Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #92

[HongKongPhooey]

They have been speaking of getting the children vaccinated here in Australia, because children are such big drivers of flu (for example). And we likely all can't get rid of the virus unless we do something about children driving the virus.

I think I heard them say that AstraZeneca is looking at safe doses for children. AstraZeneca will likely be our primary vaccine.

If it is correctly reported that the Zeneca reduces transmission, I can see the benefit in vaccinating the youngsters but I cant help feeling a little uneasy.

 

[musicaljoke]

Premier Doug Ford suggested Thursday that his government would grant a request from Toronto and Peel Region to remain under a stay-at-home order for two more weeks, The Canadian Press reports.

The two COVID-19 hot spots are set to have their strict pandemic restrictions loosened on Monday, but have asked for a delay, saying easing measures next week could lead to more illness and death, according to CP.

Ford said Thursday that he’s “always supported local medical officers of health.

“No one understands their area, in Peel and Toronto, more than their local medical officers of health,” he said. “I’m sure we’re gonna follow the advice of the doctors.”

Today’s coronavirus news: Ford suggests he’ll grant Toronto, Peel request to delay loosening restrictions; deadly outbreak at Roberta Place declared over.

 

[MimosaMornings]

I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek- but if the most highly trained health professionals do not exercise any caution, what is the hope for the rest of us? (And yes, I need to remind myself of the several nurses-go-unmasked-for-drinks-at-a-bar and person-goes-in-an-inflatable-costume-to-the-ER stories and everyone gets COVID so that I will not be so incredulous.)

I can’t count how many home health nurses and/or aides have snorted in derision when I mentioned the “C” word.

“Oh, my mother/sister/cousin had that last month and they’re fine now.”

“It’s all in the Lord’s hands”

“It’s just another flu”

JMO

 

[acutename]

If it is correctly reported that the Zeneca reduces transmission, I can see the benefit in vaccinating the youngsters but I cant help feeling a little uneasy.

I was listening to NPR the other day and supposedly all the research they have shows that school cases do not originate from school exposures- meaning that the people who happen to be in a school and get COVID got it at home or in some other activity:


Research Finds Few Links Between Schools And COVID-19 ...
www.npr.org › 2020/10/21 › were-the-risks-of-reopening...
Oct 21, 2020 — A recent study found no link between coronavirus spikes and school ... medical director at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., told NPR. ... opened when cases were low, with no apparent impact on transmission.

CDC Makes The Case For Schools Reopening : Coronavirus ...
www.npr.org › 2021/01/26 › cdc-makes-case-for-school-...
Jan 26, 2021 — None of those 32 in-school transmissions involved students infecting teachers or staff. ... mask-wearing helped keep the COVID-19 incidence lower in schools ... But, when asked by NPR if the article's conclusions could be ...

CDC Releases New Guidelines For Reopening Schools : NPR
www.npr.org › 2021/02/12 › cdc-offers-clearest-guidance...
6 days ago — Districts with low community spread of the coronavirus (blue, 0 to 9 new cases per 100,000 in past seven days) or moderate transmission ...

 

[HongKongPhooey]

I was listening to NPR the other day and supposedly all the research they have shows that school cases do not originate from school exposures- meaning that the people who happen to be in a school and get COVID got it at home or in some other activity:


Research Finds Few Links Between Schools And COVID-19 ...
www.npr.org › 2020/10/21 › were-the-risks-of-reopening...
Oct 21, 2020 — A recent study found no link between coronavirus spikes and school ... medical director at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., told NPR. ... opened when cases were low, with no apparent impact on transmission.

CDC Makes The Case For Schools Reopening : Coronavirus ...
www.npr.org › 2021/01/26 › cdc-makes-case-for-school-...
Jan 26, 2021 — None of those 32 in-school transmissions involved students infecting teachers or staff. ... mask-wearing helped keep the COVID-19 incidence lower in schools ... But, when asked by NPR if the article's conclusions could be ...

CDC Releases New Guidelines For Reopening Schools : NPR
www.npr.org › 2021/02/12 › cdc-offers-clearest-guidance...
6 days ago — Districts with low community spread of the coronavirus (blue, 0 to 9 new cases per 100,000 in past seven days) or moderate transmission ...

Interesting. Have to say, that's not what teacher friends of mine report here but they also say it was very hard getting kids to distance in corridors etc. Be interesting to see what happens to case numbers when our schools reopen (estimated mid March I think).

 

[SouthAussie]

I was listening to NPR the other day and supposedly all the research they have shows that school cases do not originate from school exposures- meaning that the people who happen to be in a school and get COVID got it at home or in some other activity:


Research Finds Few Links Between Schools And COVID-19 ...
www.npr.org › 2020/10/21 › were-the-risks-of-reopening...
Oct 21, 2020 — A recent study found no link between coronavirus spikes and school ... medical director at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., told NPR. ... opened when cases were low, with no apparent impact on transmission.

CDC Makes The Case For Schools Reopening : Coronavirus ...
www.npr.org › 2021/01/26 › cdc-makes-case-for-school-...
Jan 26, 2021 — None of those 32 in-school transmissions involved students infecting teachers or staff. ... mask-wearing helped keep the COVID-19 incidence lower in schools ... But, when asked by NPR if the article's conclusions could be ...

CDC Releases New Guidelines For Reopening Schools : NPR
www.npr.org › 2021/02/12 › cdc-offers-clearest-guidance...
6 days ago — Districts with low community spread of the coronavirus (blue, 0 to 9 new cases per 100,000 in past seven days) or moderate transmission ...

Strange that. And slightly unbelievable, based on lengthy transmission studies of flu epidemics and pandemics.
Perhaps other lengthier studies may prove otherwise - in future days.
I know that we close our schools, quick smart, when we need to lockdown from time to time.


Our findings suggest that preschool and primary school children played an important role as a driving force of epidemics in the community in both 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons.
Role of Preschool and Primary School Children in Epidemics of Influenza A in a Local Community in Japan during Two Consecutive Seasons with A(H3N2) as a Predominant Subtype

There is accumulating evidence suggesting that children may drive the spread of influenza epidemics.
For seasonal influenza, both the 10–19- and 20–29-year age groups peaked 1 week earlier than other age groups, while during the fall wave of the 2009 pandemic, infections peaked earlier among only the 10–19-year age group.
Age-specific Differences in Influenza A Epidemic Curves: Do Children Drive the Spread of Influenza Epidemics?

(I believe RR = reproduction rate)
We estimated RR for several subpopulations (age groups) using data on laboratory-confirmed US influenza hospitalizations during epidemics between 2009–2014.
We found that children aged 5–17 had the highest estimates of RR during the five largest influenza A outbreaks, though the relative magnitude of RR in this age group compared to other age groups varied, being highest for the 2009 A/H1N1 pandemic. For the 2010–2011 and 2012–2013 influenza B epidemics, adults aged 18–49, and 0–4 year-olds had the highest estimates of RR respectively.
On the relative role of different age groups in influenza epidemics

 

[acutename]

Strange that. And slightly unbelievable, based on lengthy transmission studies of flu epidemics and pandemics.
Perhaps other lengthier studies may prove otherwise - in future days.
I know that we close our schools, quick smart, when we need to lockdown from time to time.


Our findings suggest that preschool and primary school children played an important role as a driving force of epidemics in the community in both 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons.
Role of Preschool and Primary School Children in Epidemics of Influenza A in a Local Community in Japan during Two Consecutive Seasons with A(H3N2) as a Predominant Subtype

There is accumulating evidence suggesting that children may drive the spread of influenza epidemics.
For seasonal influenza, both the 10–19- and 20–29-year age groups peaked 1 week earlier than other age groups, while during the fall wave of the 2009 pandemic, infections peaked earlier among only the 10–19-year age group.
Age-specific Differences in Influenza A Epidemic Curves: Do Children Drive the Spread of Influenza Epidemics?

(I believe RR = reproduction rate)
We estimated RR for several subpopulations (age groups) using data on laboratory-confirmed US influenza hospitalizations during epidemics between 2009–2014.
We found that children aged 5–17 had the highest estimates of RR during the five largest influenza A outbreaks, though the relative magnitude of RR in this age group compared to other age groups varied, being highest for the 2009 A/H1N1 pandemic. For the 2010–2011 and 2012–2013 influenza B epidemics, adults aged 18–49, and 0–4 year-olds had the highest estimates of RR respectively.
On the relative role of different age groups in influenza epidemics

yes- I believe I have not gotten a cold this year because when I was in the office, no matter how much hand washing I did, coworkers with small children would usually get sick from their children and then we would get sick... but that is my individual experience and the NPR/CDC folks supposedly have real science on their side.

 

[MimosaMornings]

It’s weird. Every person that I personally know (family/friends) who were sick during the last 11 months - this is what they said:

“It’s just allergies”

“It’s just a cold”

“It’s a bit of the flu”

“It’s strep, it’s not Covid”

.....tested positive for Covid.
JMO

 

[SouthAussie]

yes- I believe I have not gotten a cold this year because when I was in the office, no matter how much hand washing I did, coworkers with small children would usually get sick from their children and then we would get sick... but that is my individual experience and the NPR/CDC folks supposedly have real science on their side.

I don't think they have had enough time or data to do a valid study ... yet.
Limited data from a population where covid is widepsread, and testing has been erratic, contact tracing even worse.

It has been much easier for us to do studies here, with limited cases we can see where any spread is happening. Hence we close schools when needed.

Right now NZ has a few cases. Where? In a school. They have 5 cases .. 3 in children who are unrelated to each other but attend the same school.
Before we closed schools, as necessary, we were having multiple cases among students.


On Sunday it was revealed that one of the three confirmed community cases attends Papatoetoe High School.
Yesterday, two more students at the school were confirmed to have Covid-19.
'Not quite job done' but Papatoetoe High School principal's anxiety easing

 

[acutename]

now they tell us this:

https://nypost.com/2021/02/18/single-pfizer-moderna-vaccine-dose-nearly-as-effective-as-two/

 

[Lilibet]

It’s weird. Every person that I personally know (family/friends) who were sick during the last 11 months - this is what they said:

“It’s just allergies”

“It’s just a cold”

“It’s a bit of the flu”

“It’s strep, it’s not Covid”

.....tested positive for Covid.
JMO

I wonder why they even bothered getting tested if they were so convinced it wasn’t Covid. After coughing for two days with a headache and fever I went to get tested, just in case.

 

[mickey2942]

Interesting. Have to say, that's not what teacher friends of mine report here but they also say it was very hard getting kids to distance in corridors etc. Be interesting to see what happens to case numbers when our schools reopen (estimated mid March I think).

Definitely not what I have seen...but what do I know? Literally every person I have talked to had a contact with a child somewhere in the "chain".

 

[MimosaMornings]

I wonder why they even bothered getting tested if they were so convinced it wasn’t Covid. After coughing for two days with a headache and fever I went to get tested, just in case.

Some got tested because they had a get together and were notified that a person who had attended was admitted to the hospital and another had tested positive.

Two others went to get tested before going to visit my aunt - she wouldn’t let them in otherwise when she heard they were sick “with a cold” unless they had a negative test. Which they didn’t - which cancelled their road trip and visit!

One got it from work (sales, no masks, no social distancing in the office) and spread it to his household and the child took it to daycare, which then necessitated testing before he could go back to daycare.

Another was an volunteer firefighter and another was local LE.

 

[24Roses]

Iowa numbers and news today: 628 new confirmed cases, 1,109 more are recovering, and 15 more were reported to have passed.
52 were hospitalized in the last 24 hrs. for a total of 252 (+17). Feb. 18: Iowa reports 628 new COVID-19 cases with 15 more deaths
access
Iowans urged not to ease COVID-19 precautions

 

[Lilibet]

Some got tested because they had a get together and were notified that a person who had attended was admitted to the hospital and another had tested positive.

Two others went to get tested before going to visit my aunt - she wouldn’t let them in otherwise when she heard they were sick “with a cold” unless they had a negative test. Which they didn’t - which cancelled their road trip and visit!

One got it from work (sales, no masks, no social distancing in the office) and spread it to his household and the child took it to daycare, which then necessitated testing before he could go back to daycare.

Another was an volunteer firefighter and another was local LE.

Interesting. Good for your aunt! I hope these folks take it more seriously now.

 

[SouthAussie]

Australia has released its vaccine rollout plan, commencing on Monday.



https://www.health.gov.au/sites/def...vaccination-phase-1a-rollout-presentation.pdf


They have also published the info in 63 different languages, so that it can be properly understood by everyone in our society.

COVID-19 vaccine information in your language

 

[nightowl1975]

I was listening to NPR the other day and supposedly all the research they have shows that school cases do not originate from school exposures- meaning that the people who happen to be in a school and get COVID got it at home or in some other activity:


Research Finds Few Links Between Schools And COVID-19 ...
www.npr.org › 2020/10/21 › were-the-risks-of-reopening...
Oct 21, 2020 — A recent study found no link between coronavirus spikes and school ... medical director at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., told NPR. ... opened when cases were low, with no apparent impact on transmission.

CDC Makes The Case For Schools Reopening : Coronavirus ...
www.npr.org › 2021/01/26 › cdc-makes-case-for-school-...
Jan 26, 2021 — None of those 32 in-school transmissions involved students infecting teachers or staff. ... mask-wearing helped keep the COVID-19 incidence lower in schools ... But, when asked by NPR if the article's conclusions could be ...

CDC Releases New Guidelines For Reopening Schools : NPR
www.npr.org › 2021/02/12 › cdc-offers-clearest-guidance...
6 days ago — Districts with low community spread of the coronavirus (blue, 0 to 9 new cases per 100,000 in past seven days) or moderate transmission ...

None of this data surprises me at all. Schools here have been in person, 5 days a week, since late August. It was almost 9 full weeks before we had a SINGLE case in the middle and high school my two attend, despite rapidly escalating community spread.

Both of my kids in middle/high school have now had covid, neither of whom got it at school or from anyone they go to school with. More significantly, none of their “close contacts” at school, nor any of their teachers, tested positive either (and all had to be tested).

I have 4 kids total, all of whom have had it now, each at completely different times, and nobody else in the house got it from each other. I haven’t had it, and am now about a month post vaccine #2. It’s not quite as easily transmissible as one might think... but these new more contagious variants might be a totally different ball game.

From my personal experience though with our schools here, what these studies are showing is spot on with what we are seeing. Transmission among school-aged kids isn’t really rampant in the schools as a general rule (here, anyway). I do realize our schools were basically a live experiment to see what happened when we opened back up. Edited to add: Our schools are religious about wearing masks and social distancing, and their cleaning routines are nothing short of impressive.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

I wonder why they even bothered getting tested if they were so convinced it wasn’t Covid. After coughing for two days with a headache and fever I went to get tested, just in case.

And thank goodness you did!

 

[GRT]

A bit of good news...

COVID infections drop 16% worldwide in one week: WHO

 

[GRT]

I wonder why they even bothered getting tested if they were so convinced it wasn’t Covid. After coughing for two days with a headache and fever I went to get tested, just in case.

Back in November, my nephew tested positive and his mother contacted everyone he'd been in contact with in the few days prior to being infected. The mother of one of his friends said there was no way her family was going to get tested because she couldn't afford to stay home and take care of the kids if they were quarantined. I wonder how many think like that?