Wonder which states don’t have a single positive test yet…
And the point of my post was that those people, as well as all the other people who are in the ER for injuries/heart attacks/other infections who don’t have this particular virus, will be better served if there aren’t hordes of people coming into the ER for testing. Some of the hordes will have the virus, and we want to keep them away from the other ER patients. Most of the hordes won’t, because hysteria happens, and we want to keep them from interfering with the doctors treating sick and injured people.
It is absolutely shocking to me that international entry to and from ANY country has not been halted. It will create an incredible amount of economic pain. but perhaps we might be able to get through it and see the light at the end of the tunnel. In the short term, everything will come to a halt, but at least we can try to isolate all these issues in every country. I am sure, it will not be the most politically correct opinion and there will be plenty of people against it. But unless we try to isolate and contain it, this is not going to go away.
I said on the other thread that my H’s coworker came back on Sunday from a 2 week business trip to Europe (Denmark, Finland and Germany) and was on a direct flight from Germany to SoCal and there was no screening for passengers when they arrived here.
Italian medical chief dies from coronavirus
From CNN
Italy’s medical community is mourning the death of the head of the medical association in the northern Italian region of Varese, Italy’s state-run ANSA reported Wednesday.
Roberto Stella, president of the Medical Guild of Varese, died Tuesday night in Como, where the 67-year-old was hospitalized for respiratory failure due to coronavirus, the agency reported.
In a statement, Italy’s National Federation of Doctors and General Practitioners mourned Stella’s death, highlighting his contributions on a national level. They added that they hope the government will take notice of the dangers Italian doctors and nurses are facing.
“He was the example of the capability and hard work of family doctors,” said Silvestro Scotti, national secretary of the federation, said in a statement released Wednesday.
“His death represents the outcry of all colleagues who still today are not equipped with the proper individual protection needed."
Stella was a well-respected general practitioner both at the local and national level.
Kuwait bans foreign travellers
The official Kuwait state news agency, Kuna, quotes government spokesman Tareq al-Mezrem as saying:
Incoming flights to Kuwait International airport will be restricted on [sic] Kuwaiti travellers and first-degree relatives.
Kuwait, which has 72 confirmed coronavirus cases, also announced a public holiday from 12 March to 26 March, except for entities providing essential services, the National reports.
Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore are online for the next three weeks at least.
First coronavirus death reported in Los Angeles County
From CNN
A person has died from coronavirus in Los Angeles County, bringing California’s death total to four.
The woman, who was in her 60s, was not an L.A. County resident but was in town visiting friends, Health Officer Barbara Ferrer announced at a news conference. She had a history of extensive travel recently, including a long layover in South Korea.
Ferrer also reports six new cases of coronavirus infections in the county.
Three of the new cases are household contacts of someone previously infected. One of those people is hospitalized.
One person recently traveled to France and came home sick.
Another person attended a religious conference in another state and was in close contact with someone who ended up testing positive.
The source of the sixth person’s infection cannot be traced and is believed to be the second community-spread case in L.A. County.
A good explanation for those interested:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615323/why-the-cdc-botched-its-coronavirus-testing/
Also… I have two words for kids interested in biotech: sample prep. 
Doing that may also cause many people (including Americans currently in other countries) to overstay their visas or visa-free visit durations, becoming involuntary unauthorized immigrants.
Total hospital beds per 1,000 population, 2016 or nearest year
Japan
13.1
Germany
8.1
Austria
7.4
France
6.1
Belgium
5.7
Comparable Country Average
5.4
Switzerland
4.6
Australia
3.8
Netherlands
3.6
United States
2.8
Canada
2.6
United Kingdom
2.6
Sweden
2.3
Notes: In cases where 2016 data were unavailable, data from the last available year are shown.
Source: KFF analysis of OECD data Get the data PNG
https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/indicator/quality/hospital-beds-per-capita/
We banned visitors from China, why can’t we do that to other countries? Only US citizens or US residents could return but they have to self-isolate for 14 days.
@ucbalumnus . But these are legitimate reasons and visas will probably be automatically extended due to circumstances.
American overseas? Visa requirements be damned. This is an emergency.
Cases could keep rising for months – UK health secretary
Responding to Hunt’s assertion that England’s deputy chief medical officer had said the peak for UK cases could come within the next fortnight, Hancock replied that Dr Jenny Harries had actually said the climb towards the peak is expected to intensify within the next couple of weeks – and it could go on climbing for months.
The deputy chief medical officer … said that, in the next couple of weeks, we may see the numbers starting to rise fast to their peak.
We do not expect numbers to peak in the next fortnight, we expect numbers to continue to rise after that and the peak would be after a matter of a couple of months, rather than in a matter of a couple weeks. This is a marathon and not a sprint. (Guardian)
CDC giving over $560 million to state and local jurisdictions for coronavirus response
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is giving over $560 million to state and local jurisdictions to help them respond to the coronavirus, according to a statement released by the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Our state, local, tribal and territorial public health partners are on the front lines of the COVID-19 response,” said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. “The action we are taking today will continue to support their efforts to increase public health capacity where it’s needed most.” (CNBC)
Smart (and generous.) I bought some plants online today. To make my garden prettier, sheesh.
I’m in NC and I can’t believe the ACC tourney is still going on. I know basketball is a religion here (and I’m a congregant, believe me), but seriously?
NCAA needs to be played without spectators. I expect that decision later this week.
Lawmakers pressure Big Pharma on drug supply chains amid coronavirus outbreak
Lawmakers concerned about possible drug shortages amid the coronavirus outbreak are pressing pharmaceutical companies to bring manufacturing to the U.S.
Senators Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Bob Menendez, D-N.J., are among lawmakers pushing for longer-term solutions. The senators on Wednesday introduced a bill that would funnel $100 million to develop U.S. manufacturing of drugs.
About 72% of manufacturers of pharmaceutical ingredients supplying the U.S. are overseas, including 13% in China, according to FDA testimony last year. That could make U.S drug companies vulnerable to shortages if COVID-19 forces factories to shutter and shipments to the United States to stall, experts have warned. (CNBC)
First US hospital chain to treat coronavirus considers treating patients in ‘tents outside’
The hospital chain that cared for the first coronavirus patient in the U.S. is considering treating a potential crush of new patients in temporary arrangements, the CEO told CNBC.
“We’re already looking at how we use our ICU beds. How can we use alternative areas of care, including setting up tents outside of our hospitals,” Rod Hochman, CEO of Providence St. Joseph Health, said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” “We’re trying to stay way in front of this as we see a wave of patients potentially coming forward.”
Providence St. Joseph Health, which operates 51 hospitals across seven states, treated the first U.S. COVID-19 patient in the U.S. in January, a 35-year-old man from Snohomish County in Washington state.
@ucbalumnus Moving classes online has made tens of thousands of international students in the US technically illegal. The F-1 student visa specifies students must be enrolled full time and only 1 class can be online. Oops.
** QATAR - 238 new cases reported for a total of 262.
All the new cases had interacted with people previously identified as infected, it said.
The US State Department has decided to suspend non-essential travel and will only permit mission-critical trips, three sources have told Reuters.
One, who spoke to the news agency on condition of anonymity, said decisions about travel by employees stationed abroad would be made by US embassies and consulates, while Washington-based staff must obtain approval from their bureau. The agency did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
This government didn’t even want to advise older people to postpone air travel because it would be bad for the airline industry. You think they’re going to jump on board the idea of closing borders to all but American citizens?