Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #45

[10ofRods]

That does raise an interesting situation, doesn't it? I would guess that the greatest international travel would be between China and CA. Do you know? So they never got tested back then, right? Are you saying that they have talked to their healthcare providers, about being tested for antibodies?
How hard is that anyway?

There's a lot of travel between China and California, because nearly all of America's goods come through California's ports, plus Silicon Valley. Every single tiny change or transaction involving a "device" means travel. China has been really good about paying for a lot of it. Lots of business travel. Beauty influencers. App developers. Animators. So many others (including my relatives).

Antibody tests need a blood draw or prick - can't be done with swab. Labs are already overworked, so no widely available tests yet.

 

[otto]

That does raise an interesting situation, doesn't it? I would guess that the greatest international travel would be between China and CA. Do you know? So they never got tested back then, right? Are you saying that they have talked to their healthcare providers, about being tested for antibodies?
How hard is that anyway?

If the virus was in California in October and November, there's no reason to think it came from China. China's first cases of unexplained pneumonia were in November and December.

 

[10ofRods]

Speaking of masks. I have a question: I have two surgical masks. I wore one to Walmart a few days ago and left it on my car seat when I returned. (few people in store, social distancing, etc.) Would that mask be safe to use again in about 7 days?

Me? I'd use it in a heartbeat. But I would probably put a folded kleenex on the inside (in case I had any virus of any kind at all). Or paper towel. Personally, I'd open an alcohol wipe a few minutes before I used it and wipe my own nose (I have issues with viral load - the theory that if the virions are trapped in a small space, they are more invasive).

I'd probably also use the nearly dry alcohol wipe as my extra barrier.

But leaving your mask in a car (which is usually both warm and dry) for several days should result in a really good mask to use. I just overthink things.

 

[10ofRods]

If the virus was in California in October and November, there's no reason to think it came from China. China's first cases of unexplained pneumonia were in November and December.

Well, except for the actual genetic studies of the virus. Do you know about those? They trace the virus, using DNA, just like a criminal...to its source.

 

[gregjrichards]

My first job in healthcare (back in the 1970's) was in a nursing home and it's the worst job I ever held. I won't go into details but what I always remembered was the owner having conniptions if the sheets weren't cornered properly while ignoring some horrors that went on. I quit as soon as I could and went to work at a hospital.

I promised myself I'd never put my parents in such a place. My mom lived with us for the last years of her life and sometimes caring for her was difficult but I don't regret my decision.

Hopefully care has gotten at least a little better since then. My heart breaks for the elderly in nursing homes who cannot have the comfort of their families right now. Some don't understand the circumstances and must feel so lonely and abandoned.

Maybe the coronavirus will bring about some positive changes with nursing homes being more closely scrutinized during the pandemic . I hope so!

Here in Scotland the government has introduced emergency legislation that care home workers must be provided with personal protective equipment and ensure every precaution is taken to protect residents and staff from the virus. Care home owners now face massive fines and jail if they do not comply. Hopefully other governments will follow suit.

 

[Bravo]

We showed up at our Local hospital at 6:45 p.m. as planned. Had a sign thanking workers with a big red heart on it. We caught those coming on shift and those leaving. It was amazing to see all the smiles on faces, thumbs up, Nurses yelling and waving at us from windows. Our Daughter was coming on shift for her 12 hr. midnight. She was beaming and took a pic. Such a very small gesture meant so much to them and to us.

 

[anneg]

My first job in healthcare (back in the 1970's) was in a nursing home and it's the worst job I ever held. I won't go into details but what I always remembered was the owner having conniptions if the sheets weren't cornered properly while ignoring some horrors that went on. I quit as soon as I could and went to work at a hospital.

I promised myself I'd never put my parents in such a place. My mom lived with us for the last years of her life and sometimes caring for her was difficult but I don't regret my decision.

Hopefully care has gotten at least a little better since then. My heart breaks for the elderly in nursing homes who cannot have the comfort of their families right now. Some don't understand the circumstances and must feel so lonely and abandoned.

Maybe the coronavirus will bring about some positive changes with nursing homes being more closely scrutinized during the pandemic . I hope so!

I'm afraid a lot of nursing homes are not good places to be. In our area there are some known to be better than others. My father was able to care for my mother in her last years when she had several strokes. Later on my father spent his last years with my husband and me. My father had dementia so it was not easy. But I am so glad neither had to live in a nursing home.

Maybe one good thing about dying from COVID-19 would be never having to live in a nursing home! (I know that sounds weird)

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Upon an initial glance, those US testing are more than other countries comparatively? Over 2 million tested?

China is blank in these fields.

—-


Thank you

The testing numbers are not really comparable as different countries are using and reporting stats differently. For example in the UK they now only test those admitted to hospital, but there are thousands more managing the illness at home and "presumed positive" as logged by the NHS.

I'm afraid the death rate is the truest indication of what's happening, and even then I doubt every nation is reporting in the exact same way. It's really difficult to make comparisons and will be very interesting in months to come once all the data is available to see which methods and treatments worked best. Hopefully we'll end up with a decent global blueprint to work from for when a virus like this happens again.

 

[cass523]

Dr. Dena Grayson, a medical doctor, scientist, and expert on deadly pandemic diseases, says we are currently in the “first wave” of coronavirus infections.

This is the first wave of infections to come
Dr. Grayson predicts that as summer approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere will become the new “hot zone” for COVID-19 as it becomes their winter season. “Come next flu season when it starts in that kind of October time-frame, we expect that this virus will kind of boomerang back here to the north, causing a second, even worse wave of infections.”

Pandemic Expert Predicts Second, ‘Even Worse’ Wave Of Coronavirus Infections Next Winter.

The death count body count wise next flu season
Next winter flu season, in an absolute worst case scenario, this could be as high as 3-4 million people. Dr. Grayson says she has been calling for a nation-wide lockdown for the past several weeks, because without any proven treatments, “The only defense we have against this virus right now is to shelter.”

Dr. Dena Grayson, a medical doctor, scientist, and expert on deadly pandemic diseases, says people born without spleens, or those who have had their spleens removed, are not at increased risk of becoming infected with COVID-19, but may be more susceptible to certain secondary encapsulated bacterial infections should they contract the disease.

Convalescent Plasma - Inoculate others

"You can purify, collect the liquid part of the blood which is called plasma. We call this convalescent plasma, collected from people who have overcome the infection. It is rich in antibodies that can fight this deadly virus. It is an old school approach actually was used during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, and looked like it was potentially effective against SARS, which is another virus closely related to this deadly coronavirus.

Right now in NY, they are currently doing this. They just published some data on the first couple of patients that were critically ill. Iit does look very, very early, but looks extremely promising. I want to caution, it is still early days. It could be a bridge while waiting for the vaccine. The vaccine is going to take a while, that is going to be 12-18 months, if we are lucky."

video (3:42)

 

[Snoods]

Thank goodness, 1,000 prisoners will not be released. Houston administrative judge Herb Ritchie has halted any further release of prisoners after county judge Lina Hidalgo ordered 1,000 prisoners released.

Hours after a dozen medically-vulnerable (several with lengthy criminal records) inmates were released from jail Friday, Harris County has halted additional releases, citing a court order.

The order signed by the region's administrative judge, Herb Ritchie, couldn't be any clearer. It directs county criminal justice agencies to "ignore and wholly disregard any order and/or directive from the Harris County Judge regarding the (release of felony inmates) now in custody."

Earlier this week, Hidalgo signed an order to release about 1,000 non-violent inmates in an effort to address a "ticking time bomb" behind jail walls.

Harris Co. halts inmate releases after 1st offenders leave jail

 

[cass523]

April 8, 2020

FDA has issued guidance to provide recommendations to health care providers and investigators on the administration and study of investigational convalescent plasma collected from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 (COVID-19 convalescent plasma) during the public health emergency.

The guidance provides recommendations on the following:

• pathways for use of investigational COVID-19 convalescent plasma
• patient eligibility
• collection of COVID-19 convalescent plasma, including donor eligibility and donor qualifications
• labeling, and
• record keeping

Because COVID-19 convalescent plasma has not yet been approved for use by FDA, it is regulated as an investigational product. A health care provider must participate in one of the pathways described below. FDA does not collect COVID-19 convalescent plasma or provide COVID-19 convalescent plasma. Health care providers or acute care facilities would instead obtain COVID-19 convalescent plasma from an FDA-registered blood establishment.

Although promising, convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to be safe and effective as a treatment for COVID-19. Therefore, it is important to study the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in clinical trials.

Investigational COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma - Emergency INDs

 

[MsMarple]

Very interesting for sure! And so it makes me wonder, if it were here in the US that early, what kept it on simmer instead of over boil like now?

Interestingly, pneumonia deaths spiked in January according to some reports. One report said the rise was about 1.6% The CDC reported that deaths associated with influenza were above the threshold and *may* have been associated with Covid-19.

However, another report said the percentage of deaths attributed to flu and pneumonia was 6.8%, which was below the epidemic threshold of 7.3%.

What makes it difficult is that the flu season was very active and no one was testing for Covid-19 initially. I don't know if it will ever get sorted out. I caught something on February 19 that I attributed to the flu. It was flu-like and since I had gotten the shot I figured I had caught a very mild case as a result.

I didn't call the doctor since my fever was low grade and after a week of rest I started feeling better. So was it flu? Probably but I'll never know. As it happened I was exposed to a college aged girl who "was recovering from something" and also mingled with a large group of people from The U.S., Canada and Scotland.

I'm calling my illness the flu based on the fact that no one else I had contact with tested positive for Covid-19 that I know of. But there may be others who were never tested and until that happens we may never know how early the virus crept in.

So a small spike could indicate early arrival of Covid-19 or it may not.

Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report (FluView)
US Flu Cases Climb to 15 Million With 54 Pediatric Deaths Recorded in 2019-20 Season
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-...-thats-sickened-26-million-may-be-at-its-peak

 

[otto]

Well, except for the actual genetic studies of the virus. Do you know about those? They trace the virus, using DNA, just like a criminal...to its source.

There are two strains of the virus, L and S. Both are in the US (link on illustration).

 

[Sundog]

Question:

I know they’re doing the plasma/antibody thing (like my scientific explanation? Haha)

Do we know for sure though that there is immunity after you get it? I’ve seen different reports, and can’t keep up with everything...

Maybe some develop immunity and others do not? Is there definitive reference to this somewhere that states one is immune after they get it? Because I recall a few articles where people developed symptoms again after recovering, iirc. Moo. I appreciate any clarity on this. Maybe the trials are in progress and have not lended themselves to a definitive answer yet?

Dr. Amy Action, Director of Ohio Dept of Health, said today at the Governor's briefing that they don't know yet how long immunity from COVID-19 will last. Just this season? And maybe not into the fall outbreak, if there is one? She said they don't know yet. MOO since I don't have written source, but the transcript should be out tomorrow. She was responding to a journalist's question following the briefing.

 

[Chelly]

Me? I'd use it in a heartbeat. But I would probably put a folded kleenex on the inside (in case I had any virus of any kind at all). Or paper towel. Personally, I'd open an alcohol wipe a few minutes before I used it and wipe my own nose (I have issues with viral load - the theory that if the virions are trapped in a small space, they are more invasive).

I'd probably also use the nearly dry alcohol wipe as my extra barrier.

But leaving your mask in a car (which is usually both warm and dry) for several days should result in a really good mask to use. I just overthink things.

Excellent @10ofRods ! That was my thinking as well. Plan to line the mask with a blue paper shop towel and wipe it down with 90% alcohol. Will probably rotate the two masks that way. Give each one a good 10-20 days rest on my car seat in between use.

 

[Chelly]

We showed up at our Local hospital at 6:45 p.m. as planned. Had a sign thanking workers with a big red heart on it. We caught those coming on shift and those leaving. It was amazing to see all the smiles on faces, thumbs up, Nurses yelling and waving at us from windows. Our Daughter was coming on shift for her 12 hr. midnight. She was beaming and took a pic. Such a very small gesture meant so much to them and to us.

What a heart-warming and meaningful gesture. I applaud you and DH. Bravo, @Bravo

 

[otto]

Excellent @10ofRods ! That was my thinking as well. Plan to line the mask with a blue paper shop towel and wipe it down with 90% alcohol. Will probably rotate the two masks that way. Give each one a good 10-20 days rest on my car seat in between use.

The only thing I've heard about re-using masks is that if they become damp or wet, they cannot be re-used.

 

[jjenny]

These masks are supposed to be disposable. Virus can live on them a long time. If you only have a few surgical masks, you might be better off using a cotton mask-at least you can wash those with hot water and soap. If you have a cotton mask with a pocket you can stick a new shop towel in there as a filter each time you go out.
""Strikingly, a detectable level of infectious virus could still be present on the outer layer of a surgical mask on day 7," the researchers wrote."
Researchers found the coronavirus lasted on a surgical mask for 7 days, showing how crucial it is to properly remove face coverings after wearing them

 

[Chelly]

Yes.

I’m personally going to be very worried to “venture back out there”. I might stay home longer than others so I can “assess the situation”, jmo.

I am in no hurry to get back out there. Safe at home is safe from the virus. Another month or two in isolation is better than the alternative. I'll let the daredevils venture out and gauge their results.

 

[Chelly]

The only thing I've heard about re-using masks is that if they become damp or wet, they cannot be re-used.

Exactly. I wore mine for about 2o minutes in Walmart, removed it in car and placed it on car seat. BTW, I live in the high desert, dry as a bone here. No dampness in that mask.