Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #75

[JerseyGirl]

'Horrifying' data glitch skews key Iowa coronavirus metrics

A state agency says it is working to fix a data error on Iowa’s coronavirus website that lowers the number of new confirmed cases and therefore downplays the severity of the current outbreak, just as schools are deciding whether to reopen.

The glitch means the Iowa Department of Public Health has inadvertently been reporting fewer new infections and a smaller percentage of daily positive tests than is truly the case.

 

[JerseyGirl]

The coronavirus pandemic is being driven by people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who don't know they're infected, according to WHO

The coronavirus is being spread largely by younger people, many of whom are unaware they are infected.

WHO officials said on Tuesday that the proportion of young people infected with the virus had risen and continued to rise and that they were putting elderly people and other vulnerable groups at risk.

"The epidemic is changing," WHO's Western Pacific regional director, Takeshi Kasai, said at a virtual briefing in comments reported by Reuters.

"People in their 20s, 30s, and 40s are increasingly driving the spread," he said. "Many are unaware they are infected. This increases the risk of spillovers to the more vulnerable."

 

[MimosaMornings]

Texas newborn contracted coronavirus while in mother's womb: report

“A Texas newborn who contracted the novel coronavirus while in her mother’s womb is believed to be the first such case in the U.S., according to multiple reports.”


Texas Just Reported Its 10,000th Coronavirus Death

 

[Lavender Moon]

I hope people don't go munching on oleander leaves now.


Unfortunately, oleander in the landscape is considered to be highly toxic whether the plant is fresh or dried. The good news is that there have been very few reports of human death due to oleander toxicity, probably due to the plant’s vile taste, says University of Wisconsin’s BioWeb.
The bad news, according to UW, is that many animals, including dogs, cats, cows, horses and even birds have succumbed to oleander poisoning. Ingestion of even a small amount can cause serious illness or death.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/oleander/oleander-toxicity.htm

That's my fear, too. Fumes from burning oleander are toxic as well. I viewed an episode on ID in which a poisoner used oleander .

 

[MimosaMornings]

Now that’s creative thinking....

Texas assisted living facility holds ‘wild’ party with drinks, tattoos | KXAN Austin

———————
Oh no

Austin stay at home order extended until Dec. 15 | kvue.com

Stage 4 lockdown extended from August 15 until December 15 for Austin/Travis County.

Wonder if people will ignore the restrictions and still have large indoor family gatherings for the holidays?

 

[Cool Cats]

New models suggest COVID-19 herd immunity might be achieved with far fewer people infected

Peter Weber
August 18, 2020, 9:01 AM EDT

COVID-19 researchers and modelers have assumed that at least 60 percent of a population, perhaps 70 percent, would need to be infected with the new coronavirus or vaccinated against it before reaching herd immunity, the point at which the virus can no longer spread widely among a community. Some infectious disease experts are now examining the "hopeful possibility" that far fewer people have to get infected or immunized to achieve herd immunity, The New York Times reports, citing interviews with more than a dozen scientists.

If their new, complicated statistical models are correct, and communities can reach herd immunity with 50 percent or less of people gaining immunity to COVID-19, "it may be possible to turn back the coronavirus more quickly than once thought," the Times reports. A clear minority of researchers predict as few as 10 or 20 percent of a population developing antibodies to the disease would be sufficient for herd immunity; Stockholm University mathematician Tom Britton calculated the threshold at 43 percent.

It's not clear any city or pocket of a city has sufficient immune people to thwart a second wave of COVID-19, but there may be parts of Mumbai, London, and New York that are close or have developed at least significant collective resistance. In hard-hit New York City, for example, fewer than 1 percent of people being tested in some neighborhood clinics over the past eight weeks have tested positive, the Times notes. Even a lower threshold "means many residents of the community will have been sickened or have died, a high price to pay for herd immunity."

And right now, the models are untested. "Mathematically, it's certainly possible to have herd immunity at these very, very low levels," Carl Bergstrom, an infectious disease expert at the University of Washington, tells the Times. "Those are just our best guesses for what the numbers should look like," but "they're just exactly that, guesses."

 

[Lavender Moon]

I am not sure that I believe that.

I certainly don't want to believe that. I'm horrified and about to cry.

 

[Simply Southern]

Map: Track this summer’s coronavirus hot spots across the U.S.

I'm still having trouble with how all of this summer's "hot spots" now see the virus in retreat, without ever implementing any proper mitigation strategies. What we see in Melbourne is the accepted procedure for virus mitigation - not just shutting down water parks and tubing. I'll check if there is a correlation between cases per million and the virus hitting a wall.

But they did implement may control measures. Florida sent workers including volunteers door to door handing out information, mask hand sanitizer and verbal and written communications. They targeted the Hispanic community, due to rise in cases.

Moo....

 

[JerseyGirl]

Fauci says virtual classrooms better in parts of country hard hit by COVID-19

Easing in with virtual classrooms would be better in parts of the country that have a coronavirus infection positivity rate of more than 10%, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious diseases expert, said on Tuesday.

Fauci said that the default position should be to try and reopen schools for the psychological health of children, but added that a unilateral approach to reopening schools could not be taken.

“To make a statement on one side vs the other and take the country as a whole won’t work — we’re so heterogeneous with the infections,” Fauci said in a virtual conference hosted by health information website Healthline.

 

[musicaljoke]

Pineapples could be key to treating virus

An enzyme found in pineapples -was found to dissolve the spike proteins that COVID-19 uses to infect human cells.

It has been repurposed into a nasal spray that researchers hope will stop the virus’ spread from the nose and throat to the lungs. A trial on patients at the Royal Melbourne Hospital could start next month
Pineapples could be key to treating virus

Well, at least folks won't die from squirting pineapple juice up their nose.

 

[musicaljoke]

Aberdeen lockdown 'having impact on cases'

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said lockdown restrictions in Aberdeen are having an impact, with the number of new covid cases continuing to decline.

Lockdown restrictions were reimposed in Aberdeen on 5 August due to a coronavirus cluster in the city.

The restrictions were kept in place last week and are to be reviewed again on Wednesday.

The restrictions in Aberdeen mean:

• bars, cafes, restaurants and pubs are closed
• no travel more than five miles for leisure or holidays
• no travel to the city for leisure or to visit friends and family, even if you live in Aberdeenshire
• no indoor visits with other households
• visiting suspended for most hospitals

It's such a reliable protocol: Lock down. Reduce the spread. Save lives.

 

[10ofRods]

But Florida and the southern states of the US would have high humidity and it is raging there, isn't it?

Yes, but likely because they spend a lot of time indoors, in A/C, not out socializing in high temps and high humidity. The amount of A/C used in the South is very high.

I bet even some schools have A/C in the South!

(I'd have to travel quite a distance to find a school with A/C here - only some of the college buildings have A/C, although they're working on it - they've been saying that once it's above 100F, that all they're really doing is pushing hot air around).

It's my understanding that in many southern states, other places besides schools are also open, with A/C.

Los Angeles is planning heat refuges in large spaces with A/C (and masks) for elderly and other people who can't get to malls, which are the traditional refuges (they are closed).

 

[musicaljoke]

The article states it folks working from home. Folks working from home still have a full paycheck, reduced travel to work cost, maybe not eating out as much.

I've saved quite a bit since the lockdown. I didn't realize how much I spent randomly shopping and eating out.

Yep, no entertainment, concert tickets, baby sitters, gas for the car, shopping trips, work parties, weddings, etc. Working folks are saving money.

 

[24Roses]

Iowa numbers today: As of 10:30-11:00 a.m. today, we had 307 new confirmed cases for a total of 52,924 confirmed cases of which 41,514 have recovered (IMO +824). 8 more have passed away for a total of 987. 307 COVID-19 cases, 8 deaths reported in Iowa Tuesday
Iowa COVID-19 Information
* I'm not sure why, but the weekday KCRG reporters do not include recovery numbers , but I have noticed on the weekends they do.

 

[10ofRods]

Where the heck are people finding the extra money to do projects?
A can or two of wall paint perhaps.
Maybe they are using their HD credit card.

Some people are collecting so much more money (until recently) that they are flush.

My daughter made more money on UI than she did in her previous 4 months. They paid their rent and she made her car payments and insurance payments - no home improvements for them.

But there are people, especially in multiple-adult households, for whom an extra $2400 per person made them quite happy (especially if the main worker was still employed and essential and getting hazard pay).

At any rate, it's not just home improvement. It's impossible to buy a bike where I live. Or anything but the most expensive tents and coolers. The number of rented RV's at the beaches is mind-boggling (many of them illegally parked, but there's no enforcement right now). Those things aren't cheap to rent, IMO.

Of course, at the same time, we've got a lot of adult children moving back in with their parents, in my neighborhood, now that the UI is ending.

 

[10ofRods]

UNC-Chapel Hill pivots to remote teaching after coronavirus spreads among students during first week of class — The Washington Post

“The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the largest schools in the country to bring students to campus for in-person teaching, said Monday it will pivot to all-remote instruction for undergraduates after testing showed a pattern of rapid spread of the novel coronavirus.

Officials announced the abrupt change just a week after classes began at the 30,000-student state flagship university.”

Good luck to them, bless their hearts.

My colleagues and I slaved through the summer to get ready to teach online and it's still mind-bogglingly difficult. Did a practice class yesterday, everything went okay except that no audio was recorded (they could hear fine during class, but it's optimal to be able to put the recording up for those who miss it).

Meanwhile, as we get closer to starting school, I get about 25-35 emails daily all asking the same question (but until the courses are published, there's no easy way of contacting an entire class right now - and students haven't finished enrolling, so even if I did send out announcements, it wouldn't cut the emails all that much).

During the summer, most students ended up acting as if they were the only one in the class and thinking it was okay just to shoot their prof an email over every little thing. "My dog needs to go to the vet, but it's all so complicated, there's no way I can take the test today! Will you reopen it?" Next day, "My dog is even sicker and tomorrow will be taken up by going to the vet, so I still can't take the test." Me: "But it's the final and the course is over tonight." Student: "The COURSE IS OVER? Where does it say that??" Me: "In the schedule."

I'm still working with that person (did a make-up final, turned that in late; dog is better but now her sister's 2 children have moved in and she's minding them).

DH is having same issues with his never-ending summer class (ended yesterday; so much plagiarism and late work..not always from students who have otherwise performed well). In Spring we were strongly encourage to "go easy" on them.

How long does that last?

(Then of course, you have the stellar students who exceed every expectation...)

 

[Black Widow]

I wonder if folks will start snorting pineapple

YES....I’m starting now!

 

[Sundog]

Are coronavirus rapid tests accurate?

 

[Sundog]

Hawaiian Airlines bans masks with vents or valves, institutes medical screenings for those claiming exemptions

 

[MrX]

But they did implement may control measures. Florida sent workers including volunteers door to door handing out information, mask hand sanitizer and verbal and written communications. They targeted the Hispanic community, due to rise in cases.

Moo....

But if that's all they did in Melbourne, or Auckland, they'd have thousands of cases per day, by now. This just seems like something really big is being missed, somewhere. A single security guard put millions into lockdown in Australia, but people have been congregating in AZ bars (and trust me, there's no distancing or masks once people pass through the door) and cases are dropping like a stone. And it's not just fiddling with the results - hospitalization has cratered, as well. It's like it all just "stopped" and no one seems interested in why. I find it very bizarre.