Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #87

[seekingjustice**]

They have traced the virus from a pizza box to another person.

So they are trying to contact everyone who has used this one pizza place ... either in person, pickup, delivery, or Uber Eats.
This is our hotspot.

Holy smoke, that's very concerning. Do they know whether it was someone working in the Pizza place that was the host of the virus?

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

More than 400 self-isolate after Covid outbreak at school – STV News

More than 400 pupils are self-isolating following an outbreak of coronavirus at a school in Fife.

Ten pupils and six staff members have tested positive for the virus at Auchmuty High School in Glenrothes.

The figures were confirmed in a video update by head teacher Alan Pithie, who confirmed school attendance currently stands at “around about 50%”.

Mr Pithie said in a statement on Tuesday: “At the moment the basic figures are that we have ten pupils who have tested positive and six staff members.

 

[Sillybilly]

Please move on from the discussion about fudging of death certificates to denote Covid as COD. Debating it is derailing the thread and there isn't anything significant to substantiate any widespread incidents and it borders on political conspiracy theory.

Thanks.

 

[SouthAussie]

Holy smoke, that's very concerning. Do they know whether it was someone working in the Pizza place that was the host of the virus?

I think it goes like this.

A lady who is a cleaner at Peppers (medi hotel) caught the virus from cleaning - definitely no face to face - and touching her face.
She passed it to 2 security guards at the hotel who she chatted with.
She also took it home to her 80 year old mum (1st diagnosed case) and her hubby, her large family spread it from there.
So that is the first cluster.

One of the security guards also worked at Woodville South pizza place. He boxed up a pizza that a delivery driver picked up, and dropped it off at another medi hotel. The driver caught the virus and so did the person who received the pizza. They think those cases are from the pizza box because the driver didn't actually have any contact with the security guard. The driver just picked up the box - in its keep-hot bag - and took it to the customer.

They are trying to trace everyone who used that pizza place in a ten day period. Whether they picked up, or had received a delivered pizza.

 

[SouthAussie]

South Aussie, how does it work there for people financially? I.e. Say if you work in a non essential shop and you cannot work due to the 6 day lockdown. Is there a furlough arrangement in place?

The employer may be able to apply for JobKeeper (govt covid payment) to reimburse pay for their staff members (profit/loss conditions apply).
Or the staff members should be able to apply for JobSeeker (govt covid payment) for these 'unemployed' lockdown days.
Or holiday pay/carers leave will kick in for fulltime employees.

 

[Lilibet]

People will comply (except the odd numbskull), because that's who we are.

I wholeheartedly wish that’s who we are.

They have traced the virus from a pizza box to another person.

That is incredible contact tracing as you just described above. But alarming because it shows that touching a contaminated surface is still a way to catch the virus. We’ve been concentrating so much on aerosols.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

The employer may be able to apply for JobKeeper (govt covid payment) to reimburse pay for their staff members (profit/loss conditions apply).
Or the staff members should be able to apply for JobSeeker (govt covid payment) for these 'unemployed' lockdown days.
Or holiday pay/carers leave will kick in for fulltime employees.

Does the govt covid payment cover their usual wages?

I have a vested interest hence the questions due to my job - currently furloughing hundreds at the company where I work for our current lockdown. I look to other countries to get a feel for what options others use! Although our furlough option has been extended now until March, which does give me peace of mind for our employees (even if they only get 80% pay).

The admin side of it is phenomenal, but I remind myself of the greater good!!

 

[SouthAussie]

Does the govt covid payment cover their usual wages?

I have a vested interest hence the questions due to my job - currently furloughing hundreds at the company where I work for our current lockdown. I look to other countries to get a feel for what options others use! Although our furlough option has been extended now until March, which does give me peace of mind for our employees (even if they only get 80% pay).

The admin side of it is phenomenal, but I remind myself of the greater good!!

No, the govt now covers $600 per week per employee. (It was $750 per week per employee up until 27th Sept, they are trying to phase it down to end 31st March 2021.)

I administer this for two of my clients. The govt here has made it pretty easy. It is all online, once you get signed up and verified.
I just submit for it monthly (via a special tax dept link, using a unique ID for each client) and two days later the reimbursement is in the company bank account.

 

[SouthAussie]

I wholeheartedly wish that’s who we are.

That is incredible contact tracing as you just described above. But alarming because it shows that touching a contaminated surface is still a way to catch the virus. We’ve been concentrating so much on aerosols.

Just really brings it home that we must wash our hands and not touch our faces.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

No, the govt now covers $600 per week per employee. (It was $750 per week per employee up until 27th Sept, they are trying to phase it down to end 31st March 2021.)

I administer this for two of my clients. The govt here has made it pretty easy. It is all online, once you get signed up and verified.
I just submit for it monthly (via a special tax dept link, using a unique ID for each client) and two days later the reimbursement is in the company bank account.

V similar here re the reimbursement, quick and simple, online.

It's the payroll side of things that takes the time. As I say, not complaining because the end result for them is well worth the extra workload for me.

 

[MimosaMornings]

I think it goes like this.

A lady who is a cleaner at Peppers (medi hotel) caught the virus from cleaning - definitely no face to face - and touching her face.
She passed it to 2 security guards at the hotel who she chatted with.
She also took it home to her 80 year old mum (1st diagnosed case) and her hubby, her large family spread it from there.
So that is the first cluster.

One of the security guards also worked at Woodville South pizza place. He boxed up a pizza that a delivery driver picked up, and dropped it off at another medi hotel. The driver caught the virus and so did the person who received the pizza. They think those cases are from the pizza box because the driver didn't actually have any contact with the security guard. The driver just picked up the box - in its keep-hot bag - and took it to the customer.

They are trying to trace everyone who used that pizza place in a ten day period. Whether they picked up, or had received a delivered pizza.

Peppers is a hotel that is now strictly used as a quarantine medi hotel?

Wonder how many are housed there.

Sounds like the jobs associated with Peppers are high risk with the contact transmission and a casual chat (masks? maybe not?) with other employees producing an outbreak.
Hopefully they can get this cluster under control quickly!

 

[SouthAussie]

Peppers is a hotel that is now strictly used as a quarantine medi hotel?

Wonder how many are housed there.

Sounds like the jobs associated with Peppers are high risk with the contact transmission and a casual chat (masks? maybe not?) with other employees producing an outbreak.
Hopefully they can get this cluster under control quickly!

Each 'intake' city has at least several medi hotels. Yes, Peppers is one of them.

I think the staff are good with PPE around the incoming Aussies and while doing their jobs - they can easily deal with a few thousand people every week, and have been for a long time.

I think they likely were relaxed when talking to each other at some point. I guess if the cleaner hadn't touched her face, none of this would have happened.
But it is not bad (and hopefully wont be), there is no-one ill in the hospital. Two elderly people are in the hospital out of 'an abundance of caution'.

 

[sds71]

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/18/cor...mit-to-fda-in-days.html?__source=twitter|main

• Called BNT162b2, the vaccine was highly effective against the virus 28 days after the first dose.
• Its effectiveness was consistent across all ages, races and ethnicities, the drugmakers said.
• Additionally, the elderly, who are seen as at high risk of severe illness from Covid-19, saw vaccine effectiveness of more than 94%, they added.

Pfizer says final data analysis shows Covid vaccine is 95% effective – plans to submit to FDA in 'days'

 

[nhmemorymaker]

https://nypost.com/2020/11/11/sense-of-entitlement-linked-to-taking-covid-19-risks-study/

Psychological entitlement predicts noncompliance with the health guidelines of the COVID-19 pandemic - ScienceDirect

Sense of ‘entitlement’ linked to taking COVID-19 risks

No one is above the law, especially the laws of nature.

Yet those who make efforts to ignore pandemic restrictions and recommendations seem to think they’re entitled to behave this way, according to a new psychological study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

Authors describe psychological entitlement as “a personality characteristic whereby an individual feels more deserving of positive outcomes than other people,” explained Rachel J. Schlund, a Ph.D. student at Cornell University.

Such valuable information. But who will listen........eventually.

“We initially became interested in this topic because we recognized the importance of motivating individuals to comply with the COVID-19 health guidelines to keep themselves and others healthy and reduce the virus’ spread,” Schlund told PsyPost.

She explained that prior studies have “demonstrated that feelings of psychological entitlement can lead others to fail to follow the rules, especially rules they perceive are unfair.”

Paradoxically, the same group also reported higher rates of engaging in other health habits, such as flossing or wearing sunscreen. This suggested that “refusal to follow health guidelines was specific to pandemic-related suggestions.”

Meanwhile

El Paso using drones to air-drop COVID-19 tests amid virus spike

 

[nhmemorymaker]

The more I hear about Dolly Parton, the more I'm thankful for people like her. She's got a heart as big as..... Well, you know!

yes, she is such a cherished American icon....

Makes me want to watch "Steel Magnolias" again.......

just a treasure.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Just checking in from BC Canada where our numbers are rising at a frightening rate. 717 today, and 12 deaths, hitting yet another record. I live in a more remote area but the outlying areas around the city of Vancouver are being hit hard. My ( not much older than me) aunt age 82 and her husband ( age 83) are now quarantined at home. He has tested positive so she is being monitored as well. Heck, they hardly leave their house, except for groceries and wear masks, wash down their groceries and have no idea where they got it. I feel terrible for them, but it’s a good wake up call for the rest of the family. At least for everyone except our youngest son who doesn’t want to hear about it or anything about this hoax, conspiracy or whatever the heck he thinks is going on. DH and I can’t even stand to listen to him,,,so we agreed ( with him) a while ago to not discuss either politics or Covid issues. The other two kids are totally logical. Life is certainly frustrating, upsetting, disappointing and frightening these days. I suspect we are in for a big Covid crackdown shortly. I sure hope so.

They don't even know where they might have gotten it.........
That is just so frightening, isn't it.

.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Florida has had between 4500-10000 cases daily for a while now. I keep saying that the only thing going for this g0vernor (that zero was a typo but deciding to leave it there)........... is sun and warm temperatures. People still mingling outside all day and every day.

And what a nightmare could be coming--all those folks in growingly restricted states might be taking vacations to Florida this season...
And the regular snow-birds...

Wall Street Journal headline yesterday...
"As Covid-19 Surges, Florida Sticks to No Statewide Restrictions
Gov. DeSantis vows state will never again issue lockdown, prevents local officials from enforcing mandates"

As Covid-19 Surges, Florida Sticks to No Statewide Restrictions


Mayors are trying to come out with a collective voice, but it is so hard here for anyone to be heard, given the leadership and the legislature in this state. A PRess conference with 5 mayors today... so little power.......... sigh.

Florida mayors urge Gov. DeSantis to change approach to COVID-19

 

[SouthAussie]

Florida has had between 4500-10000 cases daily for a while now. I keep saying that the only thing going for this g0vernor (that zero was a typo but deciding to leave it there)........... is sun and warm temperatures. People still mingling outside all day and every day.

And what a nightmare could be coming--all those folks in growingly restricted states might be taking vacations to Florida this season...
And the regular snow-birds...

Wall Street Journal headline yesterday...
"As Covid-19 Surges, Florida Sticks to No Statewide Restrictions
Gov. DeSantis vows state will never again issue lockdown, prevents local officials from enforcing mandates"

As Covid-19 Surges, Florida Sticks to No Statewide Restrictions


Mayors are trying to come out with a collective voice, but it is so hard here for anyone to be heard, given the leadership and the legislature in this state. A PRess conference with 5 mayors today... so little power.......... sigh.

Florida mayors urge Gov. DeSantis to change approach to COVID-19

I notice that the media are saying that the FL governor has pretty much disappeared from the public eye. Isn't giving any briefings about the escalating cases.

And the WH Coronavirus Task Force is showing FL to be in the red zone.


A White House Coronavirus Task Force report warned that expanding community spread should be addressed immediately in Florida by expanding mitigation policies in counties with increasing cases and daily hospitalizations.

That report, indicating Florida was again in the COVID-19 red zone, was issued on October 25 but only recently became public, causing some members of the state's congressional delegation to ask what took so long.
Florida Lawmakers Question DeSantis's Lack of COVID-19 Transparency

Where's DeSantis? Gov silent as state's COVID-19 cases rise

As COVID-19 cases surge, where is Gov. DeSantis?

 

[ilovewings]

I think it goes like this.

A lady who is a cleaner at Peppers (medi hotel) caught the virus from cleaning - definitely no face to face - and touching her face.
She passed it to 2 security guards at the hotel who she chatted with.
She also took it home to her 80 year old mum (1st diagnosed case) and her hubby, her large family spread it from there.
So that is the first cluster.

One of the security guards also worked at Woodville South pizza place. He boxed up a pizza that a delivery driver picked up, and dropped it off at another medi hotel. The driver caught the virus and so did the person who received the pizza. They think those cases are from the pizza box because the driver didn't actually have any contact with the security guard. The driver just picked up the box - in its keep-hot bag - and took it to the customer.

They are trying to trace everyone who used that pizza place in a ten day period. Whether they picked up, or had received a delivered pizza.

So they picked up the pizza box which had virus on it and touched their face, nose, mouth? that is the only way they could have gotten it I think---- we get carry out all the time--- i wash my hands before handling the box it comes in: i take the food out of the box and put the food on a plate, then i wash my hands again

 

[sds71]

Over 900 Mayo staff contract COVID-19 in last 2 week period; COVID-19 ICU at capacity