Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #72

[slowpoke]

Some very informative stuff, updating on recent studies regarding mask usage.

Face Masks Really Do Matter. The Scientific Evidence Is Growing.

In the beginning when it seemed health authorities were not endorsing face coverings, I already thought otherwise, that at the very least it would be helpful to me—personally—as it would help keep me from touching my mouth. And it really does help me in that regard.

It’s a bad holdover habit I have from being a nail biter for most of my life, which is embarrassing to admit. Finally quit, but I still find I fidget with my hands by touching my nails a lot or touching them to my lips.

I’m glad the messaging finally feels like they are fully endorsing masks now, but wish they would have been more clear from the beginning. They’ve been wearing them in Japan and other Asian countries, after all, for years and years. It’s not a new concept.. Why was it hard for the science experts here in the US to think of the idea of homemade, non-ppe cloth masks—why not right at the start?

 

[SouthAussie]

More than 50 schools have been forced to close for deep cleaning over the last few weeks in Victoria.

The staff are getting very stressed with the closing and re-opening. Some schools have been through this several times already. (While some schools are sailing through with no covid issues.)

Staff feel they are being pulled between the Health Dept and the Education Dept. Trying to keep the schools safe for all staff and students, constantly encouraging social distancing and/or mask wearing ... while also trying to get the senior kids ready for their upcoming final exams and teach classes.

Source: A school representative on CH7 TV News


Also mentioned, councils in the infected lockdown area have filled skateparks with sand and gravel today to try to stop the teens from still congregating in those closed skateparks.

 

[weepingangel]

Bay State Cruise Company hit with cease and desist order after photo circulated of crowded ship in Boston Harbor
More at link
Bay State Cruise Company has been hit with a cease and desist order after a photo showing passengers packed tightly together on one of the company’s ships in Boston Harbor circulated over the weekend.
The Massachusetts Department of Labor and the Boston Public Health Commission issued the order on Monday, which notes that the cruise company offered some services that are “not permitted to be open” during the current phase of the state’s reopening plan, or Phase 3, according to NBC Boston.

 

[tresir2012]

i just want to comment on taking large doses of vit C--I took 1000 mg of Vit C
every day for 35 years believing it protected me from colds -- in 2017 I developed a
kidney stone which eventually passed--- i did a little research on line and
learned that there are some studies that demonstrate if a person takes 1000 mg
or more a day, you greatly increase your chances for developing stones-- i decided
to stop taking Vit C supplements. you can google information about vit c
and its relationship to the development of kidney stones-- i cant say VitC was
the only cause, but i have no doubt Vit C contriuted to it.

The thing with Vitamin C is that the body doesn't store it, so if you take more than the RDA the body just has to flush it. It is in a lot of fruit and veg so taking a supplement in addition may often be too much. Thanks for mentioning about the kidney stone. I had one many years ago but didn't take supplements then. I am only taking 15mg a day for now. The RDA is only 75mg for women so 1000mg is way too high at more than 13 times the daily amount.

( The 15mg is in the Glucosamine supplement that I take so it is probably in it to help the absorption of the Glucosamine. )

 

[musicaljoke]

Latest CDC numbers on the rate of deaths with COVID-19 per population as of July 27, 2020 set forth below.

Note that the CDC reports counts for New York City and New York state separately, so data for New York State shows deaths for the State excluding data for NYC.

The numbers continue to show how much worse the New York City metro area has been compared to the rest of the country.

The rate for New York City continues to possibly be the worst death rate for any location in the world. New York City's death rate is:

more than 8 times the death rate of Georgia--which started opening back up 3 months ago;

more than 20 times the death rate of South Dakota--which never really closed;

more than 10 times the death rate in Florida, which has been called a COVID hot spot since all the way back to mid-June;

more than 15 times the death rate in Texas, another state that has been called a hot spot since all the way back to mid-June; and

about 6 times the death rate in Arizona, which was called “the new national hotspot for COVID-19” back on June 14th.

The greater NYC metro region including NJ, CT, MA, and RI continues to be way way out ahead of everywhere else in the country in deaths per population.

State/Territory Death Rate per 100,000

Disaster Spot
New York City* 279.8

Disaster Spot’s Little Brother
New Jersey 177.2

Awful Spots
Massachusetts 123.6
Connecticut 123.5
Rhode Island 94.8

Really Bad Spots
District of Columbia 82.7
Louisiana 80.8
New York* 78.5

Bad Spots
Michigan 64.1
Delaware 59.9
Illinois 59.6
Maryland 57.0
Pennsylvania 55.6

Borderline Spots
Mississippi 50.1
Arizona 46.2
Indiana 43.4

Good Spots
Georgia 33.3
Colorado 31.5
New Hampshire 30.2
Alabama 30.1
New Mexico 29.3
South Carolina 29.4
Minnesota 28.8
Ohio 28.3
Florida 27.5
Iowa 26.2
Nevada 25.0
Virginia 24.4
California 21.3
Washington 19.9
Missouri 19.5
Texas 17.6
North Carolina 17.2
Nebraska 16.4
Kentucky 15.7
Wisconsin 15.5
Tennessee 14.3
South Dakota 13.9
Arkansas 13.3
North Dakota 13.0
Oklahoma 12.6
Kansas 11.2
Vermont 8.9
Maine 8.9
Utah 8.7
Idaho 8.3
Oregon 6.9
Virgin Islands 6.7
Puerto Rico 6.3
West Virginia 5.7
Montana 4.4
Wyoming 4.3
N Mariana Isls 3.5
Guam 3.0
Alaska 2.7
Hawaii 1.8

CDC COVID Data Tracker

Oh my goodness! MuddyTires, I'm not sure what you are trying to say, but I believe you are greatly minimizing the seriousness of rampant community spread in several states.

 

[tresir2012]

Well, now we know.
“This evidence should help put to rest previous reports of a possible association between blood type A and a higher risk for COVID-19 infection and mortality,” Dua said.

COVID-19 and Blood Type

"The study did find, however, that symptomatic individuals with blood types B and AB who were Rh positive were more likely to test positive for COVID-19, while those with blood type O were less likely to test positive."

"An intriguing finding from the study was that there appeared to be a greater chance of people with blood types B and AB who were Rh positive testing positive for the virus. Even stronger evidence was assembled by the team that symptomatic people with blood type O were less likely to test positive.

“These findings need to be further explored to determine if there is something inherent in these blood types that might potentially confer protection or induce risk in individuals,” Dua said."

I think this is saying once you had it, the study found no difference in the severity of the disease amongst blood types.

 

[tresir2012]

Oh my goodness! MuddyTires, I'm not sure what you are trying to say, but I believe you are greatly minimizing the seriousness of rampant community spread in several states.

I think MT is giving us the data and is not minimizing anything. These figures are from CDC I believe.

Death Rate by State/Territory
State/Territory Death Rate per 100,000
New York City*
279.8
New Jersey
177.2
Massachusetts
123.6
Connecticut
123.5
Rhode Island
94.8
District of Columbia
82.7
Louisiana
80.8
New York*
79.1
Michigan
64.1
Delaware
59.9
Illinois
59.6
Maryland
57
Pennsylvania
55.6
Mississippi
50.1
Arizona
46.1
Indiana
43.4
Georgia
33.3
Colorado
31.5
New Hampshire
30.2
Alabama
30.1
New Mexico
29.3
South Carolina
29.3
Minnesota
28.8
Ohio
28.3
Florida
27.5
Iowa
26.2
Nevada
25
Virginia
24.4
California
21.3
Washington
19.9
Missouri
19.5
Texas
17.6
North Carolina
17.2
Nebraska
16.4
Kentucky
15.7
Wisconsin
15.5
Tennessee
14.3
South Dakota
13.9
Arkansas
13.3
North Dakota
13
Oklahoma
12.6
Kansas
11.2
Vermont
8.9
Maine
8.9
Utah
8.7
Idaho
8.3
Oregon
6.9
Virgin Islands
6.7
Puerto Rico
6.3
West Virginia
5.7
Montana
4.4
Wyoming
4.3
Northern Mariana Islands
3.5
Guam
3
Alaska
2.7
Hawaii
1.8
Republic of Marshall Islands
N/A
Palau
N/A
Federated States of Micronesia
N/A
American Samoa
N/A
CDC | Updated: Jul 27 2020 5:45PM

 

[SouthAussie]

Oh my goodness! MuddyTires, I'm not sure what you are trying to say, but I believe you are greatly minimizing the seriousness of rampant community spread in several states.

Yes, New York State (including NYC) seems to be doing substantially better. Cuomo's covid policies seem to be working.

Deaths over the Past Week
Texas = 1,607
Florida = 859
California = 724
Arizona = 520
South Carolina = 342
Georgia = 332
Louisiana = 212
North Carolina = 161
New York State = 139

United States
John Hopkins University

 

[weepingangel]

Massachusetts
A mom fell ill at a Mass. graduation. She's tested positive for the virus. | Boston.com
more at links
BOSTON (AP) — A parent who attended an outdoor high school graduation in Massachusetts over the weekend tested positive for the coronavirus after falling ill at the event, officials said.

The woman was symptomatic prior to the Quincy High School graduation ceremony on Saturday morning, city officials tell The Patriot Ledger.


Third Quincy restaurant temporarily closed because of COVID-19

Within the last three weeks, the city of Quincy went from eight active COVID-19 cases to 57 active cases.

falmouth Massachusetts/cape cod
8 Falmouth lifeguards test positive for COVID-19

A former Falmouth lifeguard said the positive tests followed a party last weekend with many other beach department staff members. Text messages reveal Beach Department staff attempted to delay notifying other department employees about the positive tests.

Doctors uneasy about uptick in state coronavirus cases - The Boston Globe
The reported rate of positive COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts has crept up over the past week, heightening an uneasiness among some doctors who fear that they might be seeing a return of the virus that has spread so quickly around the nation this summer.

 

[ilovewings]

I think a lot of that was to protect the line of supply for health workers. I know in the UK, hospital workers were going to hardware stores for masks because they could not get any.

I know why the government put out that message: the surgeon general actually said masks were ineffective-- IMO the CDC and WHO has fallen down on the job- hugely. Giving out this type of erroneous information set the stage for what we are seeing now- a lot of distrustful people who say, well, you told us not to wear masks, now you say to wear them- you people can't be trusted to give us correct information.

 

[Trino]

Another possible horror story. What's wrong with people?

We are camped next to a couple (very social distancing) who are next week headed to a resort with 23 family members they haven't seen since last year. Nice, huh? Not much thought, if any, to the virus.

 

[SouthAussie]

Another possible horror story. What's wrong with people?

We are camped next to a couple (very social distancing) who are next week headed to a resort with 23 family members they haven't seen since last year. Nice, huh? Not much thought, if any, to the virus.

Should we be watching out for them to be the next family in the covid outbreak news?

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Coronavirus: Boris Johnson warns there are signs of second wave in Europe

Boris Johnson has warned the signs of a "second wave" of coronavirus are surfacing in Europe, as he defended changing travel advice on Spain.

The prime minister backed the decision taken over the weekend to tell any travellers returning from Spain to the UK to quarantine for 14 days.

"What we have to do is take swift and decisive action where we think that the risks are starting to bubble up again," he said on a visit to Nottingham on Tuesday.

"Let's be absolutely clear about what's happening in Europe: Amongst some of our European friends, I'm afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic."

The UK government which has authority over health powers in England, and devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland changed position given fears of rising case numbers in some regions of Spain.

Ministers have also updated travel advice to urge people not to visit both mainland Spain and the Balearic and Canary islands.

Mr Johnson did not deny a report in the Telegraph overnight that the government is looking at cutting how long anyone arriving in the UK will have to quarantine from 14 to 10 days.

"We are always looking at ways in which we can mitigate the impact of the quarantine, try to help people, try to make sure that the science is working to help travellers and holidaymakers," he said.

"At the moment you have got to stick with the guidance that we are giving, we have given the guidance now about Spain and about some other places around the world.

"I'm afraid if we do see signs of a second wave in other countries it is really our job, our duty, to act swiftly and decisively to stop ... travellers coming back from those places seeding the disease here in the UK."

 

[dixiegirl1035]

source: Newyorktimes.com

Also, a very interesting read...

Once a Model City, Hong Kong Grapples With a New Coronavirus Wave

 

[MimosaMornings]

Massachusetts
A mom fell ill at a Mass. graduation. She's tested positive for the virus. | Boston.com
more at links
BOSTON (AP) — A parent who attended an outdoor high school graduation in Massachusetts over the weekend tested positive for the coronavirus after falling ill at the event, officials said.

The woman was symptomatic prior to the Quincy High School graduation ceremony on Saturday morning, city officials tell The Patriot Ledger.


Third Quincy restaurant temporarily closed because of COVID-19

Within the last three weeks, the city of Quincy went from eight active COVID-19 cases to 57 active cases.

falmouth Massachusetts/cape cod
8 Falmouth lifeguards test positive for COVID-19

A former Falmouth lifeguard said the positive tests followed a party last weekend with many other beach department staff members. Text messages reveal Beach Department staff attempted to delay notifying other department employees about the positive tests.

Doctors uneasy about uptick in state coronavirus cases - The Boston Globe
The reported rate of positive COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts has crept up over the past week, heightening an uneasiness among some doctors who fear that they might be seeing a return of the virus that has spread so quickly around the nation this summer.

The parent fell ill at the graduation? And had symptoms prior to the event?
Yikes

 

[Tillicum]

Would anyone be interested in a thread where we could discuss alternative, safe ways to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas during COVID? It's not that far away and planning ahead may give us a chance to stock up on things that could be hard to find later. I can start a thread if anyone has any ideas.

 

[rogue ant]

You Can Stop Cleaning Your Mail Now

Emphasis mine.

"But in a July article in the medical journal The Lancet, Goldman excoriated those conclusions. All those studies that made COVID-19 seem likely to live for days on metal and paper bags were based on unrealistically strong concentrations of the virus. As he explained to me, as many as 100 people would need to sneeze on the same area of a table to mimic some of their experimental conditions. The studies “stacked the deck to get a result that bears no resemblance to the real world," Goldman said."

 

[tresir2012]

Yes, New York State (including NYC) seems to be doing substantially better. Cuomo's covid policies seem to be working.

Deaths over the Past Week
Texas = 1,607
Florida = 859
California = 724
Arizona = 520
South Carolina = 342
Georgia = 332
Louisiana = 212
North Carolina = 161
New York State = 139

United States
John Hopkins University

Those CDC figures for NY state that MT quoted do NOT include NYC. The asterisk comment explains this. Just to clarify. Do your JHU death figures include NYC? Your post says they do so I just wanted to check.


Re CDC link from up thread.
*Counts for New York City and New York state are shown separately; data for New York State show total cases and deaths for the State excluding data for NYC.

 

[CharlestonGal]

I’m one who is concerned about this vaccine supposedly coming out so quickly. These things usually take years to develop in order to assure they’re not only effective, but safe.
Why don’t they yet have a vaccination for the AIDS virus , if it’s all so easy. Call me skeptical.... but, yes, that’s just me, a skeptic. Yes, it’s a painful situation to be in.

This article compares polio to Covid.

What the History of Polio Can Teach Us About COVID-19

There is no vaccine for HIV mostly because it incorporates itself into the actual DNA strand in the host cell. It is not out and about where it can be attacked by the immune system. It also mutates extremely rapidly, even inside the same host.

Vaccine for SARS-CoV2 is pretty straight forward in comparison. The speed of development and manufacture makes me twitchy, to be sure. Alarmed, even. I'm just watching and waiting for now.

 

[Tigerlily75]

THIS is the major upcoming peril!

If 11 million households are evicted (some say it will be more), then family health declines. It's really hard to remember all the virus protections if you're living in a car with 2-3 other people. Inability to get good sleep, constant worry, lack of food - and lack of housing - makes people drive as far as they can toward a place where at least they won't freeze to death at night. In the 2008 recession, SoCal saw a lot of new arrivals. People thought they could sleep in their cars on city streets - which they can, because there's not much enforcement, but very quickly the issues with bathrooms arose. WalMart doesn't allow much "camping" in its lots any more (no where in the more temperate parts of California).

People would pass through our neighborhood, sleep in the grocery store parking lot for a couple of nights, the grocer would eventually lock their bathroom except for paying customers (an inconvenience for all). The gas stations near me absolutely do not allow non-customers to have the key. So people were going down into ravines and pooping/peeing in the water that runs to the ocean. No bueno. In L.A., people on the westside got pretty aggro about turning these newcomers in to police or making it hard for them to sleep/stay.

It is awful. If 11 million working people who did their level best to stay housed are now evicted, I call that a kind of sin (on the part of a society that lets it happen).

The quality of life for all of us is about to decline. We don't know where that will go. I just know that come winter, the homeless in cold states will head to the Southwest (and to Portland and Seattle). And so many young adults out of work, foot loose, and without anything to lose by living an underground life.

This is both terrifying and heartbreaking.