A research study published in China
We certainly have observed different levels of severity of coronavirus outbreaks outside of China. The cluster of cases in Italy, Iran, and even in Washington state here all seem to be more severe and more contagious.
The London Book Fair, a huge event in the publishing industry and due to take place between 10-12 March, has been cancelled.
"The latest daily update from the World Health Organisation (WHO) states eight new countries - Andorra, Jordan, Latvia, Morocco, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, and Tunisia - reported cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours.
WHO is particularly concerned by the increase of coronavirus cases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region is of great concern and reiterated the need to enhance surveillance and response activities, and share critical information.
Here are the latest numbers on Wednesday:
Globally: 90,870 confirmed (1922 new )
China: 80, 304 confirmed (130 new) and 2946 deaths (31 new)
Outside of China: 10,566 confirmed (1792 new), 72 countries (8 new), and 166 deaths (38 new)
WHO risk assessment:
China: very high
Regional level: very high
Global level: very high
(Guardian)
INDIA - India confirms 21 new cases for a total of 28.
Sixteen Italians in India tested positive for coronavirus. It is one of places US intelligence agencies are most closely monitoring due to concerns over how it would cope with a widespread outbreak.
âWe will now screen all international passengers. We will not limit our screenings to 12 countries as we did earlier,â Vardhan told a news conference. India has now stepped up preventive measures including barring visitors from Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan, except diplomats and officials from international bodies.
POLAND - 1st case, over 560 tests have been carried out so far and this is the only positive case, according to a report by local media.
Yes, thatâs true. Local officials were very negligent. Our country may have been trying to cover up the spread to avoid panic and a market downturn, though. Maybe they were just inept. I donât know. Whatever the case, they seem to have botched things very badly, so being a free country hasnât necessarily helped. Whatever the case, I would take any and all lessons and research and info on what went well and what worked from around the world and use that and share it with all as well. I am not a fan of the government in China, certainly.
I donât think of it meaning that and heard it described by medical professionals interviewed in the news meaning something else as well. It was said to mean things like staying home instead of going out more often, when in public, avoiding crowds, teachers may want to put their classroom desks back into rows for now instead of having them in clusters so students are more spread out in classrooms, eat lunch on your own instead of in crowded room with others at work, etc. In a store or other public place, if someone is showing symptoms (sneezing or coughing), give that person a wide berth of at least 6 feet or even consider leaving so you donât expose yourself.
If you have a chance, look at the European handwashing map. It is on some statistics website. The issues in China, in terms of sanitation, have already been addressed on these 168 pages, but look at Italy, and while the percentage cannot possibly be right (they say only 66% of Americans do and only 5% do it properly) it still shows how much less of a percentage in Italy do from neighboring countries. Earlier this week they showed folks in Iran licking holy monuments to show their faith with dead bodies not far from the site. America can slow this for our population, we can. The word is slow, not stop or prevent, but we can slow it.
It is not the only issue, but if teachers, parents, supervisors, and especially the media, reiterate the need for washing your hands, not only after the bathroom but after you touch anything new to you. Notes on the door and mirrors in public bathrooms, ATMS, self checkouts, it would surely make a difference.
Luckily we have a higher rate of handwashing than Italy has noted on that map (57%)⊠Handwashing wonât protect people when someone coughs in their face, or someone who has already been exposed, but when your Amazon bag gets dropped off at the door, and you wipe it or spray it with lysol before you open it, you may have protected yourself. And if you have been exposed and you have clean hands when you touch something, there is a chance you may not spread it if you are not coughing.
Train wrecks cause less damage at slower speeds. The train is coming, but we can slow it down.
This is so scary, and SO sad for our high school seniors to finish 12 years this way. What Prom? Graduation? And for those who sent their 2019 seniors off to dorms this past fall, how must you folks feel right now, it is heartache⊠I canât even imagine but I am sure the colleges are moving faster than our government may be to protect the kids and put policies in place.
@CALMom65 I have a freshman in college in a dorm and while of course I am worried about her getting sick I am more worried about older folks that I care about catching this. Those are people that are dying.
I hear you @mom517, I have a parent in a nursing home and begged the facility to announce their action plan three days ago. I wholeheartedly agree with your worry about all ages of those who are more vulnerable, and sadly live it 24/7 right now. Thank you for the thoughts.
High schoolers missing a dance is the least of our worries. The travel industry says they are losing billions per month, and layoffs will come soon. Millions will face economic insecurity from the stock market travails, and we can count on our health care premiums skyrocketing. All this is in addition to the health problems some will face.
@CALMom65 We have a college freshman. Maybe Iâm in denial but really not all that worried. No one in his collegeâs state has the virus. The college sent very specific instructions to staff and students about what to do if they feel sick. They cancelled college-sponsored travel for now, so those spring break service trips were cancelled. Thereâs paperwork to be filed if a student has been to a level 3 country. They are keeping track.
Basically, wash your hands, donât touch your face, stay home if you feel sick. I will be badgering S19 to not touch his face when he flies home on Friday.
More incentive to sign up for mail / absentee ballots in future elections to avoid potential large gatherings lining up at the polling places?
I found this article by an infectious disease doctor to be a clear and somewhat calming overview of the situation: https://www.wbur.org/commonhealth/2020/03/02/infectious-disease-doctor-coronavirus
Here are his five big concerns about the virus (he briefly explains each):
These are his three reasons for optimism:
I wish there was greater clarity about âunderlying conditions.â Is a perfectly healthy teenager with a congential heart defect at high risk or is it older adults with coronary heart disease? What about hypertension? Is generally unhealthy lifestyle, untreated hypertension or all forms of hypertension. (I have athletic, normal weight young adults who have been diagnosed and treated for high blood pressure since they were 16.)
All the deaths seem âdismissedâ bc of underlying health conditions. Underlying health conditions can cover just about anything.
IRAN - 586 new cases totaling 2,922 and 15 new deaths for a total of 92 deaths.
Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran, has said that the novel coronavirus has spread across nearly every province in the country.
Iran using tent hospitals as it faces shortage of beds
The Iranian city of Qom is facing a shortage of hospital beds for suspected coronavirus cases, with officials saying they had been forced to use tents.
âThe threat posed by this illness is still not taken seriously by the population in this area,â said Mohsen Orouji, Director of the Qom Province Crisis Management Center, according to Iranian news agency Entekhab.
âThe most important weapon in our arsenal of mitigation remains the cooperation of the population,â he added, saying that schools, daycare centers, universities and seminaries in Qom were closed.
Ali Abrazi, Vice Chancellor of the University of Qomâs School of Medical Sciences, said five hospitals in Qom were facilitating suspected patients but there was still a shortage of bedsâŠâWe were forced to stand up tent hospitals,â he said. (CNN)
GERMANY - 41 new cases for a total of 24. North Rhine-Westphalia is the worst affected state with 111 cases; the capital Berlin has six cases.
Germany bans export of medical protection gear
Germanyâs interior ministry has banned exports of medical protection gear, such as face masks and surgical gloves, to ensure health workers in the country have enough to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.
The ministry said in a statement that it had published a order outlawing âthe export abroad of medical protective gear (masks, gloves, protective suits, etc.)â, according to Reuters.
Exceptions can be made in some cases, for instance as part of âinternational aid missionsâ, it added. (Reuters)
RUSSIA - suspends export of masks
Russia has suspended the export of surgical masks and medical gear, including bandages and one-use chemical protection suits, according to a government resolution, amid fears over the spread of the coronavirus. It added that the suspension would not affect exports being made for humanitarian reasons.
Russia has not reported any confirmed cases of people contracting coronavirus while inside the country, though six people who got infected elsewhere have received or are receiving treatment in Russia.
âIt is mainly necessary to prevent a so-called âartificial deficitâ in certain medical items - masks, respirators, antiviral agents that speculators can export abroad,â Industry Minister Denis Manturov said. (Guardian)
There are now 6 cases of coronavirus in New York
"New York now has six confirmed coronavirus cases, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today.
They are:
A female healthcare worker who traveled from Iran
A lawyer from Westchester County
The lawyerâs wife
His son, a 20-year-old Yeshiva student
His 14-year-old daughter
A neighbor who drove him to the hospital
The husband of the healthcare worker who traveled from Iran tested negative, Cuomo said.
Several tests across the state also came back negative including from Buffalo where families were being monitored after Italy travel." (CNN)
The lawyer did have an underlying respiratory condition and heâs still in ICU. Just heard that on NY1.
Of all the bans on exporting masks and the likes, I feel the need to brag about my company.
As of Feb 22, we have:
Donated 450,000 masks, 112,000 protective suits and 100,000 goggles to China
Donated surgical generators and other devices to the Red Cross Society of China Wuhan Branch for the newly built isolation hospitals
Donated 48,000 bottles of Isopropyl Alcohol
Donated goggles, protective suits, and a million masks to front-line healthcare workers
Donated 11,000 packs of Motrin through the China Red Cross Foundation
Donated 6,000 packs of Cipramil though the Wuhan Mental Health Center
Set up crisis hotline to support all employees dealing with mental and logistics issues in China and everywhere else
Criteria to re-open 56 locations in China were to have all the buildings disinfect and the availability of hand sanitize throughout the entire building.
The donations and consolidation of products and resources are still on going to continue with the donations.
During hurricane Maria with huge destruction in Puerto Rico, our company sent 1500 generators to all the employees who were impacted, and everyone still got paid for weeks when they couldnât go to work and when the plants shut down. And we are prepared to do whatever it takes to minimize the suffering of our employees during this COVI crisis.
Airlines offer to set up a website to collect passenger information to help combat coronavirus
"As airline CEOs prepare to meet today with Vice President Mike Pence about the coronavirus, theyâre making an offer to the government, which wants them to collect and hand over more detailed contact information on international travelers.
Airlines for America, a major industry association, said it is âoffering to pay for the implementation of a website and mobile appâ where travelers can submit contact information.
CNN previously reported the government is asking that airlines collect contact information that would help health officials follow up with potential carriers of the coronavirus, or fellow travelers who may have come into contact with an infected person. The request is complicated for the travel industry, involving changes to airline and third-party vendor computer systems, including the popular travel search engine websites where many travelers buy tickets.
The government has asked airlines to begin collecting and submitting each passengerâs âaddress while in the United States,â email address, and both a primary and secondary phone number, as well as other information it already collects.
Airlines for America said it is âhopeful that the US government will move forward with more effective contact tracing.â " (CNN)
IMO, the airlines shouldnât pay for this. The government should. The airlines are being hit plenty hard by this as it is.
ITALY - Italy considers closing schools across the country
"Italy is considering a country wide closure of all schools and universities in an effort to stop a further spread of coronavirus.
Some international schools have already issued letters informing parents and guardians they will be closed as a preventative measure as of Thursday, with remote online teaching beginning Friday.
The Italian cabinet is currently meeting to discuss the proposition to close schools and an official announcement is expected afterwards.
âNo decision on the closure of schools has been made, we asked the technical-scientific committee for further information. the decision will come in the next few hours,â the Minister of Education Lucia Azzolina said in a statement to CNN sent from the Prime Ministerâs office. " (CNN)
"'New York now has six confirmed coronavirus cases, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today.
They are:
A female healthcare worker who traveled from Iran
A lawyer from Westchester County
The lawyerâs wife
His son, a 20-year-old Yeshiva student
His 14-year-old daughter
A neighbor who drove him to the hospital"
Damn, that lawyer seems like he is very contagious. If the neighbor who drove him to the hospital is sick, you have to wonder about all the people who sat on the same Metro North cars as him. I take Metro North every day (different line than the lawyer), and the seating is very tight.
Parisâ Louvre reopens after coronavirus fears forced it to close
Parisâ famed Louvre Museum has re-opened today after a coronavirus outbreak in France caused it to close on Sunday.
Czech Republic bans most people from buying face masks
"The Czech government has banned the sale of FFP3 medical face masks to anyone but healthcare and social care facilities, public health bodies, emergency rescue services and other state administration bodies.
The government said the FFP3 type of masks is most effective.
The move is an attempt by the government to stop people from panic-buying the protective gear and leaving medical professionals at risk.
âProviding medical assistance and ensuring the functioning of the healthcare system is an absolute priority âŠ. we must be able to provide our citizens with medical assistance and treat the infected. If health workers become infected, the health system will fail and we will not be able to stop the disease and protect our citizens. That is why we have to provide a sufficient number of respirators for medical professionals and then, of course, for the Integrated Rescue System, â the countryâs Health Minister Adam VojtÄch said in a statement.
Five people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the Czech Republic" (CNN)
Israel asks soccer match attendees to self-quarantine
"Israelâs Ministry of Health has asked thousands of people who attended a soccer match in Tel Aviv to self-quarantine as it confirmed 15 cases of coronavirus in the country.
In a statement released this morning, the Ministry of Health said a young man who tested positive for coronavirus entered Bloomfield stadium through Gate 8 on Monday to watch a match between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Anyone who entered the ground through the same gate has been instructed to self-quarantine for two weeks. Israeli TV reports put the number affected at more than 5,000.
The young man worked a toy store in Or Yehuda, a town in central Israel and a girl who visited the store has also tested positive for coronavirus, the Ministry said." (CNN)