Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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70 additional US military medical personnel head to South Korea, official says

"About 70 additional US military medical personnel will deploy to US installations in South Korea, a military official said.

Their main mission will be to help test military personnel, their dependents and contractor personnel once test kits arrive from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, several officials say it is still not clear when those kits will arrive even though the outbreak in South Korea has grown in recent days.

The medical personnel will provide clinical care and laboratory support and help identify personnel that have been exposed." (CNN)

really? No test kits for our military personnel? Perhaps they could have asked South Korea for some as they’ve been testing thousands for a couple weeks now.

US military scrambles to cope with global ‘threat’ posed by coronavirus

"In a striking contradiction to White House assertions that the coronavirus is under control, the Pentagon’s chief of personnel is sharply warning that the virus poses an increased “threat” in areas where US troops and defense personnel are located around the globe.

In a February 25 memo, Matthew Donovan, who is filling the top personnel job on a temporary basis, informed the military’s most senior leaders that as the novel coronavirus continues to spread, it is “an increasing force health protection (FHP) threat in areas where Department of Defense (DoD) personnel live and work.”

CNN has learned that top US commanders around the globe are increasingly concerned that as allies shut down borders and travel in response to the virus’ spread, there’s a risk that by the end of March, US military readiness may start degrading, according to several defense officials.

The military leaders’ concerns and Donovan’s memo are the latest signs that the virus is becoming a national security challenge. It is affecting the military, curtailing diplomats’ movements, straining global supply chains and shaking the US economy"

Read the full story here.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/29/politics/us-military-coronavirus/index.html

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"Over 120 health care workers from one hospital in California have been asked to stay home over fears they may have been exposed to a coronavirus patient.

A woman is currently being treated at the University of California Davis Medical Center for confirmed case of COVID-19. The patient didn’t have any relevant travel history or any exposure to another known patient.

A total of 124 health care workers – including at least 36 nurses – have been forced to self-quarantine after possible exposure to the coronavirus patient, the National Nurses United union announced Friday.

The health care workers have been asked to stay home, according to a press release from the union.

“Despite University of California medical facilities being generally better prepared and equipped to treat challenging medical cases, the recent UC Davis Medical Center COVID-19 case highlights the vulnerability of the nation’s hospitals to this virus and the insufficiency of current Centers for Disease Control guidelines,” the union said in the press release." (CNN)

The spouse of a United States Forces Korea service member has tested positive for coronavirus

The spouse of the United States Forces Korea service member who recently tested positive for coronavirus has also tested positive.

The patient is the fourth USFK-related person who has been confirmed with the virus.

In a statement, the United States Forces Command said that the woman has been in self-quarantine since February 26 following her husband’s positive test

“She is currently being transported to a US military hospital where she’ll be in isolation under direct medical care and supervision from US military medical providers.
The patient has not been in contact with any other USFK or USFK affiliated personnel since going into quarantine, and KCDC (Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and USFK health professionals determined contact tracing was not necessary due to her quarantine measures and lack of interaction with others.”
US Forces Korea announced Wednesday that a US service member stationed in South Korea tested positive for the virus.

The 23-year-old soldier, stationed at Camp Carroll which is approximately 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from the city of Daegu, was the first US service member to test positive for the novel coronavirus.

A South Korean employee at Camp Carroll and his wife have also tested positive and are now receiving treatment." (CNN)

Interesting article on students worldwide not going to school, missing all together or online learning, problems posed - poor internet, psychological effects, lack of computers for economically disadvantaged, parents missing work, students missing college entrance exams, etc.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/28/asia/remote-school-education-intl-hnk/index.html

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SOUTH KOREA - 594 new cases bringing the country’s total cases to 2,931.
4 new deaths bringing the country wide death toll to 17. Three new deaths occurred in the Daegu region, and the deceased are identified as women born in 1926, 1950, and 1957.

Over half of all confirmed cases in South Korea are connected to the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji religious group. In total, 1,557 cases – or 53.1% of South Korea’s total cases – are connected to the group. The vast majority of those are in the city of Daegu.

"What is the Shincheonji religious group?

Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony was established on March 14, 1984, by Lee and is centered around the personality of its founder. Little is known about his past.

The group – which is an offshoot of Christianity – says it has about 245,000 members more than 31,000 of them from overseas.

Why would the virus have spread through the group?

According to former member Duhyen Kim, attendance at services was mandatory. Members need to swipe in and out of services with a special card, and any absence was followed up on. Sickness was not a reason to miss services.

He describes how, when he was a member, followers would sit on the floor during hours-long services “packed together like sardines.”

And according to Kim, attendees are not allowed to wear anything on their faces – even glasses – during prayer time." (CNN)

Italian hospitals face an “overcrowding crisis” according to health officials.

“Health officials from Italy’s Lombardy region have warned also warned of a “hospital crisis” if the coronavirus continues to spread. According to Professor Massimo Galli, the head of the department of infectious diseases at Sacco Hospital in Milan, his hospital has already reached the limit for the hospital beds in intensive care wards.” (CNN)

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The AHPPC (Australian Health) said that with the increased spread of the disease, extending travel bans was “not likely to be feasible or effective.” Statement from AHPPC:

"Whilst case numbers in some of these countries are rising quickly, the prevalence of illness is currently orders of magnitude lower than in Hubei Province.

An assessment of the risk of COVID-19 in those countries is based on many factors, including the identification of transmission chains, the number of reported deaths, recent trends in incidence, the incidence of exported cases and modelled estimates of expected numbers of cases based on travel patterns. The ability of countries to respond effectively to infectious disease outbreaks is also an important consideration, along with the feasibility of stringent mobility restrictions given the current phase of the epidemic globally.

With this change in epidemiology, extending travel bans to restrict travel from multiple countries is not likely to be feasible or effective in the medium term. However, it may be appropriate to consider self-isolation or practise social distancing upon return from higher risk regions." (Guardian)

United Airlines offers pilots a month off as demand for China flights collapses

“United Airlines is offering pilots to take a month off at reduced pay, according to a union memo sent on Friday, a measure that follows flight cuts due to the spread of coronavirus. United on Friday announced because of the illness. The Chicago-based carrier has more service to Asia than any other U.S. airline.” (CNBC)

3M ramps up N95 respirator production

"3M is ramping up production of its N95 respirator mask, hosting job fairs, making offers on the spot and expanding its assembly line with robots. In Aberdeen, South Dakota, more than 650 employees at one of 3M’s largest manufacturing facilities are working overtime to increase face mask production. “We immediately ramped up production in this facility,” Andy Rehder, plant manager at 3M, said. “We have capacity to do that and we did that immediately … really from a more standard five-day to a seven-day week.” (CNBC)

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The Washington Post quoted Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins centre for health security, as saying:

I think there’s a strong possibility that there’s local transmission going in California. In other words, the virus is spreading within California, and I think there’s a possibility other states are in the same boat. They just haven’t recognized it yet.

Cherry blossom festivals in Japan have been cancelled due to fears around the coronavirus.

Japan to create fund to subsidize parents during school closure

Japan’s government plans to create a fund to help companies pay subsidies to workers who need to take days off to look after their children while schools are closed, the Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday…The move comes after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday asked local authorities to shut schools from Monday in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus." (Al Jazeera)

Amazon suspends job interviews over coronavirus fears

“Amazon will be suspending in-person job interviews indefinitely, according to screenshots reported on by Gizmodo on Friday.” (Guardian)

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**SOUTH KOREA - South Korea reported an additional 219 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s total infections to 3,150. The new cases added to the 594 confirmed earlier in the day. Together they logged a record daily increase of 813 in infections since South Korea confirmed its first patient on Jan. 20.

“South Korean authorities have asked residents to stay at home this weekend to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. Large swathes of Seoul and other cities appear to be mostly empty.” (Guardian)

CHINA - 427 (423 Hubei) new cases and 47 (45 Hubei) new deaths. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 79,257 and total deaths to 2,835.

CANADA - 1 new case for total of 16. The latest case is an 80-year-old man with a travel history to Egypt. Egypt only has one reported coronavirus case. The man arrived in Toronto on February 20, and went to the hospital on February 27 and is now in self-isolation at home.

MALAYSIA - 2 new cases for a total of 25 - a 41-year-old female Japanese citizen and a 54-year-old male Italian national.

AUSTRALIA - 3 new cases for a total of 25. One is reported to have recently returned from Iran.

TAIWAN - 5 additional coronavirus cases on Saturday, raising the total tally to 38.
The cases include a cleaner and three medical staff who had contact with a person before they tested positive for coronavirus. 5 new case is a woman in her 60s who toured Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt from January 29 to February 21, and developed a sore throat and cough on February 20.

GERMANY - 10 new cases for a total of 70. Second highest in Europe after Italy.

MEXICO - 1 new case for a total of 3.

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As the spread expands worldwide, details are getting scarcer and are becoming more conflicting. I think the increased volume is stretching both news agencies as well as governments and health systems. It was easier when it was one or two official reports per day from Beijing.

The US situation seems a little tricky to pin down because there are “official” cases confirmed by the CDC and “presumptive” cases being reported. Updates by CDC and US govt channels seem to be slow and very limited in scope, IMO, but I’m sure they are being thorough.

This is info I’ve gleaned from numerous sources. Caveat emptor.

USA - 3 new OFFICIAL cases confirmed by CDC

63rd - Santa Clara County, California, 2nd US case of unknown origin, an older adult woman with chronic health conditions who was hospitalized for a respiratory illness,
64th - Passenger from Diamond Princess, evacuee at Travis AFN in Solano County
65th - Travis AFB, Solano County evacuee

Oregon’s first presumptive case of coronavirus is believed to be “community spread”, the third in the US where the person is believed to have contracted the disease through the community – meaning they haven’t traveled to an infected area or had contact with a person known to be infected with the virus. The person is from Portland in Washington County and is being treated at a Kaiser Permanente hospital. The patient is reported to be an employee at the Forest Hills Elementary School in Lake Oswego School District.

2 new presumptive positive cases of novel coronavirus in the state of Washington - a Everett high school student in the US with no travel history and a Federal Way female in her 50’s from Snohomish County who recently traveled to South Korea. Presumptively positive means the tests have come back positive from the public health laboratory in Washington and are pending confirmation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The boy – who is a high school student in Everett – visited two different clinics in Snohomish County this week.

The student planned to go to school on Friday morning, but was notified of his test results before attending any classes. Jackson High School will be closed on Monday for three days to allow for deep cleaning. The studentis currently in home isolation and doing well. A small number of students that came into close contact with the student were notified by local health officials and will stay home for the next 14 days. Health officials are also working to notify any health care workers and patients that may have come into contact with the student. The boy’s sibling, who attends Gateway Middle School, is being tested and will remain out of school in quarantine…the sibling is not currently symptomatic.

“California public health officials on Friday said more than 9,380 people are self-monitoring after arriving on commercial flights from China through Los Angeles and San Francisco. That’s up from the 8,400 that Gov. Gavin Newsom cited on Thursday, though officials said the number increases daily as more flights arrive.”
(Guardian)

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IRAN - The official death toll is up 9 to 43, new cases are up 205 to 593.

The official report comes amid unofficial claims that the true figure is much higher.

“Several high-ranking officials, including a vice minister, deputy health minister and five lawmakers, have tested positive for the coronavirus as the rapid spread of the outbreak forced the government to call on people to stay at home. Iranian media reported on Saturday that one lawmaker, elected in Iran’s Feb. 21 polls, had died of the coronavirus.” (Reuters)

QATAR - 1st confirmed case

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My D’s high school in Ohio just sent an email explaining their plans to continue learning should there be a need to close the school for an extended period of time due to the coronavirus.

Is anyone considering canceling spring break travel?

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I was going to use alcohol swabs when I run out of hand wipes. A bit harsh but it’s mild compared to being quarantined for 2 weeks. Of course, if I can wash my hands, that would be the first choice. I can’t always get to the water soon enough.

Indeed! I don’t blame people avoiding Chinese restaurants.

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We received a similar email.

I’m considering it. We have 3 weeks to decide. At this point, we would have to just take a loss for the trip, so I’m just dithering about it for now. Plan B would be somewhere stateside and drivable, Plan C is to stay home.

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Before everyone gets too excited with r word, I wouldn’t eat at an italian restaurant either if it is in a little italy with underpaid staff where fresh immigrants go for a work.

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“In France, deductibles and “one-day copay” have been cancelled for all people presenting covid-19 symptoms”

Wonder how insurance companies would react to this if US adopted? Think it would be prudent.

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Two of my college kids are scheduled to go with their college teams to CA over spring break the middle/end of March. Considering it looks like CA may be the next hot zone, I am wondering if the trips will be cancelled.

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We have USC Explore next week, which will require us going through two of the airports still accepting flights from China. I’m not thrilled about going but I’m not canceling. It’s too important to my kid. If there’s a reported illness on campus that would change things.

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ABC News in NY is reporting on a Brooklyn man who recently returned from Tokyo, who sought evaluation for cough and fever, tested negative for other viral illnesses, and CDC has twice refused to test him — first because Japan was not considered a country of concern, and now that travel to Japan is an indication for testing, they declined a second time because he wasn’t sick enough. WNL.

https://abc7ny.com/5974999/

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So stupid. I bet having difficult access to testing kits probably factored in.

Meanwhile in the UK, you can get tested in your car.

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"About 70 additional US military medical personnel will deploy to US installations in South Korea, a military official said.“.

Here’s an interesting side issue for anyone interested -

This has not been widely covered by the mainstream press, but plans are being implemented at this time to cut 18,000 active duty medical personnel. At this time some residency spots are not being filled, which will lead to a slow death of non-combat specific specialties. For example, pediatrics, internal medicine are expected to be handed off to local civilian practices. My husband’s OB/Gyn residency program has cut numbers of first year residents for next year. Retention of combat specific physicians include ER, trauma surgeons, etc. with the expectation that these medical personnel will be on a much more frequent deployment schedule.

It will be very difficult to deploy the sort of medical personnel needed to help in a virus specific / pandemic situation in the near future.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2019-08-27/job-cuts-could-put-the-militarys-top-medical-school-in-peril%3fcontext=amp

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.military.com/daily-news/2019/07/10/questions-remain-dod-gets-ready-cut-18000-medical-personnel.html/amp

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So any advice regarding how to prepare?
If have temp, do we take tylenol or immediately seek medical care? Should we keep cold and sore throat meds on hand (over counter stuff)
What will visiting doctor really do to help us?
Will we be sent home? To do what? To take what?
Will we suddenly be admitted to a hospital or quarantine center?
Z
Anyone?

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While the corona virus outbreak is negatively impacting life, work and the economy in many ways, there’s a silver lining that it is boosting the e-commerce business as the outbreak has forced more people online. More business travels are getting cancelled thus online collaboration software, e.g. Webex, Zoom, etc. are getting more broadly used. Many schools are closed thus online education are on higher demand. Many more quarantines and staying home parents (voluntarily or involuntarily) can translate to more online shopping. I would foresee companies related to this segment will perform better than the overall stock market.