My son pointed out that if his college asks students to self-quarantine in the dorms, it would be a worse situation than the Diamond Princess. Smaller rooms, no private bathrooms (his dorm has one bathroom per floor), still would have to have people bringing in food/laundry and taking out garbage/laundry, etc. It wouldn’t be long before anything spread to most of the dorm. At least that’s balanced by the fact that as young, relatively healthy people many fewer of the college students would actually die than the older, sicker Diamond Princess passengers.
But they wouldn’t be self-quarantining in their dorm room. They’d be sent off campus.
Problem with a ship is the inability to leave and what to do with roughly 3,600 people.
A lot of folks can’t afford to stay home when they should. Alot of them are going to work when they feel poorly because the alternatives are not worse. They send their kids to school when sick and hope for the best. Maybe not pick up the phone, knowing it’s the nurse’s office. Let the kid stay there for the day so another day’s wages can be earned. Bills have to be paid. Most of the time it works out. Most illnesses are minor. It’s survival.
Texas governor announces new testing labs for coronavirus
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a new public testing lab network across the state that he said will allow Texas to process kits more quickly.
“What is starting today is intended to expedite that process. We just now have that capability to make sure we can turn around those test results a whole lot quicker,” he told reporters at a press conference today in Austin.
The labs are located in 10 cities: Lubbock, Fort Worth, Dallas, Tyler, El Paso, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Harlingen.
So far about half the labs are up and running (Houston, Dallas, El Paso, Lubbock, and Forth Worth), while the others will be online by the end of the month, Abbott said.
Abbott also confirmed that the patient diagnosed with coronavirus in Fort Bend County contracted the virus overseas, but he would not say where…
Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, maintained there has been no community spread of the coronavirus in Texas, since the patient in Fort Bend County contracted the virus overseas. He also said that’s why they’re not concerned about homeless populations yet at this time. " (CNN)
Coronavirus testing has begun on cruise ship passengers near California
"The tests were delivered to the ship via a California Air National Guard helicopter a short time ago.
The chopper hovered above the ship and para-rescue jumpers dropped the test kits and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention medical personnel down to the vessel, Lt. Col. Jonathan Shiroma told CNN.
Nearly 100 passengers have been identified as needing to be tested, including guests and staff, Princess said in an earlier statement.
In an announcement over the cruise ship’s loudspeaker, the ship’s captain told passengers that tests are being conducted and will be flown out by dinner, with results expected about five hours later, Bell said.
Bell said the CDC has forced the closure of the casino and all group activities on the ship. Guests are being told to stay six feet away from one another." (CNN)
Interesting that they will have that fast of a turn around given all the reports we’ve heard on testing. So, if a lot of these 100 people test positive, does that mean more testing takes place?
They’d be “sent off campus”? To where?
Colleges - especially ones in big, expensive cities - are going to have the same issue Princess had. Where do you send dozens or hundreds of students coming back from spring break that need to be self-quarantined?
Seattle is adding homeless shelters to avoid coronavirus spread
"The city of Seattle is working to add new homeless facilities in an attempt to slow the spread of novel coronavirus.
Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that two new groups of “tiny houses” and a repurposed former treatment facility will make it possible for the city to house another 100 people without shelter.
“Our neighbors experiencing homelessness are at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19, And as a City, region, and Country we must act with urgency to address the ongoing impacts of this public health crisis,” Durkan said in a statement.
Remember: Currently, no novel coronavirus patients have been identified by health officials as being homeless.
The shelter expansion follows efforts by King County to add new temporary buildings to isolate confirmed coronavirus patients, including three modular units and a motel. Durkan said Seattle’s new homeless facilities are not intended to serve people who already have the novel coronavirus.
It will take up to three weeks before the new shelters are fully operational. Durkan said additional shelter options can be made available more quickly if necessary, using plans already in place for severe weather emergencies." (CNN)
To their homes. Colleges aren’t made for quarantining.
This is why anyone traveling to a high risk area is asked to self-quarantine BEFORE coming back to campus. It’s also why many colleges, as reported here in CC by parents, are informing their students to bring important stuff, and in some cases all stuff, home with them on break.
Kids have been quarantined at colleges already. In the dorm rooms. I know off hand of a few but here’s the biggest one:
https://nypost.com/2020/02/15/barnard-takes-heat-for-quarantine-of-13-students-in-coronavirus-scare/
A few isolated instances while they are awaiting test results. As this thing expands, I’m not seeing a bunch of people being on campus for quarantines. I could be wrong but I’m sure the schools are looking to avoid that. I wouldn’t count on that being the case - at least until we get to the point where it is widespread and containment goes out the window. Certainly, if you are going on spring break somewhere that is a known risk, you shouldn’t be showing up on campus without a quarantine and expecting to do it there.
This YouTube presentation by Dr. Florian Krammer summarizes everything known to date about the virus. His Twitter feed also give up to the minute updates on new cases and other developments:
https://youtu.be/td05c-TOkS0?list=PLqLDR0CTP9_qyGY-5I4cYs7337XFsvnHB
Yeah, but that’s how it started on the Diamond Princess as well - one sick passenger. Even if you’re only asking one college student to self-quarantine, if that one happens to have the virus and they’ve spent that self-quarantine sharing a bathroom with their entire dorm floor, eating the food delivered and creating waste/laundry that others have to handle… you’re going to see it spread in that dorm and service team just like on the Diamond Princess during the quarantine.
Very reasonable. But how do you know what will be considered a Level 3 country in advance? Things are changing very, very quickly - as you know. A few weeks ago nobody would have guessed Iran or Italy would be a Level 3. Right now, there are a few infections but France and Germany aren’t Level 3, but they could be by the time people return from Spring Break.
I agree with what you’re recommending - don’t travel to high risk countries and be willing to self quarantine - just pointing out some of the details of the implementation might be problematic, especially for colleges and college students.
Public schools here are developing online formats for teaching in the event schools need to be closed for an extended period of time. Students all will be provided with laptops, or tablets, and the district will make sure all students have internet access.
So…yes, if need be, there could be a large number of children staying at home…and many will likely need child care.
It’s not an easy situation but it’s sure better than spreading this illness around in a significant way.
I’m hoping states and others are considering lost wages, child care or something for families in situations where staying home from work will be a financial hardship.
I make sure I use moisturizer after I was my hands as I have very dry skin to begin with.
Not sure where I read it but iirc, one should definitely use moisturizer even when washing with soap as dry skin can also crack damaging your skin surface.
Looks like many of them are common household cleaners like bleach that are easily available in California (unless there has been a run on the stores causing them to be sold out).
Florian is good. He’s frequently on the TWIV podcast hosted by Vincent Racaniello at Columbia. Racaniello’s twitter feed ( @profvrr ) is also worth following if you like virology. Frequent of summaries of relevant SARS-CoV-2 scientific findings as they are released.
No, not coming back from Spring Break in a self-imposed quarantine, but if someone on a college campus develops a cough and is waiting to be tested, they are going to quarantine them in the dorms. Where else are they going to do it? Not everyone lives within driving distance and they won’t put a suspected coronavirus case on a plane.
It depends on whether the employer of @sryrstress husband added additional PTO time when it removed sick time, or just removed sick time, in terms of the implied message to employees.
When I was shopping last Saturday in California, the store was already out of bleach, wipes, hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol.
A cruise ship itself can be a quarantine facility. However, uninfected people in a quarantine facility (ship or otherwise) have a higher risk of infection.
5th Illinois Case
Cook County resident in his 20s who flew into Chicago O’Hare Airport earlier this month after traveling to Italy,
Tweets from WHO Director Dr. Tedros today:
We’re concerned that in some countries the level of political commitment & the actions that demonstrate that commitment don’t match the level of the threat we all face. This is
NOT a drill
NOT the time to give up
NOT a time for excuses
This is a time for pulling out all the stops
Leadership from the top: We call on country leaders to mobilize their plans, coordinating every part of government, not just the health ministry – security, diplomacy, finance, commerce, transport, trade, information and more – the whole government should be involved.