Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #61

[astheworldfallsdown]

Coronavirus: New travel bans in Beijing as COVID-19 infections spread

Chinese officials have imposed a travel ban in Beijing to stop the spread of a fresh coronavirus outbreak in the capital.

In addition to parts of the capital already back under lockdown, new travel restrictions have been reimposed on residents of areas considered at high risk, and limits introduced on public transport to reduce passenger numbers on buses and trains.

Those who have already left the city must report to local health bodies as soon as possible.

The financial hub of Shanghai has demanded some travellers from Beijing be quarantined for two weeks.

It follows a spike in new coronavirus cases, which is believed to have started at Xinfadi market in the city's southwestern Fengtai district.

State-run newspapers said the virus was discovered on chopping boards used for imported salmon at the market, which supplies much of the city's meat and vegetables.

The fish has been removed by some supermarket chains, and China has stopped importing it from Europe.

The swift action, which has put areas of the city on what has been described as a "wartime" footing, has stoked fears of a possible second wave of COVID-19 infections.

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Coronavirus: Travellers from the UK take COVID-19 back into New Zealand after three weeks of no infections

Two new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in New Zealand - both related to recent travel from the UK - after the country went more than three weeks with no confirmed new infections.

Both women, from the same family, one in her 30s and the other in her 40s, arrived in the country on 7 June via Australia and stayed in a hotel in Auckland under managed isolation.

They were given permission to leave quarantine early and travel to the capital Wellington to attend a parent's funeral on 13 June - before they were tested for COVID-19, director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, told reporters.

The pair didn't use any public facilities and didn't have any contact with anyone else, except one family member, he said.

Before being tested in Wellington at a drive-though assessment centre as part of the approved plan, one of the women had experienced mild symptoms, while the other was symptom-free.

He said efforts were under way to trace those who may have come into contact with the women, including passengers and crew who were on the same flight, and others who had been in the same managed isolation facility.

 

[anneg]

Great news - I hadn’t heard of this particular drug before now:

A cheap and widely available drug called dexamethasone can help save the lives of patients who are seriously ill with coronavirus.

UK experts say the low-dose steroid treatment is a major breakthrough in the fight against the deadly virus.

It cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators. For those on oxygen, it cut deaths by a fifth.

Life-saving coronavirus drug has been found

Thanks for posting. I use a dexamethasone elixir mouth rinse to treat an inflammatory condition. I don't swallow it. This study used intravenous dexamethasone and tablets in seriously ill patients, so I doubt my mouth rinses would be helpful if I were exposed to the virus. But I don't imagine it would hurt.

ETA: Apparently the trial is also using liquid dexamethasone in addition to IV and tablets. Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov

 

[MimosaMornings]

Coronavirus: Travellers from the UK take COVID-19 back into New Zealand after three weeks of no infections

Two new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in New Zealand - both related to recent travel from the UK - after the country went more than three weeks with no confirmed new infections.

Both women, from the same family, one in her 30s and the other in her 40s, arrived in the country on 7 June via Australia and stayed in a hotel in Auckland under managed isolation.

They were given permission to leave quarantine early and travel to the capital Wellington to attend a parent's funeral on 13 June - before they were tested for COVID-19, director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, told reporters.

The pair didn't use any public facilities and didn't have any contact with anyone else, except one family member, he said.

Before being tested in Wellington at a drive-though assessment centre as part of the approved plan, one of the women had experienced mild symptoms, while the other was symptom-free.

He said efforts were under way to trace those who may have come into contact with the women, including passengers and crew who were on the same flight, and others who had been in the same managed isolation facility.

They came for the funeral (not residents of NZ?) and brought it with them? Hopefully they can contact trace and identify possible exposure to others. Wonder if it would have helped if they had opportunity to be tested prior to their trip?

 

[dmac55]

We visited for the first time since March with my daughter and family outside. We chose the front yard. Mr Pirate and I sat in chairs on the cement driveway over 6 feet back of the grass. The girls age 2 and 4 had toys, little chairs and snacks on the lawn scattered about. The new baby was in moms arms. Dad and mom played with the kids and kept them happy on the grass while we watched and of course chatted and engaged them. They were told they could only stay on the grass. Having the clear distinction of grass and cement helped. The 2 yr old teased and touched her foot to the cement a few times but mom and dad redirected with toys and a kick ball on the lawn. It was a great visit. That said it was so very hard not to scoop the girls up in a big hug.
I hope you can soon try a social distance visit!!

I love the idea of the grass vs concrete to help your little grandchildren understand
That's perfect and made me smile big

 

[tresir2012]

They came for the funeral (not residents of NZ) and brought it with them?

NZ's first Covid cases in 24 days came from UK

It's not known if the patients are citizens of the UK, New Zealand, or elsewhere.

• How NZ's 'team of five million' took on Covid-19
• How NZ beat the virus and got its coffee back

The women - one in her 30s and one in her 40s - arrived in New Zealand from the UK on the 7 June, via Doha and Brisbane, and entered quarantine.

They stayed in a managed isolation hotel in Auckland and on 12 June applied for an exemption to visit their dying parent - who died later that night.

They were granted permission to travel to Wellington on 13 June.

One of the women had "mild symptoms", but put this down to a pre-existing condition.

They travelled to Wellington in a private vehicle and did not use any public facilities during this journey, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, director-general of health, said on Tuesday,

They stayed with a single family member in Wellington. That family member has now been placed in self-isolation.

The women were tested on Monday and the results were confirmed on Tuesday.

 

[tresir2012]

Coronavirus updates: UK government briefing as life-saving drug hailed - BBC News

Really good news in the update today about the drug already mentioned.

Summary

1. First drug proven to cut Covid-19 deaths is found by a global study
2. Cheap and widely available Dexamethasone effective on seriously ill
3. Further 233 deaths registered in the UK - total to have died now 41,969
4. There have been more than 8m confirmed virus cases worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University
5. NZ reports two new cases after a month without any, both recent arrivals from the UK
6. More than 600,000 workers lost their jobs in the UK between March and May
7. Hospitals in the Indian capital Delhi are overwhelmed, but officials have ruled out a new lockdown

Don't know what the files are below. I cannot delete them.

 

[10ofRods]

This article on New Zealand says that the two women are "from the UK" but doesn't state specifically that they are UK citizens. They "came from UK through Australia" says the article, so it would seem that the records show UK as their starting point.

The two were quarantined, per NZ regulations, but allowed to leave on "compassionate grounds" to visit a relative who has since died. They say they used "no public facilities" on their 600 km drive, but that they did spend time with a relative who is still alive (and being tested).

Oddly, the article doesn't say whether NZ tested the pair in the first place, but now in order to get out of isolation for compassionate reasons, people must be tested and test negative (one would think that would have already been policy) .

At least they are contact tracing.

 

[jjenny]

"KYIV, Ukraine -- The wife of Ukrainain President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been hospitalized with double pneumonia after contracting the new coronavirus, joining the ranks of several first ladies around the world who got infected with COVID-19 earlier this year."
Ukraine president's wife hospitalized with virus

 

[jjenny]

"Some restaurants that had reopened in states now seeing a rebound in coronavirus cases are again having to shut down — a scenario public health experts had warned about and that business owners had feared."
After reopening, restaurants again shutting their doors as coronavirus flares

 

[astheworldfallsdown]

Three more deaths in Ireland, and fresh cases in New Zealand: Today's Covid-19 main points

Ireland

HEALTH OFFICIALS HAVE this evening confirmed that there have been three new deaths related to Covid-19 in Ireland.

It means that the number of people in this country with the coronavirus who have sadly died is 1,709

The National Public Health Emergency Team has also said that a further 14 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed, brining the total in this country to 25,334.

No new deaths were recorded on the island of Ireland yesterday, the first time this has happened since March.

Here are today’s Covid-19 main points:

• A further three people have died from Covid-19 in Ireland.
• Up to 5,000 people could meet in outdoor gatherings from September if the Covid-19 virus stays suppressed, the Taoiseach has said.
• There have been 100 incidents of people spitting or coughing on Garda members since 8 April, figures released by An Garda Síochána show.
• A greater focus on flu vaccination could be at the heart of how Ireland sustains a fragile health system through the pressure of winter, although experts say the country will need to do more than that if it’s to cope with both Covid-19 and the annual challenge of influenza.
• The Covid-19 crisis has had a major impact on housing supply, according to a new report. The weeks-long hiatus on construction work as sites shut in response to the pandemic, combined with the limits imposed by social distancing requirements, mean that new houses might only reach 14,000 in 2020 – a major shortfall.
• The Governor of the Central Bank has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused an economic shock “unprecedented in scale and speed”.
• It is too difficult to predict how the economy will look in a year’s time due to ongoing uncertainty around the trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ESRI has told an Oireachtas committee, adding that in a worst case scenario GDP could decline by as much as 17%.

 

[10ofRods]

The lung transplant waiting list in the US now has 1400 adults and children on it. (It's near the bottom of that article).

Not all of these are COVid patients, of course, but it is apparently the longest wait list we've ever had. This is partly due to patients who were on the list before COVid not being able to get procedures, due to high risk of acquiring CoVid in hospital.

 

[tabitha111]

'WHAT WE FEARED HAS NOW HAPPENED' | CORONAVIRUS OVERRUNS TEXAS FAMILY OF 6

'What we feared has now happened' | Coronavirus overruns Texas family of 6

One of the children contracted pneumonia and COVID-19 at the same time and went to the hospital.



Author: CBS News, Chloe Alexander

Published: 10:21 PM CDT June 15, 2020

High temperatures, body aches, coughs, sore throats and stomach pain. These are just a few of the symptoms Beth Cordova and her family members are experiencing after they all contracted coronavirus.


The Texas family from Diboll includes Cordova's 44-year-old husband and her four children -- two boys and two girls who range from 19 to 24 years old.





Cordova believes the family got COVID-19 from one of her daughters who is a nurse.



"My daughter took care of a COVID positive patient on June 1 and she got the first symptoms on June 4," Cordova told CBS News.

[...]


In the following days, the rest of her family started showing similar symptoms. Cordova's other daughter, Breahna, contracted pneumonia.



"She was the last one to be diagnosed. And hers is actually COVID pneumonia, which is a little bit more serious. But, so far, she's handling it OK and she's on the meds already. So I'm hoping that's enough to kick it to the curb," Cordova said.

[....]


With Texas reopening, Cordova said her biggest fear is that she will catch the virus again.



"So, maybe if everybody would just get on board with even just wearing the mask, maybe it would at least keep it at bay. Not necessarily stopping because I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon," Cordova told CBS News. "And I know it's probably not a 100% safety measure, but it's better than nothing at all."

 

[jjenny]

One night in a bar, woman and her 15 friends test positive.
“I think we were careless and we went out into a public place when we should not have. And we were not wearing masks. I think we had a whole 'Out of sight, out of mind' mentality. The state opens back up and said everybody was fine, so we took advantage of that,” Crisp said."
Woman, 15 friends test positive for coronavirus after night out at Lynch’s

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Thanks for posting. I use a dexamethasone elixir mouth rinse to treat an inflammatory condition. I don't swallow it. This study used intravenous dexamethasone and tablets in seriously ill patients, so I doubt my mouth rinses would be helpful if I were exposed to the virus. But I don't imagine it would hurt.

ETA: Apparently the trial is also using liquid dexamethasone in addition to IV and tablets. Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov

You might want to stock up before some idiot suggests injecting it and it sells out faster than toilet paper

 

[jjenny]

The lung transplant waiting list in the US now has 1400 adults and children on it. (It's near the bottom of that article).

Not all of these are COVid patients, of course, but it is apparently the longest wait list we've ever had. This is partly due to patients who were on the list before COVid not being able to get procedures, due to high risk of acquiring CoVid in hospital.

Life expectancy generally isn't long with a lung transplant. So it really sucks.

 

[weepingangel]

Boston University faculty wary of return to classroom - CommonWealth Magazine

More at link
Boston University faculty wary of return to classroom
Petition launched asking for option to conduct courses online
WHILE COLLEGES ANDuniversities are rolling out plans to welcome students back to campus this fall, some Boston University faculty members are giving their institution a failing grade, saying they’re concerned about the safety of in-person teaching and want the option to conduct their courses online.

 

[10ofRods]

"Some restaurants that had reopened in states now seeing a rebound in coronavirus cases are again having to shut down — a scenario public health experts had warned about and that business owners had feared."
After reopening, restaurants again shutting their doors as coronavirus flares

Interesting. If the employees got it so soon after reopening, it seems a good premise that they got it from their customers (who of course were not masked). I wonder if it entered through the eyes or whether, like so many people, they were wearing their masks below their noses (I see this all the time). It's great that restaurant personnel knew that loss of sense of smell was a key early symptom, but unfortunately, it's also one of the less common symptoms (although everyone who loses their sense of smell suddenly should be tested, of course).

Shutting down again was the right response (until everyone in the restaurant tests negative...10 days after last contact with the other employees) My worry would be that one more employee will test positive, and that will reset the clock.

The case above was in Texas, btw. Restaurant appears to have all its tables indoors (and widely spaced).

France just allowed indoor dining to resume yesterday, about a week after allowing outdoor dining. Daily new cases in France are bumping along at about 20-25% of what they were at their peak. Daily deaths are continuing to drop, seeming to plateau at around 25 per day (but it's too soon to know what reopening will do - it's only been slightly more than a week).

 

[musicaljoke]

Trump Rally Is the ‘Perfect Storm Setup,’ for Viral Spread, Disease Expert Says

“The risk of viral spread at a rally like the one President Trump has planned for next weekend in Oklahoma is much higher, the experts said, because the rally will be indoors in a large arena and there will no requirement that attendees wear masks.

“It’s a perfect storm setup: the idea of tons of people, where one sick person can have an impact of generating secondary cases on this immense level, where it’s indoors, where there’s no ventilation,” Dr. Bhadelia said. “I would move it to the outdoors, I would reduce the number of people, I would introduce social distancing, and I would require everybody to wear a mask.”“

Can we vote for Dr. Bhadelia for prez instead?

 

[10ofRods]

Boston University faculty wary of return to classroom - CommonWealth Magazine

More at link
Boston University faculty wary of return to classroom
Petition launched asking for option to conduct courses online
WHILE COLLEGES AND universities are rolling out plans to welcome students back to campus this fall, some Boston University faculty members are giving their institution a failing grade, saying they’re concerned about the safety of in-person teaching and want the option to conduct their courses online.

They'll be in a minority of major universities (and probably minor ones) if they don't provide all students and faculty with the option of distance ed.

For one thing, I'd assume they have a heating system and that it will be used in fall, in Boston. It would be a memorable thing, indeed, if they turned it off and everyone had to bundle up to sit in a chilly room.

UCLA will have only 15-20% of its offerings on campus (and many of those classes are in the medical division). That does allow them the classroom space to have very small sections of other classes where it's hard to have distance ed.

I'd be wary too.