Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #84

[nhmemorymaker]

Florida coronavirus: State adds more than 3,600 new cases, over 80 deaths Tuesday

Florida numbers...

Oviedo, you and I have to stay on top of Florida information coming out, because it it very contradictory.

DeSantis is adamant that schools must stay open, but there are so many cases. He chides the unions, does his speeches from private or charter schools.

BUT take a look at where so many of the covid positive school cases are. AT private schools.

The Broward County schools with the most total cases since Sept. 6 are Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale (11 total cases; 8 cases last week), Hochberg Preparatory in Hallandale Beach (9 total cases; 1 last week) and Chaminade-Madonna College Prep in Hollywood (6 total cases; none last week).


In Miami-Dade, Divine Savior Lutheran Academy in Doral has had the most confirmed cases (11 total; 4 last week), followed by Florida Christian in Miami (7 total cases; 2 last week), Mesivta Greater Miami in Miami Beach (6 total; none last week) and Saint Kevin Catholic School in Miami (6 total; 3 last week).

Coronavirus cases confirmed at 360+ schools across South Florida

And he is threatening to hide all numbers now, not just diminish the counting.

The only states that do not release COVID-19 data each day are Kansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico.

Northwestern University epidemiologist Dr. Sadiya Khan says it is important that states report their COVID-19 numbers daily. You don’t want just your health officials or governor, or doctors to have that information. You want everyone to have access to that information,” Dr. Khan said.

Florida considers not releasing daily COVID-19 case numbers to the public | WFLA

We are NOT getting the full information. The school information will continue to be hidden.

There are likely many more cases than are showing up on the ledger, though, because the district must confirm all test results of those who have self-reported with the Florida Department of Health before adding them to the list, officials say.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article246602988.html

 

[Warwick1991]

Oviedo, you and I have to stay on top of Florida information coming out, because it it very contradictory.

DeSantis is adamant that schools must stay open, but there are so many cases. He chides the unions, does his speeches from private or charter schools.

BUT take a look at where so many of the covid positive school cases are. AT private schools.

The Broward County schools with the most total cases since Sept. 6 are Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale (11 total cases; 8 cases last week), Hochberg Preparatory in Hallandale Beach (9 total cases; 1 last week) and Chaminade-Madonna College Prep in Hollywood (6 total cases; none last week).


In Miami-Dade, Divine Savior Lutheran Academy in Doral has had the most confirmed cases (11 total; 4 last week), followed by Florida Christian in Miami (7 total cases; 2 last week), Mesivta Greater Miami in Miami Beach (6 total; none last week) and Saint Kevin Catholic School in Miami (6 total; 3 last week).

Coronavirus cases confirmed at 360+ schools across South Florida

And he is threatening to hide all numbers now, not just diminish the counting.

The only states that do not release COVID-19 data each day are Kansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico.

Northwestern University epidemiologist Dr. Sadiya Khan says it is important that states report their COVID-19 numbers daily. You don’t want just your health officials or governor, or doctors to have that information. You want everyone to have access to that information,” Dr. Khan said.

Florida considers not releasing daily COVID-19 case numbers to the public | WFLA

We are NOT getting the full information. The school information will continue to be hidden.

There are likely many more cases than are showing up on the ledger, though, because the district must confirm all test results of those who have self-reported with the Florida Department of Health before adding them to the list, officials say.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article246602988.html

As I live in Florida as well, I am particularly concerned about the threat to stop releasing daily case numbers. I agree that there is already some concealment, but I am extremely upset by our Governor's attitude to the pandemic. I hope newspapers, other media and other entities will file a suit if the release of information stops.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Iowa news today: As of 10:00-11:00 a.m. today, we had 1,276 new confirmed cases for a total of 109,573 confirmed cases of which 84,623 had recovered (+1,160). There are 31 new reports of those who had passed for a total of 1,579; IMO this is over several days not in 24 hrs. as the news states, but it could be a new daily record as far as being reported. 90 more were hospitalized in the last 24 hrs. for a total of 534 (new daily record). There are 24,950 active positive cases. Oct. 21: Record-high 31 more COVID-19 related deaths in 24 hours, 90 more hospitalizations
Iowa COVID-19 Information
Iowa reports 31 additional deaths, record COVID-19 hospitalizations
UIHC workers ask state leaders to "step up" as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue rising
Gov. Reynolds stands by use of virus aid for IT project
Around half of Iowa’s counties seeing high community spread of COVID-19
Vice President at Mercy Medical in Cedar Rapids discusses impact of rising hospitalizations in Iowa

I had to look up the population of Iowa 3.1M. It seems as if the community spread reaches a lot of people, spread across the state. Are people concerned, worried???

 

[10ofRods]

What are her reasons? A hoax? Only concern for herself? She doesn’t care if she ever sees other family members again? That’s an aggressive reaction to cut people off.

My cousin’s reasons for her stance (also asks us to unfriendly her if we don’t agree) are basically conspiracy theories. I do worry about her mental health. I have other anti-mask family members, but they aren’t calling the rest of us cowards, we’re just each letting the other side do them (we of course don’t see each other IRL).

 

[sds71]

@Surgeon_General

There is a currently circulating MYTH suggesting masks don’t work to prevent spread of COVID-19. The myth uses a
@CDCMMWR
published Sept 11, 2020 to back the assertion. Ironically, the MMWR actually demonstrates the risks of not wearing a mask...
REALITY: Masks are recommended as a simple barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling through air and onto other people when the person wearing the mask coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice. This is called source control. i.e. My mask protects you
COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), so the use of masks is particularly important in settings where people are close to each other or where social distancing is difficult to maintain. (3/?)
@CDCgov
cites 19 peer-reviewed, scientific journals demonstrating the effectiveness of face masks as a means of source control, appearing in such journals as New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Science, Annals of Internal Medicine- from scientists across the globe. (4/?)
So please understand- when you can’t guarantee social distancing, wearing a mask whenever and wherever you can is now widely recognized as an evidence based way to limit #COVID19 spread. Fin. Your mask protects me, and my mask protects you. Masks keep our country open!


https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/pdfs/mm6936a5-H.pdf

 

[mickey2942]

As I live in Florida as well, I am particularly concerned about the threat to stop releasing daily case numbers. I agree that there is already some concealment, but I am extremely upset by our Governor's attitude to the pandemic. I hope newspapers, other media and other entities will file a suit if the release of information stops.

I have been watching the numbers from Florida since March. There has been such a disconnect between the numbers reported and the population, I stopped reviewing the information.

Part of the problem has been the method of not counting a person who died in Florida, because they do not actually live in Florida. That has not been defined, as so many people who live in Florida have a second home in another state.

To me, this should not be rocket science, if they died in Florida, they should be counted as a "death in Florida". There are so many other ways they are manipulating the numbers, the data is at a point of being completely meaningless.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

As I live in Florida as well, I am particularly concerned about the threat to stop releasing daily case numbers. I agree that there is already some concealment, but I am extremely upset by our Governor's attitude to the pandemic. I hope newspapers, other media and other entities will file a suit if the release of information stops.

Good, Warwick, I hope you will help keep track as well.

I find myself reading many Florida online papers... Miami, Tampa, Orlando to get different views, facts and opinions. I know the southern counties have had trouble with the governors actions. And they really do seem to have a lot of school cases.

I see North Florida data more regularly, but appreciate newspapers from different Florida cities more than Jacksonville.....
But Jacksonville has a very high death count in the last two weeks... 20% of all deaths within last two weeks!!

Nearly 20% of Jacksonville’s 500 COVID-19 deaths reported in last 2 weeks

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Blimey Mo. How do you feel about that?

Ha, it's fine HKP. Totally expected. Our National Public Health Emergency Team recommended immediate nationwide level 5 restrictions to the government three weeks ago based on their virus growth projections. Government was taken aback and declined, said it was too severe, so we went to level 3 instead. Since then the case numbers have skyrocketed so we all knew it was only a matter of time until the govt would have to pull the trigger on level 5 or else have our hospitals overrun. In the meantime more financial supports have been put in place for the businesses that will have to close temporarily and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment has been raised to €350 a week until April for anyone out of work due to pandemic restrictions. But still it's tough for many businesses that probably won't survive all this. The idea is that if we lock down now we can perhaps have a semi-normal Christmas. We'll see...

ETA: There is also a ban on evictions during this lockdown period and there is a separate Wage Subsidy Scheme for furloughed employees where they receive a reduced salary until they can go back to work. It's not perfect but there are at least some safety nets in place to try to ease the situation for people.

 

[10ofRods]

Good, Warwick, I hope you will help keep track as well.

I find myself reading many Florida online papers... Miami, Tampa, Orlando to get different views, facts and opinions. I know the southern counties have had trouble with the governors actions. And they really do seem to have a lot of school cases.

I see North Florida data more regularly, but appreciate newspapers from different Florida cities more than Jacksonville.....
But Jacksonville has a very high death count in the last two weeks... 20% of all deaths within last two weeks!!

Nearly 20% of Jacksonville’s 500 COVID-19 deaths reported in last 2 weeks

Wow. I am just finishing catching up on this thread, and all this news about Florida is so concerning. It's as if the Governor is tying people's hands so that individual counties can't escape his plan for...whatever it is that he thinks he's doing.

And without a federal policy that takes advantage of the powers that the CDC has over states in regard to quarantine and movement, it's like watching a train wreck. I'm sure that most of the people in Jacksonville didn't want their health politicized, and counted on their mayor and governor to do the right thing.

I wish we could help Florida, almost the entire population is back at work, or in school and some places don't mandate masks, is that right? I hope I'm getting it correctly.

 

[Warwick1991]

Good, Warwick, I hope you will help keep track as well.

I find myself reading many Florida online papers... Miami, Tampa, Orlando to get different views, facts and opinions. I know the southern counties have had trouble with the governors actions. And they really do seem to have a lot of school cases.

I see North Florida data more regularly, but appreciate newspapers from different Florida cities more than Jacksonville.....
But Jacksonville has a very high death count in the last two weeks... 20% of all deaths within last two weeks!!

Nearly 20% of Jacksonville’s 500 COVID-19 deaths reported in last 2 weeks

The Miami Herald is the best newspaper in the state, IMO. I live in Palm Beach County, and I subscribe to the Palm Beach Post online. The Miami Herald has outstanding articles, but like the Post, is behind a paywall. The Miami Herald has coverage of the so-far successful attempt to reinstate the Miami-Dade curfew, which was struck down by a judge after a suit by a strip club. Miami-Dade wants to curb nightlife, as the crowds can spread the virus quite efficiently.... Miami-Dade Curfew Reinstated By Appellate Court Monday

 

[Colorado303]

I'm really not sure. I know that when the first surgeon learned that washing his hands before surgery decreased infections and deaths in patients, other surgeons would not believe him or change their ways (this was in the mid 19th century - it would be decades before the practice became widespread).

Even today, not all healthcare workers or food service workers wash their hands frequently. In fact, observational studies in public restrooms shows that 30-50% of people do not wash their hands after using the toilet. I've done such a study myself (at a college) and it was 50% non-washers during the break times that I was observing. Yikes.

Do people even know what a virus really is? My students learn about very small things (like RNA and DNA) and I think it helps reinforce their mask-wearing behavior, but the reason most of them say that they wear them every time they go outside their house is that they "don't want to kill a family member." So, it's compassion.

I don't think you can make someone else compassion. And some people really don't care about anyone or perhaps they don't live with anyone they care about.

I think that if we had general public education (you know, good old television like back in the days before netflix and youtube became the main things many people watch) and we could have frequently public announcements prior to flu season, we would have been in a position to alert everyone that this was not the flu, but something worse. With pictures and brief snippets of different aged people who have survived CoVid but don't feel so well...how it affects athletic performance...how the overweight and obese are more vulnerable...all of that...

it might have made a difference. But it would have to be like old style PSA's such that people could not avoid hearing the messages. The grocery store worker mentioned above who was ranting about having to wear a mask might have benefitted from the store having a couple of monitors with PSA's running constantly...right near his register. Maybe it does take policy to make people do things, in the end. It would be weird for people to publicly flaunt or denounce masks, though, if everyone was constantly inundated with information and the actual numbers in their area.

Also - do you all think it would have helped if each local area's numbers were made hard to miss? Front page of newspaper? On TV. In stores via monitors, etc? And if encouragement was given that...some day it will end? Because while vaccines are not perfect and may not prevent every case of CoVId, vaccines should certainly make CoVid much much less deadly in all but the very elderly (85+).

I am so surprised when I go around and read major papers in various states, that in many states (the ones with rapidly rising rates) there is virtually no front page news about that fact.

I agree with all of this!

In re to your question “do you all think it would have helped if each local area's numbers were made hard to miss? Front page of newspaper? On TV. In stores via monitors, etc? ”.

Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes! Just today I talked to yet another educated, intelligent adult who had no idea we were seeing a local spike in cases. And this is someone who leaves their house regularly and spends at least 4 hours a day on the phone and social media.

Billboards are an eyesore, but they may be a way to get the message out. Here in Denver we have HUGE boards along expressways advertising the lottery. With scrollable numbers that change to show the current lottery jackpot. You can’t miss them. (ETA) Why not convert the jackpot amount to covid case numbers?

Notification and awareness of recent COVID spikes may be dismal, but we sure know when a lottery jackpot is too tempting to miss. So at least there’s that.

 

[drama_farmer]

Oh - absolutely. I agree. Just like cigarette smoking. Remember all those scary ads with pictures of black lungs or people in hospital with tracheotomies who had to speak with mechanical means?

Masks should have been "sold" to the public by warning everyone about both the lethal and non-lethal aspects of CoVid. I have yet to meet very many people - except here on WS - that know that there are long haulers, that CoVid has lasting negative health effects, even for the young. Oxford University has a researcher who just compiled some data on the various long term effects - it's very sobering. And the non-symptomatic are likely to have some of them.

I think that the big disconnect is the understanding of "asymptomatic" among the population. It needs to be stressed that even if you feel great, healthy as a horse, it doesn't mean you don't have Covid. If everyone realizes that you can spread Covid in the days before you officially become "positive," it might help to convince at least a small proportion of the fervent anti-maskers that they can change their behavior and actually do some good.

Another problem with the education of the public is social media. In the past, most folks got their important "life saving information" from radio, TV and newspapers. Occasionally, an "opposing view" would be offered, as a public service, in the form of a letter to the editor or a local news "talkback" sort of segment. So, the opposition (sometimes seemingly "crackpot" IMO), would be limited to a tiny slice of media.

Today, even the best produced, scientifically sound public service ads that appear on social media become a sort of "info war" in the comments. Instead of a single "crackpot" IMO, its hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of anonymous commenters that attempt to derail the message. The concept that everyone can "do their own research" has emboldened those who have no concept of the scientific method, or what "research" actually entails! Seeing a meme on Facebook or watching a YouTube video is enough to convince some people that they know MORE than those pesky scientists, IMO

 

[sds71]

A participant who died during a trial of AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine in Brazil hadn’t received the company’s shot, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Deceased AstraZeneca Trial Volunteer Didn’t Receive Vaccine

 

[Warwick1991]

Wow. I am just finishing catching up on this thread, and all this news about Florida is so concerning. It's as if the Governor is tying people's hands so that individual counties can't escape his plan for...whatever it is that he thinks he's doing.

And without a federal policy that takes advantage of the powers that the CDC has over states in regard to quarantine and movement, it's like watching a train wreck. I'm sure that most of the people in Jacksonville didn't want their health politicized, and counted on their mayor and governor to do the right thing.

I wish we could help Florida, almost the entire population is back at work, or in school and some places don't mandate masks, is that right? I hope I'm getting it correctly.

Unfortunately, the Governor’s attitude is to open up everything as if there’s no pandemic. He forbade counties from fining people who violated mask ordinances, and has steadily demanded, then required, the reopening of public venues and schools. As I understand it, our Governor is an advocate of “herd immunity” theory, with the idea being that if the virus spreads to much of the population, there will be enough immunity to stop the further spread. Those of us who are unwell or old are to simply stay indoors and isolate ourselves, as if this really works... He also “opened up” long term care facilities, and the disease is still running rampant through them. There are several thousand active cases in long term care facilities now. As of now some of the cases can still be tracked on the Florida DOH site: Home
As other posts have noted, the Governor is considering curtailing the release of daily cases. A former FL DOH employee, likely fired for her desire to provide accurate data, has an alternate website that may end up being the only public source of information - Florida Covid Community Action: Experience

In a state with so many retirees, the attitude simply stuns...

 

[Colorado303]

I can relate to this.

This could go in the Smiles thread too!

All these hours on WS and I had no idea there’s a smile thread. I just searched for it and found 68 smile threads. Do you know which one is most active and is there one specifically for COVID? Thanks! We could all use a smile.

 

[Lilibet]

All these hours on WS and I had no idea there’s a smile thread. I just searched for it and found 68 smile threads. Do you know which one is most active and is there one specifically for COVID? Thanks! We could all use a smile.

View attachment 268646

Here you go...

Smiles Cafe

 

[SA55]

Not certain if this has been posted yet, I'm finding it hard to keep up with this thread.

CDC has once again redefined COVID-19 close contact, adds brief encounters.
On Wednesday, the CDC changed it to a total of 15 minutes or more — so shorter but repeated contacts that add up to 15 minutes over a 24-hour period now count.

COVID-19 in a Correctional Facility Employee Following ...

 

[anneg]

All these hours on WS and I had no idea there’s a smile thread. I just searched for it and found 68 smile threads. Do you know which one is most active and is there one specifically for COVID? Thanks! We could all use a smile.

View attachment 268646

Poor Sparky! Hope you will add this to the Smiles Cafe thread.... I see that @Lilibet has kindly provided a link to it--thank you!

 

[weepingangel]

Mass. reports 646 new COVID cases, 22 deaths as week-over-week numbers rise
more at link




Boston Public Schools is suspending all in-person learning | Boston.com
More at link
Boston Public Schools is suspending all in-person instruction beginning Thursday, as the citywide coronavirus positivity rate jumped to 5.7 percent last week, data released Wednesday reveals.
Superintendent Brenda Cassellius announced the shift to a fully remote learning model in an email to the school community, writing that students will attend classes virtually “until public health data shows a downward trend in positive COVID-19 cases.”

“We have said all along that we will only provide in-person learning for students if the data and public health guidance supports it, and this new data shows that we are trending in the wrong direction,” Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the metrics and work towards our goal of welcoming students back into our classrooms, learning among their peers, supported and educated by our dedicated staff.”

While the vast majority of students have already been attending school only online amid a steady uptick in virus cases, Walsh and school officials kept school buildings open to the district’s highest-needs students who were prioritized for the return to in-person learning.

Earlier this month, BPS twice delayed the start of its phased-in return to classroomsfor the rest of its student body, citing the rising seven-day citywide positivity rate, which reflects the number of people who tested positive for the virus out of the total number of tests conducted.

The rate, which hit 4.1 percent by Oct. 7, rose to 4.5 percent the following week before rocketing up to 5.7 percent between Oct. 11 and 17, Boston Public Health Commission data shows.

“I am heartbroken that today we have to close our doors to our highest need students,” Cassellius said in a statement. “Our families are desperate for these services for their children, many of whom are non-verbal and unable to use technology in the home. We will work with the Boston Teachers Union and remain committed to providing in-person learning opportunities to our students as we are able, as we continue to prioritize our students with the highest needs for in-person learning.”

Officials said the positivity rate will need to drop to 5 percent or lower for two consecutive weeks before the families of students prioritized for in-person learning will be given the choice to return to school buildings.

The rate will have to fall to at least 4 percent for two consecutive weeks before the phased-in reopening can start for other students. Families would continue to have the option to have their students learn entirely remotely, should they want to do so.



Live school updates: The latest on COVID-19 and schools in Mass. | Boston.com
Students at BU must begin carrying a green badge, or an email saying that they’ve completed a daily COVID-19 attestation, to be able to enter dining halls, the George Sherman Union, and some other public areas of the campus, beginning on Thursday, according to university officials.



Brigham and Women’s research finds drug improves survival in critically ill patients with COVID-19
More at link
BOSTON (WHDH) - Research led by doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital could bring new hope for those critically sick due to COVID-19.

A new study found that the anti-inflammatory drug tocilizumab reduces the mortality rate of critically ill patients by as much as 30 percent.

“I think it’s an extremely exciting finding, 30 percent mortality reduction is a major finding,” said Dr. David Leaf, MD, from the Division of Renal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The study looked at more than 14,000 patients from 68 hospitals who were given the drug within two days of going into intensive care.

 

[weepingangel]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wcvb.com/amp/article/boston-hospital-says-covid-19-cluster-has-been-contained/34425384
More at link
The possible factors that contributed to the cluster included a highly infectious source patient, several people with very high viral loads, inconsistencies in patient masking and the use of eye protection among providers, and a lack of physical distancing among staff while eating.
The likely source patient was not admitted because of the coronavirus, but had symptoms of a respiratory infection and twice tested negative for COVID-19, Dr. Michael Klompas, hospital epidemiologist, told The Boston Globe.
The patient infected a roommate who was then transferred to another unit, he said


New Hampshire restaurant fined for violating virus orders | Boston.com
NH more at link
The attorney general’s office has fined a New Hampshire restaurant where at least 18 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak.
Fat Katz Food and Drink restaurant has been fined $2,000 for violating emergency orders related to the coronavirus after it moved a karaoke event inside. The Hudson restaurant told authorities that it moved the event inside after receiving noise complaints and due to colder weather.
In issuing the fine, the state in a letter to the restaurant said the decision to move the event inside after being told it wasn’t allowed indoors and allowing individuals to participate without bringing their own equipment not only violated the state’s emergency order but also was “reckless.”