Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #49

[musicaljoke]

It sounds like he is going to thin the herd! He knows we haven't even peaked yet, but we have open hospital beds, so....
Be safe out there y'all!

"Kemp said with the reopenings he expected cases of the virus to increase, but believed that the state would be able to stay on top of it with increased hospital capacity. State officials would also be on the lookout for any possible hot spots for the virus."

"These are tough decisions, no doubt. And I will have to make more of them," Kemp said, adding that he didn't "give a damn about politics right now" when asked what the political impact of his decisions might be."
Kemp: Restaurants, other businesses to reopen in Georgia amid COVID-19 fight

How brazen. Has he no regard for the health care workers?

 

[cass523]

Per article:

"With just 4% of the population infected with the disease, LA County is still very early in the epidemic, said USC professor Neeraj Sood, who led the study. "Many more people in L.A. County could potentially be infected and as those number of infections rise, so will the number of deaths, the number of hospitalizations and the number of ICU admissions," he said.

Sood said the chance someone tested positive for the anitbodies but didn't actually have Covid-19 was low. They used tests from Premier Biotech, a Minneapolis-based company. "
...
Global health officials have questioned if antibody testing can accurately determine whether a person has any immunity to the disease. The World Health Organization issued a warning Friday saying there's no evidence serological tests can show whether a person has immunity or is no longer at risk of becoming reinfected.

I watched this video on testing results in LA County

ANTIBODY TESTING QUESTIONS:@KayleeHartung
reports on testing for antibodies – as results from a major study in Los Angeles County show up to 55 times the number of cases first thought, but ongoing questions about whether they provide immunity.

Tonight the results are just in, How many people have been exposed to the virus?

video

World News Tonight on Twitter

 

[KALI]

This breaks my heart.

"The grocery store shelves are empty, meat processing plants are not open or operating and the farmer has supply he's ready to ship and he can't," said Nathan Thomas, president of Pennsylvania's Association of Meat Processors.

"It's an atrocity, not only do we have food we can't get to people, we're killing animals needlessly," Thomas said.

There's a small window when live animals can be processed, or butchered, and if there's nowhere for the animals to be slaughtered, they can end up being wasted.

"It's an economic impact, a massive emotional impact," Thomas said.

Just last week, a chicken plant in Delaware announced it would be slaughtering 2 million chickens that would never make it to market.

Chris Young, Executive Director of the American Association of Meat Processors, said he gets calls daily from people looking for alternative places to process meat.

...

It's unclear what that would mean for prices. But there is perhaps a silver lining for farmers.

Due to a sometimes lacking supply of meat at grocery stores, and overall disinterest in shopping among large crowds, farmers that sell products at retail are seeing more interest, and more sales.

"That's booming, up 300 % or more," Thomas said.
Good meat going to waste amid pandemic as some meat processors close down

 

[LadyL]

The World Health Organization chief warned Monday that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, reviving the alarm just as many countries ease restrictive measures aimed at reducing its spread.

WHO chief warns the worst of the coronavirus is still ahead

 

[musicaljoke]

I watched this video on testing results in LA County

ANTIBODY TESTING QUESTIONS:@KayleeHartung
reports on testing for antibodies – as results from a major study in Los Angeles County show up to 55 times the number of cases first thought, but ongoing questions about whether they provide immunity.

Tonight the results are just in, How many people have been exposed to the virus.

video

World News Tonight on Twitter

i can't seem to find a link to the actual study.

 

[Henry2326]

How brazen. Has he no regard for the health care workers?

He also said:
.@GovKemp says if a hot spot of the virus develops, the state can step back in.
Claire Simms on Twitter

WOW....HOW GRACIOUS....IF ENOUGH OF US DIE, HE WILL SHUT IT BACK DOWN...WE ALREADY HAVE SEVERAL HOT SPOTS...

 

[cass523]

New York’s biggest nurses union sued the state Health Department and two hospitals — Montefiore Medical Center and Westchester Medical Center — on Monday for failing to protect their health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic.

The lawsuits point the finger for the failures at Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration and the two hospitals for failing to provide sufficient protective equipment, like masks and gowns.

“By compromising the health and safety of the nurses, the DOH and the two hospitals jeopardize patients, their families and the communities in which they live,” the New York State Nurses Association said in a statement accompanying the trio of torts.

NYSNA executive director Pat Kane said that more than 70 percent of her nurses reported being exposed to the dangerous disease and that most are still untested.

https://nypost.com/2020/04/20/nurses-sue-new-york-state-health-department-over-ppe-failures/

 

[Cool Cats]

Note to self - Load up on pork chops before they become hard to find.....moo

You do know pigs oink, right?

(Joking)

 

[The Night Watchman]

It sounds like he is going to thin the herd! He knows we haven't even peaked yet, but we have open hospital beds, so....
Be safe out there y'all!

"Kemp said with the reopenings he expected cases of the virus to increase, but believed that the state would be able to stay on top of it with increased hospital capacity. State officials would also be on the lookout for any possible hot spots for the virus."

"These are tough decisions, no doubt. And I will have to make more of them," Kemp said, adding that he didn't "give a damn about politics right now" when asked what the political impact of his decisions might be."
Kemp: Restaurants, other businesses to reopen in Georgia amid COVID-19 fight

Literally the worst time to open it up. He must not have even basic concept of how the virus works and what economic damage has been done, since he is throwing that away. Bad news for other states and the sacrifices they are making.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

i can't seem to find a link to the actual study.

This isn’t the study I don’t think but it’s relevant.

Recruitment for the USC-L.A. County antibody study is closed to the public. However, volunteers are still needed for a National Institutes of Health antibody study.

The L.A. County Department of Public Health has a fact sheet about serology tests for COVID-19 antibodies.
What a USC-LA County antibody study can teach us about COVID-19 - Press Room

https://clinicalstudies.info.nih.gov/ProtocolDetails.aspx?A_2020-I-0083.html

 

[otto]

The World Health Organization chief warned Monday that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, reviving the alarm just as many countries ease restrictive measures aimed at reducing its spread.

WHO chief warns the worst of the coronavirus is still ahead

The country with the highest incidence of deaths in the world has discredited the WHO, promoted reduced restrictions, and endorsed the antibody test even though no conclusions can be drawn from presence or absence of antibodies.

 

[firebird]

The country with the highest incidence of deaths in the world has discredited the WHO, promoted reduced restrictions, and endorsed the antibody test even though no conclusions can be drawn from presence or absence of antibodies.

Is that a quote from WHO?

 

[momrids6]

Here's an article from 2019 on why more Swedish young people live alone: Why so many young Swedes live alone

Despite the cultural isolation of their young people, I fear Sweden will be quite a tragic situation. We are already starting to see hints of it. Some recent links and quotes on Sweden:

Sweden is seeing an unsettling rise in coronavirus deaths, as comparatively lax restrictions across the country are coming under scrutiny.

The Nordic country had reported 1,540 deaths tied to the coronavirus pandemic, an increase of 29 from Saturday. Last week, the Public Health Agency of Sweden said 1,333 people had died of COVID-19.

Sweden’s figures are considerably more than in the rest of Scandinavia. While its population of over 10 million nearly doubles those of Denmark, Norway and Finland individually, its COVID-19 death toll was up to 17 times higher than those countries, according to reports.

Sweden sees jump in coronavirus deaths with less restrictive guidelines under scrutiny

Sounds tempting – keep your economy going whilst limiting the spread of the disease. Sweden has been the darling of the calls in the west to re-open economies and get back to work. At best, it’s been a risky policy, in contrast to the recommendations of the World Health Organisation and other science published on the spread of Covid-19. But has the bold health gamble worked?

No.

There is already enough data to suggest that a widespread laissez-faire is just a dangerous gamble with human life. Sweden is experiencing a higher death toll than its neighbouring countries. While the Scandinavian countries reported their first fatalities at roughly the same time, at the start of April Sweden had 239 fatalities, now they have 1,540, a 6-fold increase in just under 3 weeks. Meanwhile Denmark has had a 3-fold increase in deaths during they time and Norway 2-fold. In pure per capita terms, the three countries have around the same rate of total infections but Sweden’s mortality rate is much higher, and higher again compared to neighbouring Finland.

And whilst the curve of new infections is starting to flatten in Norway, Finland and Denmark, Sweden’s new infection rate is still rising at a faster rate than its neighbours.

There are now alarming reports, including in the Washington Post, that the virus has spread to one-third of nursing homes in the capital Stockholm, resulting in rising fatalities. There is also little indication that the Swedish economy has weathered the coronavirus economic storm any better than comparable countries.

Read more: Sweden's massive public health gamble is failing | The Thaiger


Like Australia, the country [Sweden] had banned non-essential visitors to its aged care homes.

However, the Government’s advice to aged care homes was that staff should not wear masks or use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) unless they are dealing with a resident in the home, they suspect is infected – and that staff should stay home if they detect any symptoms in themselves.

“The worst thing is that it is us, the staff, who are taking the infection in to the elderly,” one nurse told Swedish public broadcaster SVT. “It’s unbelievable that more of them haven’t been infected. It’s a scandal.”

Lena Einhorn, a virologist who has criticised Sweden’s coronavirus policy, said the Government and its Health agency has failed to acknowledged that staff are the likely route.

“They say it’s very unfortunate, that they are investigating, and that it’s a matter of the training personnel, but they will not acknowledge that pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic spread is a factor,” she said.

Read more: Sweden’s COVID-19 strategy sees 500 residents die in its aged care homes - The Weekly SOURCE

Einhorn was one of 22 researchers who on Tuesday called for Sweden’s politicians to break with the country’s tradition of entrusting policy to its expert agencies, and to seize control of Sweden’s coronavirus strategy from the agency.

She argues that the reason why Sweden has a much higher number of cases in care homes than in Norway and Finland is not because of the homes themselves, but because of Sweden’s decision to keep schools and kindergartens open, and not to shut restaurants or bars.

“It’s not like it goes from one old age home to another. It comes in separately to all of these old age homes, so there’s no way it can be all be attributed to the personnel going in and working when they are sick. There’s a basic system fault in their recommendations. There’s no other explanation for it.”

Tegnell’s colleague AnnaSara Carnahan on Friday told Sveriges Radio that the number of deaths reported from old people’s homes was “probably an underestimate”, as regional health infectious diseases units were reporting that many elderly who died were not being tested.

Anger in Sweden as elderly pay price for coronavirus strategy

but their guy says this.... can someone really find the truth within all these articles? So confusing

Sweden’s Top Epidemiologist: COVID-19 Infections Flattening Under Policy of Individual Responsibility | Dan Sanchez

 

[Henry2326]

SOUTH CAROLINA

Charleston, S.C. – WCBD – Effective at 5 o’clock Monday Governor Henry McMaster has lifted the mandatory closure of some non-essential businesses.

Some businesses now allowed to reopen include department stores, shoe stores, florist, clothing stores, jewelry stores, and furniture stores. Non-essential businesses have been closed for more than two weeks.

Salons and gyms will remain closed but there are efforts being made to safely reopen them in the future.

Social distancing must still be practiced. Occupancy in each store will be limited to 20% or less.

Some non-essential businesses can now open per Gov. Henry Mcmaster

On Monday, he announced that he will allow public beaches to reopen starting at noon on Tuesday, but that he will leave it up to local leaders to decide when to open the beaches. This includes docks, piers and ramps.

At this time, there have been no decisions made on South Carolina schools. The governor said that decisions would be made "soon."

Some SC businesses allowed back open, beaches can reopen at noon on Tuesday

 

[momrids6]

SOUTH CAROLINA

Charleston, S.C. – WCBD – Effective at 5 o’clock Monday Governor Henry McMaster has lifted the mandatory closure of some non-essential businesses.

Some businesses now allowed to reopen include department stores, shoe stores, florist, clothing stores, jewelry stores, and furniture stores. Non-essential businesses have been closed for more than two weeks.

Salons and gyms will remain closed but there are efforts being made to safely reopen them in the future.

Social distancing must still be practiced. Occupancy in each store will be limited to 20% or less.

Some non-essential businesses can now open per Gov. Henry Mcmaster

On Monday, he announced that he will allow public beaches to reopen starting at noon on Tuesday, but that he will leave it up to local leaders to decide when to open the beaches. This includes docks, piers and ramps.

At this time, there have been no decisions made on South Carolina schools. The governor said that decisions would be made "soon."

Some SC businesses allowed back open, beaches can reopen at noon on Tuesday

Texas and Tennessee are reopening as well

Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee To Allow Some Businesses To Reopen Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

 

[Henry2326]

Texas and Tennessee are reopening as well

Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee To Allow Some Businesses To Reopen Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Not sure why they did the charade with the guidelines. None of these states meet the gate requirements for phase 1. Especially testing....flying blind.

 

[otto]

Is that a quote from WHO?

I trust the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for news - it is non-fake news.

"Many Canadians, wonder if we are able to test for the novel coronavirus antibodies, and how long this will take.

Antibody tests look for evidence of an immune response to the virus in the blood. When someone becomes infected with the coronavirus, the body produces specific antibodies to fight the infection. A rapid antibody blood test could also reveal who has been infected, even in asymptomatic cases. Experts believe anyone who's been infected will have at least some immunity from becoming reinfected, at least in the short term.

Rapid antibody blood tests are being made in Canada, but Health Canada has yet to approve them for use during this pandemic. Health Canada told CBC News it is following the guidelines of the World Health Organization, "which does not currently recommend serological [blood] tests for clinical diagnosis."

At least two Canadian companies are selling these types of tests outside the country.

Some experts warn that antibody tests aren't perfect and just because someone tests positive for the antibodies doesn't necessarily mean they have immunity."
​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/antibody-testing-covid-questions-1.5533588

 

[otto]

SOUTH CAROLINA

Charleston, S.C. – WCBD – Effective at 5 o’clock Monday Governor Henry McMaster has lifted the mandatory closure of some non-essential businesses.

Some businesses now allowed to reopen include department stores, shoe stores, florist, clothing stores, jewelry stores, and furniture stores. Non-essential businesses have been closed for more than two weeks.

Salons and gyms will remain closed but there are efforts being made to safely reopen them in the future.

Social distancing must still be practiced. Occupancy in each store will be limited to 20% or less.

Some non-essential businesses can now open per Gov. Henry Mcmaster

On Monday, he announced that he will allow public beaches to reopen starting at noon on Tuesday, but that he will leave it up to local leaders to decide when to open the beaches. This includes docks, piers and ramps.

At this time, there have been no decisions made on South Carolina schools. The governor said that decisions would be made "soon."

Some SC businesses allowed back open, beaches can reopen at noon on Tuesday

It seems like a race to prove that they've conquered the virus and life is back to normal. I can't wait to watch the USA numbers on worldometers in the next 2 weeks!

 

[Hippiemomof5]

It's official. Hell really has frozen over. Insurance companies giving back $$? I will believe it when I see it!

We received a 15% discount this month with Allstate.

 

[PingTheRouter]

for some reason i thought the US borders were already closed, the fact they've only just done it today is stunning to me ugh