Coronavirus - COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #23

[Inthedetails]

I have a twenty-seven pound Boston Terrier. Taking him for a walk is like trying to walk a small, uncooperative tank. And it's not like I don't have tons of experience training dogs and horses. He was an adult when we got him through a Boston Terrier rescue group. He is a lovely dog with some very bad habits.

So today I decided to start training him to walk on a loose lead on the sidewalk outside our house. It gets us outside, and, who knows, maybe I will be able to take him on a real walk someday.

I like that! You have a project to work on together through this. Good luck!

 

[Wicked Strong]

I would be stunned if we have a vaccine in May....at best December. The 1918 Spanish flu ended a year later as those that were infected either died or developed immunity. We are not certain that immunity can occur for covid19.

I agree. I wouldn't trust that it was effective if rushed through that fast. That's why I would also be suspicious of the drive through tests that promise results in minutes, not days.

MOO

 

[gitana1]

I would be stunned if we have a vaccine in May....at best December. The 1918 Spanish flu ended a year later as those that were infected either died or developed immunity. We are not certain that immunity can occur for covid19.

I hope we can go faster but it looks like you’re right:

Dozens of research groups around the world are racing to create a vaccine as COVID-19 cases continue to grow. Importantly, they’re pursuing different types of vaccines — shots developed from new technologies that not only are faster to make than traditional inoculations but might prove more potent. Some researchers even aim for temporary vaccines, such as shots that might guard people's health a month or two at a time while longer-lasting protection is developed.

First-step testing in small numbers of young, healthy volunteers is set to start soon. There's no chance participants could get infected from the shots, because they don’t contain the virus itself. The goal is purely to check that the vaccines show no worrisome side effects, setting the stage for larger tests of whether they protect.

First in line is the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. It is preparing to test 45 volunteers with different doses of shots co-developed by NIH and Moderna Inc.

Next, Inovio Pharmaceuticals aims to begin safety tests of its vaccine candidate next month in a few dozen volunteers at the University of Pennsylvania and a testing center in Kansas City, Missouri, followed by a similar study in China and South Korea.

Even if initial safety tests go well, “you’re talking about a year to a year and a half” before any vaccine could be ready for widespread use, stressed Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

That still would be a record-setting pace. But manufacturers know the wait -- required because it takes additional studies of thousands of people to tell if a vaccine truly protects and does no harm -- is hard for a frightened public.

Behind the scenes, scientists prep for COVID-19 vaccine test

 

[Henry2326]

KIGALI (Reuters) - Rwanda has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, an Indian citizen who arrived in the East African nation from Mumbai on March 8, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

He had no symptoms on arrival but presented himself to a health facility on March 13, the ministry said. Rwanda is the 19th African nation to report the presence of coronavirus.

"He is currently under treatment in stable condition, isolated from other patients," the ministry said. "The tracing of all contacts has been conducted for further management."

Rwanda confirms first case of coronavirus - health ministry

STAY HOME, SAVE LIVES

 

[dotr]

Canadians abroad urged to return home while ‘commercial options still available’
March 14, 2020 2:58 pm
''The federal government urged Canadians abroad to return home while they still have a chance as countries around the world impose ever-tighter travel restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

Word from Global Affairs Canada came on Saturday as Canadians travelling in Europe scrambled to book flights ahead of looming border closures in many European Union countries.

The advice marks an escalation for the government, who previously urged Canadians to cancel or postpone non-essential trips.''
''Airlines have cancelled flights. New restrictions may be imposed with little warning. Your travel plans may be severely disrupted and you may be forced to remain outside of Canada longer than expected,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Find out what commercial options are still available to return to Canada. Consider returning to Canada earlier than planned if these options are becoming more limited.”

 

[gregjrichards]

Apparently on social media, teenagers have nicknamed covid-19 as the Boomer Remover

social media is nuts

It’s a great pity they don’t appreciate that they won’t be young forever and that they will be older one day. Being worried sick about your older loved ones is no joke.

 

[Trudie]

Those "boomer" remarks are infuriating. The comments are just as stupid as racist or sexist remarks.

(And isn't it everyone's goal to actually be part of the older generation someday?!)

Ageism is not funny.

signed, GenXer

interestingly, her mom & dad moved to Seattle last year, both taking jobs with Boeing. They are old....really old. They are in their 40s, lol.

 

[oceanblue]

Lots of my musician friends are either clueless or do not care.
Live fast. Die young.

I have a loved one who is a licensed medical professional that works with cancer patients. She thinks this is all ridiculous and it will "blow over". I love her but I also want to slap her.

 

[PinkPrincessPoop]

Apparently on social media, teenagers have nicknamed covid-19 as the Boomer Remover

social media is nuts

I keep seeing people repeat this but I have yet to see anyone actually say this "out in the wild." And I keep up with pop culture on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc etc. I've seen 0 people say this. Sensationalist title to drive people apart. We should be coming together at this time. Don't let fear and angst win in this sensitive time.

 

[Trudie]

Great ideas!

I am adoring the Charley Harper jigsaw puzzles I bought. He is a fabulous artist and it is a delight to work on these puzzles and get to admire his immense talent and imagination.

Jelly here! What fun!

 

[Inthedetails]

Please be careful about buying gift cards, I have 2 that I wasn't able to use because the business closed (not from coronavirus, just loss of business). A lot of restaurants are closing, and they don't honor a gift card already bought.

MOO

Thanks for the heads up. I'm willing to take a small risk to help (but will be sure not to over-spend, thanks to this warning).

jmo

jmo

 

[gitana1]

So here in Michigan schools are closed until April.

All Michigan K-12 schools to close for 3 weeks due to coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

Most events have been canceled near me as well as libraries closed, museums, rec center, municipal golf courses, etc....

Canton Public Library
You are being redirected...
COVID-19 Updates | Canton Township, MI - Official Website

All closed until April 5th. Tell me this...what do you guys think is going to happen on April 5th? IMHO, I feel we will be at the peak of this illness. What made April 5th this magic date?

Also, even if things are on the downside and things start opening, my elderly parents and my high risk husband will still need to isolate. Probably more than ever! So for me, there is no possible way April 5th means anything.

2 or 3 weeks of food? We will need 2-3 months of food to safely isolate. At least.
Help me here. A panic attack is setting in.

I share your feelings.

What I’ve been doing is sending the healthiest family member into the stores to get what supplies we need. I can’t go myself at this point which is super frustrating.

You can call the stores and ask when the next supplies of what you need are coming in and be there in the morning when they open to gather what you can while wearing gloves and taking care.

I think schools may remain closed after April 5th.

 

[Henry2326]

NEW JERSEY

Officials in Hoboken ordered the closure of all gyms, health clubs, day care centers and movie theaters starting on Saturday.

The order came a day after the city announced its first known positive case of coronavirus and declared a state of emergency. Hoboken’s mayor said on Friday that playgrounds, recreational facilities and fields would be closed through at least March 20, although the city’s parks will remain open.

First Coronavirus Death Reported in New York City: Live Updates

STAY HOME, SAVE LIVES

 

[What if...]

Dr. Nancy used the word “year” / “years?” in one of her CDC briefings. Transcript upstream, I’ll look for the quote again.

There could also be waves, different communities getting infected in different intervals, etc.

The difference with China IMO is they had strict containment measures. (Understatement)

They’ve been dealing with this since early December that we know of. That’s 3 1/2 months.

I’m not sure if we’ll fare better or worse than China.

Gitana, here is a link of the worst case scenario which talks about what I’ve mentioned above / reposting for @gitana1 to answer her question:

Worst-Case Estimates for U.S. Coronavirus Deaths

BBM:

“Between 160 million and 214 million people in the United States could be infected over the course of the epidemic, according to one projection. That could last months or even over a year, with infections concentrated in shorter periods, staggered across time in different communities, experts said. As many as 200,000 to 1.7 million people could die.”

This is an article from early on regarding the “peak” in China - a good read to understand where China was heading of they didn’t take serious measures....

Scientists have also predicted that the worst may not be over for Hubei. There’s a lot of concern that it could escalate just as rapidly or faster once they start to ease the quarantine restrictions...

When will the coronavirus outbreak peak?

This excerpt is from the “worst case” section, but also important to note that the mortality rate used at that time was 1.36%!

“Nishiura says he has used a model that estimates that the outbreak will peak sometime between late March and late May. At this point, he says, up to 2.3 million cases will be diagnosed in a single day. In total, he estimates that between 550 million and 650 million people across China will be infected, roughly 40% of the country’s population. Nishiura says that about half of those people will show symptoms.

Nishiura says he has submitted a paper describing the model and its prediction to the preprint server medRxiv. To make such a prediction, he says that his team considered the transmission potential inherent to the new virus — the basic reproduction number known as R0, which is related to R, although it assumes that everyone in the population is susceptible to infection. The team estimates the R0 is between 1.5 and 2.

He says that his model presents a relatively simplistic outlook because it assumes that everyone in the population is susceptible. It also reflects the view that many people who have been infected are asymptomatic or not unwell enough to seek medical treatment. If that is the case, the current number of reported cases massively underestimates the number of people infected, he says.

Gabriel Leung, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong, says that Nishiura’s estimates are feasible. The community has no immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 so “it will sweep through”, he says.

Leung says that while those estimates sound extreme, it’s still not clear how deadly the virus is. The latest calculation of the fatality rate, in a paper published by Zhong on 9 February, suggests that there are about 1.36 deaths per hundred cases. But that number is probably too high because the authors did not consider less severe cases. (Outside China, two deaths have been reported in 500 cases.)”

 

[Trudie]

I have a loved one who is a licensed medical professional that works with cancer patients. She thinks this is all ridiculous and it will "blow over". I love her but I also want to slap her.

I said the same yesterday. My advanced RN friend, with a most prestigious position wanted me to drive to casino with her. When I caught my breath and mentioned Covid, she said “its just a virus.” Smh

 

[Inthedetails]

Great ideas!

I am adoring the Charley Harper jigsaw puzzles I bought. He is a fabulous artist and it is a delight to work on these puzzles and get to admire his immense talent and imagination.

That is a cheerful design! So. what will happen first, the end of this crisis or the puzzle being completed?

 

[LadyL]

Heh! Maybe she's out peddling her stash. I'm not sure why folks are buying so much tp. It's a repiratory illness. Diarrhea isn't one of the symptoms.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus#section-7

Here's why people are panic buying and stockpiling toilet paper to cope with coronavirus fears

 

[Henry2326]

Because of reduced demand, Amtrak announced that it will temporarily switch to a Saturday schedule on a daily basis for Northeast Corridor and Keystone Service trains. The change will begin March 16 and go through March 29.

Trains along the Northeast Corridor take passengers between Boston, New York, Washington, and Virginia.

The Keystone Service line travels from New York to Harrisburg, Pa., with a stop in Philadelphia.

First Coronavirus Death Reported in New York City: Live Updates

STAY HOME, SAVE LIVES

 

[gregjrichards]

Spain to be placed under 15-day nationwide lockdown – Sanchez

Spain is to be placed under nationwide lockdown as part of state emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus, prime minister Pedro Sanchez has announced.

Following in the footsteps of France, Sanchez said that shops will close for 15-days. Pharmacies and those selling other basic necessities will be exempted.

He added that the crisis requires “extraordinary decisions” and confirmed that the government has agreed a state of emergency.

Armed forces will be available to help in the response effort if needed.

Coronavirus latest updates: Trump extends travel ban to UK and Ireland

 

[Tbone144]

Took one last trip out while we could to get animal feed, a round bale for the horses and last of our fresh meals from the grocery. Feed store was chill, really wanted to wait to the last minute to drop the round bale. Grocery store that was chill last week with everything available except hand sanitizer, bay leaves and goat cheese was picked pretty clean. Bought a bunch of fresh limes and I’ll squeeze them all into ice cube trays and freeze them and transfer them to a ziplock bag for marinating my frozen steaks and margaritas. I do this with the lemons we grow every year and it works really well for storage. Only other stuff we bought for storage was tapioca pudding, rice crispy treats and some more gluten free pasta. I’m making a big batch of goulash that I’ll take some with me on my work trip so I don’t have to eat dinner out and some protein shakes for breakfast and lunch. I’ll freeze what we don’t eat quickly (it’s like 10 pounds of goulash with carrots, sauerkraut, onions, beef). Will try to minimize my exposure, with my luck I’ll transport it to the middle of no where small town TX.

Been keeping track of my temp, today I’m at 99 which is slightly high for me but I don’t feel bad otherwise. Hopefully it’s from running around.