Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #40

[Henry2326]

SOUTH CAROLINA

COLUMBIA — South Carolina health officials have doubled down on their decision to shield from first responders detailed information on the location of coronavirus cases, even though a leading federal official urged those disclosures and governments in other states have already enacted them.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control has also lagged behind other states in reporting several key factors used to track the outbreak, like the number of people sick enough to go to the hospital.

The state health agency insists it’s doing all it can to alert the public of the virus’ risks. Officials said a low supply of key materials has delayed testing results. And their decisions to share information must fall within federal health privacy laws, they contend.

Yet county officials slammed the state’s decision to withhold information from the people who local government leaders say need it the most — paramedics and other first responders.

Key steps help publicly track the virus, protect first responders. SC isn't taking them.

 

[Reasonable & Just]

The difficult thing is the national guard standing on the corner has no way to verify anything they are told. So I can say my daughter is at college with no food and is ill and I need to take her to doctor, but how can he know if any of that is true? Maybe I am going to a friend's Corona party---he can't know.

I agree. And I think that's where RI gets to tell you to stay away from everyone for 14 days (which won't help your daughter, unfortunately). And enforce that. Two sides, coordinated. One would hope that they can check hospital records, or call transport for sick daughter.

ETA - if it's enough of a hassle, I'm thinking Corona partiers will not waste their time or gas. There's enough virus in RI, anyway.

 

[jjenny]

The number of deaths he predicts is much less than original guesstimates, correct?

I don't think so. Originally they were hoping to contain the virus which obviously didn't happen.

 

[katydid23]

I just got off the phone with Nurse Daughter. She is exhausted and overwhelmed. Things are changing hour to hour. Protocols in place for who gets a vent and who doesn't etc. etc. She doesn't want to watch people die because there is not enough intervention equipment to save them. They are venting early in before they crash. It's all just too much!!! She felt better after venting. Tension in Hospital is very high. Level 3 will mean tents outside. She said she hoped it would be a beer tent. A little levity.

What city/area is your daughter working in? I bet her story is the same for all cities now though...

 

[jjenny]

ITALY

29 March

Total cases: 97,689
New Cases:+5,217
Total deaths: 10,779
New Deaths: +756

Coronavirus Update (Live): 691,494 Cases and 33,034 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Outbreak - Worldometer

View attachment 240845
View attachment 240848

Looks like they are starting to level (hopefully).

 

[Bravo]

What city/area is your daughter working in? I bet her story is the same for all cities now though...

SW Ontario Canada. They are just waiting for it to explode.

 

[Henry2326]

“It’s going to be a difficult April” @ScottGottliebMD tells @margbrennan as #coronavirus cases surge in other parts of the country. Adds that "it's too early to lift" stay-at-home measures"
Face The Nation on Twitter

PROJECTIONS: @ScottGottliebMD “I certainly think we’ll have hundreds of thousands of cases, we might get into the millions,” says that cities like Detroit and Philadelphia are likely to increase their numbers of #coronavirus cases"

WHAT COMES NEXT? @ScottGottliebMD tells @margbrennan that a new report out this morning - which he co-authored - suggests waiting for a two week decline in new #coronavirus cases before beginning to resume normal day-to-day activities Face The Nation on Twitter
Face The Nation on Twitter

Face The Nation on Twitter
Face The Nation on Twitter

 

[Bravo]

It's going to be a long time before I can see my American Family. All that matters is we are all healthy. I'm grateful.

 

[Trudie]

SOUTH CAROLINA

COLUMBIA — South Carolina health officials have doubled down on their decision to shield from first responders detailed information on the location of coronavirus cases, even though a leading federal official urged those disclosures and governments in other states have already enacted them.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control has also lagged behind other states in reporting several key factors used to track the outbreak, like the number of people sick enough to go to the hospital.

The state health agency insists it’s doing all it can to alert the public of the virus’ risks. Officials said a low supply of key materials has delayed testing results. And their decisions to share information must fall within federal health privacy laws, they contend.

Yet county officials slammed the state’s decision to withhold information from the people who local government leaders say need it the most — paramedics and other first responders.

Key steps help publicly track the virus, protect first responders. SC isn't taking them.

The good thing is people talk, so word will spread just like in KY when the first case was announced. Despite the governor refusing to announce the patient worked in the deli at a rural WMT, within hours surrounding towns knew. WMT of course did not announce nor close the store, they did disinfect (?) while open.

 

[musicaljoke]

Canada turning to makeshift hospitals to house patients as COVID-19 pandemic stretches capacity

Our region has also set up "hospitals" to house Covid patients. Testing is done off site too, so that the existing hospitals and designated health care workers can continue to treat those who need medical care, and Covid hospital staff and patients are in a different facility. So far, we have no cases, giving us the precious luxury of time to get ready. We are grateful for the lessons of those regions that are ahead of us.

 

[Yesiamapirate]

Just wanted to update you all with some good news! My daughter and SIL had their baby. Welcome baby Willa! Mom and baby are well. She had her last night and hopes to go home this evening if all goes well. Of note, her husband was able to be there with her. Her doctor said it was a good thing the baby came now. She figures by next week they may even restrict partners in the OB ward as Michigan is having a horrible surge in cases.

 

[Henry2326]

US

Fifty TSA screening officers and 19 additional TSA employees across the United States have tested positive for coronavirus in the last two weeks, the agency announced.

As of Sunday, those officers represented 18 airports in 14 states across the nation. The 19 additional employees were not involved in the passenger screening process and "have relatively limited interaction with the traveling public."

50 TSA screening officers and 19 more employees test positive for coronavirus

 

[Tadpole12]

Just did the math, that's a rate of doubling every 10 days. *yeah for elementary school math schooling*

Ty for the ciphering, dg.
10 days will make a great difference wrt hospital overload.

 

[Bravo]

Just wanted to update you all with some good news! My daughter and SIL had their baby. Welcome baby Willa! Mom and baby are well. She had her last night and hopes to go home this evening if all goes well. Of note, her husband was able to be there with her. Her doctor said it was a good thing the baby came now. She figures by next week they may even restrict partners in the OB ward as Michigan is having a horrible surge in cases.

Awesome news! What a lovely name. Congrats to all!!!

 

[jjenny]

US

Fifty TSA screening officers and 19 additional TSA employees across the United States have tested positive for coronavirus in the last two weeks, the agency announced.

As of Sunday, those officers represented 18 airports in 14 states across the nation. The 19 additional employees were not involved in the passenger screening process and "have relatively limited interaction with the traveling public."

50 TSA screening officers and 19 more employees test positive for coronavirus

Who knew touching a whole bunch of people is not a good idea?

 

[jvikes]

The company that did this (purchased and shut down a ventilator manufacturing company) is trending on Twitter. #Covidien

This, combined with the news that we shipped a lot of our PPE to China in February doesn't make for uplifting Sunday morning reading.

#Covidien... did we somehow end up in a poorly written fictional suspense novel?

 

[Trudie]

I don't think so. Originally they were hoping to contain the virus which obviously didn't happen.

So much disparity
The worst-case scenario estimates 1.7 million deaths in US due to coronavirus

 

[nhmemorymaker]

There’s a middle ground though, it doesn’t have to be one extreme or the other. In Australia domestic travel is stopped, and state borders are closed to all but essential travel. We are not communist and we won’t be killed.

As dictated by the country. That is the difference. There are things the US should have done nationally.. a month, or even months ago.

 

[Trudie]

Just wanted to update you all with some good news! My daughter and SIL had their baby. Welcome baby Willa! Mom and baby are well. She had her last night and hopes to go home this evening if all goes well. Of note, her husband was able to be there with her. Her doctor said it was a good thing the baby came now. She figures by next week they may even restrict partners in the OB ward as Michigan is having a horrible surge in cases.

Cool! Congrats!
Michigan cases just keep coming, first most seemed to be in the SE, now cases are showing up all over the map.

 

[Henry2326]

FLORIDA

Mary Ellen Klas, the Herald’s bureau chief for the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau, said she was refused entry into the Capitol in Tallahassee to attend a press briefing by the governor, lieutenant governor, director of emergency management and state surgeon general regarding COVID-19 testing, access to medicine and efforts to prevent New Yorkers from flying into the state.

On Twitter, Klas said a reporter for the News Service of Florida was told that he would be shut out as well if he insisted that Klas be allowed to cover the press conference in person. She posted a video of Meredith Beatrice, a state spokeswoman, explaining that Klas could view the press conference on a state-sponsored public affairs media service that live streams state government events.

Klas said later in an interview that Beatrice also told her the state was refusing her access into the Capitol because she had requested “social distancing” at the governor’s briefings. Days earlier, Klas asked that the governor’s staff help protect reporters by holding Zoom-style video conference press briefings so that questions could be asked without requiring reporters to gather in close proximity.

The top editors of the Herald, Times, el Nuevo Herald, Bradenton Herald, Palm Beach Post, Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel made the same request of DeSantis’ office in a March 20 letter. DeSantis’ office did not respond, according to Miami Herald President & Publisher/Executive Editor Aminda Marqués González.

Florida governor blocks Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times from coronavirus press conference