Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #56

[TMAN2014]

Long article in case anyone is bored.

US courts have almost always deferred to public health authorities that have deprived individuals of their liberty in the name of public health

The continuing tensions between individual rights and public health. Talking Point on public health versus civil liberties

 

[TMAN2014]

And if you are still bored after the last article:

https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1343&context=jil

This one is

2007 Balancing Individual Rights and Public Health Safety during Quarantine: The U.S. and Canada

 

[musicaljoke]

Coronavirus: Reopening dates set for daycares, gyms, campgrounds, BMVs and more

Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced reopening dates for multiple industries, including childcare, day camps, gyms, pools, campgrounds, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle offices and horse racing.


Daycares and childcare facilities will be permitted to reopen May 31 with a reduced number of children. Day camps can also resume on May 31.

Campgrounds can reopen on May 21 and gyms and fitness centers on May 26.

Low-contact and non-contact sports, including baseball, tennis and golf, can resume on May 26.

Higher-contact sports, such as hockey, basketball, football and soccer, are not part of the reopening yet.

DeWine noted that some sports leagues depend on school facilities to operate. Husted noted that technically school buildings are closed, but the grounds are not.

Pools regulated by local health departments can also reopen May 26.


Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles will reopen on May 26, Husted said, but he encouraged people to utilize online services as much as possible.

Oh, well that's lovely! That's just two more weeks. One assumes, of course, that implies community spread is no longer happening and the state has CoV-19 well under control!

 

[jjenny]

So the second wave is coming, and I wonder if this means there is a natural drop in infectiousness in the first wave until then, ie how can you have a second wave without a lull? I don't know.

Dr Kluge said: “We know from history that in pandemics the countries that have not been hit early on can be hit in a second wave."

This is where the Sweden experiment gets interesting. The higher rate of antibody positive population may blunt the damage of the second wave. Sweden's approach may end up saving lives. We shall see.

Well, I wouldn't worry about how interesting Sweeden's approach is, considering that with the states opening up, we are going to have high rate of infected population right here in US. Those who survive presumably will be antibody positive.

 

[jjenny]

NIH begins clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin to treat COVID-19

Seems like a day late and a dollar short? And I still don't get the point of combining two drugs each of which has potential for cardiovascular side effects.

 

[The Night Watchman]

Well, I wouldn't worry about how interesting Sweeden's approach is, considering that with the states opening up, we are going to have high rate of infected population right here in US.

Solid point!

 

[nhmemorymaker]

i

Bars packed in Wisconsin. Why?

My guess, in order of importance from the patron's viewpoint-
1) they consider this like the flu (and they aren't afraid of the flu)
2) they just want normal
3) they want to show they are unafraid
4) they want to support the local businesses that are a part of their life
5) they are resisting being told what to do
6) they have not personally seen any impact from CV

What they wouldn't consider important for their actions is-
1) concern for others
2) future negative economic impact of the actions
3) appropriate knowledge of the dangers of coronavirus (can get sufficient information from a couple Facebook memes)

From the bar pictures in the article this looks like young people primarily. Truth is they will not personally be affected differently than the flu, although the flu goes away and coronavirus is highly infectious and is here to stay. And I doubt that the young people packed in a bar would change behavior even if they lost a grandparent to the virus.

I think Americans are more selfish than many European and Asian countries, and a significant part of the population is fixated on rights in a way that they don't want to be a subservient part of a collective action (right or wrong). So IMO, with a highly infectious and asymptomatic virus like CV, and poor testing capability, we never had a chance to stop the spread- regardless of action.

Hours after Wisconsin court stops stay-at-home order, residents pack bars | Boston.com

I agree. I think i expressed earlier, that I am "game" to re-opening" because I have choices. I am really hoping that the gradual but constant reopening will coincide with decrease in cases/deaths. We are all better off if this is the case. But since I have nothing to prove, as I feel the youngers want to do, I just know I can simply stay in place longer if need be. In, some ways, I wish we were not actually coming into warmer Summer...for it will disguise potential second waves. Australia will show us some data...but they are also more strict than America will ever be able to be.

 

[otto]

Europe must brace for 'second and more deadly wave of coronavirus in winter', WHO official warns


Europe must brace for 'second and more deadly wave of coronavirus in winter', WHO official warns

Rebecca Speare-Cole
5 hrs ago
Europe should brace for a second and more deadly wave of coronavirus which could hit in winter, a top World Health Organisation official has warned.

Dr Hans Kluge, WHO director for Europe, delivered the stark warning on Thursday as countries begin to relax their Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

It comes as cases in countries like the UK, France, Italy and Spain begin to fall, however, numbers further east in Russian, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan have started rising.
...
He said countries should start to prepare for further waves by strengthening their public health systems and building capacity in hospitals, primary care and intensive care units.

“Singapore and Japan understood early on that this is not a time for celebration, it’s a time for preparation," Dr Kluge told the newspaper.

Post secondary institutions in Canada are discussing blended learning in September. This means part in class and part online learning. Experiential learning classes, such as chemistry lab, will make up the 30% that will be on Campus for the Fall semester.

If there is to be a second wave, which is already predicted as mostly inevitable, it will probably be like the second 1918 wave - very deadly to a different demographic age group than wave 1. Wave 1 seems worse for people under age 10 and over age 60. That suggests the next wave will be harder on those between 20 and 50.

Plant a garden.

 

[katydid23]

Oh, well that's lovely! That's just two more weeks. One assumes, of course, that implies community spread is no longer happening and the state has CoV-19 well under control!

It sounds like a lot of thought and planning went into their decision:



Republican Gov. Mike DeWine says day care centers, gyms and activities such as low-impact sports leagues and horse racing will reopen this month.

DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said Thursday that the decisions were made as groups studying various industries finished their reports on strategies.

DeWine said state's day care centers can reopen May 31. The centers will have reduced numbers of children in each classroom and require extra cleaning and washing of hands.

Day camps can also reopen May 31. Gyms and public pools can open May 26.


EDUCATION

Should schools reopen in the fall, daily life would include at-home temperature checks, hand-sanitizing stations, and face masks for students and teachers, according to a draft Department of Education report, Cleveland.com reported.

Desks would also be at least 6 feet apart, frequently touched surfaces like door handles and handrails would be regularly sanitized, and visitors would be limited or even prohibited under the plan.

The report is a draft and could easily change, the Education Department said.

Ohio University announced plans to reopen for in-person fall classes, although the university left open the option of remote learning as “information about the virus continues to evolve.”

___


NURSING HOMES

Data released Thursday shows 661 coronavirus-related deaths among residents in long-term care facilities since April 15, or close to half of all deaths in the state. The total number is likely much higher because the health department didn't track nursing home deaths by facility before April 15 and thus has less complete data for the beginning weeks of the pandemic. Nursing homes accounted for more than 4,000 positive cases since April 15.
Ohio coronavirus updates: 24,800 confirmed cases in the state, 1,388 deaths
=================

More than half of the deaths in the state of Ohio came from Nursing homes early on in the crisis.

That means that the entire state had about 700 deaths in the general population, in total.

The majority of the counties had very few cases, many under 10 total. Should entire counties stay in total lockdown with many losing their homes and businesses, if they have less than 10 deaths total in their county?

ETA:

I have no idea what that attached file is or how to get rid of it?

 

[nhmemorymaker]

This is what my students are saying in their end-of-term essays. That Americans, especially the youth, are selfish. One student questioned whether young Americans have a "worldview" at all, perhaps a "selfview," she said.

The entire class said that their eyes have been opened to aspects of American culture that they had not noticed before. Being young, they thought we were more unified. The older students did not think this (oldest is in his forties).

I agree with you completely, about how no matter what kind of pandemic plan we had, we wouldn't have been able to execute it as a nation.

I wonder what will happen next. We're about to be excluded from visiting the EU once it reopens, until we get a handle on our rising numbers. Even California is going in the wrong direction, a tiny bit, with our very soft reopening.

We shall see. Canada won't let us in. Mexico won't let us in. We are rapidly becoming a very large island, with a patchwork of different views on how to proceed.

such lesson you are learning............

 

[otto]

So the second wave is coming, and I wonder if this means there is a natural drop in infectiousness in the first wave until then, ie how can you have a second wave without a lull? I don't know.

Dr Kluge said: “We know from history that in pandemics the countries that have not been hit early on can be hit in a second wave."

This is where the Sweden experiment gets interesting. The higher rate of antibody positive population may blunt the damage of the second wave. Sweden's approach may end up saving lives. We shall see.

Early on (CBC news), we were told that there will be lowered transmission during the Summer months, that could build false confidence, that there will be a second wave in the Fall. This pandemic started mid-March 2020. The last one started mid-March 1918. There was a second wave in Sept/Oct 1918. Some places experienced a third wave in Spring 1919. The second wave was the deadliest, in part because they weren't expecting it.

I agree that countries should expect and prepare for a deadlier second wave. There's no downside to getting it wrong and breathing a huge sigh of relief. There's everything wrong with gambling over this. Getting it wrong could be deadly.

 

[margarita25]

Here’s How Wuhan Plans to Test All 11 Million of Its People for Coronavirus
The Chinese city’s goal is unrivaled in scale. But a top expert has questioned the need for it, given the low number of infections.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Here’s How Wuhan Plans to Test All 11 Million of Its People for Coronavirus
The Chinese city’s goal is unrivaled in scale. But a top expert has questioned the need for it, given the low number of infections.

It would be more interesting to find out how many have already had it, and how many of those didn’t realise or weren’t ill with it. For every positive test there must be several more cases that weren’t ever tested.

 

[LadyL]

Federal Judge from Muskogee, OK has filed a temporary restraining order against Xephyr LLC and/or N-Ergetics and owners, Brad Brand, Derill J. Fussell and Linda Fussell.
they cannot sell or distribute Colloidal Silver. Claiming this was a cure or treatment for Covid 19 and other diseases


Court Orders Oklahoma Company to Stop Selling Colloidal Silver as Treatment for COVID-19


Link below is one of many about Colloidal Silver. It has not been proven by science it is of any benefit to the body. “Colloidal silver isn't considered safe or effective for any of the health claims manufacturers make. Silver has no known purpose in the body. Nor is it an essential mineral, as some sellers of silver products claim.”

“Rarely, excessive doses of colloidal silver can cause possibly irreversible serious health problems, including kidney damage and neurological problems such as seizures.

Colloidal silver products may also interact with medications, including penicillamine (Cuprimine, Depen), quinolone antibiotics, tetracycline and thyroxine (Unithroid, Levoxyl, Synthroid) medications.”

more info at link .
The truth about colloidal silver

I've been seeing posts on sm about gold leaf too.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

O/T, but on topic actually. COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO Prince Concert has started.

In collaboration with YouTube and Google, this streaming event will run in support of the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization (powered by UN Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation). Any viewer donations will include a matching component from Google (Google.org will match $2 for every $1 up to $5 million).

 

[katydid23]

Coronavirus Cases in Georgia, Florida Continue to Decline Despite Business Openings

Zachary Evans
,
National Review•May 13, 2020

Some states engaged in reopening their economies have not yet seen coronavirus outbreaks feared by health officials.

In particular, Georgia and Florida, which were projected to see a sharp rise in new cases, have not experienced major new outbreaks in the past week. The average number of new daily cases in Florida declined by 14 percent over the past week, and Georgia’s average new daily cases dropped by 12 percent during the same time period, according to an analysis by Axios.


Coronavirus Cases in Georgia, Florida Continue to Decline Despite Business Openings

 

[otto]

Coronavirus Cases in Georgia, Florida Continue to Decline Despite Business Openings

Zachary Evans
,
National Review•May 13, 2020

Some states engaged in reopening their economies have not yet seen coronavirus outbreaks feared by health officials.

In particular, Georgia and Florida, which were projected to see a sharp rise in new cases, have not experienced major new outbreaks in the past week. The average number of new daily cases in Florida declined by 14 percent over the past week, and Georgia’s average new daily cases dropped by 12 percent during the same time period, according to an analysis by Axios.


Coronavirus Cases in Georgia, Florida Continue to Decline Despite Business Openings

That's optimistic. Thankfully they've escaped the worst of the virus and can carry on as though the pandemic happens somewhere else, like watching a movie.

 

[otto]

I've been seeing posts on sm about gold leaf too.

Is that the edible gold-leaf that chefs put on desserts?

 

[The Night Watchman]

Early on (CBC news), we were told that there will be lowered transmission during the Summer months, that could build false confidence, that there will be a second wave in the Fall. This pandemic started mid-March 2020. The last one started mid-March 1918. There was a second wave in Sept/Oct 1918. Some places experienced a third wave in Spring 1919. The second wave was the deadliest, in part because they weren't expecting it.

I agree that countries should expect and prepare for a deadlier second wave. There's no downside to getting it wrong and breathing a huge sigh of relief. There's everything wrong with gambling over this. Getting it wrong could be deadly.

I agree that summer will dampen things, but this is very rarely discussed in reporting. In fact, reporting has typically been worded that a summer slowdown is not known, or there is no evidence that there will be one. I think that is because "they" want to keep people fearful and compliant as we try to work out of the current situation, which is not the worst thing at this point.

The good thing about a second wave is that we will be very much better prepared. Testing should be widespread and senior homes and vulnerable citizens will be sheltered. We all learned a lot.

I'm bouncing around in my head the idea that we might be better off with more infections now and likely higher immunity in the fall, due to the healthcare burden of the seasonal flu(s) and the potential severity of the second wave.

 

[jjenny]

That's optimistic. Thankfully they've escaped the worst of the virus and can carry on as though the pandemic happens somewhere else, like watching a movie.

Maybe it's the hot weather down South. Although it's probably a bit early to see cases arising from opening up the state.