presser Dr Birx mentioned a hoped-for easier saliva (“spit”) test for kids.

 

[CharlestonGal]

Coronavirus: Disney reopening safety measures released

Disney released new details about the safety precautions it will be taking at some of their Central Florida theme parks when they reopen to the public on Saturday.

Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom reopen this weekend after a four-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. The reopening comes as Florida has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases.

WTH is up with FL? Are they purposely trying to get to the top of the most-worst list??? I do not understand what is happening.

 

[Bravo]

WTH is up with FL? Are they purposely trying to get to the top of the most-worst list??? I do not understand what is happening.

Me either. I guess the mentality is if we open they will come.

 

[CharlestonGal]

How many US coronavirus cases? 3 million, quarter of world's total

US hits 3M coronavirus cases – about a quarter of the world's total. What number will spark societal changes to slow exponential rise?

COVID-19 deaths long ago rocketed past annual suicides (47,000), common flu (55,000), diabetes (83,000) and Alzheimer's disease (121,000) and is fast coming up on strokes (146,000). Those are the U.S. figures for an average year. The virus has done its damage in less than half that time.

 

[10ofRods]

At the task force presser Dr Birx mentioned a hoped-for easier saliva (“spit”) test for kids.

Yep. And it should be a huge priority to manufacture those. I wish we'd heard from some who hold purse strings that they are committed to paying for the development of that test and to assist (bureaucratically) with states obtaining them.

Also, there should be DoE grants to retrofit ventilation systems.

Study needs to be done about the feasibility and viability of "deep cleaning" entire schools (and whether and how often that needs to be done in various climates).

The federal government needs to show that it has our backs, as we send kids back into the classroom. Even at the college level, we teachers still feel as if we are in loco parentis and not only that, some of us actually have to go into entire topics about the human genome, viral genomes and how cells actually work in the body. It freaks students out even in non-pandemic/epidemic times.

Testing is the entire key.

 

[mickey2942]

The issues with foreign students, is that class attendance is part of the actual law. This protects from fraud. Congress would have to change INA laws to make this change.

Same with education, and schools re opening. This is based on Public Law 94-142, FAPE. Free and Appropriate Public Education. Specifically for students who have an IEP. These are federal laws. So, if Congress wants to change the law, they can. But the executive branch, President, is responsible for making sure that the laws are followed. Congress, legislative branch, makes the laws.

I guess Congress better get busy.

 

[oviedo]

WTH is up with FL? Are they purposely trying to get to the top of the most-worst list??? I do not understand what is happening.

apparently it is because we have a governor who is pushing for everything to be wide open and allowing cities/counties to make their own rules so it isn't really safe to travel around the state if you are in a county/city that requires the minimums - masks and social distancing.
IMO

 

[10ofRods]

WTH is up with FL? Are they purposely trying to get to the top of the most-worst list??? I do not understand what is happening.

You can only see the outside of their heads, not what they're thinking. There are a lot of people who want to say that a 1% overall mortality rate (if that's what it turns out to be) is fine. It'll only be 2-3 under the age of 12, only another 10-30 in their teens, a 1000 or so in their twenties - and right now, it looks like the age group 45-60 will take the biggest hit (because over 60's are getting more concessions from workplace - and also retiring early - and also wearing masks and shielding as much as possible).

It's just a big deal to them. The whole thing about children's mental health is bogus - because we already know that having schools open and close, open and close, and various classrooms be quarantined at home each time one kid tests positive (or one teacher) is going to wreak havoc on the poor parents, who are barely coping as it is.

Kids may need a place to go during the day - but can't it be mostly outdoor play? Does it have to be indoor jammed schooling? There are other ways to learn.

ETA: Did not mean to imply that over 60's are "safe" 65-74 group dies at about a 3.5% rate if they get CoVid (could be going up or down - we don't know) and 75-89 group dies at a 5% rate. 90 and over, it's 10-20% depending on region and overall local health indices.

It's clear that the over 64's (and let's face it - we might as well include 60-somethings in general) are at more risk and I hope we all support each other in acting accordingly.

 

[CharlestonGal]

As coronavirus surges, Houston confronts its hidden toll: People dying at home

As coronavirus cases surge, inundating hospitals and leading to testing shortages, a rapidly growing number of Houston area residents are dying at home, according to an NBC News and ProPublica review of Houston Fire Department data. An increasing number of these at-home deaths have been confirmed to be the result of COVID-19, Harris County medical examiner data shows.

The previously unreported jump in people dying at home is the latest indicator of a mounting crisis in a region beset by one of the nation’s worst and fastest-growing coronavirus outbreaks. On Tuesday, a record 3,851 people were hospitalized for the coronavirus in the Houston region, exceeding normal intensive care capacity and sending some hospitals scrambling to find additional staff and space.

 

[beatrixpotter]

I had my test at 1pm Monday and received the negative result by 10 am the next morning in an email.
Los Angeles County, El Monte Airport drive thru testing.
I'm a nobody.

We did drive through testing here in GA about 2 weeks ago. They never called us. We had to call and get test results at 9 days out from testing and they could only give us some of the test results. That was over a week ago and they never called us about the last test. I still would have expected faster results for the mayor of Atlanta though! But they seriously can't keep doing the tests like this. It's absurd.

 

[CharlestonGal]

Organizer confirms Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Rally will take place next week

Local bars and restaurants supporting the Spring Bike Rally in Murrells Inlet said they’re anticipating lots of bikers in the coming days to pour into the Grand Strand

Tina Stanton, a retail manager at one of the popular spots for the spring rally, said the Spring Bike Rally is a big deal for vendors and businesses across the Grand Strand, trying to keep the rally tradition alive during the pandemic. A tradition Stanton wants people to know, isn’t canceled.

“It’s our single largest event of the year,” Stanton said. “We know we’re not alone in that. We employ over 100 people every year for this week. Our phone has been ringing off the hook. We have been planning as if it’s going to be a regular Spring Bike Rally. We know a lot of people had questions in May. We’ve done our best with Horry County Council and other businesses to spread the word that the rally is on and hopefully everyone got the message.”

 

[musicaljoke]

Florida's Miami-Dade County reports 28% Covid-19 positivity rate

Miami-Dade County officials reported a 28% Covid-19 positivity rate on Wednesday, according to data released by Mayor Carlos Giménez's office. The positivity rate is tracked daily by the county.

Giménez's office said the goal is to not exceed a positivity rate of 10%. The county has exceeded the 10% mark for the past 14 days. The current 14-day average is 23%, the data shows.

Why would he set the goal at 10% when the recommendation for containing community spread is 5%? If they don't have policies in place to limit the rate to 5%, then it's not going to be controlled. He should have set the goal at 3% and mandated closures if it got close to 5%.

 

[TravelingBug]

Mayor of Yolo County (CA):

Christopher Cabaldon
@mayorcabaldon
As of today, "Yolo County has 0% of staffed ICU beds available". This is not a drill.

https://twitter.com/mayorcabaldon/status/1280940476053372928

This on the heels of them issuing this:

With coronavirus cases rising, Yolo County on Tuesday passed an urgency ordinance giving county code officers the authority to fine businesses up to $10,000 for refusing to comply with state and county safety measures, including not requiring patrons to wear masks and allowing indoor dining.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article244068517.html

 

[tresir2012]

Why would he set the goal at 10% when the recommendation for containing community spread is 5%? If they don't have policies in place to limit the rate to 5%, then it's not going to be controlled. He should have set the goal at 3% and mandated closures if it got close to 5%.

I don't think they are going to get down to 10% let alone 5%. How does a state reduce its positivity rate? Does anyone know?

Also, regarding tests, in the UK we had self tests you did at home. Request the test and then once received, perform the test then post it back. I think that was quite successful and helped us get up to 100k tests per day, although not all tests would be sent back.

 

[10ofRods]

As coronavirus surges, Houston confronts its hidden toll: People dying at home

As coronavirus cases surge, inundating hospitals and leading to testing shortages, a rapidly growing number of Houston area residents are dying at home, according to an NBC News and ProPublica review of Houston Fire Department data. An increasing number of these at-home deaths have been confirmed to be the result of COVID-19, Harris County medical examiner data shows.

The previously unreported jump in people dying at home is the latest indicator of a mounting crisis in a region beset by one of the nation’s worst and fastest-growing coronavirus outbreaks. On Tuesday, a record 3,851 people were hospitalized for the coronavirus in the Houston region, exceeding normal intensive care capacity and sending some hospitals scrambling to find additional staff and space.

Another hard one to "like," but data from both US and UK show similar rates of "undiagnosed, probably CoVid related excess deaths" - 33-35%. more deaths for both nations. The Philippines, Vietnam, South Korean - when analyzed as to excess deaths (deaths above the last 5 year average for the month of report) have apparently no excess deaths (so probably calculated their CoVid cases properly - all had lots of testing.

For Ecuador, it may be very high - above 70% (deaths not accounted as CoVId deaths but in excess of the average of the last 5 years of death data). Mexico was at 55% excess deaths last I checked.

This would help account for high positivity rates when people finally start getting tested. Floridians might be somewhat relieved if antibody testing could be improved (although the asymptomatic people may not have formed antibodies - and some of them will get a mild case of CoVid again...)

 

[10ofRods]

I don't think they are going to get down to 10% let alone 5%. How does a state reduce its positivity rate? Does anyone know?

By having fewer people get CoVid.

That simple. Figure out how other places did that, then do those things.

In scientific terms, get the R0 as low as possible (well below .9) and keep lowering that number until CoVid is gone.

Florida's number is 1.23

Connecticut's number is .75

Dial up their governor and ask, I guess. (Not you personally, although you could surely try - but the governor of Florida needs to reach out to some other governors and actual expertise in health at this time).