It’s odd that the Maine CDC page is still showing zero cases (even presumptive).
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/coronavirus.shtml
I heard someone on a podcast - previous chief of staff for VP Biden and others during the Ebola scare. “There are NO states with no cases. There are only states that haven’t tested enough yet”.
Unsure if this is a dupe.
California recommends canceling or postponing gatherings until end of March
Large gatherings in California should be canceled or postponed until at least the end of March, said Gavin Newsom, the state’s governor.
“Non-essential gatherings must be limited to no more than 250 people, while smaller events can proceed only if the organizers can implement social distancing of 6 feet per person,” Newsom said in a late-Wednesday statement.
“Gatherings of individuals who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should be limited to no more than 10 people, while also following social distancing guidelines,” he added (CNBC)
Human trials testing vaccine could begin ‘within a few weeks’
Human trials testing a potential vaccine to prevent COVID-19 could begin “within a few weeks” with a vaccine ready for public use within the next 12 to 18 months, a top U.S. health official said.
“We said … that it would take two to three months to have it in the first human,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told the House Oversight and Reform Committee at a hearing on the nation’s preparedness for the outbreak.
“I think we’re going to do better than that,” he said. “I would hope within a few weeks we may be able to make an announcement to you all that we’ve given the first shot to the first person.”
The National Institutes of Health has been working with biotech company Moderna to develop a vaccine using the current strain of the coronavirus. (CNBC)
PGA Tour won’t allow fans for foreseeable future due to coronavirus
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced Thursday that The Players Tournament in Ponte Verda, Florida and all tournaments in the near future will go on as planned, but without spectators due to the spread of the coronavirus. The policy goes into effect Friday.
The commissioner said he spoke with President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis earlier Thursday and is in constant communication with local health officials.
“It goes without saying that this is an incredibly fluid and dynamic situation,” Monahan said. “We have been and are committed to being responsible, thoughtful and transparent with our decision process.” (CNBC)
American Airlines caps Europe-US fares as Trump travel ban sparks demand surge
American Airlines said it was capping fares on several U.S.-bound routes from Europe as travelers race to get home due to President Donald Trump’s new travel ban aimed at combating the spread of the coronavirus.
Other airlines are likely to follow suit, based on similar actions in previous crises.
“We are placing caps on our fares for all cabins on flights from Europe to the U.S. that are affected by the government-imposed travel restrictions,” said American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein. The spike in demand has limited the number of seats available, however. (CNBC)
Is anyone else having trouble bringing up the covid map from JHU? Maybe it’s just me but all I’m getting is “not fully configured”. Maybe they are working on it or something?
eta: Nevermind, it finally came up for me.
Many websites, especially CDC website, are slow to update and are behind the real time landscape.
I’ve had that a few times and figured it is due to updates or too much volume.
Target to offer ‘quarantine pay’ and ‘confirmed illness pay’ to employees who become sick
Target will offer “quarantine pay” and “confirmed illness pay” to employees who become sick with the coronavirus or have to be isolated because of exposure to it.
The Minneapolis-based national retailer said it will provide 14 days of pay to workers who are placed under mandatory quarantine and up to 14 days of pay to those who test positive for COVID-19.
Target will waive its absenteeism policy at its offices and its more than 1,800 stores because of employees who may have to stay home with potential symptoms or may be affected by school or day-care closures. With the announcement, Target joins a growing number of retailers that are changing their policies or adding special benefits for workers.
Shopify is giving employees $1,000 to buy supplies while they work from home
Shopify is offering workers a $1,000 stipend to purchase any necessary office supplies and ease the transition to remote work. The announcement came as Shopify told its employees to work from home starting March 16, in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
Several tech companies including Twitter, Google, and Amazon have told employees to work remotely this month.
Shopify, which makes online tools for companies to sell products online, employs 5,000 people worldwide, with the majority of its employees based in Canada.
(CNBC)
[ happy to see many companies stepping up in the right way ]
I agree. In general, France has been going about its business rather cavalierly, from what friends there report. And it’s not like they don’t have the virus or deaths…
@amsunshine if you’re talking about this https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html it’s working fine for me.
I wonder how coronavirus restrictions will affect high school and college graduation if it does not stop by May.
Be careful. I read that there are fake maps out there that look like JHU’s.
“This fake coronavirus-related map contains a type of spyware that steals usernames, passwords, credit card numbers and other data stored in browsers.”
“Researchers at Malwarebytes discovered a malicious program, Corona-Virus-Map.com, that claims to provide an up-to-date coronavirus map just like the one at Johns Hopkins. It produces a map that looks exactly like the university’s graphic.”
“According to PCRisk.com, the Corona-Virus-Map.com Trojan is distributed through infected email attachments, malicious online ads, social engineering and software vulnerabilities.”
Source: https://www.americanbanker.com/news/coronavirus-scams-to-watch-out-for
Most coronavirus patients recover, still anxiety and fear loom
Amid all the fears, quarantines and stockpiling of food, it has been easy to ignore the fact that more than 60,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus spreading around the globe.
The disease can cause varying degrees of illness and is especially troublesome for older adults and people with existing health problems, who are at risk of severe effects, including pneumonia. But for most of those affected, coronavirus creates only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, with the vast majority recovering from the virus.
According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe ailments may take three to six weeks to rebound. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed, but more than 58,000 already have recovered.
Because the difference in impact can be so great, global health authorities have the difficult task of alerting the public to the virus’ dangers without creating panic. (AP)
What are the executives of the NCAA waiting for? If the basketball national tournaments are not cancelled, hundreds of people (players, bands, cheerleaders, administrators) will be coerced to attend potentially hazardous venues, even if no fans are present. Also, some of these coaches are behaving irresponsibly. Reportedly the Clemson University men’s coach balked at the suspension of games at his conference tournament. What? Thank goodness cooler heads prevailed. Moreover, reportedly two ACC universities had intentions to abandon the ACC tournament, a decision which likely forced the hand of the ACC commissioner.
"Patients with the new coronavirus keep the pathogen in their respiratory tract for as long as 37 days, a new study found, suggesting they could remain infectious for many weeks.
In yet another sign of how difficult the pandemic may be to contain, doctors in China detected the virus’s RNA in respiratory samples from survivors for a median of 20 days after they became infected, they wrote in an article published in the Lancet medical journal."
Starbucks CEO says customers may only be able to order via drive-thru or mobile
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson warned customers that some cafes may offer limited seating or only receive orders via mobile or drive-thru due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Locations in the U.S. and Canada are preparing to modify operations if needed.
“This means that as we navigate this dynamic situation community-by-community and store-by-store, we may adapt the store experience by limiting seating to improve social distancing, enable mobile order-only scenarios for pickup via the Starbucks app or delivery via Uber Eats, or in some cases only the Drive Thru will be open,” Johnson wrote in a letter to customers on Thursday.
Johnson said that the company will close a store temporarily as a last resort. Starbucks closed a downtown Seattle location on March 5 after one of its baristas was diagnosed with the virus. The cafe reopened Monday morning. Thirteen additional employees are self-quarantined. (CNBC)
Metropolitan Opera cancels all performances and rehearsals through March 31
From CNN’s Alec Snyder
The Metropolitan Opera in New York City has canceled all performances and rehearsals through March 31 because of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The PGA Tour just banned all fans from The Players Championship (“5th major”) this weekend. Probably will not have fans at any pro golf tournament for quite awhile.
on a more positive note-
“‘Revenge Spending’ Spurs Chinese Luxury Rebound From Virus”
"Chinese shoppers are slowly returning to the glitzy malls and boutiques where they’ve been driving growth of the global luxury industry as coronavirus quarantine measures relax.
Store traffic in China is creeping back up after falling as much as 80% at the virus outbreak’s peak there earlier this winter, hammering sales of brands ranging from Burberry Group Plc to Kering SA’s Gucci. The recovery could accelerate in the coming weeks, fueled by so-called “revenge spending” sprees."
**ITALY - 2,651 new cases totaling 15,113 and 189 new deaths totaling 1,106. 
213 new recoveries.
SPAIN - 782 new cases for a total of 3,059 and 31 new deaths for a total of 86.
GERMANY - 526 new cases for a total of 2,502 and 2 new deaths for a total of 5.
Yes, CA governor just ban gathering over 250 people.