Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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IRAN - 956 new cases totaling 9,000 and 63 new deaths totaling 354.

Friday prayers have been cancelled for the third week in a row.

Calls have been growing for Rouhani to personally take charge of a crisis by forming a committee that meets every day to manage the nationwide fight against a coronavirus epidemic that has gripped several provinces.

In a statement addressed to Rouhani on Tuesday, a group of non-governmental organisations outlined a set of emergency measures the government could take to promote its efforts to rein in coronavirus.

They highlighted the need for Rouhani, as the country’s chief executive, to take over the crisis committee’s leadership from the health ministry to pave the way for better coordination among the country’s executive institutions. The emphasis should shift to prevention.

Rouhani at cabinet hit back on Wednesday, saying the whole of government was mobilised to fight the disease. He denied the health ministry was over-burdened or did not have the authority to act. He also rejected proposals to cancel the Iranian new year holidays.

The judicial authorities have also warned they will take legal action against those on social media who report unofficial statistics on the extent of coronavirus in the country, warning the release of such statistics undermines social cohesion and causes anxiety. Local health authorities have been announcing higher local numbers that do not match the official statistics, but it is not clear if there is a systematic cover-up, as opposed to different ways of measuring the same events.

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Also Dr. Redfield, who is just passing the buck about tests.

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My thoughts too - seeing that there were real examples from the past showing the two futures adds more to “just” words explaining it.

I plan on putting it all in perspective saying something to the effect of, "The actual numbers mean we shouldn’t panic. Most people are safe. Even in Wuhan the vast majority didn’t catch it due to the Chinese response once they truly realized what they were dealing with. But everyone has to do their part. Everyone counts.

(Since I’m talking to high schoolers) For a long time I’ve hoped your generation can help fix the wrongs of mine and before. This is one of those times where you might have to show some folks the stats and what ifs to encourage change for a little bit. It’s also some of you who could be giving up graduations and sports events, etc. For that I say, Thank you."

And let discussion go from there.

I just finished talking with someone (adult) individually who mentioned, “but the numbers are so small compared to the flu
” Fortunately he left with a better understanding. :wink:

I like to think education with facts helps. I’m not giving up.

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Las Vegas resorts are closing their buffets.

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@Creekland Another thought is how social distancing is even more necessary than in 1918 given the increased population and the increased density in which more people live - plus the interconnectivity via jet travel. Might make for an interesting with students discussing different angles in a then vs. now scenario.

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Three security officers at the San Jose airport in California, on the US west coast, have tested positive for the virus, the Transportation Security Administration has announced.

In a statement it said:

“TSA confirms that three Transportation Security Officers who work at Mineta San Jose International airport have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. The officers are receiving medical care and all TSA employees they have come in contact with over the past 14 days are quarantined at home. Screening checkpoints remain open and the agency is working with the CDC, as well as the California department of public health and the Santa Clara county public health department to monitor the situation as well as the health and safety of our employees and the traveling public. We will update as more information becomes available.” (Guardian)

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FCO updates travel advice for Italy

The Foreign Office has advised all UK residents in Italy to return home if their travel is not necessary.

The FCO statement in full:

British nationals remain able to depart Italy without restriction. Airports remain open throughout Italy. However, the Italian authorities have advised against travel for tourism purposes throughout Italy, and that tourists already on holiday in Italy should end their travel, unless it is necessary, to return to the place where they live.

Airline schedules are subject to change and some flights are being cancelled. We therefore advise all remaining British tourists in Italy to contact their airline operators to arrange return to the UK as soon as possible. (Guardian)

Indonesia confirms first death from Covid-19
As reported by Reuters, a 53-year-old woman has died from coronavirus in Indonesia, becoming the country’s first recorded death from the virus, a health ministry official said on Wednesday.

The woman, a foreign national, had already been in critical condition when she was admitted to a hospital. (Guardian)

Key industries in Wuhan will resume, the provincial government of Hubei province has said, according to Reuters.

A statement from the government said industries like public transport, medical supply and producers of daily necessities will be allowed to return to work.

Other industries that impact national or global supply chains can also return to work with permission from relevant authorities, the notice said.

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Trump calls emergency meeting with top health officials at White House, top lawmaker says

U.S. President Donald Trump has summoned top health officials to an emergency meeting at the White House, cutting a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill short, said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

Maloney said the witnesses needed to leave by 11:45 a.m. ET, significantly cutting short lawmakers’ opening statements so they could get to the questions and answers before the witnesses had to leave.

“This morning we were informed that President Trump and Vice President Pence have called our witnesses to an emergency meeting at the White House. We don’t know the details, just that it’s extremely urgent,” Maloney, D-NY, said before opening a hearing on the nation’s preparedness and response to the coronavirus outbreak. (CNBC)

Top US health official says “it’s going to get worse”
From CNN

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is one of several officials testifying in front of the US House Oversight Committee, told Chair Carolyn Maloney that the country should expect things to get worse.

Here’s how their exchange went down:

Maloney: “Is the worst yet to come Dr. Fauci?”

Fauci: “Yes it is
 Things will get worse
The bottom line it’s going to get worse.”

Kentucky suspends inmates’ visitation rights because of coronavirus
From CNN

Kentucky is suspending visitation rights for those held in state prisons and similar institutions in light of the coronavirus, Gov. Andy Beshear announced today.

Inmates will instead be allowed one free call, and up to two contacts through controlled social media.

Beshear said there are eight cases of coronavirus in the state, and all patients are "stable, doing well.”

“A couple of these individuals may almost be through this,” Beshear said. “And that is very, very good news.”

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“FLATTENING THE CURVE” info

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/10/covid-19-coronavirus-flattening-the-curve?CMP=share_btn_tw

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US: Vaccine will take 18 months

(Guardian)

Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been testifying to the House oversight committee, about the expected timeline on the development of a vaccine, reports my colleague Julian Borger.

“In the next four weeks or so, we will go into a phase one clinical trial to determine if one of the candidates - and there are more than one candidate, there are probably at least 10 or so that our various stages of development. The one that we’ve been talking about is one that involves a platform called Messenger RNA, but it really serves as a prototype for other types of vaccines that are simultaneously being developed, getting it into phase one in a matter of months is the quickest that anyone has ever done literally in the history of vaccinology.”

“ However, the process of developing a vaccine is one that is not that quick. So we go into phase one. It will take about three months to determine if it’s safe. That’ll bring us three or four months down the pike and then you go into an important phase, called phase two, to determine if it works. Since this is a vaccine. You don’t want to give it to normal healthy people with the possibility that it will hurt them
So the phase of determining if it works is critical. That will take at least another eight months or so. So when you’ve heard me say, we would not have a vaccine that would even be ready to start to deploy for a year to a year and a half. That is the timeframe. Now, anyone who thinks they’re going to go more quickly than that, I believe, we’ll be cutting corners, that would be detrimental.”

Fauci said therapeutic drugs could become available significantly faster, because the risk calculation is different - they will be tested and eventually used on people who are already ill.

“There are a couple of candidates that are now already in clinical trial. Some of them in China, and some of them right here in the United States, particularly in some of the trials that we’ve done in some of our clinical centers, including the University of Nebraska. It is likely that we will know if they work in the next several months. I’m hoping that we do get a positive signal. If we do that, we may - and I underline may so that it doesn’t get misinterpreted - have therapy that we could use, but that needs to be proven first.”

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Haven’t seen this posted here yet. Duke has moved to online only classes and extended Spring Break till March 23.

The University of North Carolina system is supposedly mulling over the same decision. Most of the universities have started Spring Break this week or will next week.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article241053226.html?

I know firsthand from a friend’s daughter that NC State has already started moving towards online only classes by making some of the classes virtual.

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US government should tell everyone to self quarantine for 2 or 3 weeks. Almost everything gets shutted down, except for the essentials, ie hospitals, water, electricity etc. No body goes on any travel, no body leaves their home town, no international flights coming into the USA. By doing this, the spread of the virus will halt and the virus will probably die out within a month. Otherwise this virus will spread forever.

Everyone who can’t go to work should also get 2 weeks of pay for being in quarantine.

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I haven’t heard anything about Disney - are they doing anything differently?

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Robert Redfield, CDC Director, said there are no plans to set up drive through COVID19 test centers because “We’re trying to maintain the relationship between individuals and their healthcare providers.”

Someone else then commented that many don’t have a relationship with a healthcare provider hence ERs are overwhelmed.

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“We’re trying to maintain the relationship between individuals and their healthcare providers.”

I hope it was sarcasm, but I am sure it’s not.

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In the hearings Dr. Fauci said that he wanted “community surveillance” testing done (as well as individual testing when people had symptoms or exposure) so that public health officials could accurately determine what the situation is and respond appropriately and Dr. Redfield just ignored this. It was interesting.

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I was listening to NPR in the car yesterday. The head of North Shore School District in WA, the first US district to stop schools and go online. Before making that decision, the SD was seeing 20% absenteeism. At the beginning of online (and they have gone through huge efforts to get families laptops and access) they are down to 2% absenteeism.

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NYU doctor says US hospitals are unprepared and will be ‘flooded’

Coronavirus patients could so overwhelm U.S. hospitals that doctors and nurses would be unable to provide adequately for other patients, an infectious disease specialist told CNBC.

“When you have emergency rooms flooded with patients, it makes it harder for us to attend to all the other issues,” Dr. Celine Gounder said in a “Squawk Box” interview. “If you come in with a heart attack, we’re going to be slower taking care of you and we’re going to be sloppier with our own infection control if we’re overwhelmed.”

The U.S. has fewer doctors per person and fewer hospital beds per person than Italy, said Gounder, a clinical assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at New York University.

“We have less capacity to absorb a big surge in cases,” she said. “We need to be preparing for that.” (CNBC)

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The absenteeism was the main reason to move online. The superintendent said it became impossible to provide quality instruction to all, so there was little risk in the online experiment.

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US government make it easier for airlines to cancel flights
From CNN
The Federal Aviation Administration announced today that due the coronavirus-related flight cancelations, it will waive a requirement that the industry says could otherwise lead to airlines running empty flights.

The requirement normally requires that airlines use 80% of their assigned runway slots at several busy airports — including LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy in New York and Reagan National in Washington, DC.

There are four other airports — Chicago O’Hare, Newark Liberty, Los Angeles International and San Francisco — at which the agency has a formal schedule review and approval process. The FAA said it will give credit to airlines for flights that were canceled at those airports due to the virus.

Most major US airlines have moved to cancel a significant portion of their flights due to the outbreak, raising the possibility that they will not meet the targets. Without the waive the airlines risked losing their slot another airline.

The agency said the waiver is good through the end of May.