Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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Health official’s advice on coronavirus response: “Speed trumps perfection”
From CNN’s Amanda Watts

The World Health Organization is urging countries to act quickly and aggressively test to fight the novel coronavirus.

Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of health emergencies programme at the World Health Organization, recounted his past experience with Ebola outbreaks, with this advice:

"Be fast, have no regrets. You must be the first mover. The virus will always get you if you don’t move quickly.”

Ryan said being prepared is paramount to keeping the virus at bay, adding, “If you need to be right before you move, you will never win.”

“Speed trumps perfection. And the problem we have with society at the moment is everyone is afraid of making a mistake. Everyone is afraid of the consequence of error. But the greatest error is not to move. The greatest error is to be paralyzed by the fear of error,” Ryan warned.

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO infectious disease epidemiologist, said if there are countries that are actively looking and doing aggressive contact finding and starting to report high numbers of cases, “they shouldn’t be punished from that."

“It’s really important that we support countries in doing the right measures and sometimes that’s going to mean that case numbers are going to increase,” she said.

“In many countries, it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Van Kerkhove added. “Please look for cases, please do testing and find those cases so we can turn the tide.”

THIS!! FROM THE EXPERTS!

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Louisiana Primary postponed two months over coronavirus concerns
From CNN’s Keith Allen

The Louisiana Primary scheduled for April 4 will be postponed until June 20 due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said at a news conference Friday.

The move was made “to best protect the health and safety of Louisiana voters and voting officials,” Ardoin’s office said in a statement.

Louisiana has identified 33 positive cases of coronavirus in the state.

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First coronavirus-related death reported in Sudan
From journalist Yassir Abdullah in Khartoum

The Sudan Health Ministry announced Friday the death of a man from coronavirus infection. This is the first death related to the virus.

The ministry said the man was in his 50s and traveled to United Arab Emirates in early March.

Ukraine reports first death from coronavirus
From CNN’s Anastasia Graham-Yooll in London

The Ukrainian Health Ministry reported the country’s first death of a coronavirus patient.

According to the statement released on the ministry website, the 71-year-old patient from Zhytomyr region was pronounced dead on Friday, after she was hospitalized with previously registered COVID-19 diagnosis the night before.

[Ukraine has only reported 3 cases]

Scotland reports first death from coronavirus
From CNN’s Anastasia Graham-Yooll in London

Scottish Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood reported the country’s first death of a patient with coronavirus on Friday.

“The patient, who was being treated by Lothian Health Board was an older person who had underlying health conditions,” Calderwood said in a statement.

West Virginia schools will close after today
From CNN’s Anna Sturla

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, right, and West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission Executive Director Bernie Dolan address a news conference on Thursday at the state Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, right, and West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission Executive Director Bernie Dolan address a news conference on Thursday at the state Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia. Credit: John Raby/AP
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said public and private schools will close after the end of class Friday.

Justice said today West Virginia will close its schools for “as long as we have to close.”

What other states are closing schools: Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Michigan and New Mexico have become the first US states to shut all K-12 schools over coronavirus concerns.

[ And Oregon ]

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Spoke with D2 last night. She said her department held a 3 hour meeting to review plans for handling the coronavirus pandemic. Elective surgeries are being cancelled at the 4 hospital sites the programs is affiliated with to conserve critical medical equipment and medical supplies (like surgical masks). Residents have been ordered to attend special simulation labs to train on how to properly use high level droplet precaution PPEs and how to intubate patients. (Not a skill set usually associated with her specialty.)

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@NYGovCuomo

Today we opened the State’s first drive-through #COVID19 mobile testing center in New Rochelle.

The Mobile Testing Center has 6 lanes and can test up to 200 ppl today and up to 500 ppl/day in the coming days.

It is not only faster and easier, it’s also smarter and safer.

To make an appointment, New Rochelle residents should call 888-364-3065.
We are prioritizing New Rochelle residents & individuals that are part of the highest risk population

Remember that the more positive tests we find, the more we can limit the virus and reduce its spread.

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Greek health authorities have announced further preventative measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, saying all bars, restaurants, take-aways and beauty parlours have been ordered closed as the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 190.

Supermarkets, bakeries, pharmacies and other private health stores can remain open. Earlier Friday, the Greek ministry of culture said all archaeological sites and state-run museums would stay shut until at least March 30, citing the extraordinary circumstances.

The move was announced after it emerged that several sites had reported shortages of staff and guards because of Covid-19 concerns. Announcing the introduction of the extra measures, health minister Vassillis Kikilis said it was clear that not all Greeks were adhering to restrictions that had been introduced for their protection.

“I had said that we would enforce whatever measure was needed to protect our people,” he told reporters. “Today we are extending the measures so as not to enable coronavirus to spread. Firstly, because new cases have appeared. Secondly, because the restrictive measures are not being adhered to.”

Of the 190 confirmed cases, 47 are currently hospitalised in isolation wards around the country. (Guardian)

Gordon Brown: Our leaders are failing us

The world’s citizens are being put at risk because of a lack of leadership, according to the former UK prime minister, Gordon Brown, writing today for the Guardian.

Brown also called for much greater collaboration on a global scale to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, asking:

Why is there, as yet, no internationally coordinated medical project – equivalent to the wartime Manhattan Project – mobilising all available global resources to discover a coronavirus vaccine and to fast-track a cure?

Brown also takes aim at a familiar opponent, populism, writing that the very idea of global collaboration – and the convening of what would be a “virtual” G20 – sits uneasily with what he describes as the “America first”, “China first”, “India first” and “Russia first” populist nationalism of recent years. (Guardian)

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Bukufest and French Quarter Festival in New Orleans have been postponed to September and October. I’m sure Jazz Fest will be next, wondering what they’re waiting for…

Our election of 4/4 has been moved to 6/20. Is that even before the convention, lol. I was thinking of not voting since the primary is all but decided now maybe it will be possible.

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Lufthansa to apply for financial aid

Kate Connolly Kate Connolly
The leading German business daily, Handelsblatt, is reporting that Lufthansa, the nation’s flagship airline, will apply to the German government’s multibillion liquidity fund for help due to the financial fallout from the coronavirus.

In an internal video message to employees, the airline’s CEO, Carten Spohr, said the company would look to the German government for help, as well as entering discussions with governments in the other countries where it has a subsidiary, about possible state aid.

A spokesman for the company, Europe’s largest-grossing airline, which last week announced it would cut the number of its flights by 50% in response to the health crisis, confirmed the reports. (Guardian)

Delta will cut overall capacity by 40% and park up to 300 aircraft
From CNN’s Greg Wallace and Joshua Replogle

An empty line is seen at the Air France and Delta Airlines check-in desks in the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on March 12.
An empty line is seen at the Air France and Delta Airlines check-in desks in the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on March 12. Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images
Delta Air Lines announced that due to the coronavirus, it is facing worse conditions and making deeper cuts than after the 9/11 terror attacks.

“The speed of the demand fall-off is unlike anything we’ve seen – and we’ve seen a lot in our business,” CEO Ed Bastian wrote in a memo to employees that was obtained by CNN.
The company will make an “overall capacity reduction in the next few months of 40 percent – the largest capacity reduction in Delta’s history, including 2001,” Bastian wrote. “The situation is fluid and likely to be getting worse.”

The airline will park up to 300 aircraft.

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That Gates Foundation’s model’s lowest predicted deaths in King/Snohomish Counties is 30. That has already happened, and there are people now sick who will die. So… I think they need a new model.

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Security forces in Iran are to empty the streets of cities across Iran in the next 24 hours in a drive to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, according to state television.

The move came as the World Health Organization (WHO) said Iran needed to do more to contain the disease.

Tehran has recorded 514 people killed and 11,364 diagnosed infections, making Iran one of the worst affected countries outside China.

Iranian officials have repeatedly complained that many Iranians have ignored calls to stay home and avoid travel, Reuters reports.

“Our law enforcement and security committees, along with the interior ministry and provincial governors, will be clearing shops, streets and roads,” state TV cited Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri as saying at a meeting about the virus. “This will take place in the next 24 hours.” (Reuters)

Back at the WHO press conference and Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, has said that each country must decide on measures to protect its own population.

As part of an overall strategy there is a place inside national borders for restricting movement.

Earlier, he compared the pandemic to the way in which HIV was treated, where those who had tested positive were in a position to protect others. (CNN)

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Just heard my town is closing it’s schools after today (I have an inside source). I am guessing it might be statewide.

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California’s largest school districts will close starting Monday

California’s two largest school districts — Los Angeles Unified School District and the San Diego Unified School District — will close starting Monday due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The districts said the decision was made in part “to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

In a joint statement, LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner and SDUSD Superintendent Cindy Marten said the following:

“California has now entered a critical new phase in the fight to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. There is evidence the virus is already present in the communities we serve, and our efforts now must be aimed at preventing its spread. We believe closing the state’s two largest school districts will make an important contribution to this effort. For that reason, we plan to close, effective Monday, March 16.
Later today, we will be providing students, parents and staff with more information on our plans to continue providing learning opportunities for students during the closure. We have also directed staff at both districts to prepare to continue providing nutrition and other supports through family resource facilities.”

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I feel like since New Rochelle is already on lock down it would make more sense to use those tests in other areas. Thoughts?

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Massachusetts governor bans gatherings of more than 250 people
From CNN’s Elizabeth Joseph

Gov. Charlie Baker attends a press conference announcing the postponement of the Boston Marathon on March 13.
Gov. Charlie Baker attends a press conference announcing the postponement of the Boston Marathon on March 13. Scott Eisen/Getty Images
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed an order Friday prohibiting gatherings of more than 250 people.

These gatherings are “subject — but not limited to — community, civic, public and leisure gatherings, faith-based events, sporting events with spectators, concerts, conventions, fundraisers, parades, fairs, festivals and any similar event or activity that brings together 250 or more persons in a single room or single space at the same time,” Baker said at a news conference.

Transpiration hubs, medical facilities, shopping centers, polling centers and other spaces where more than 250 people are in transit are exempt from the order.

The order also doesn’t include restaurants, “provided that they should, whenever possible encourage social distancing”

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That lowest prediction was based on 75% reduced contact, which is an unlikely scenario.

I don’t think anyone can claim that the Kirkland nursing home, which was the location for most of the deaths, had reduced contact by 75%. The conclusion helps explain the extreme measure Governor Inslee and other state and local officials are taking, and why other states are doing the same.

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Extraordinary times - or carnage - in the business world. After we reported earlier that Lufthansa was considering an application for financial aid from the German government news now also breaks that Delta Airlines is in talks with the White House regarding support that can be provided.

That’s according to a memo to employees from the company’s CEO, and which has been reported by Reuters. (Guardian)

Peru has announced it will suspend all flights to and from Europe and Asia for 30 days beginning on Monday, March 16.

The government announced the measure via supreme decree on Friday just two days after closing all its schools until the end of the month and ordering travelers from France, Spain, Italy and China to quarantine themselves for 14 days on arrival in the country.

The country had 28 Coronavirus cases as of Friday morning, according its health ministry. Gatherings of more than 300 people have been banned while concerts and football matches have been cancelled or postponed.

The Andean country is a major tourist destination and Canatur, the main tour operators union, says the $5.2bn sector is in crisis. Cancelled trips from Europe and Asia represent $650m in lost revenue and the loss of some 800,000 direct and indirect jobs, it said on Thursday. (Guardian)

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Rhode Island will close schools next week
From CNN’s Giulia MCDonnell Nieto del Rio

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo announced Friday that classes for students attending K-12 public schools will be canceled next week.

Spring break for students in K-12 public schools will be moved to this upcoming week, Raimondo said. It was previously scheduled to start in April.

School staff will be working with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to prepare distance learning plans during this school closure.

“Closing school for a week now will allow us not only to slow the spread of the virus but it’ll also allow us to get organized and put plans in place,” Raimondo said.
The closure will also be used to come up with plans for cleaning protocols, she said. The governor encouraged childcare and daycare facilities to remain open for the week.

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ITALY - 2,547 new cases (and I’m sure it is more as they must be overwhelmed) totaling 17,660 and 250 new deaths totaling 1,266.

IRAN - 1,289 new cases totaling 11,364 and 85 new deaths totaling 514.

SPAIN - 1,188 new cases totaling 4,334 and 36 new deaths totaling 122.

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The Gates paper modeled that social distancing starting March 10 would reduce total deaths to 30. This is obviously wrong. Even if everyone in Washington had been locked in a cell alone on March 30, we would still end up with many, many more deaths than 30.

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New York now has more than 400 cases

New York now has at least 421 cases of coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today. That’s an increase of at least 96 cases since the state’s last update.

The governor said 50 patients are currently hospitalized, which is a 12% rate. Eighteen are in intensive care.

The governor said 28 labs will be authorized for testing in New York state. By next week, when they are up and running, the state will be able to run 6,000 tests per day. It will be a “dramatic increase” as New York is currently processing about 3,000 tests per day, Cuomo said.

“Testing is the single most important things we can be doing right now," he added

[ I agree testing is important but ramping up hospitals, getting health care workers ready, and protecting nursing homes/LTCs is super important, too]