Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #75

[LadyL]

I am not sure that I believe that.

I believe it
several other sources are reporting it too (maybe not all MSM acceptable here but Daily Mail is?)
I get the hesitancy though - I almost didn't even click on the story

kim jong-un orders north koreans to hand over pet dogs — so they can be used as meat - safesearch.norton.com Yahoo Search Results

 

[JerseyGirl]

Universities that reopened are already reporting clusters of coronavirus cases

University of North Carolina and Oklahoma State University reported clusters of new cases among students this weekend.

Social media videos at a University of North Georgia off-campus housing complex showed a massive party with few wearing masks.

Less than a week into the start of classes, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced a fourth cluster of Covid-19 cases on campus.

The latest cluster, defined as five or more cases in proximity, was traced to the Hinton James residence hall, UNC said Sunday. The individuals in the cluster have been identified. They are isolating and receiving medical monitoring, the university said.

On Saturday, UNC announced a cluster of coronavirus cases at the Sigma Nu fraternity. And on Friday, the university identified a cluster at the Ehringhaus Community, a residence hall, and at the Granville Towers, a private apartment complex that serves as a housing option for some students.

Two universities in Oklahoma have also seen a significant number of cases.

An Oklahoma State University sorority house is under quarantine after 23 members tested positive for Covid-19, according to the university.

"Last night OSU officials learned of 23 positive COVID cases in an off-campus sorority house. The rapid antigen testing was performed at an off-campus health care facility," a statement from the university read.

The entire sorority house is in isolation or quarantine after the confirmed cases, and residents "will be prohibited from leaving the facility," the university said.

At the University of Oklahoma, nine football players tested positive for the coronavirus as the Big 12, its conference, continues to gear up for fall football, head coach Lincoln Riley said Saturday.

The test results came back after the team had returned from a one-week break from pre-season practice.

 

[JerseyGirl]

I've been wondering were Dr. Fauci has been that past few (weeks?):

Dr. Anthony Fauci Joins Healthline Live Town Hall on Coronavirus

Healthline Media will hold a free online live town hall meeting featuring Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. and other renowned medical professionals to address concerns about COVID-19, debunk myths and examine conflicting information about how the virus is spread.

The Healthline Live Town Hall will take place on Tuesday, August 18, from 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. EDT. The event will be free to watch on Healthline’s home page, Facebook Live and YouTube without registration. Anyone who wishes to submit a question can register HERE.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Move over Dr. Fauci, Trump now has new doctor's advice

Trump last week announced that Dr. Scott Atlas has joined the White House as a pandemic adviser. Atlas, the former chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center and a fellow at Stanford's conservative Hoover Institution, has no expertise in public health or infectious diseases.

“Scott is a very famous man who’s also very highly respected," Trump told reporters as he introduced the addition. “He has many great ideas and he thinks what we’ve done is really good.”

Atlas' hiring comes amid ongoing tensions between the president and Drs. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, and Deborah Birx, the task force's coordinator.

Atlas, the sole doctor to share the stage at Trump's pandemic briefings this past week, has long questioned polices that have been embraced by public health experts both in the U.S. and abroad. He has called it a “good thing” for younger, healthy people to be exposed to the virus, while falsely claiming children are at near “zero risk."

 

[tresir2012]

Arizona reports no new coronavirus deaths, just 468 more cases

We didn't do anything different in AZ then has been tried in other States, yet our numbers have fallen off a cliff. I still think it's the weather - either the record-breaking heat's effect on the virus, or the fact that people are confined to their homes. If temperature has no effect, and it's just weather keeping people indoors, then that should bode well for winter in the mid west and north east.

Air conditioning? Just wondering. Or more gatherings?

I think you have done well. See RT Live.

Rt COVID-19

You have the lowest RO number.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Texas Renaissance Festival COVID-19 policy on masks | khou.com

 

[KALI]

As a small business owner, with requirements of no inside dining, reducing our customers to 50% of normal, and consequently our income as well. There is NO way we can hire a full time e security guard. No business I know of can.
We don't print money, like governments do.
Also, if we were to call the police here in California, they'd laugh you off the phone.
All of our employees are trained to require masks of patrons before entering. We can and do, refuse service to those not complying.
<modsnip: rude>

The stores pay for employees. What is the cost of customer/staff safety, health and welfare?

People here look for answers, but when they are given there is always but .. but .. but.

These things can be done, and probably should be done. Don't let the stores off the hook by giving them excuses. imo

 

[MrX]

Air conditioning? Just wondering. Or more gatherings?

I think you have done well. See RT Live.

Rt COVID-19

You have the lowest RO number.

It's a mystery, because our mask requirements and business closures are no more extreme than in States where things are not improving. Our Rt dropped to below 1 in mid June, two weeks before new business closures, so the recovery isn't tied to water parks and gyms. I wouldn't put it past them to fudge the numbers, but they can't fake hospitalization, which is also dropping.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Universities that reopened are already reporting clusters of coronavirus cases

University of North Carolina and Oklahoma State University reported clusters of new cases among students this weekend.

Social media videos at a University of North Georgia off-campus housing complex showed a massive party with few wearing masks.

Less than a week into the start of classes, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced a fourth cluster of Covid-19 cases on campus.

The latest cluster, defined as five or more cases in proximity, was traced to the Hinton James residence hall, UNC said Sunday. The individuals in the cluster have been identified. They are isolating and receiving medical monitoring, the university said.

On Saturday, UNC announced a cluster of coronavirus cases at the Sigma Nu fraternity. And on Friday, the university identified a cluster at the Ehringhaus Community, a residence hall, and at the Granville Towers, a private apartment complex that serves as a housing option for some students.

Two universities in Oklahoma have also seen a significant number of cases.

An Oklahoma State University sorority house is under quarantine after 23 members tested positive for Covid-19, according to the university.

"Last night OSU officials learned of 23 positive COVID cases in an off-campus sorority house. The rapid antigen testing was performed at an off-campus health care facility," a statement from the university read.

The entire sorority house is in isolation or quarantine after the confirmed cases, and residents "will be prohibited from leaving the facility," the university said.

At the University of Oklahoma, nine football players tested positive for the coronavirus as the Big 12, its conference, continues to gear up for fall football, head coach Lincoln Riley said Saturday.

The test results came back after the team had returned from a one-week break from pre-season practice.

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.”

 

[SoCalDavidS]

UNC-Chapel Hill said in a statement Monday that the Covid-19 “positivity” rate jumped to 13.6% as of Sunday from 2.8% a week before. “As of this morning, we have tested 954 students and have 177 in isolation and 349 in quarantine, both on and off campus.”

The good news is that the positivity rate will probably go back down eventually. The bad news is the actual # infected is almost certainly many times higher by now, and the virus is continuing to spread silently even with these changes Finally being made.

 

[10ofRods]

Move over Dr. Fauci, Trump now has new doctor's advice

Trump last week announced that Dr. Scott Atlas has joined the White House as a pandemic adviser. Atlas, the former chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center and a fellow at Stanford's conservative Hoover Institution, has no expertise in public health or infectious diseases.

“Scott is a very famous man who’s also very highly respected," Trump told reporters as he introduced the addition. “He has many great ideas and he thinks what we’ve done is really good.”

Atlas' hiring comes amid ongoing tensions between the president and Drs. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, and Deborah Birx, the task force's coordinator.

Atlas, the sole doctor to share the stage at Trump's pandemic briefings this past week, has long questioned polices that have been embraced by public health experts both in the U.S. and abroad. He has called it a “good thing” for younger, healthy people to be exposed to the virus, while falsely claiming children are at near “zero risk."

Hoover Institute is ON Stanford's campus - but it is NOT part of Stanford University. This guy had a teaching job at the Medical Center in radiology. He's a specialist in MRI's. He decided to focus on the economic factors that lie behind MRI availability in the world, and hence, he took a job as a medical policy research at this conservative think tank, Hoover Tower. I used to work there. I wasn't a researcher, I was an undergrad who took a part time job there.

He is not an infectious disease specialist. He's not even an internist, his only board certification is in radiology. He is, like all HooTow employees, eager for fame, publications and influence. So he got that - but as other HooTow specialists have been, he's also outside his depth. Perfect for the job, I guess. I could see him jockeying for that position two months ago.

He knows nothing about infectious disease, but he's been willing to work for a politically motivated group (HooTow) before, and now he is, again.

All HooTow scholars like to tout that they're "at Stanford." Which they are, technically speaking (they're housed on Stanford land, in a Stanford-owned building). It has a long and checkered history, Hoover Institute...

Even is time as a neuroradiologist lead at Stanford University Hospital wasn't that long.

It's aggravating.

 

[tresir2012]

It's a mystery, because our mask requirements and business closures are no more extreme than in States where things are not improving. Our Rt dropped to below 1 in mid June, two weeks before new business closures, so the recovery isn't tied to water parks and gyms. I wouldn't put it past them to fudge the numbers, but they can't fake hospitalization, which is also dropping.

The only other thing I can think of is that sunshine (UV) kills it from surfaces pretty quickly.

 

[10ofRods]

Universities that reopened are already reporting clusters of coronavirus cases

University of North Carolina and Oklahoma State University reported clusters of new cases among students this weekend.

Social media videos at a University of North Georgia off-campus housing complex showed a massive party with few wearing masks.

Less than a week into the start of classes, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced a fourth cluster of Covid-19 cases on campus.

The latest cluster, defined as five or more cases in proximity, was traced to the Hinton James residence hall, UNC said Sunday. The individuals in the cluster have been identified. They are isolating and receiving medical monitoring, the university said.

On Saturday, UNC announced a cluster of coronavirus cases at the Sigma Nu fraternity. And on Friday, the university identified a cluster at the Ehringhaus Community, a residence hall, and at the Granville Towers, a private apartment complex that serves as a housing option for some students.

Two universities in Oklahoma have also seen a significant number of cases.

An Oklahoma State University sorority house is under quarantine after 23 members tested positive for Covid-19, according to the university.

"Last night OSU officials learned of 23 positive COVID cases in an off-campus sorority house. The rapid antigen testing was performed at an off-campus health care facility," a statement from the university read.

The entire sorority house is in isolation or quarantine after the confirmed cases, and residents "will be prohibited from leaving the facility," the university said.

At the University of Oklahoma, nine football players tested positive for the coronavirus as the Big 12, its conference, continues to gear up for fall football, head coach Lincoln Riley said Saturday.

The test results came back after the team had returned from a one-week break from pre-season practice.

23 members in one house!!!

There are people who quarantined for 3 weeks in one household (with one positive person) and managed not to give it to each other. Quite a few households have gone through this (and spouse to spouse transmission was the most common). People wore masks at home, of course (this is in Asia).

But how do 23 young women all get CoVid so quickly? Sharing vape pens? Lots of selfies with their faces touching? Tons of animated conversation, indoors, unmasked, 2-3 feet apart? Everyone packed into restrooms before breakfast and before evening activities? What the heck?

Did 2-3 have it already, or just 1?

Clearly, this could have been prevented. Sharing bedrooms without use of masks would transmit, but surely only 2 young women per room. If UNC allowed double occupation in bedrooms, someone ought to call them out. I wonder if there will be lawsuits over medical bills (or worse).

Oof. Double Oof.

 

[tmar]

That's real hard to understand. I remember flying to Oz and NZ many times and we were allowed to use the full rows of empty middle seats for ourselves and our children to lay and sleep in as long as you put a seatbelt around your waist they were fine with it. Changing seats is usually allowed too so that is really odd IMO.

This is due to Covid.
I highlighted, a point made, in the article, below:
'I guess she means if there's a COVID case, they need to identify people sitting close...'

 

[tresir2012]

Bio for Dr. Scott Atlas.

Scott W. Atlas' Profile | Stanford Profiles

Fox video interview on masks with Dr. Scott Atlas.

Should we be wearing masks everywhere, even at home?

 

[tmar]

'99 per cent' of Victoria's second wave cases traced back to hotel quarantine

'99 per cent' of Victoria's second wave cases traced back to hotel quarantine

9News Staff

1 hour ago
An inquiry into Victoria's COVID-19 hotel quarantine program has heard that almost all cases of the state's second wave stem from just two hotels.

Genomic testing by the Doherty Institute confirms that 99 per cent of the second wave cases all stem from two Melbourne hotels, an inquiry into the quarantine fiasco heard yesterday.

"Essentially all current cases bar a few are from those transmission networks and that cluster," Professor Ben Howden of the Doherty Institute told the inquiry.
The inquiry is expected to expose lessons critical for Victoria and the rest of the country to prevent future waves of COVID-19.

 

[10ofRods]

I believe it
several other sources are reporting it too (maybe not all MSM acceptable here but Daily Mail is?)
I get the hesitancy though - I almost didn't even click on the story

kim jong-un orders north koreans to hand over pet dogs — so they can be used as meat - safesearch.norton.com Yahoo Search Results

It's happened before in North Korea and it will happen again. In 2006 or thereabouts, when death from starvation was on the rise, people were boiling grass to make soup. People were boiling just about anything they thought might make soup. Kids were prioritized for any actual food. "Teas" were made of various herbs (zero calories, but the elderly in particular had nothing but zero calorie beverages).

They lived quite a while in this mode, the elderly did. No one knows the effects on the babies and toddlers, at least not as published by reliable science.

And before that, it had happened before. And it has happened in China, but longer ago. It still happens in Yemen and in Africa. People have literally nothing to eat. The movement to transform dogs into pets is fairly recent in North Korea (and in many cultures), but once people bond to their dogs, those dogs are no longer perceived as edible.

This is tragic.

 

[tmar]

How did the Philippines overtake Indonesia as the COVID-19 epicentre of South-East Asia?

How did the Philippines overtake Indonesia as the COVID-19 epicentre of South-East Asia?

by Max Walden and Alyssa Herr

1 hour ago
The Philippines has now overtaken Indonesia to become the epicentre for COVID-19 in South-East Asia, having seen its caseload balloon as the Government steps up testing and social distancing restrictions are loosened.

Indonesia, with an estimated population of 260 million, and the Philippines, with 110 million people, have both surpassed 130,000 cases — already significantly more than China.

Neighbouring Vietnam, with more than 95 million people, has reported fewer than 1,000 cases.

Problems with testing in both systems
Indonesia's health ministry reported on Sunday that cases had risen 2,081 to reach 139,549, while in the Philippines, authorities said 3,420 new cases had brought its total to 161,253.

But Indonesia has reported a total of 6,150 deaths, more than double the Philippines' 2,665.

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Coronavirus: 72 workers test positive for COVID-19 at dessert factory in Nottinghamshire

Seventy-two people have tested positive for coronavirus at a dessert factory in Nottinghamshire.
The outbreak was reported at Bakkavor in Newark, which describes itself as "the leading provider of fresh prepared food in the UK".

The positive cases came after 701 workers were tested for the virus.
All 1,600 employees will now receive coronavirus tests at a facility set up on site by the NHS.

Some 33 of those who have tested positive have since returned to work "fully fit" following a period of isolation.

 

[tmar]

Covid-19 climbdowns: the UK government's U-turns and missteps

Covid-19 climbdowns: the UK government's U-turns and missteps

Simon Murphy

4 hrs ago
The list of U-turns carried out by Boris Johnson’s government in its response to Covid-19 continues to grow. After apparent failures on the contact tracing app, a change of heart on school meals and school opening dates, A-level results becomes the latest issue in the spotlight.
...
11 June: excess deaths
Prof Neil Ferguson, who was advising the government at the time lockdown was imposed, gave damning testimony that the UK’s Covid-19 death toll could have been halved if the government had introduced the measure a week earlier. Johnson insisted it was premature to make judgments about the government’s approach.

12 May: face coverings
A fortnight after stressing that the evidence was weak on the benefits of face coverings, the government changed its advice to say they should be worn in enclosed spaces and on public transport. It later went further, with a new rule imposed on 15 June that anyone travelling on public transport in England must wear a face covering.

12 March: testing in the community
The government stopped testing in the community on 12 March and retreated to testing principally in hospitals, according to a damning letter MPs sent to Johnson. The science and technology committee wrote in May that the consequences had been that care home residents and carers could not be tested “at a time when the spread of the virus was at its most rampant”. The government announced plans to rapidly scale up testing at the beginning of April, when Hancock pledged 100,000 tests a day in England by the end of that month.