Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #70

[margarita25]

I don't know if this has already been posted. But a pretty large study from South Korea weighing in on Child infection rates.

NYT: Older Children Spread the Coronavirus Just as Much as Adults, Large Study Finds

Link to actual study: Contact Tracing during Coronavirus Disease Outbreak, South Korea, 2020

Thanks for posting, @ZoriahNZ, marking for clear eyes tomorrow. I’ve also been wanting to look more closely at the Israel reports, thanks for reminding me.

For quick reference:

“Two weeks after Israel fully reopened schools, a COVID-19 outbreak sweeping through classrooms — including at least 130 cases at a single school — has led officials to close dozens of schools where students and staff were infected. A new policy orders any school where a virus case emerges to close.

The government decision, announced Wednesday evening, comes after more than 200 cases have been confirmed among students and staff at various schools. At least 244 students and school employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Ministry of Education. At least 42 kindergartens and schools have been shuttered indefinitely. More than 6,800 students and teachers are in home quarantine by government order.”

[...]

“Dr. Arnon Afek, who is helping manage Israel's coronavirus response, played down the outbreak, saying a spike in cases was expected when schools reopened. "It wasn't a surprise," he said. "It happened also in South Korea and Singapore."”

-much more at link:
After Reopening Schools, Israel Orders Them To Shut If COVID-19 Cases Are Discovered
June 3

—-

Israelis Fear Schools Reopened Too Soon as Covid-19 Cases Climb
July 14

“Outbreaks in schools had infected at least 1,335 students and 691 staff by Monday since the reopening in early May”

[...]

“TEL AVIV—Some Israeli public-health officials are blaming the country’s decision to reopen schools in May for helping fuel a large new wave of coronavirus infections that has prompted authorities to shut down sections of the economy once again.”

—

This sounds like clear evidence to me of what our future could look like. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since the beginning, it’s to watch and learn from other countries.

 

[ZoriahNZ]

California Resources for Kali:

Businesses and employers - Coronavirus COVID-19 Response

Increased funding to California Small Business Development Centers benefits 60,000 entrepreneurs | Solano

GUIDE: Here's What's Available to Help Small Businesses Survive Coronavirus | KQED

 

[nightowl1975]

Trump is doing away with the negative tests required to return to work.

Thankfully Trump doesn’t have the authority to “do away” with requiring anything to return to work. My place of employment can require whatever they want in terms of testing for me to return to work after testing positive.

That said, the CDC has had guidelines in place for months advising companies on how to determine if someone should return to work. Having two negative tests at least 24 hours apart is only one of several options outlined by the CDC.

I don’t know of any health care workers currently being required to have even one negative test to return to work, and our local health department is recommending using the CDC’s non-test based strategy for return to work.

 

[Tippy Lynn]

14 days quarantine for exposure seems to be what most have been practicing. My employer requires those who test positive to have 2 negative tests before they can return to work.

Trump is doing away with the negative tests required to return to work.

My employer doesn't make policy based on what what the WH is doing.

 

[MrX]

I live in a world where small businesses, employee and earn close to 85% of this states income.
80% of us are unable to make a living at this time.
Yet, I don't see our media telling our stories.
Just in this State of California, with nearly 40 million people, I don't see any media discussing our stories. Of which there are 10's of thousand stories, to say the least.
Where are these Covid-19 journalists?

You have supporters, trust me. The level of disgust is rising, but it's going to take super human bravery. I can't imagine the courage it took for the restaurant in AZ, or Salon in TX to say "no more." You are my hero.

 

[Lavender Moon]

Texas:

Houston Chronicle:
Saturday coronavirus updates: Record number of ICU patients with COVID-19

—-

Texas restaurant installs entryway that will spray you with disinfectant

—

With 4 in 5 Texans living in a "red zone," coronavirus hot spots are moving targets

Being sprayed with disinfectant would certainly ruin my appetite.

 

[pocketaccent]

Being sprayed with disinfectant would certainly ruin my appetite.

And your lung if you breathe it in.

ETA, also eyes.

 

[MajorHoople]

Can You Get Covid-19 Twice? Yes, But It's Rare

"Carter Wright, 29, a Nashville photographer, claims that he recently tested positive for COVID-19 twice for the virus recently.

He says tested positive for the coronavirus in March after taking a trip to New York City. He says he spent the next few months under the assumption that he's better and could possibly be immune to the virus. But he says he has tested positive again for COVID-19 for a second time, four months after he first got the virus.

Unfortunately, this isn't unheard of.

"Well we think that actually second cases of COVID are biologically possible, but they must be wonderfully rare," said Dr. William Schaffner, Vanderbilt infectious disease specialist.

Dr. Schaffner says there are still so many unknowns with this virus, which means we are learning as we go."


Or perhaps one of his positive tests was simply a false positive. It does happen.

 

[Tippy Lynn]

Interesting. I’m in an area with cases raging out of control. Our health department says it’s not unusual at all for someone to continue testing positive for many weeks or even months after all symptoms have subsided. We’ve also seen this in our elderly patients with a significant number of them testing positive for weeks or months after recovering. If we kept all workers out until they had two negative tests, we would be in a even bigger bind than we already are. As it is, we have active duty soldiers, national guard, and traveling health care workers helping us manage the influx of sick people.

As of now that's our policy. We've had clusters of employees testing positive within departments. It's been challenging, but we've managed so far.

 

[Willow Knight]

What happens if there's never a vaccine or cure?

I like that question. This is where I believe we need stronger leadership, we need a plan. Use a flowchart and enter a reasonable date to address that particular question. Everything we do at this point should be focused on containing this virus now.

At the point of sounding extreme I'd like to give my thoughts. We have had since March to plan, by now we should be capable of a complete shut down. What if most everyone is quarantined in their homes for another month, if our military, first respond and health care workers, and fema are properly prepared to "walk the streets". What if we re-define essential workers and properly equip them to maintain a stricter quarantine. Wouldn't those conditions give us a drastic drop in new positive cases?

To open the country back up, wow..just wow. It, IMO would need to be much more controlled. Slowly open up, test, test, and more tests. Maybe we could then be putting out embers vs forest fires.

Yes, this will cost. So is this virus. Trust me we can rebuild our economy, we are americans.

 

[Sillybilly]

Tricia has approved discussion of the Obama administration's "Pandemic Playbook" (as linked by CharlestonGal upthread, Stanford Univ. link to document at Politico).

 

[Willow Knight]

How long will it take to die out on it's own?

We don't know. It's a concern, which is why we need a plan. We should be acting now, while people are dying, as we try to figure out these questions.

 

[Willow Knight]

I think that between wearing masks and social distancing we can open up more businesses when hospital capacity is okay. Sooner is better than later but I have no exact date.

School openings is a tough one. I don't have any kids so I have no personal stake in that <modsnip: No MSM link to source>

This is where I would love to see us be, where masks and distancing are keeping the virus at lower infections. How can we get there without shutting the country back down again, then opening it up PROPERLY. As for schools, maybe I'm being simple minded, however at the very least push the opening back to October. Kids can go to school in the summer, do home video lessons. We need teachers alive.

 

[pocketaccent]

Majority of COVID-19 cases in San Bernardino County are from private gatherings, data shows
...
Over the last 28 days, 71% of those infected with the virus attended a family gathering in the last 14 days. A total of 228 people out of 319 interviewed by contact tracers indicated that they attended a gathering, according to the county's Department of Public Health.

In comparison, 3% of those infected said they had attended a religious service, while another 3% indicated they had attended a protest in the last 14 days.

"Gathering with family and friends from other households -- chatting, laughing, and having a great time -- is precisely how this virus spreads. That's why the State's stay-at-home order banning gatherings among people from different households is an order, not simply advice," read a statement from the county.
...

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Thanks Insanity!
It was really nice, except my friend got the time wrong, even though it was there in the email.
I had to ring them.
Just back, went at 1pm, back at 5, but my friend didn't get there til 1.30 so I went back outside and waited.
Heaps of space at the tables. There were a few people there but thankfully very spread out. And one way in along the foyer and one way out with arrows.. Everyone kept a good distance. No one wore a mask.
I used my hand sanitised wipes, wiped the table down and even the edge of it in front of me, the arms of the chair, my mug handle etc.
And I used my own tissues instead of the one provided under the mug. Did I go overboard
I have to say I feel like a new person again from having gone.
Oh and we had to give our phone numbers, they did away with us having to sign but took details off our membership cards.

Yes we do get tourists. I guess the main ones are when the races are on a couple of times a year.
We get a lot of touring groups, ie people in vintage cars, or datsun bluebird owners at all times of the year, all sorts of car owner groups.
We had the Horseless Carriage Club of America awhile ago who met up with the Horseless Carriage Club of Australia lol.
Many of the people who did laps of the town were dressed in vintage costumes.

I hope you had a lovely coffee. Do you get many tourists where you are? Like you we've only had about 12 cases but have had a lot of holiday visitors before the border was closed (NSW north coast) which has me nervous.

 

[tresir2012]

Partying Like There's No Pandemic: Hundreds Of Maskless Revellers Pack The Streets Of New York With Plastic Cups And No Social Distancing Until 4Am - And Cops Can't Do Anything


The streets of Astoria in Queens, New York, were packed on Friday night with people partying without a single face mask in sight.

Video shot and posted online shows throngs of revelers with drinks in hand and mingling closely with one another - with the coronavirus pandemic seemingly out of mind.

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I posted an article about this yesterday. Partying like there is no tomorrow, not a mask in sight, no distancing. I expect a second wave in NYC after seeing this but no one has commented on it at all so far.

 

[SouthAussie]

Majority of COVID-19 cases in San Bernardino County are from private gatherings, data shows
...
Over the last 28 days, 71% of those infected with the virus attended a family gathering in the last 14 days. A total of 228 people out of 319 interviewed by contact tracers indicated that they attended a gathering, according to the county's Department of Public Health.

In comparison, 3% of those infected said they had attended a religious service, while another 3% indicated they had attended a protest in the last 14 days.

"Gathering with family and friends from other households -- chatting, laughing, and having a great time -- is precisely how this virus spreads. That's why the State's stay-at-home order banning gatherings among people from different households is an order, not simply advice," read a statement from the county.
...

Interesting to note that the continuing high cases in our state of Victoria are not linked to social gatherings.
Likely because most are honoring the stay at home order when they can. imo

Instead it is another type of gathering that is producing the ongoing high new cases. The workplace.

The current growth factor is 1.05.



Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said "about 80 per cent" of the state's new infections since mid-May "are being driven by transmission in workplaces, including private-sector aged care".
.... officers will be focussing on high-risk workplaces. This will include distribution centres, call centres and meat processing facilities.
.... a law firm which did not allow staff to work from home was also linked to a number of recent cases.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the state's new mandatory masks rule would help reduce the risk in workplaces.

Crackdown to target Victorian workplaces after rise in coronavirus cases

 

[SouthAussie]

<RSBM>

I used my hand sanitised wipes, wiped the table down and even the edge of it in front of me, the arms of the chair, my mug handle etc.
And I used my own tissues instead of the one provided under the mug. Did I go overboard

<RSBM>

Better to go overboard, Tootsie, than underboard.

 

[tresir2012]

Then we continue to prevent and mitigate until there is effective treatment. Like HIV.

Public health is not some new problem we have to master. Infectious disease is very well understood and the medical sector knows how to mitigate it. We went awry (and continue to do so) by allowing under educated politicians take the lead on things they know nothing about. jmo

This is a new viral science that has to be mastered as they have found innovative ways to treat and medicate. Also, the politicians follow the scientists' recommendations, of course they are not health or science experts themselves.

 

[Rocco]

This is where I would love to see us be, where masks and distancing are keeping the virus at lower infections. How can we get there without shutting the country back down again, then opening it up PROPERLY. As for schools, maybe I'm being simple minded, however at the very least push the opening back to October. Kids can go to school in the summer, do home video lessons. We need teachers alive.

All states and cities should mandate that masks be worn when out in public. There are way too many people who aren't wearing them in stores. The only store where I've seen 100% compliance is a Mom and Pop store that sells homemade candy. As soon as you enter the store, there's a table with masks, gloves and hand sanitizer. There's a sign that says 'please wear a mask and gloves when shopping in our store'. It doesn't get any easier than that.