Thanks, @mathKids.
I’ve seen conflicting opinions. Some think it will help curtail the spread, some think it’ll come back in the fall, some think it won’t have a difference. The fact it is now spreading through Africa and South America gives some concern re: Covid-19 having some staying power worldwide. If I see stuff, I’ll make an effort to post it.
^^^ It’s hardly cold in Vietnam, India or Australia right now – but the virus isn’t staying away there, either…
Are the Africa and South America cases community spread or did the patients become sick abroad?
Any slow down could make a significant difference for those that will require hospitalization.
You are right. I forgot about Australia.
This thread has been my primary news source for the virus. I don’t read every post, but check in at least daily.
doschicos: Thank you for all your time and research. It is much appreciated.
My understanding is that warmer temperature will inhibit the transmission of any virus, but not fully stop it. The degree of inhibition varies and is virus specific. In warmer weather, people spend less time indoor where viruses are more concentrated and more easily transmissible as a result of air recirculation. At higher temperature, viruses also die more quickly on surfaces that we touch.
Not all reported cases have details but the ones I’ve seen seem to be people who traveled abroad and their close contacts.
I should have specifically thanked @doschicos. Your intelligent information gathering is so appreciated.
Singapore has had some community spread, but not as much as you’d think.
I’m still surprised there aren’t more cases in India.
Re: warm weather…haven’t there been newer cases in places like Malaysia? It never gets cold there.
I do hope the warmer weather will give us a break in this or at least slow the spread. I also understand more humidity helps that viruses spread better in dry, cool air. I saw something that wasn’t a reliable source so may or may not be correct that having a 40-60% humidity rate can help.
I wonder if anyone knows the chance of catching it if one is in public around people who have it and don’t get coughed or sneezed on or touch one’s face. Is it still possible to get it in that situation? (by being breathed on?) If we avoid people who cough and sneeze and don’t touch our faces, are we pretty darn safe, even if we are around people with it? Is there any data on this from other countries?
^^Yes, I forgot about that. Higher humidity apparently causes particulates in the air, which viruses attach themselves to, to condense and fall to the ground more quickly, resulting in lower concentration of viruses in the air.
What do you think of the safety of college visits right now to areas that don’t show any cases. There are cases springing up around this area here and there, but not many. I want to try to get a few college visits in before it spreads further and before things start getting completely cancelled. I’m not so sure the larger events that are likely to be more crowded are a good idea at this point given the increasing cases in this general area of the country. I was hoping DS could go on a few overnights during April break to help make up his mind but now that doesn’t look like it will be a good idea or maybe even not an option. Thanks for any thoughts.
all I can say is that I am so thankful I’m not quarantined on a cruise ship right now.
I really feel for those people on quarantined ships.
EGYPT - 33 new cases for a total of 48. All new cases are passengers on the Nile river cruise ship. None of the cases were showing symptoms of the illness. [ The has to be more, IMO. Egypt is at the stage where Iran was a week ago, and now Iran confirmed over 1,000 cases just today. ]
BAHRAIN - 25 new cases, totaling 85.
Uganda has canceled all international conferences, including the G77 summit that was scheduled to take place in April, with participants from 136 member states. Furthermore, any traveler from Italy, Iran, South Korea, France, China, Germany, and Spain will be subjected to self-quarantine for 14 days on arrival in Uganda even if they do not exhibit symptoms of COVID-19
The spread continues to ratchet up in Europe:
*ITALY - 1,247 for a total of 5,883. 36 new deaths for a total of 233.
Of those originally infected, 589 had fully recovered while 567 were being treated in intensive care. Cases have now been confirmed in each of the country’s 20 regions, with deaths recorded in eight of them.
Silvio Brusaferro, head of the Health Institute, said in a press conference that the majority of the deceased are male, over 80-years-old and suffered from other diseases.
“Italian media said the government was considering extending the limited areas currently under quarantine, so-called “red zones” to most of Lombardy, the region most heavily affected by the contagion.” (Reuters)
Percentage of deaths by age group:
90+ years old: 6% of deaths
80 - 89 years old: 42% of deaths
70 - 79 years old: 35% of deaths
60 - 69 years old: 16% of deaths
[I do appreciate the data Italy is putting out. For the doubters among you, consider how much testing Italy is doing and the quarantines and other tough measures the country is taking, and still the spread has been climbing each day. I have a lot of affinity f0r and personal connections to this country so the situation there makes me sad.]
GERMANY - 130 new cases totaling at least 800.
The majority of cases are in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where there are 346 confirmed infections.
Germany has the fifth-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world, although its total is significantly lower than the top four.
Large clusters in the west and south, where one initial outbreak centred on a car supplier with a unit in Wuhan, where the infection was first detected.
The total is more than 10 times larger than it was a week ago. There were 66 cases in February 29.
So far, no deaths have been reported, though the RND newspaper group reported that a transplant patient with a depressed immune system who had contracted coronavirus was in a critical condition.
FRANCE - 103 new cases totaling 716. 2 new deaths totaling 11.
"A second member of France’s National Assembly has been taken to hospital after contracting coronavirus and five other lawmakers are being tested for the illness, the lower house’s presidency said in a statement on Saturday.
The Assembly did not name the two legislators who have caught the disease but local media in the eastern region of Alsace have reported that the first of the two lawmakers is Jean-Luc Reitzer, who represents one of the departments most affected by the outbreak and is currently under intensive care, Reuters reports.
The second lawmaker is a woman, according to the statement by the parliament. The Assembly said on Friday that a snack bar worker had also contracted the virus.
Sessions in the lower house will be interrupted for two weeks from March 9 and March 22 due to municipal elections that are taking place across France, reducing activity and the number of people present in the building, the assembly said." (Al Jazeera)
NETHERLANDS - 60 new cases totaling 188. First fatal case on Friday.
Most newly identified patients were registered in the southern province of North Brabant.
The National Institute for Public Health said that most of the cases could be traced back to people who had recently travelled, mostly from northern Italy. 112 of the confirmed coronavirus patients had recently been abroad; of these individuals, 103 had travelled to northern Italy. 47 patients contracted the virus through contact with a previously diagnosed patient. In 29 cases, the path of infection was still being investigated.
900 people in their early 20s just returned today by busses from a ski trip in Northern Italy. They came back a day early.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-netherlands/group-of-900-dutch-students-return-from-north-italy-ski-trip-idUSKBN20U0JQ
UK - 63 new cases totaling 206.
Scotland - 5 new cases totaling 16. In total, 1,664 of the 1,680 tests in Scotland have come back negative.
21,460 people have been tested in the UK. [Would like to see both those numbers and transparency about reporting in the US.]
England has confirmed it will provide GP surgeries with personal protective equipment (PPE) to help them deal with the coronavirus outbreak.
SPAIN - 102 new cases totaling 503 and 2 new deaths for a total of 10.
"Police are preparing to lock down entire blocks of a neighbourhood in a small town in northern Spain after dozens of cases of the coronavirus were traced back to a funeral held in the nearby Basque country two weeks ago.
[60 of the cases] originated among people who attended a funeral service in the Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, according to Spain’s National Microbiology Centre.
Thirty-nine of those 60 cases are in the neighbouring La Rioja region, according the local government, with most of them concentrated in the towns of Haro and Casalarreina. About another 25 cases are reported to have been confirmed in the Basque country.
Although only six people in the region are being treated in hospital, the authorities said police would be “reinforcing home isolation controls” in Haro and limiting access to the town’s health centre." " (Guardian)
SWEDEN - 24 new cases for a total of 161.
BELGIUM - 60 new cases for a total of 169.
Most of the positive patients have recently traveled, but we are seeing more and more local infections," said a FPS Public Health official.
PARAGUAY - 1st case confirmed.
MALDIVES - confirms first 2 cases; two islands locked down
High humidity does not seem to be helping in Seattle.
Good point. I wonder if there is some combo of sunshine, vit d, high humidity, warmer temps that does help.
@homerdog, @Lindagaf, some people mitigate their anxiety by staying informed and discussing things with others. In others, more information makes their anxiety ratchet up. You can make your own choices but please don’t tell others to make theirs. This thread has been a remarkably fact based and scientific discussion so far, unlike some other coverage that is much harder to get away from.
I have no choice but have to monitor development as they may affect me or my family - I need to stay on top of the medical equipment and medication my severely disabled child needs daily. I was prepared for having my children sent home any day into quarantine due to the designation of more hotspots. I need to know how things develop in the areas my parents and in-laws live. Like @romanigypsyeyes has conceded, even though you may not be personally affected by illness, you may be affected by shortages, quarantines, economic slowdowns or even other people’s panic.
I want to know the facts! To make my own thoughts.