Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #84

[CharlestonGal]

Coronavirus: 22 states reach single-day peak, New Mexico hospitalizations up 101%

According to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, all 50 states have reported data since February, but 22 reported their highest numbers of single-day increases this weekend.

Those states are as follows: Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Three other states -- Alaska, Nebraska and Wisconsin -- reported their highest single-day increases earlier in October.

In New Mexico, COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by 101% in the first half of October.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Sweet 16 'super-spreader' party in New York leads to 37 coronavirus cases, $12,000 fine — NBC News

“An illegal Sweet 16 party outside of New York City turned into a coronavirus "super-spreader event" that sickened more than three dozen people, authorities said.

The birthday bash was held on Sept. 25 at the Miller Place Inn on Long Island — about 65 miles east of Manhattan — and drew 81 people, Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone said on Tuesday.

That party was in violation of emergency state health codes that limit gatherings to 50 people or 50 percent of room capacity, whichever is a smaller number.

Partygoers also failed to wear masks and maintain social distance, according to Bellone. The 37 people linked to the event who tested positive consist of 28 students and nine adults.”

“In Suffolk County, we have not seen an event like this before, at any time through this pandemic," Bellone said. "For Suffolk County, this was a super-spreader event."

County health officials first learned of the party on Sept. 30, and the venue was fined $10,000 by the state and $2,000 by the county, Bellone added.

Christopher Regina, manager of the Miller Place Inn, told NBC New York that he didn't realize the party was breaking any laws. The venue specializes in weddings, Sweet 16 and bar and bat mitzvah parties.”

81 people. Inside. No masks. No social distancing.
WHY?

The manager didn’t know they were breaking any laws.
REALLY?

It’s not like we’re talking about shooting off a few illegal fireworks or illegal parking - this is about people’s lives.

An event center should d*mn well know what the restrictions are in regards to Covid.
And should be ON SITE during the event.

 

[MimosaMornings]

N.Y. Shuts Down Hasidic Wedding That Could Have Had 10,000 Guests

New York State health officials have taken extraordinary steps to shut down an ultra-Orthodox wedding planned for Monday that could have had brought up to 10,000 guests to Brooklyn, near one of New York City’s coronavirus hot spots.

The state health commissioner personally intervened to have sheriff’s deputies deliver the order to the Hasidic synagogue on Friday, warning that it must follow health protocols, including limiting gatherings to fewer than 50 people.”

“Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Sunday said that a large wedding was too risky and could have resulted in a so-called superspreader event. State officials said that they determined the wedding, which was scheduled to take place in Williamsburg, could have had up to 10,000 people in attendance.

“My suggestion: Have a small wedding this year,” Mr. Cuomo said at a news conference on Sunday. “Next year, have a big wedding. Invite me, and I’ll come.”

10,000 people?

 

[Cool Cats]

Sun, October 18, 2020, 11:26 AM EDT

As the Coronavirus Surges, a New Culprit Emerges: Pandemic Fatigue

Diners at a restuarant in Wausau, Wis., Oct. 15, 2020 (Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times)

Excerpts Only Per TOS:

“People are done putting hearts on their windows and teddy bears out for scavenger hunts,” said Katie Rosenberg, the mayor of Wausau, Wisconsin, a city of 38,000 where a hospital has opened an extra unit to treat COVID-19 patients. “They have had enough.”

In parts of the world where the virus is resurging, the outbreaks and a rising sense of apathy are colliding, making for a dangerous combination.

The issue is particularly stark in the United States but a similar phenomenon is setting off alarms across Europe, where researchers from the World Health Organization estimate that about half the population is experiencing “pandemic fatigue.”

If the spring was characterized by horror, the fall has become an odd mix of resignation and heedlessness. People who once would not leave their homes are now considering dining indoors for the first time.

In some parts of the world, behavior has changed, and containment efforts have been tough and effective. Infections have stayed relatively low for months in places like South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and China, where the virus first spread. After a dozen cases were detected in the Chinese city of Qingdao, authorities sought this past week to test all of its 9.5 million residents.

“We have very little backlash here against these types of measures,” said Siddharth Sridhar, an assistant professor of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong. “If anything, there’s a lot of pushback against governments for not doing enough to contain the virus.”

The response in the United States and much of Europe has been far different. While residents willingly banded together in the spring, time has given rise to frustration and revolt.

Sick people are telling contact tracers they picked up the virus while trying to return to ordinary life. Beth Martin, a retired school librarian who is working as a contact tracer in Marathon County, Wisconsin, said she interviewed a family that had become sick through what is now a common situation — at a birthday party for a relative in early October.

“Another case said to me, ‘You know what, it’s my adult son’s fault,’” she recalled. “‘He decided to go to a wedding, and now we’re all sick.’”

Mark Harris, county executive for Winnebago County, Wisconsin, said he had been frustrated by the “loud minority” in his county that had been successfully pushing back against any public health measures to be taken against the pandemic.

They have a singular frame of mind, he said: “‘This has been inconveniencing me long enough, and I’m done changing my behavior.’”

In many states, businesses are open and often operating free of restrictions, even as hospitalizations have been driven up by coronavirus patients. This past week in Wisconsin, a field hospital at the state fairgrounds with a 530-bed capacity was reopened for coronavirus patients.

Back then, it was not as hard to figure out where sick patients had contracted the coronavirus. There were outbreaks at meatpacking plants in town, and many cases were tied to them. Now it is more complicated.

“The scary scenario is the number of patients who really just don’t know where they got it,” Landrum said. “That suggests to me that it’s out there spreading very easily.”

“We’re trying to get people to change their behavior back to being more socially distanced and more restrictive with their contacts,” Landrum said. “There’s been a false sense of complacency. And now it’s just a lot harder to do that.”

 

[Trino]

And back to Sturgis, which may be responsible for the virus rise in the Midwest...
More than 330 coronavirus cases and one death were directly linked to the rally as of mid-September, according to a Washington Post survey of health departments in 23 states that provided information. But experts say that tally represents just the tip of the iceberg, since contact tracing often doesn't capture the source of an infection, and asymptomatic spread goes unnoticed.

How the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may have spread coronavirus across the Upper Midwest

 

[Trino]

And, I think we are in trouble.

The longer the pandemic paralyzes hotels, retailers and office buildings, the more difficult it is for property owners to meet their mortgage payments — raising the specter of widespread downgrades, defaults and eventual foreclosures. As companies like J.C. Penney, Neiman Marcus and Pier 1 file for bankruptcy, retail properties are losing major tenants with no clear plan to replace them, while hotels are running below 50 percent occupancy.

The next economic crisis: Empty retail space

 

[tresir2012]

Coronavirus and care homes: The pensioners suffering through isolation

It's now seven months since care homes first shut their doors, denying many residents not only the precious touch of loved ones but also the regular comfort of a song and dance, or a hair cut. Some are now facing the prospect of a winter isolated from their friends and families as a second wave of Covid-19 gives way to fresh restrictions.

At the age of 89, Blumah Samuels still loves singing and dancing to the old classics. She used to dance around her care home's lounge, shaking a maraca to Carmen Miranda's I Like You Very Much.

Now, Blumah - who has Parkinson's dementia - is simply "existing", says her daughter, Lesley Lightfoot, 61.

Back in March, care homes - which house about 400,000 elderly people in the UK - shut their doors as the coronavirus pandemic surged. Their aim was to keep infections down by limiting the number of people who would regularly come into homes.

It meant both family visits and visits from services - hairdressers, chiropodists, music therapists - were immediately ended. While some of this was relaxed over the summer, things are far from back to normal.

And with virus cases rising, many homes are again having to exclude visitors,

'I'm going to die on my own'
The "buzzy" atmosphere at Blumah's north London care home quickly evaporated in lockdown. And the stimulating activities she once "thrived" on - including music therapy sessions - have yet to resume, says Lesley.

She says the care home has been "brilliant" in allowing families to meet in the garden of talk through windows. But her mother - who she says is her "best friend" and who she would visit up to four times a week - has been "robbed" of much needed physical contact.

continued at link.

 

[tresir2012]

UK newspaper front pages tomorrow.

Newspaper headlines: Manchester 'impasse' and hospital admissions slump

 

[dixiegirl1035]

This is exciting!

Johns Hopkins Researchers Identify Immune System Pathway That May Stop COVID-19 Infection

Scientists already know that spike proteins on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus — making the pathogen look like the spiny ball from a medieval mace — are the means by which it attaches to cells targeted for infection. To do this, the spikes first grab hold of heparan sulfate, a large, complex sugar molecule found on the surface of cells in the lungs, blood vessels and smooth muscle making up most organs. Facilitated by its initial binding with heparan sulfate, SARS-CoV-2 then uses another cell-surface component, the protein known as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), as its doorway into the attacked cell.

The Johns Hopkins Medicine team discovered that when SARS-CoV-2 ties up heparan sulfate, it prevents factor H from using the sugar molecule to bind with cells. Factor H’s normal function is to regulate the chemical signals that trigger inflammation and keep the immune system from harming healthy cells. Without this protection, cells in the lungs, heart, kidneys and other organs can be destroyed by the defense mechanism nature intended to safeguard them.

Making the discovery even more exciting is that there may already be drugs in development and testing for other diseases that can do the required blocking.

I think I'm up to date with Dr. Seheult to understand the pathway, but this is first I've heard and look forward to him updating how this fits in. He's done MANY videos on the pathway... but unless I'm forgetful.. which I AM.. he's never mentioned such.

I'll keep an eye out for MedCram on this one.. or Dr. Campbell.

Thanks for the info @CharlestonGal

 

[CoverMeCagney]

UK newspaper front pages tomorrow.

Newspaper headlines: Manchester 'impasse' and hospital admissions slump

Just need to point out that the "hospital admissions slump" refers to several months ago:

Hospital admissions plummeted by up to 90% as patients stayed away to "protect the NHS" during lockdown, the Daily Telegraph reports. Using analysis of 200 health conditions, the "staggering" findings could mean thousands of extra deaths, experts have warned. Consultations for most common cancers fell by up to two thirds during lockdown, and heart attack checks slumped by almost half, the paper adds. Experts have warned that the situation should not be repeated.

The reality, now:

Also focusing on hospitals, the Guardian reports that Greater Manchester could soon run out of beds to treat those left seriously ill with coronavirus. Citing a leaked NHS document, the paper says that last Friday a resurgence of the disease had left hospitals in Salford, Stockport and Bolton at maximum capacity, suggesting the area's hospitals could become overwhelmed.

 

[ilovewings]

I am watching MSNBC-- a couple of people are describing their
Covid experience--a 29 year old healthy male and a perhaps 30 ish
healthy female-they continue to experience symptoms--the male was in a coma
for 11 days in March-- both never expected to be victims of this virus-

What troubles me is both people said they have no idea how they
caught it-- they both said they thought they were doing the right
things to avoid contracting the virus..

When i hear stories like this i think i am doing everything
possible not to get the virus,but apparently i could still get
it-- what is scary is one cannot be perfect all the time so one
can make some small mistake and get it that way

 

[10ofRods]

Yet Sweden is now much lower than the U.S. on the Deaths Per Million table at Worldometers.Com. We passed Sweden in that category over a month ago, and have continued climbing. The rise in cases they're currently experiencing is far less than ours on a per capita basis.

Because, the Swedes are practical people who social distance by culture and nature. This is but one of their many distanced customs:

Sweden goes it alone

Plus, as it became clear that coronavirus had arrived, they stopped going out to eat (restaurants suffering the same amount of economic damage, people who thought of themselves as vulnerable used face coverings - in fact, I believe at one point, it was about 80% of the people in retail businesses were masked, that's enough to put a real crimp in CoVid)

IOW, it's a small place, news travels via humans, people keep tabs on what's going on. And it wasn't winter when it hit.

Plus, of course, their obesity, diabetes and heart disease rates are very low. They are a healthy bunch.

However, California has fewer deaths per million, as do many other US states. In fact, if Sweden were a state in the US, they'd be tied with Indiana, at just below the US average.

So a lot of US states have done better. It's nothing to brag about. Way higher than their cultural cousins.

Finland - 63 deaths per 1 million
Norway - 51
Denmark - 117
Sweden - 585 (!)

Germany - 118

Pub culture, barhopping and house parties are not so much a thing in Scandinavia - Germany is kind of in between UK and Scandinavia in terms of that kind of activity.

More on Swedish bus sitting (you don't ever sit next to anyone, you don't strike up conversations with strangers; people will wait for the next bus if the bus is "too crowded" - meaning there's one person in each pair of seats)

This is how you use public transportation in Sweden | Study in Sweden: the student blog

 

[Cool Cats]

Wonderful article....... so well written, with so much nice homestyle information about the thrills and joys that Sturgis (ebm) brings to people. I never knew!

I can see why the town was in a total Catch-22, with so many residents wanting it cancelled, but others depending on their money coming in...

And clearly, the US lacking masks and contact tracing that could've and should' ve made a big difference. They will never be able to trace the real numbers.

But the last words of the guy who went were pretty powerful as well.

But sitting here just the past few days, that’s all I keep thinking about. I’m like, Jesus, look at the hell I’m going through, the hell I put everybody through. It ain’t worth it. It wasn’t. It really wasn’t.”

How the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may have spread coronavirus across the Upper Midwest

From the article a couple different ways to do contact tracing I didn't know about:

Genomic sequencing, which other countries have harnessed to determine the path of an outbreak, has been underused in the United States. And because it requires culturing and sequencing active virus, the rally is too far in the past for it to be of service now, said Michaud, the Kaiser Family Foundation epidemiologist.

But other countries offer examples of more robust and coordinated contact-tracing efforts, Michaud said. Japan uses what’s called retrospective contact tracing — working backward to determine where a person was infected and who else may have gotten the virus there, he said. It’s particularly effective in dealing with the coronavirus, which is often transmitted by a small number of people infecting many others in clusters.

 

[Trino]

And here goes TX. Again.

El Paso Area Sees Largest Number Of COVID-19 Hospitalizations Since Pandemic Began

EL PASO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The El Paso, Texas area has reported its highest number of hospitalizations due to the coronavirus since the pandemic began, officials said on Sunday.

A record high 449 hospitalizations were reported for Saturday, with 129 of those patients in intensive care, according to El Paso health officials.

In the El Paso area, only seven ICU beds are available, according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.

Hospitalizations have been steadily increasing in the El Paso area since early September.

Since Oct. 1, the number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19 has risen 34% in Texas after the state relaxed restrictions in mid-September, citing a decrease in hospitalizations.

Exactly why we are not spending the winter in Texas.

 

[MimosaMornings]

I am watching MSNBC-- a couple of people are describing their
Covid experience--a 29 year old healthy male and a perhaps 30 ish
healthy female-they continue to experience symptoms--the male was in a coma
for 11 days in March-- both never expected to be victims of this virus-

What troubles me is both people said they have no idea how they
caught it-- they both said they thought they were doing the right
things to avoid contracting the virus..

When i hear stories like this i think i am doing everything
possible not to get the virus,but apparently i could still get
it-- what is scary is one cannot be perfect all the time so one
can make some small mistake and get it that way

Yikes.
Back in March? How many people were wearing masks, social distancing, working from home, grocery curbside or delivery only and did not see people outside their household?

I did not know all the right things to do in early March but I wouldn’t have much trouble identifying certain places or environments that could have been a contributing factor.

This kind of news is scary due to the vagueness.
What were the right things they were doing? Hopefully they delve into that more later in the show. Would be interesting.
So maybe we can learn something?

 

[dixiegirl1035]

The response does not fit the comment that was responded to. IMO

Australia is not - and has never been - adversarial inside its borders. Australia is cooperative inside its borders. Our leadership has been strong, decisive, and protective.

As stated before, we sit on the board of WHO. But we listen to our own health experts about everything. As should every first world country.

WHO is there primarily to guide under-developed countries, to give advice, to get vaccines delivered to them. It is not there to tell UK, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, France, etc etc how to deal with a pandemic.

In my opinion, it is time to stop pointing the finger at WHO for first world country failures in health.

Excellent post indeed, thanks.

 

[ilovewings]

Yikes.
Back in March? How many people were wearing masks, social distancing, working from home, grocery curbside or delivery only and did not see people outside their household?

I did not know all the right things to do in early March but I wouldn’t have much trouble identifying certain places or environments that could have been a contributing factor.

This kind of news is scary due to the vagueness.
What were the right things they were doing? Hopefully they delve into that more later in the show. Would be interesting.
So maybe we can learn something?

I so often hear people who have contracted the virus say " I felt I was doing everything right" and I wonder about that- somewhere there had to be a breach. The 29 year old male contracted the virus in March before masks, etc, but the female contracted it more recently. the interviewers never go into a lot of depth of how these people caught the virus.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Sturgis is, hands down, the best large festival I've ever attended. I didn't go this year, for obvious reasons, but I can understand why some folks were so tempted and couldn't resist going. It is a wonderful event.

But, like the gentleman in the article found out - it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

Alas, my only and yearly favorite "save up the money to go" festival is the New Orleans Jazz Festival. With it's 12 large stages going all at once with a normal day attendance of around 60,000. I knew in February that I would not be going with my usual gang due to COVID and cancelled hotel. And yep, it was finally cancelled.

Some are asking about next year, I said "not gonna happen". They think I'm a Debbie downer. Nope, just someone who understands and can clearly see the future. (It's always starts the last weekend in April through first weekend in May)

It's the one thing I have looked forward to every year, but I'll sit it out for 2 years (as we all will have to!) MOO.

There is ZERO ability to socially distance as it is in an enclosed outdoor area where you are packed like sardines for 9 hours a day. ZERO!!!!

 

[MimosaMornings]

I so often hear people who have contracted the virus say " I felt I was doing everything right" and I wonder about that- somewhere there had to be a breach. The 29 year old male contracted the virus in March before masks, etc, but the female contracted it more recently. the interviewers never go into a lot of depth of how these people caught the virus.

JMO
The interviewers missed their chance.
The female contracted it recently and had no idea? We can’t do everything perfectly but I can tell you where I haven’t been.
I have not seen friends - inside or outside - since early March. I have not been to a wedding, funeral or party inside someone’s home. No indoor or outdoor dining. No gym, yoga, spin or indoor/outdoor pool.
No manicures, pedicures, haircuts.
Maybe I’m an anomaly.

 

[mickey2942]

JMO
The interviewers missed their chance.
The female contracted it recently and had no idea? We can’t do everything perfectly but I can tell you where I haven’t been.
I have not seen friends - inside or outside - since early March. I have not been to a wedding, funeral or party inside someone’s home. No indoor or outdoor dining. No gym, yoga, spin or indoor/outdoor pool.
No manicures, pedicures, haircuts.
Maybe I’m an anomaly.

No, you are not. People have been pretty much doing social distancing, wearing masks...but it just takes a few who run around to events with a lot of people, not wearing masks to infect 100's of people. They come home from events, see their kids, go to their jobs...and boom, this virus spreads that fast.