Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #54

[JerseyGirl]

Capital One Financial Corp told staff today that the bank’s offices in the United States, Canada and the UK will remain closed to all non-essential staff due to the coronavirus outbreak through at least Sept. 7.

Capital One's North American, UK offices to stay closed until September: memo

 

[tmar]

Prison advocates call on Government to take more action to prevent COVID-19 outbreak in jails

By political reporter Alexandra Beech
8 hrs ago
...
National Cabinet has agreed on guidelines for how to manage COVID-19 in Australia's jails, but prisoner advocacy groups say having inmates behind bars during the pandemic is like giving them the death penalty.

Jails have been epicentres for the virus in the United States and some US states have begun to release prisoners to try to stop the spread.

Prisoners' advocate Debbie Kilroy said an outbreak in an Australian jail was inevitable and would be devastating.
...

"We don't have a death penalty in this country, but this will be a death penalty once it's going viral inside a prison," she said.

Ms Kilroy is a former prisoner turned lawyer and the founder of female prisoners' advocacy group Sisters Inside.

She said the inmates they've spoken with are distressed and don't even have enough soap to protect themselves from the virus.

On Tuesday, National Cabinet agreed to manage COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons in line with the "Communicable Diseases Network Australia National Guidelines for the Prevention, Control and Public Health Management of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Correction and Detention Facilities in Australia".

 

[musicaljoke]

Capital One Financial Corp told staff today that the bank’s offices in the United States, Canada and the UK will remain closed to all non-essential staff due to the coronavirus outbreak through at least Sept. 7.

Capital One's North American, UK offices to stay closed until September: memo

Heh! We'll know it's safe to go back to work when the financial corps reopen their offices and hospitals reopen to allow visitors.

 

[Rocco]

Prison advocates call on Government to take more action to prevent COVID-19 outbreak in jails

By political reporter Alexandra Beech
8 hrs ago
...
National Cabinet has agreed on guidelines for how to manage COVID-19 in Australia's jails, but prisoner advocacy groups say having inmates behind bars during the pandemic is like giving them the death penalty.

Jails have been epicentres for the virus in the United States and some US states have begun to release prisoners to try to stop the spread.

Prisoners' advocate Debbie Kilroy said an outbreak in an Australian jail was inevitable and would be devastating.
...

"We don't have a death penalty in this country, but this will be a death penalty once it's going viral inside a prison," she said.

Ms Kilroy is a former prisoner turned lawyer and the founder of female prisoners' advocacy group Sisters Inside.

She said the inmates they've spoken with are distressed and don't even have enough soap to protect themselves from the virus.

On Tuesday, National Cabinet agreed to manage COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons in line with the "Communicable Diseases Network Australia National Guidelines for the Prevention, Control and Public Health Management of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Correction and Detention Facilities in Australia".

I doubt many of them are elderly with underlying conditions. It's a huge exaggeration to say it's a death sentence if some of them contract the virus. Give them some soap, keep them all confined to their cells to minimize the spread, and they'll be fine.

 

[tresir2012]

FL, GA, and SC sample sequences are found nested within a small USA cluster among otherwise mostly Asian sequences.......
Nextstrain on Twitter

What state is USA/UF ?

 

[seekingjustice**]

I finally downloaded the Aussie govt contact tracing app yesterday onto my phone, after reading their long explanation about all aspects of it. I agree that quick tracing and testing/containment are crucial.

- The app can be uninstalled anytime. The govt will request all to uninstall it when the emergency is over, but you can choose to uninstall it yourself at any time.
- The records are saved for a rolling 21 days (14 day contagion period plus a cushion of 7 days).
- No locations are tracked and/or saved ..... only time/date/phone number/physical proximity.
- When you register, you give your phone number, your first and last name, and your 'age range' (listed in decades) - nothing else.
- If you are found to be positive at any stage you still have to give permission for the health professionals to access your recorded contact data.
- Contacts who will be reached by the medical professionals will not be told who the infected person is.

The govt - simultaneously - enacted a new law making it criminal to use any of the data for anything but covid contact tracing.

I've been considering downloading it SouthAussie - I just wanted to wait a week or so to make sure all the bugs were ironed out which I now think they are. We're not out of the woods yet, so I'm going to download it tonight as well.

 

[cass523]

Peer reviewed cloth mask study:

A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers

Results:

Results The rates of all infection outcomes were highest in the cloth mask arm, with the rate of ILI statistically significantly higher in the cloth mask arm (relative risk (RR)=13.00, 95% CI 1.69 to 100.07) compared with the medical mask arm. Cloth masks also had significantly higher rates of ILI compared with the control arm. An analysis by mask use showed ILI (RR=6.64, 95% CI 1.45 to 28.65) and laboratory-confirmed virus (RR=1.72, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.94) were significantly higher in the cloth masks group compared with the medical masks group. Penetration of cloth masks by particles was almost 97% and medical masks 44%.

Again, these appear to be either single layer cloth masks and homemade masks of an unspecified type (for the cloth masks).

I posted this before, I am happy with my mask purchase, so are my family members. The guys like the black. No Hassles, no washing machine, no soaking. I bought my mask at GIR (Get it Right.) They got it right, it is perfect. Stays in place. Reusable.

It comes with a plastic clip, so you can hook it behind your head for a tighter fit, if you have a smaller head.

"This breathable face shield is made with medical-grade, FDA and LFGB approved silicone. Fitted with a filter, your mask will help fight the spread of COVID-19. Each kit comes packaged with five filters; you can purchase additional filters from us here, or use your own filter supply."

I just sent one to my daughter, a nurse to see if she likes it.
I ordered for my grandchildren the day I found out they now make masks for kids. They will be returning to daycare.

Comes with 5 filters and they sell a boxes of 10.

Clean your mask You can sanitize your mask in the dishwasher, microwave (90 seconds), oven (5 minutes at 300°), autoclave, or by hand washing vigorously with soap and hot water.

Kids Mask

Kids Face Mask


Reusable Face Mask

Instruction Video

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=261156365026248

 

[tresir2012]

I finally downloaded the Aussie govt contact tracing app yesterday onto my phone, after reading their long explanation about all aspects of it. I agree that quick tracing and testing/containment are crucial.

- The app can be uninstalled anytime. The govt will request all to uninstall it when the emergency is over, but you can choose to uninstall it yourself at any time.
- The records are saved for a rolling 21 days (14 day contagion period plus a cushion of 7 days).
- No locations are tracked and/or saved ..... only time/date/phone number/physical proximity.
- When you register, you give your phone number, your first and last name, and your 'age range' (listed in decades) - nothing else.
- If you are found to be positive at any stage you still have to give permission for the health professionals to access your recorded contact data.
- Contacts who will be reached by the medical professionals will not be told who the infected person is.

The govt - simultaneously - enacted a new law making it criminal to use any of the data for anything but covid contact tracing.

I was not originally in favour but once I read about South Korea, Germany and Singapore then I saw how the speedy contact and testing is important. Looking at their statistics helps to convince it is worthwhile.

 

[LotsaLatte]

Thank you everyone for keeping things up to date here I pop in and catch up as I can and really appreciate it! My son and DIL are (hopefully) having the first grandbaby in the next few hours!! She went in earlier to "get checked" after 4 days of contractions and before they sent her home, they did the COVID19 test. This is in Washington State. They won't have results for 24 hours and told her she could go to another place if she wanted faster results. Anyway, they just went back in and are now in a room and she has to wear a mask during labor and delivery as the results for the test won't be back until morning. They didn't test my son but he is wearing a mask too, of course. I made a ton of masks so those came in handy.

 

[tresir2012]

Lol. Well, nothing is. But this is going a long way toward things opening up for us .... if they can trace contacts quickly for a lot of the population.


Health minister Greg Hunt said the government’s target for uptake of the app is 40% of the population.
Covidsafe app: how Australia’s coronavirus contact tracing app works, what it does, downloads and problems

So do they only need 40% take up for it to be effective?

 

[tresir2012]

Thank you everyone for keeping things up to date here I pop in and catch up as I can and really appreciate it! My son and DIL are (hopefully) having the first grandbaby in the next few hours!! She went in earlier to "get checked" after 4 days of contractions and before they sent her home, they did the COVID19 test. This is in Washington State. They won't have results for 24 hours and told her she could go to another place if she wanted faster results. Anyway, they just went back in and are now in a room and she has to wear a mask during labor and delivery as the results for the test won't be back until morning. They didn't test my son but he is wearing a mask too, of course. I made a ton of masks so those came in handy.

Oh wow. Hope it all goes well.

 

[dmac55]

Less information (about anything), never sits well with me

[AZ] State health department tells university COVID-19 modeling team to stop work, limits data access
State health department tells university COVID-19 modeling team to stop work, limits data access

 

[Cool Cats]

And then we have this:

South Carolina woman busted for licking hands, touching grocery store food
By Joshua Rhett Miller

May 4, 2020 | 1:11pm | Updated

https://nypost.com/2020/05/04/sc-woman-busted-in-alleged-supermarket-saliva-spreading-spree/

Shenir Gibson Holliday, 38, was taken into custody Saturday after cops responded to an IGA supermarket in Sumter, where she was spotted on surveillance footage allegedly licking her hands and coughing before touching freezer doors and several products, police said Sunday.

She was identified as a suspect in a similar “hand-licking” incident at a sandwich shop in Sumter last week, police said.

A manager at Sub Station II told police that Holliday was caught on video there licking her fingers before paying a clerk at the eatery. She also allegedly spread her saliva on a debit machine and licked several quarters before dropping them into a tip jar, The State reports.

Holliday is facing charges of aggravated breach of peace and food tampering. She was also issued a citation for violating the state’s home or work order and has been ordered by a judge to be tested for COVID-19, police said.

Holliday remained in custody Monday in lieu of $100,000 bond, jail records show.

If convicted of food tampering, a felony, Holliday could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years. She faces up to 10 years if convicted of aggravated breach of peace, The State reports.

 

[LotsaLatte]

And then we have this:

South Carolina woman busted for licking hands, touching grocery store food
By Joshua Rhett Miller

May 4, 2020 | 1:11pm | Updated

https://nypost.com/2020/05/04/sc-woman-busted-in-alleged-supermarket-saliva-spreading-spree/

She was identified as a suspect in a similar “hand-licking” incident at a sandwich shop in Sumter last week, police said.

A manager at Sub Station II told police that Holliday was caught on video there licking her fingers before paying a clerk at the eatery. She also allegedly spread her saliva on a debit machine and licked several quarters before dropping them into a tip jar, The State reports.

Holliday is facing charges of aggravated breach of peace and food tampering. She was also issued a citation for violating the state’s home or work order and has been ordered by a judge to be tested for COVID-19, police said.

Holliday remained in custody Monday in lieu of $100,000 bond, jail records show.

If convicted of food tampering, a felony, Holliday could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years. She faces up to 10 years if convicted of aggravated breach of peace, The State reports.

Why why why?

 

[LotsaLatte]

Oh wow. Hope it all goes well.

Thank you

 

[tresir2012]

Coronavirus: How does contact tracing work and is my data safe?

This is the bit I am interested in as not everyone has smartphones. This part of the link states you can use a bluetooth enabled wristband instead. I hope the UK takes this up once the IOW trial is complete. Click on the bit about tracking wristbands to see some interesting info about putting these wristbands on people who are quarantining. Also, some countries are giving these wristbands out for free. What a great idea to defeat the virus.

"Take-up will have to be colossal for the virus to be totally supressed. Academics advising the NHS estimate 80% of smartphone users - 60% of the population - would have to actively use it.

By comparison, about 67% of UK smartphone users have downloaded messaging app WhatsApp.

The academics' model does not take into account the over 70s, due to their average low smartphone usage , and the assumption many will be shielding and so not coming in to contact with lots of other people.

People would also have to be honest about displaying any potential symptoms and inform the NHS.

Those without smartphones could end up wearing a Bluetooth-enabled wristband, like those used in other countries to detect lockdown breaches.

• A SIMPLE GUIDE: How do I protect myself?
• AVOIDING CONTACT: The rules on self-isolation and exercise
• HOPE AND LOSS: Your coronavirus stories
• LOOK-UP TOOL: Check cases in your area
• STRESS: How to look after your mental health

What can the government do with my data?
Not everyone is happy with the government and third parties being given access to people's data. Civil rights group Liberty said the government must take the risks seriously, and should not make installing the app a condition to leaving the lockdown or returning to work.

''Millions of us are going to need to trust the app and follow the advice it provides,'' says NHSX, the technology arm of the health service. It says the information gathered will only ever be used for health and research purposes, and that the app can be deleted at any time.

The UK app will use a "centralised model", meaning the matching process will take place on a computer server.

An alternative, decentralised model was put forward by Apple and Google, where the exchange happens on people's handsets.

The tech giants say their version makes it harder for hackers or the authorities to use the computer server logs to track and identify specific individuals.

But NHSX says its centralised system will help give it more insight into how the disease spreads and help it to make the app more efficient.

Mr Hancock said the app will take "full consideration" of privacy concerns. "

 

[MsArk]

Thank you everyone for keeping things up to date here I pop in and catch up as I can and really appreciate it! My son and DIL are (hopefully) having the first grandbaby in the next few hours!! She went in earlier to "get checked" after 4 days of contractions and before they sent her home, they did the COVID19 test. This is in Washington State. They won't have results for 24 hours and told her she could go to another place if she wanted faster results. Anyway, they just went back in and are now in a room and she has to wear a mask during labor and delivery as the results for the test won't be back until morning. They didn't test my son but he is wearing a mask too, of course. I made a ton of masks so those came in handy.

How exciting! Congratulations to everyone!

 

[CeeCeeCat]

Good morning everyone.

It’s such a beautiful morning - the sun is shining, there’s a gentle breeze wafting across the garden...one of those mornings where the wider world feels, well, a world away.
My veggie box delivery this week contained rhubarb, apples, peppers, tomatoes, leeks and potatoes. I made rhubarb and apple compote, tomato-pepper soup and spicy leek & potato soup - all made and the kitchen cleaned up before 8am. I feel so accomplished!

I wonder how we’ll emerge from this? Will we be more mindful of the world around us? Continue with those tiny acts of kindness towards each other? Continue looking out for those more vulnerable than others?
I hope so. All these losses can’t be for nothing.

Stay safe today

 

[LotsaLatte]

How exciting! Congratulations to everyone!

thank you!!! I am soooo excited!!

Good morning everyone.

It’s such a beautiful morning - the sun is shining, there’s a gentle breeze wafting across the garden...one of those mornings where the wider world feels, well, a world away.
My veggie box delivery this week contained rhubarb, apples, peppers, tomatoes, leeks and potatoes. I made rhubarb and apple compote, tomato-pepper soup and spicy leek & potato soup - all made and the kitchen cleaned up before 8am. I feel so accomplished!

I wonder how we’ll emerge from this? Will we be more mindful of the world around us? Continue with those tiny acts of kindness towards each other? Continue looking out for those more vulnerable than others?
I hope so. All these losses can’t be for nothing.

Stay safe today

Amen! yes, I hope good comes from this! And your veggie delivery sounds delicious!

 

[katydid23]

Clear as mud. From the link:

"The official said the task force 'will be phased down around Memorial Day. We will continue to have key medical experts advising (President Donald Trump) daily and accessible to press throughout the coming months ahead.'"

WH press secretary pushes back on 'misconstrued' reporting on coronavirus task force potentially winding down

WH press secretary pushes back on 'misconstrued' reporting on coronavirus task force potentially winding down


White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany pushed back Tuesday on what she views as “misconstrued” reporting on Vice President Pence’s announcement that the administration is potentially winding down the coronavirus task force.

"Reporting on the task force is being misconstrued to suggest the White House is no longer involving medical experts. This is totally false," she tweeted.

McEnany said the Trump administration will use a “data-driven approach towards safely reopening ” the country, though she did not comment on whether or not the task force will be disbanded in the coming weeks.

A White House official told Fox News that the medical community would have a part to play in the next phase of reopening the country and that the administration will “make sure medical guidelines are kept up to date."

However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Trump’s infectious disease expert and a member of the task force, reportedly contradicted the idea that the task force was “winding down”.

“That's not true," Fauci told CBS during an interview on Tuesday. "I've been in every task force meeting, and that's not what they are doing.”