Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #94

[margarita25]

 

[weepingangel]

CDC issues next phase of guidance to cruise ship industry

More at link
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday issued new guidance to the cruise ship industry, including the need for Covid-19 vaccinations, a necessary step before passenger voyages can resume.

The new technical instructions, the first update since October, include increasing from weekly to daily reporting frequency of Covid-19 cases and illnesses and implementing routine testing of all crew based on a ship’s Covid-19 status and establishing a plan and timeline for vaccination of crew and port personnel.

“Covid-19 vaccination efforts will be critical in the safe resumption of passenger operations,” the CDC said.

CDC said the next phase of the CDC’s conditional sail order will include simulated voyages to will allow crew and port personnel to practice new Covid-19 operational procedures with volunteers before sailing with passengers.

“CDC is committed to working with the cruise industry and seaport partners to resume cruising when it is safe to do so, following the phased approach outlined” in October’s conditional sail order,” the agency said.

It did not specify a date for the resumption of cruise operations from U.S. ports despite calls from the industry for planning for a phased resumption by the beginning of July. The CDC said it will issue additional guidance before it will allow cruises to resume.

 

[LadyL]

US Coronavirus: Americans should continue to follow Covid-19 precautions despite record vaccinations, experts say - CNN

 

[LadyL]

just saw that 18-22 year olds make up more than 50% of new cases here
so the college crowd ...

 

[LadyL]

Virus Variants Threaten to Draw Out the Pandemic, Scientists Say

 

[CrimeAway]

Spring break hangover ???

 

[margarita25]

Virus Variants Threaten to Draw Out the Pandemic, Scientists Say

My copy and paste has gone out on my device, but see paragraph re: “The Biden administration...”, if someone could please bring that paragraph over, thank you.

 

[Lilibet]

My copy and paste has gone out on my device, but see paragraph re: “The Biden administration...”, if someone could please bring that paragraph over, thank you.

The Biden administration has pledged a “down payment” of $200 million to ramp up surveillance, an infusion intended to make it possible to analyze 25,000 patient samples each week for virus variants. It’s an ambitious goal: The country was sequencing just a few hundred samples each week in December, then scaling up to about 9,000 per week as of March 27.

 

[SoCalDavidS]

23 y.o. who attended multiple NCAA b-ball games dies of Covid

Health officials in Indianapolis are investigating potential COVID-19 exposures at the NCAA tournament following the death of an Alabama fan.

Luke Ratliff died on Friday at 23 years old. An Alabama student and a leader of the school's basketball fan club Crimson Chaos, Ratliff was one of Alabama's most visible fans. His father, Bryan Ratliff, confirmed his death Friday night.

According to the Tuscaloosa News, Ratliff traveled to Indianapolis and attended games during Alabama's NCAA tournament run, which ended last weekend in a Sweet 16 loss to UCLA. He returned to Tuscaloosa on Monday.

The Marion County Public Health Department confirmed to the Indianapolis Star on Saturday that it was investigating whether anyone in Indianapolis was exposed to COVID-19 by an Alabama resident and that it had contacted the Alabama Department of Health. It did not confirm that Ratliff was the subject of its investigation.

Officials investigating potential NCAA tournament COVID-19 exposures after death of 23-year-old Alabama fan

I wonder how many people he spread it to. All because he HAD to attend some basketball games. Had Alabama made it to the Final 4, he wouldn't have even been around to watch it.

 

[weepingangel]

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1378479376946315272?s=21

“VERY ILL”—many players of the NHL Vancouver @Canucks are “very ill” with #COVID19, some confirmed to have the aggressive Brazil #P1 variant. The 14-player outbreak is “unexpected” and the team is in “tough shape”. Practices & games cancelled. BC has huge #P1 outbreak.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Reports of Alabama fan dying of COVID-19 after attending men's NCAA tournament leads to investigation — USA TODAY

“The Marion County health department is investigating whether anyone in Indianapolis was exposed by any Alabama residents after news reports of an NCAA fan dying of complications of COVID-19.

Luke Ratliff, a 23-year-old student at the University of Alabama, died after a brief illness days after attending the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis, his father has confirmed. Multiple people told The Tuscaloosa News that he had died of
complications related to COVID-19.

Ratliff, a major fan of the school's basketball team, was hospitalized shortly after returning to Tuscaloosa on March 29. He had attended the school's game against UCLA at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis the night before.”

Oh no....that picture of him with his mask pulled down cheering....did they not require negative covid tests for spectators like they did for everyone else? He was sick while he was there.

 

[weepingangel]

Widow Of Hockey Ref Who Died From COVID Thinks He Contracted It During Carver Co. Games – WCCO | CBS Minnesota
more
The wife of a youth hockey referee, who died from COVID-19, believes he contracted the virus while officiating games in Carver County.

Sixty-two-year-old Dan Culhane passed away in late February. His wife, Nancy Mitchell, also got the virus and was later told by health officials that she had the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom and is considered highly contagious.

“He loved the game itself. He loved the kids, especially the younger ones that were just kind of learning,” Mitchell said.

For 20 years, Culhane built a bond with players, coaches and fellow referees. He was also a cancer survivor who had been told by doctors that he could once again officiate games, with precautions.

Dan Culhane (credit: CBS)

“He took extra precautions. Multiple masks, electronic whistles,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been extremely careful.”

But in February, they both tested positive for COVID-19. While she got better, he progressively got worse and had a stroke. “He was put on a ventilator for the procedure and never came off of it,” she said. “So it was very fast and very shocking, and I just, I don’t want any other family to go through this.”

Mitchell said she tested positive for the UK variant and believes her husband contracted the virus while officiating youth hockey games in Victoria and Waconia. Last week, the Minnesota Department of Health recommended a two-week pause for youth sports in Carver County. MDH said 27 cases of the COVID-19 variant are now linked to the county.

In the meantime, she is choosing to remember the passion Culhane had for the sport he loved. “That’s a part that’s so sad is that, you know, he basically died participating in an activity that he loved,” she said.

 

[SoCalDavidS]

Duplicate. WeepingAngel beat me to it.

 

[ilovewings]

Virus Variants Threaten to Draw Out the Pandemic, Scientists Say

This is so depressing. No one ( I mean scientists and medical people) ever talked about the possibility of variants being a problem until the last few months. It just seems like this virus will just go on and on and never get under control.

 

[155etta]

The Biden administration has pledged a “down payment” of $200 million to ramp up surveillance, an infusion intended to make it possible to analyze 25,000 patient samples each week for virus variants. It’s an ambitious goal: The country was sequencing just a few hundred samples each week in December, then scaling up to about 9,000 per week as of March 27.

Yay for Science!

 

[Inthedetails]

The variant is no different from the original in how it spreads, but infected people seem to carry more of the virus and for longer, said Katrina Lythgoe, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford. “You’re more infectious for more days,” she said.

Virus Variants Threaten to Draw Out the Pandemic, Scientists Say

 

[Mo Thuairim]

This report is from March 17 but I just heard about the Breton variant for the first time on the radio this morning. (There is debate about whether travellers from France coming into Ireland should have to go into mandatory hotel quarantine given the severe Covid situation there currently.)

Latest Covid-19 Variant Discovered In France Isn’t Detected By Standard PCR Tests

A new variant of the novel coronavirus has been identified in the French region of Brittany. On Monday evening, the French Ministry of Health put out a statement that said the mutation was found by way of genomic sequencing in a cluster of infections in a hospital in the town of Lannion. Eight of 79 Covid-19 patients turned out to be carriers of the new variant, nicknamed “le variant breton.” Initially they tested negative with gold-standard PCR tests, despite presenting with typical symptoms of Covid-19. But later, coronavirus infection was confirmed with analysis of blood samples and tissue in the respiratory system. All 8 patients have since died.

(...)

What’s remarkable about this particular mutation is that the novel coronavirus may have already evolved in such a way as to bypass detection by conventional PCR tests. Last month, Finnish researchers also discovered a new variant that is undetected by at least one standard PCR test, though evidently not all conventional PCR tests, as appears to be the case with the new variant found in France. As a result, the World Health Organization has assigned the latest variant to the category “variants under investigation.”

The announcement came as France and most of the rest of Europe battle a resurgence in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, driven in part by the B.1.1.7 variant which has become dominant throughout the continent.

(More at link)

Latest Covid-19 Variant Discovered In France Isn’t Detected By Standard PCR Tests

 

[SouthAussie]

This report is from March 17 but I just heard about the Breton variant for the first time on the radio this morning. (There is debate about whether travellers from France coming into Ireland should have to go into mandatory hotel quarantine given the severe Covid situation there currently.)

Latest Covid-19 Variant Discovered In France Isn’t Detected By Standard PCR Tests

A new variant of the novel coronavirus has been identified in the French region of Brittany. On Monday evening, the French Ministry of Health put out a statement that said the mutation was found by way of genomic sequencing in a cluster of infections in a hospital in the town of Lannion. Eight of 79 Covid-19 patients turned out to be carriers of the new variant, nicknamed “le variant breton.” Initially they tested negative with gold-standard PCR tests, despite presenting with typical symptoms of Covid-19. But later, coronavirus infection was confirmed with analysis of blood samples and tissue in the respiratory system. All 8 patients have since died.

(...)

What’s remarkable about this particular mutation is that the novel coronavirus may have already evolved in such a way as to bypass detection by conventional PCR tests. Last month, Finnish researchers also discovered a new variant that is undetected by at least one standard PCR test, though evidently not all conventional PCR tests, as appears to be the case with the new variant found in France. As a result, the World Health Organization has assigned the latest variant to the category “variants under investigation.”

The announcement came as France and most of the rest of Europe battle a resurgence in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, driven in part by the B.1.1.7 variant which has become dominant throughout the continent.

(More at link)

Latest Covid-19 Variant Discovered In France Isn’t Detected By Standard PCR Tests

That is just the worst news! This virus is always one step ahead of everyone. Now it can bypass standard testing.

 

[Mo Thuairim]

That is just the worst news! This virus is always one step ahead of everyone. Now it can bypass standard testing.

I know! It's just nightmarish

 

[ilovewings]

I know! It's just nightmarish

The bad news just keeps on coming--- of course the party goers just keep on partying- here in Michigan the governor has set up 20 pop up testing sites for those party goers who insisted on partying down on spring break: you know the ones that could not resist getting on an airplane and living it up on the beach and in bars and restaurants in Florida and other venues. So they interviewed this one wretched woman who said she is getting a test after going on spring break, you know "to be safe"--- Ugh

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