Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #35

[roche.analisa]

NYC/NY

The Official Website of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

At 11:00 AM Governor Cuomo makes an announcement at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

The governor is salty today!

I have compassion for all New Yorkers but they are getting the majority of all testing, PPE, etc. while the rest of the country is doing without. So while Covid is boiling over there he wants dibs on everything first and then those in other states who aren't dead yet can have their turn.

He did say, and I realize this doesn't work for masks, that he will send equipment on to wherever it is needed next.

I'm not aware of Virginia being under stay at home orders either. I actually went down there over the weekend to eat in a restaurant and hike, since they haven't closed dine-in restaurants in Virginia like they have in Maryland. I had an entire restaurant to myself for most of the time, then the same at Petco (until someone came in wearing a gas mask as I was leaving). Also went to Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, etc. I tried to take my dog hiking in the national park, but it seems everyone in the DMV (DC, MD, VA area) had the same idea, so the park was full and they weren't letting anyone else in. People were parking on the streets for miles to go hiking around the park. They're also waiving park entrance fees right now. Wonder if they're doing that at all national parks...

Yes.

The National Park Service has suspended fees due to coronavirus outbreak

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Indiana has a low rate because we are barely testing. You have to call and go through a questionaire and you will be told you're not eligible for testing. This has happened to a few of my friends who happen to be nurses.

Folks talk about China not being honest to numbers.. pffft, I'm to the point now where I think there is a threshold for cities to even act. They know they aren't prepared to contact trace for a disease... which was an entire issue in US which no one is speaking to MOO

 

[10ofRods]

I’ve been wondering the same. And why even in younger patients, some have very mild symptoms and others very serious symptoms, some to the point of requiring a ventilator.

Unfortunately, we often have no clue if the others were infected. With the exception of a few places like Iceland, no one is testing asymptomatic people. Most people are asymptomatic. China has an antibody test to see if people have already had it, but we don't have one in the US (and it's too lab-consuming to do it right now, anyway - my understanding is that it's serological and needs a blood draw - we need a pinprick test here in the US - but that's hardly at the front of anyone's priorities).

It's very possible that vast numbers of us have had it already. To get a sense of that without tremendous expense, someone needs to do some sampling. And publish that.

 

[otto]

Just catching the morning headlines - next potential epicentre:

"Over the past 24 hours, 85 percent of new cases worldwide were from Europe and the United States, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters. Of those, 40 percent were from the United States.

Asked whether the United States could become the new epicenter, she said: "We are now seeing a very large acceleration in cases in the U.S. So it does have that potential. We cannot say that is the case yet but it does have that potential."

"...They (the United States) have a very large outbreak and an outbreak that is increasing in intensity," Harris added."​

https://www.usnews.com/news/top-new...tial-of-us-becoming-new-coronavirus-epicenter

 

[Ursamajr]

Just my opinion here, but the more I look at the data, I really do believe we’re dealing with at least two different strains...

Scientists claim they have found FORTY mutations of the coronavirus

Scientists in Iceland claim they have found FORTY mutations of the coronavirus | Daily Mail Online

And that give us an answer.

 

[zecats]

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's wife, first lady Tammy Murphy, announced the launch Tuesday of the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund (NJPRF), a nonprofit that will marshal resources to identify critical needs and fight COVID-19's impact on the state's most vulnerable communities.

To date, the state has more than 2,800 coronavirus cases and at least 27 people have died. The fatalities include four members from the same family. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Business is wounded. Everyday people are struggling -- and certain populations feel the pain even stronger.

“The COVID-19 virus has already had far-reaching societal ramifications that have overwhelmingly and disproportionally impacted low- to-middle-income residents and New Jersey’s small business community,” Tammy Murphy said. “We are committed to the task of identifying the most effective interventions, determining community needs, and raising essential funds and awareness as we battle this challenge.”

Gov. Murphy’s Wife Launches New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund to Fight COVID-19 War

 

[branmuffin]

Just thought some readers would be interested in what businesses have been deemed essential in Ontario by Premier Doug Ford. I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by Ford's response to covid-19. Respect.

The list is long so take heart all you people who are imagining Mad Max scenarios. But I have to say Ontario has always, regardless of who is in charge, been a vanguard for dealing with emergencies.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-list-essential-businesses-1.5507687

https://t.co/MK75HraWUh?amp=1

 

[cass523]

Gannett, the owner of USA TODAY and more than 260 daily local media properties, is launching a nationwide effort to help communities support local small businesses during the coronavirus crisis.

“We feel that local businesses are such a core part of the fabric of the country and the communities we all live in,” said Kevin Gentzel, Gannett’s chief revenue officer. “They really are a reflection of the heartbeat of America.”

Home - USA TODAY Support Local Businesses

 

[jjenny]

covid mutates, but all viruses do.
"Now, more diversity is emerging. Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2 evolves over time through random mutations, only some of which are caught and corrected by the virus’s error correction machinery. Over the length of its 30,000-base-pair genome, SARS-CoV-2 accumulates an average of about one to two mutations per month, Rambaut says. “It’s about two to four times slower than the flu,” he says. Using these little changes, researchers can draw up phylogenetic trees, much like family trees. They can also make connections between different cases of COVID-19 and gauge whether there might be undetected spread of the virus."
Mutations can reveal how the coronavirus moves—but they’re easy to overinterpret

 

[What if...]

I've not seen one piece of research data that supports multiple strains....not even from Nextstrain who is analyzing the genomes from around the world. They do see multiple introductions, more than 1 patient 0, in Europe and North America.

@Henry2326 , do you remember the very early report from China? I haven’t seen any confirmation since then, but I haven’t seen anything to the contrary.

Even if that isn’t the case, I just can’t see the whole world shutting down for a mortality rate of 1%.

I may totally be missing a perspective I haven’t thought of, which is why I’m throwing it out there for discussion. Would love to have my mind changed, and I’m very open to other theories based on observation and facts.

 

[Ursamajr]

just my opinion
not quoting anything
but
I'm definitely in love with Cuomo

As a NYer... I most definitely am not. One instance of decent leadership... yay. Finally what we elected him to do. Woo.

 

[SuziQ]

This is THE problem with the Senate bill.

I don't see why the Kennedy center for the arts should be on the list. Or the post office should have their loans to the US Treasury forgiven.

 

[10ofRods]

Beijing's state newspaper warns a second coronavirus outbreak in China is 'INEVITABLE' due to loopholes in the health screening for people arriving from abroad

Beijing's state newspaper says a second wave of coronavirus in China is 'inevitable' | Daily Mail Online

#StayHomeSaveLives

Well, that and the fact that they already have it in nearly every big city in China (and in nearly every province).

Even if they could truly lock their borders, they would still have the potential for large clusters of the virus.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Italy is running high mortality rate because they have a lot of elderly people, and completely overwhelmed medical system. So a lot of people aren't getting treated. They are specifically reserving ventilators for younger people. So of course they will have a high death rate.
Death rate with treatment is one thing. Death rate without treatment is another.

And that’s what it will come down to which is ridiculous. Take a ventilator away from an older person who took the advice and self isolated versus a young person who didn’t and took off for Spring Break. Makes me so mad if it does come down to that.

 

[Yesiamapirate]

So there is some sort of town hall on Fox News. Will this replace our Task Force update on all news channels?
Fox News

 

[What if...]

Italy is running high mortality rate because they have a lot of elderly people, and completely overwhelmed medical system. So a lot of people aren't getting treated. They are specifically reserving ventilators for younger people. So of course they will have a high death rate.
Death rate with treatment is one thing. Death rate without treatment is another.

I do agree with this, but with no cure or treatment, I wonder how much difference the medical care actually makes. I assume a lot, but I really don’t know.

Not sure what the right answer is....

I do know that it has to be a balancing act, and to me, the reaction is greater than the perceived threat if the mortality rate is truly around 1%

 

[branmuffin]

Italy is running high mortality rate because they have a lot of elderly people, and completely overwhelmed medical system. So a lot of people aren't getting treated. They are specifically reserving ventilators for younger people. So of course they will have a high death rate.
Death rate with treatment is one thing. Death rate without treatment is another.

Absolutely, which is why all governments should be trying to avoid triage situations. Considering removing isolation guidelines isn't the way to go about it.

 

[jjenny]

I do agree with this, but with no cure or treatment, I wonder how much difference the medical care actually makes. I assume a lot, but I really don’t know.

Not sure what the right answer is....

I do know that it has to be a balancing act, and to me, the reaction is greater than the perceived threat if the mortality rate is truly around 1%

If people need ventilators but don't get them, their death is virtually guaranteed.

 

[mickey2942]

Indiana has a low rate because we are barely testing. You have to call and go through a questionaire and you will be told you're not eligible for testing. This has happened to a few of my friends who happen to be nurses.

Or one of my friends, who was told to drive 2.5 hours away to nearest testing site. This is with flu. She decided to just roll over in bed.

 

[Tippy Lynn]

Minnesota

March 24, 2020
Tested = 5812
Positive = 262
Death = 1
Hospitalized = 21
Currently in Hospital = 15
No longer isolated = 88

Situation Update for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Minnesota Dept. of Health