New York gave very specific information about their cases. This is so vague.
This is what we just got from Bowdoin. Seems like a reasonable And measured way to handle the current situation. I had no idea colleges would tell kids to bring stuff home during their break.
âTo the Bowdoin community,
I write to update you on developments and our planning and preparation related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Bowdoin is a special community where we take seriously our responsibilities to one another and to the broader world. While there are currently no known cases of COVID-19 on our campus or in Maine, the start of spring break means that many of us will be traveling. As we do, there are important steps we can all take to protect our own health and that of those around us. This will be particularly important as we return to campus after the break.
Thatâs why we are not permitting Bowdoin-sponsored trips (those trips funded by the College or for which the traveler receives reimbursement from the College) to countries with a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Warning Level 3 travel advisory. These countries currently include China, Iran, Italy, and South Korea.
For personal travel, it is vitally important that you let us know immediately if you stay in or pass through any of these countries. You can do so by filling out this brief form. In addition, if you have been in one of these CDC Warning Level 3 countries in the last fourteen days, please use the form to let us know immediately.
The list of CDC Warning Level 3 countries may very well expand in the days ahead, so please pay close attention to CDC travel advisories and use the form to let us know if your travels take you to or through any of these locations.
Other steps we can all take include the following:
Stay current on developments by checking your email regularly (the College will use email to send updates and advisories, even during the break).
Review the responses to frequently asked questions (FAQ) posted to the Bowdoin website (these will be updated throughout the break, as necessary).
Continue to follow disease prevention guidelines recommended by the CDC. These include washing your hands frequently with soap and water for at least twenty secondsâa practice identified as the single most effective way to prevent illness.
If you are sick, seek medical attention and stay home until you feel well.
StudentsâFor students away on spring breakâif youâre ill, please donât return to campus until you are better. This not only helps you, it prevents the transmission of your illness to others, including populations in our community who may be at greater risk. If you are unable to return to campus, please notify your dean. Once you return, if you become sick, please advise the health center and your dean, and do not attend class, go the dining halls, practices, or meetings until cleared by the health center. Students who are ill may be asked to move to another room. We will work with students to get meals to them as needed.
Faculty, Staff, and Student EmployeesâEmployees should not report to work if they have symptoms of an illness. Human Resources is developing a temporary framework to support those with minimal sick-leave accruals.
If you have health issues that put you at greater risk from COVID-19, please consult with the health center if you are a student or with your primary care physician or health care provider if you are a member of the faculty or staff. If their advice is that you avoid contact with others, please notify your dean, human resources, or your supervisor. We will work with you to accommodate these situations on a case-by-case basis.
For those planning to travel, please consult the travel advisories issued by the CDC and the US State Department. All Bowdoin-sponsored trips must be booked through Direct Travel until further notice, as this may be the only way to recoup the cost of a trip or to avoid change fees assessed by airlines.
Many individuals at the College are working to prepare for the distinct possibility that the COVID-19 virus arrives in our community. For example, one group has been dealing specifically with issues affecting students studying away. Another group is preparing to ensure the continuity of instruction at Bowdoin in the event that faculty and students cannot meet face to face. Other groups include parts of our Campus Emergency Management Team (CEMT), as well as the full forty-member CEMT that will gather Thursday to continue to review and enhance our preparations and contingencies for dealing with the possibility of an outbreak of COVID-19 here. I am conferring daily with a small group of senior officers and our college physician to review the work we are doing and to determine how best to tackle any issues that may arise. We are also fortunate to have the advice of medical experts who are members of the larger Bowdoin community.
This is a challenging moment globally. In addition to the serious medical issuesâabout which we still have much to learnâindividuals of Asian ethnicities around the world have been subjected to verbal and physical attacks for supposedly having some responsibility for COVID-19 by people motivated by fear, ignorance, or prejudice. Thankfully, there has been no sign of this at Bowdoin. We are a community that cares for one another and that comes together in difficult moments, and for that, I am deeply proud and grateful.
Thank you for taking the time to read this message and those that will follow, and for paying close attention to your health, and to practices that will protect your welfare and that of others. While we hope for the best, we are planning for the possibility that the COVID-19 virus becomes a reality at the College. That way, we will be positioned to come through it in the best possible way.
All the best,
Claytonâ
Our high school and at least two others in our area sent home a very similar letter 2 days ago , with instructions to bring everything home for break and that a plan for online learning is being explored, as well as almost paragraph-by-paragraph similar messages to the Bowdoin letter above (no known infections in our state yet). It is good to know schools got the message to prepare, not panic, and have a plan.
In our case, âbring everything homeâ means books, athletic gear etcâit is a day school.
Our local k-12 district has schools in both King and Snohomish Counties, Washington. Yesterday was an in-service day for staff to plan on how to teach remotely, should the schools close. One intriguing option is having most teachers continue to report to school, so that they have their materials and equipment at hand, help from the school computer specialist, etc. Of course, it might be that they will be teaching from their homes, which will be more challenging. The district is offering to supply devices and hot-spots to families in need. We are still awaiting word on whether one staff person at a local grade school is positive for Corvid-19.
This is actually the planning we have long wanted for snow days, so it is not wasted effort, in my opinion, even if the schools donât have to tell students to stay home.
At the University of Washington, Seattle, students are petitioning for the U to suspend operations, but so far administrators are urging everyone to practice good hygiene. Faculty are strongly encouraged to plan ahead, though, and be prepared to finish out the quarter (we are in week 9 of 10, plus a week of finals) online, if needed. Weâll then have a week of spring break, which is good and bad (fewer people on campus, but many students traveling, and a sizable contingent of students from overseas who would normally leave campus but probably wonât be able to go home).
@homerdog â I donât know what will happen, but I guess the college wants to prompt students to consider that classes may not resume on campus on March 23rd?
As early as Feb 6th, Yale was putting students up at the nearby Omni Hotel if a student had returned from China. Students were asked to Skype into classes and remain in the hotel for 14 days. I think this population was tiny because it only covered those who had departed campus unexpectedly as opposed to everyone who returned for the start of term on Jan 12th.
We shall seeâŠ
now it is officially announced
Italian schools and universities to close from March 5 to March 15
Thousands wait for hospital beds in South Korea as coronavirus cases surge
SEOUL (Reuters) -
In Daegu, 2,300 people were waiting to be admitted to hospitals and temporary medical facilities, Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said. A 100-bed military hospital that had been handling many of the most serious cases was due to have 200 additional beds available by Thursday, he added.
Health officials expect the number of new cases to be high for the near future as they complete the testing of more than 200,000 members of the sect, as well as thousands of other suspected cases from smaller clusters.
ITALY - 587 new cases totaling 3,089. 28 new deaths totaling 107.
Among the 2,706 active cases, 1,344 (50%) are hospitalized, 295 (11% of active cases) are in intensive care. Among the 383 closed cases, 276 (72%) have recovered, 107 (28%) have died.
Italy is having problems in relation to providing enough places in intensive care, the Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte has told a press conference. He added that the outbreak has worsened in Northern Italy because of mismanagement of security âprotocolsâ in one local hospital
Italyâs government is set to close cinemas and theaters and ban public events across the whole country to try to contain the coronavirus outbreak, according to a draft decree drawn up on WednesdayâŠorders âthe suspension of events of any nature⊠that entail the concentration of people and do not allow for a safety distance of at least one metre (yard) to be respected.â
Closure of schools and universities across the country until mid-March was made official.
WHO summary of worldwide infections and deaths âŠ
That list is really out of date. ^ Granted, things certainly move quickly.
This website does a really good job of reflecting info in a pretty timely manner.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
There are now 137 coronavirus cases in the US
Source: CNN
There are 137 cases of the novel coronavirus, including nine deaths, in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as state and local governments.
According to the CDC, there are 49 cases from repatriated citizens. According to CNN Healthâs tally of cases detected and tested in the United States, there are 88 cases in 13 states. Bringing the total of coronavirus cases to 137.
This includes presumptive positive cases that tested positive in a public health lab and are pending confirmation from the CDC, and confirmed cases have received positive results from the CDC.
Hereâs the state breakdown of the US cases:
Arizona â 2
California â 33
Florida â 3
Georgia â 2
Illinois â 4
Massachusetts â 2
New Hampshire â 2
New York â 6
North Carolina â 1
Oregon â 3
Rhode Island â 2
Washington state â 27 (includes 9 fatalities)
Wisconsin â 1
Article on impacts on tourism
From the same link, the WHO reemphasizes that âasymptomatic transmissionâ is probably not frequently occurring with SARS-CoV-2 ⊠unlike flu ⊠bears repeating âŠ
Youâll also note that sero-reactivity is also starting to be employed as a diagnostic tool for recent infection (that could have been cleared- preventing detection of viral RNA/genomes).
The coronavirus is being exaggerated. It has barely killed anyone, as a percentage. And on top of that, they do not even know who has it, if they say there are 3 cases, there are probably six, so if they say it has a 2% death rate, it is probably half of that at most.
Dr. Fauci has discussed this today, see post #3379. While correct we donât know the denominator (estimating happens, as it does when calculating the flu mortality rate), a 1% death rate would still be 10x higher than a typical flu season:
Coronavirus is a very real threat for those with co-morbidities, those 60 and older, as well as the World economy. Get ready for poor quarterly earnings from a myriad of companies and industries, which in turn will likely put additional downward pressure on the financial markets (both domestic and international).
"Coronavirus is a very real threat for those with co-morbidities, "
Would I know if I have a co-morbitity???
Not trying to start an argument - just not sure what they consider a co-morbitity for purposes of this virus.
Wonderful and extremely impressive!
I think if they used âSARS-CoV-2â it might start a panic as hearing the word âSARSâ in conjunction with 2019 coronavirus is something the public might misunderstand and increase fears.
I heard a doctor say that the 80% âmildâ includes people who have symptoms like pneumonia that doesnât require hospitalization. So, not all will be what most people think of as âmildâ.
hypertension- what severity?
obesity - what severity?
Feel free to ignore the thread. Iâll believe the scientists. Since you keep repeating the same refrain, it sounds like your mind is made up despite concerns of experts in the field. Therefore I think folks here should stop convincing you. Back to the discussionâŠ
We donât know. No one here can answer that question as that level of detail is unavailable.