Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #93

[MimosaMornings]

I agree with you but I think the problem is that this virus is so new that different information keeps coming in and seeming to contradict prior information. It is remarkably confusing. However, I do believe there is enough clear information that the public should rely on the fact that masks work as well as social distancing and hand washing. Just think: why is there hardly any flu this year? because of those three mitigating behaviors. That is clear.

The same information had been repeated for months, it’s on billboards, the local news, doctors offices, etc.

•Wear a mask
•Social Distancing
•Wash Hands
•No indoor gatherings with people not in your household

Some people just don’t believe, don’t care or think their kids will suffer tremendously if they don’t go on a “normal Florida/Mexico/whatever vacation” during a pandemic.

JMO

 

[Lilibet]

Fauci: US shouldn't relax Covid-19 restrictions until new daily cases are below 10,000 - CNN

The US shouldn't ease restrictions in place to prevent Covid-19 before the number of new coronavirus cases falls below 10,000 daily, "and maybe even considerably less than that," Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday.

The US should pull restrictions gradually, after a substantial portion of Americans are vaccinated, Fauci told CNN's Jake Tapper.
The last time the US saw fewer than 10,000 new daily cases was almost a year ago, on March 22, 2020. The number hasn't fallen below 50,000 daily cases since mid-October, and the seven-day average on Wednesday was more than 64,000.
<snip>
Of particular concern to health experts is the B.1.1.7 variant which was first identified in the United Kingdom and has now been found in 46 US states, as well as in Puerto Rico and Washington, DC.
A person with that variant can infect 43% to 90% more people than the older versions of the virus, according to evidence published Wednesday by researchers the Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

[SouthAussie]

I don't know if people here have yet heard about the Russian strain of the virus. We have cases of it in quarantine in our state of Queensland (from an incoming flight).


Queensland authorities are concerned a COVID-19 "superspreader" may have passed on the virus to people on an international flight and possibly in hotel quarantine.
The state reported seven new cases on Thursday, two of whom were in quarantine after arriving on a Qatar Airways flight in Brisbane on February 17.

Four other people on that plane have already tested positive for the new Russian variant COVID-19.
Queensland Health is testing another 72 people who were on that flight and has ordered them to extend their 14-day quarantine by five days.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says one man seems particularly contagious and she's concerned he may be a "superspreader".
Concerns virus 'superspreader' is in Qld

More in the next post ...

 

[SouthAussie]

The Russian strain is called B.1.1.317.

Lineage is thought to have originated in Russia and has been has been circulating in countries like the United Kingdom, Thailand, Switzerland and Brazil since December 2020.

However according to Russian medical experts, the B.1.1.317 variant contains the concerning mutation: N 501Y which is also found in the South African Strain B.1.351 and is known to evade neutralizing antibodies.

The N501Y mutation is also believed according to studies to be more transmissible as a result of stronger binding between the virus and the ACE2 receptors.

Also Russian researchers are warning that along with 3 other identified mutations among the many other mutations on the B.1.1.317 strains, those initially found to exhibit mild or asymptomatic conditions upon initial infection were found to develop varying medical conditions later including severe organ damage.

Australia Raises Concerns Over Russian SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.1.317 Found In UK, Thailand, Switzerland Since December 2020 And Recently In Queensland - Thailand Medical News

 

[10ofRods]

BBM

Scapegoating “others” is so dangerous as history should have taught us.
JMO

But very human. People don't even develop the capacity to realize this kind of thing until they are 4 and it takes a while to input real experience into the ethical system.

In short, we have a bunch of toddlers out there.

 

[Mo Thuairim]

yes- we have very little flu, though I have not recently looked at my State's statistics, I keep reading that. BTW, is there less flu in other countries too? staying away from each other defeats viruses, it appears. are we going to permanently engineer the world differently because of this? maybe people also got more flu shots this year? have not seen statistics on that and also possibly, more weakened people died from COVID and were not in the flu statistics...need some epidemiologists to help out here.

We have had zero flu here in Ireland this winter and flu season is usually a big problem for the health service here. Some info in this article...

There are still no flu cases or deaths in Ireland this flu season, but why?

The flu season in Ireland usually runs from October to the end of April, or the early weeks of May, and there are usually thousands of cases and in excess of 100 flu related deaths.

During those normal flu season months, weekly updates are issued about the progress of the flu in Ireland.

During the 2018/19 flu season there were 97 deaths and 7,939 cases recorded across the country, while there were 255 deaths and 11,822 confirmed cases during the 2017/18 season.

Unusually, the 2019/20 flu season weekly reports were instead issued from October, 2019 to the end of September, 2020, due to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

The final report for that season noted that there had been 11,142 confirmed cases of flu and 110 deaths linked to the flu.

The majority of those cases and deaths happened during the normal flu season months, as noted in the continued reports between the end of April, 2020, and the final one in September.

The 2020/21 flu season weekly reports then began again in the first week of October 2020 and each report up until the most recent, on the week ending February 14, 2021, noted that there were no flu cases or deaths recorded in Ireland.

Although the HSE has been clear about the lack of flu cases, there was a lack of clarity as to how the country can have over 11,000 flu cases one year, and zero the next.

(...)

‘Provisional vaccine uptake data shows that the Cumulative Vaccine Uptake percentage among those age 65 and over, for the season to-date, as of 22nd February 2021 is 71.4% (2020 CSO estimate).'

(...)

‘There was a higher uptake of the Influenza vaccine in the high-risk groups, not just in Ireland but worldwide. This reduced the incidence of flu in many countries.

‘Secondly, the public health measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 also led to a reduction in the spread of other infections including influenza.'

(More details at link)

There are still no flu cases or deaths in Ireland this flu season, but why?

 

[dmac55]

"Concerned that there weren't enough people signing up to get vaccinated against Covid-19, officials in one small Arizona county changed the vaccine eligibility requirement to encourage more people to make appointments."

"Now, in Gila County Arizona -- located 90 minutes east of Phoenix -- anyone above the age of 18 can get vaccinated."

One Arizona county has so many vaccine doses, it's now able to offer them to anyone over 18.
One Arizona county has so many vaccine doses, it's now able to offer them to anyone over 18 - CNN

 

[SouthAussie]

"Concerned that there weren't enough people signing up to get vaccinated against Covid-19, officials in one small Arizona county changed the vaccine eligibility requirement to encourage more people to make appointments."

"Now, in Gila County Arizona -- located 90 minutes east of Phoenix -- anyone above the age of 18 can get vaccinated."

One Arizona county has so many vaccine doses, it's now able to offer them to anyone over 18.
One Arizona county has so many vaccine doses, it's now able to offer them to anyone over 18 - CNN

"Paul Miller, who lives in Tucson but works in Gila, told CNN that he's glad he is now eligible to receive the vaccine in the county.
He said he hasn't been able to visit his parents with his 2-year-old daughter in about a year.
"It's one step closer to seeing them." "

It is things like this that are heartwarming. People caring enough about their children and parents to do the right thing and get themselves vaccinated as soon as they can.

 

[ilovewings]

Detroit vaccines: Mayor declines Johnson & Johnson allotment, saying the other vaccines are better - CNN


The Mayor of Detroit has declined to use Johnson and Johnson vaccines saying the other two are better- That is so foolish. He says if more vaccine is needed he will go to Johnson and Johnson. I have to say that is a remarkably ignorant comment for a mayor to make-- It is difficult enough to get people in the inner city to get vaccinated, let alone dissing one of the manufacturers of one of the vaccines that is so vital to getting everyone vaccinated. He has been very aggressive in getting the citizens of Detroit vaccinated, and for that I have commended him, but that message about Johnson and Johnson is not a good one at all. You want your citizens to have confidence in all the vaccines that are available.

 

[Yesiamapirate]

Detroit vaccines: Mayor declines Johnson & Johnson allotment, saying the other vaccines are better - CNN


The Mayor of Detroit has declined to use Johnson and Johnson vaccines saying the other two are better- That is so foolish. He says if more vaccine is needed he will go to Johnson and Johnson. I have to say that is a remarkably ignorant comment for a mayor to make-- It is difficult enough to get people in the inner city to get vaccinated, let alone dissing one of the manufacturers of one of the vaccines that is so vital to getting everyone vaccinated. He has been very aggressive in getting the citizens of Detroit vaccinated, and for that I have commended him, but that message about Johnson and Johnson is not a good one at all. You want your citizens to have confidence in all the vaccines that are available.

I was a bit disturbed by this. I live very near Detroit and personally know of may people that would have welcomed the chance to get vaccinated with any vaccine. They don’t live right in the city so they cannot go to The TCF in Detroit. They live 20 miles west, where vaccine seems to be in short supply. Seems to be a disconnect, MOO.

 

[TAM121]

I'm so sorry! My heart breaks for your son and all the others having to deal with school like this. We have been incredibly lucky that my son (1oth grade) has been back in school in-person full time since the beginning of the school year (we live in FL). He had remote learning when they closed schools after spring break last year and he did not like it at all. I'm not sure how he would be doing (academically or mentally) if he had been unable to go in-person this year. I know they say kids are "resilient" but they are still human. My daughter is in college and she has been lucky that up until this semester she has had at least 2 classes each semester in person. This semester, though, she has all online and for some of the classes they are basically teaching themselves. In one class she has never seen or spoken to the teacher. Needless to say, this semester has been a struggle for her. She lives at home so she doesn't get much peer interaction. Fortunately, the university just announced that they plan to return to on-campus classes in the fall. Fingers crossed.

Sending you and your son big hugs.

 

[tabitha111]

Carleton Place COVID-19 outbreak traced back to private party | CBC News
Ottawa, Canada Mar 4 2021

Significant increase in positive COVID-19 cases in the past 4 days

According to the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, the source of the outbreak was a residential gathering last month where people didn't wear masks or take any precautions against spreading the illness.

"There's a false sense of reassurance," said Dr. Paula Stewart, the medical officer of health for the region, currently in the green zone with the least amount of provincial restrictions.
"It's so easy to assume because I know someone, 'Oh, they would never have COVID,'" she said. "But you don't know where they've been in the last 14 days."

People infected at that party have since spread the illness to not only The Thirsty Moose (local pub) but also child-care services, recreational sports teams and other businesses.

"Our downtown is still safe," Murray said. "And we hope that people will continue to come down." (ummmm....sure)

 

[ilovewings]

I was a bit disturbed by this. I live very near Detroit and personally know of may people that would have welcomed the chance to get vaccinated with any vaccine. They don’t live right in the city so they cannot go to The TCF in Detroit. They live 20 miles west, where vaccine seems to be in short supply. Seems to be a disconnect, MOO.

I live in a suburb of Detroit-- So many people are ready to get vaccinated with any vaccine available. For a Mayor of a large inner city to say something like that is definitely disturbing and I will bet you that what he said will have a negative impact on how people feel about getting that particular vaccine. SMH

 

[ilovewings]

I was a bit disturbed by this. I live very near Detroit and personally know of may people that would have welcomed the chance to get vaccinated with any vaccine. They don’t live right in the city so they cannot go to The TCF in Detroit. They live 20 miles west, where vaccine seems to be in short supply. Seems to be a disconnect, MOO.

Delete

 

[ilovewings]

Carleton Place COVID-19 outbreak traced back to private party | CBC News
Ottawa, Canada Mar 4 2021

Significant increase in positive COVID-19 cases in the past 4 days

According to the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, the source of the outbreak was a residential gathering last month where people didn't wear masks or take any precautions against spreading the illness.

"There's a false sense of reassurance," said Dr. Paula Stewart, the medical officer of health for the region, currently in the green zone with the least amount of provincial restrictions.
"It's so easy to assume because I know someone, 'Oh, they would never have COVID,'" she said. "But you don't know where they've been in the last 14 days."

People infected at that party have since spread the illness to not only The Thirsty Moose (local pub) but also child-care services, recreational sports teams and other businesses.

"Our downtown is still safe," Murray said. "And we hope that people will continue to come down." (ummmm....sure)

I assume anybody I come in contact with could have covid which is why we live in a bubble - staying away from friends and crowds --- and masking up to go anywhere. To do anything else is asking for trouble. However, if it was up to my husband ( A Trumper), we would probably both have contracted the virus by now. He likes that De Santis opened Florida up months ago--

 

[weepingangel]

The Longest Year: Fighting 'the invisible enemy'

 

[10ofRods]

Looks like vaccine distribution is going well in many cities, but my friends in more rural places are having a rough time. A good friend lives 1.5 hours from the nearest vaccination center, and isn't comfortable driving herself home after the vaccine, having had vaccine reactions before.

I live 2 hours from her. I have 6 weeks to go until immunity kicks in and of course I can make an all day excursion of it. She's fortunate to be completely isolated, is only 50 but has a higher risk genetic condition.

I worry that there are people like this everywhere.

In other news, the college wants us back in classrooms at the end of August/early September. They've declared some buildings to be retrofitted with adequate ventilation, but naturally everyone wants those classrooms and they have some scheme where there are going to be cameras that automatically follow our movements, so that half the class can watch from home (yeah right) but it won't be captured permanently the way Zoom classes are, so the students have to be in front of their computers to "attend." I already know that I'll spend so much time getting them organized. They aren't sure how they're going to communicate all of this to students, but only half of them can show up on first day of class.

I can already envision the number of emails I'll get, and how confused students will be that it's not Zoom and that they can't just attend when it suits their schedule. This desire to regiment the students seems more important to the administrators than nearly anything else. I predict enrollments will be low and there will be lots of drops.

 

[nightowl1975]

Looks like vaccine distribution is going well in many cities, but my friends in more rural places are having a rough time. A good friend lives 1.5 hours from the nearest vaccination center, and isn't comfortable driving herself home after the vaccine, having had vaccine reactions before.

I live 2 hours from her. I have 6 weeks to go until immunity kicks in and of course I can make an all day excursion of it. She's fortunate to be completely isolated, is only 50 but has a higher risk genetic condition.

I worry that there are people like this everywhere.

In other news, the college wants us back in classrooms at the end of August/early September. They've declared some buildings to be retrofitted with adequate ventilation, but naturally everyone wants those classrooms and they have some scheme where there are going to be cameras that automatically follow our movements, so that half the class can watch from home (yeah right) but it won't be captured permanently the way Zoom classes are, so the students have to be in front of their computers to "attend." I already know that I'll spend so much time getting them organized. They aren't sure how they're going to communicate all of this to students, but only half of them can show up on first day of class.

I can already envision the number of emails I'll get, and how confused students will be that it's not Zoom and that they can't just attend when it suits their schedule. This desire to regiment the students seems more important to the administrators than nearly anything else. I predict enrollments will be low and there will be lots of drops.

As someone who has dealt with a college student doing 100% remote learning, this is almost assuredly destined to fail as you’ve already pretty much noted. Connections don’t go through. They drop. There’s a lag. Poor connection. And on and on and on. My daughter doing remote courses has zero that have to be done at a specific time any longer because it was such a hot mess with nothing accomplished in the meantime.

I’ve been appalled at the lack of actual lecture material presented during all of the online courses both of my college students have had. It ranges from literally none (links to you tube videos that anyone could Google don’t count IMO as “lectures”, especially to the tune of $60k/yr tuition) to maybe one 30-40 minute lecture per week for a 3 hour course. I’m so glad they’re freshman and only taking basic courses that have virtually nothing to do with their actual intended career path. I can’t imagine if these were actual courses they needed to learn something from.

 

[acutename]

"Concerned that there weren't enough people signing up to get vaccinated against Covid-19, officials in one small Arizona county changed the vaccine eligibility requirement to encourage more people to make appointments."

"Now, in Gila County Arizona -- located 90 minutes east of Phoenix -- anyone above the age of 18 can get vaccinated."

One Arizona county has so many vaccine doses, it's now able to offer them to anyone over 18.
One Arizona county has so many vaccine doses, it's now able to offer them to anyone over 18 - CNN

next: gift cards (maybe sarcasm, maybe truth)

 

[Satchie]

In other news, the college wants us back in classrooms at the end of August/early September. They've declared some buildings to be retrofitted with adequate ventilation, but naturally everyone wants those classrooms and they have some scheme where there are going to be cameras that automatically follow our movements, so that half the class can watch from home (yeah right) but it won't be captured permanently the way Zoom classes are, so the students have to be in front of their computers to "attend." I already know that I'll spend so much time getting them organized. They aren't sure how they're going to communicate all of this to students, but only half of them can show up on first day of class.

I can already envision the number of emails I'll get, and how confused students will be that it's not Zoom and that they can't just attend when it suits their schedule. This desire to regiment the students seems more important to the administrators than nearly anything else. I predict enrollments will be low and there will be lots of drops.

Sounds like they're going through the motions of offering an online option, but making it very unsatisfactory so that most students will go in person.