More than half of coronavirus cases in France under intensive care are below the age of 60
(CNN)
Think about it. 50% of the ICU patients are younger than 60. Do NOT underestimate this. It’s not the old and fragile only.
It will be difficult to assess the applicability of the French experience given that they have about double the rate of smoking as the US. In China Among Chinese patients diagnosed with Covid-19 associated pneumonia, the odds of disease progression (including to death) were 14 times higher among people with a history of smoking compared to those who did not smoke. This was the strongest risk factor among those examined," the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education said.
United Airlines to cut flight capacity by 50% in April and May
From CNN’s Greg Wallace
A United Airlines plane sits parked at a gate at San Francisco International Airport on March 6 in California.
A United Airlines plane sits parked at a gate at San Francisco International Airport on March 6 in California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
In a letter to employees, United Airlines says it will slash its capacity by half in April and May due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus crisis.
“Tomorrow, we will announce an approximately 50% cut in capacity for April and May. We also now expect these deep cuts to extend into the summer travel period,” the letter states.
The company also says it is in discussions with the union about reducing payroll expenses.
“While it’s now clear that this is going to painful for our people, we promise that you are at the very top of our priority list. We are working night and day on support and ideas to keep as much pay as we possibly can flowing to you – even if gets worse from here and demand temporarily plummets to zero,” the letter explains.
The letter says corporate officers will have their pay cut by 50%.
A clinical trial evaluating a vaccine designed to protect against the new coronavirus will begin Monday, according to a US government official.
The first participant in the trial will receive the experimental vaccine on Monday, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the trial has not been publicly announced yet.
The National Institutes of Health is funding the trial, which is taking place at a Kaiser Permanente research facility in Washington state, the official said. (Guardian)
More on the “poaching” German scientists story:
German ministers have reacted angrily following reports US president Donald Trump offered a German medical company “large sums of money” for exclusive rights to a Covid-19 vaccine.
An office site of biopharmaceutical company CureVac in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 15 March 2020.
“Germany is not for sale,” economy minister Peter Altmaier told broadcaster ARD, reacting to a front page report in Welt am Sonntag newspaper headlined “Trump vs Berlin”.
The newspaper reported Trump offered $1bn to Tübingen-based biopharmaceutical company CureVac to secure the vaccine “only for the United States”.
The German government was reportedly offering its own financial incentives for the vaccine to stay in the country.
The report prompted fury in Berlin. “International co-operation is important now, not national self-interest,” said Erwin Rueddel, a conservative lawmaker on the German parliament’s health committee.
The German health minister, Jens Spahn, said a takeover of CureVac by the Trump administration was “off the table”. CureVac would only develop vaccine “for the whole world”, Spahn said, “not for individual countries”.
Last week, the firm mysteriously announced that CureVac CEO Daniel Menichella had been replaced by Ingmar Hoerr, just weeks after Menichella met Trump, his vice-president Mike Pence and representatives of pharma companies in Washington.
CureVac quoted Menichella on its website as saying shortly after the visit: “We are very confident that we will be able to develop a potent vaccine candidate within a few months.”
On Sunday, CureVac investors said they would not sell the vaccine to a single state.
At a news conference on Sunday, interior minister Horst Seehofer was asked to confirm the attempts to court the German company. “I can only say that I have heard several times today from government officials today that this is the case, and we will be discussing it in the crisis committee tomorrow,” he said.
A US official told AFP on Sunday that the report was “wildly overplayed”. “The US government has spoken with many [more than 25] companies that claim they can help with a vaccine. Most of these companies already received seed funding from US investors.”
The official also denied the US was seeking to keep any potential vaccine for itself. “We will continue to talk to any company that claims to be able to help. And any solution found would be shared with the world,” the official said.
CureVac, founded in 2000, is based in the German state of Thuringia, and has other sites in Frankfurt and Boston.
The firm markets itself as specialising in “development of treatments against cancer, antibody-based therapies, treatment of rare illnesses and prophylactic vaccines”.
The lab is working in tandem with the Paul-Ehrlich Institute, linked to the German health ministry.
“If we are successful in developing an effective vaccine, then it should help and protect people across the world,” said Dietmar Hopp, head of principle investor dievini Hopp BioTech holding, in a statement.
Altmaier welcomed the statement, saying it was a “fantastic decision”.
He also pointed out the government had the power to scrutinise foreign takeovers, saying: “Where important infrastructure and national and European interests are concerned, we will take action if we have to.”
In France we don’t anything about underlying issues. If they are 55 to 59 and how many cases are really out there. Hypertension and diabetes along with smoking are really risky profiles.
My guess is there are thousands of people with it or had it not in anyone’s counts. I think for now we are capturing the sickest of patients. Still bad but worth consideration when looking at statistics this early.
@BunsenBurner, Were all those tested symptomatic?
Los Angeles mayor closes bars and restaurants
In the US, after New York announced that bars, restaurants and entertainment venues should shut to limit the spread of coronavirus, Los Angeles has followed suit. Like New York, LA will allow food takeout and delivery.
The state of California, home to LA, has 335 confirmed coronavirus cases.
LA mayor Eric Garcetti announced that the executive action takes effect at midnight tonight, in just under four hours’ time.
Argentina Sunday expelled 270 foreign tourists for refusing to comply with the mandatory two-week self-isolation for new arrivals from countries where coronavirus is widespread, authorities said.
Police Saturday arrested a group of 90 tourists from the downtown Sheraton hotel in the capital city of Buenos Aires who were refusing to comply with the mandatory quarantine, took them to Ezeiza International Airport and Sunday boarded them on flights out of the country.
A further 180 passengers were refused entry on Sunday at the same airport when they refused to accept the mandatory self-isolation as a prerequisite for being allowed to disembark.
Ecuador’s President Lenín Moreno announced in a televised address on Sunday that all movement of people and vehicles would be restricted from 6am on Tuesday, 17 March. Exceptions would be made to buy food, visit hospitals, commute to and from work, or to care for the sick or elderly.
The police and the armed forces would enforce the measures, Moreno said. “They are measures we should all commit to,” he added.
Ecuador has so far confirmed 37 cases of Covid-19, including two deaths.
The Andean country announced on Saturday it would shut its sea, land and air frontiers to all foreign travelers from Sunday while its citizens and foreigners with Ecuadorean residency would have until the end of Monday to return.
Guardian
I don’t know. Some probably weren’t, like the first responders who were in and out of the unfortunate Life Care facility.
Does anyone know how long you need to have the virus in your system to test positive?
Should you wait for some type of symptom to prevent a false negative?
With my wife’s disease she would be very risky (chronic immune disorder that attacks her lungs) and I wonder when testing is under control if i should drive up, I’m in a role where I need to be on-site for work.
Normally wouldn’t clog the system and I’m very heathy and under 55.
This is not about the total number of cases. All it says is out of those in ICU, 50% are younger than 60.
Sure enough, they may be smokers and have underlying conditions, but there will be plenty of people in groups with lower mortality rate that will require ICU. That’s why flattening the curve is important, so those than can be saved get a chance.
Here is the entire CNN article
More than half of France’s 300 coronavirus patients in intensive care are under the age of 60, according to the head of the country’s national health agency.
““We have counted this evening 300 serious cases in intensive care. We have serious cases also amid adults and let me remind you that more than 50% of people in intensive care are under 60,” Jerome Salomon said at a news conference on Saturday."
Salomon did not specify the age range of those under 60.
As of Sunday, French health authorities said there are 5,423 confirmed cases in the country, with 127 deaths reported.
That is an increase of 29 deaths and more that 1,300 cases from the day before, according to health authorities.
@suteiki77 @doschicos
I am convinced wearing even a surgical mask is of some benefit in containing the virus. We need to look closely at everything China did so we can possible replicate their results (with measures appropriate to our democracy). I think the main reason wearing a mask in the US is discouraged is because of the extreme shortage for health care workers. Once (and if) they are able to ramp-up production and there are excess masks, I think Americans should consider wearing them until outbreak is under control.
@mathKids Very serious. And worth watching for sure. Everyone has to be careful for sure. At all ages.
Peru closes borders
Peru will close its borders to curb the spread of coronavirus, President Martin Vizcarra announced on Sunday.
Vizcarra also called on citizens to self-quarantine for 15 days.
Peru has 71 cases of coronavirus, the government said.
You’d need to keep testing though because you could be infected at any juncture with any person/surface really.
If you haven’t already, do consider taking some steps within your home like sleeping in separate beds. No fun, I know, but just erring on the safe side given your wife’s health issues.
@doschicos great idea. Thanks.
I saw a comment from an RN (35 years experience, works in this field) about the ventilators. She indicates a nurse can only oversee two patients at a time on ventilators because they have to do readings and adjustments.
Add REI to the list of retailers closing their stores temporarily.
Part of their email:
After a great deal of careful consideration, we are temporarily closing our 162 retail stores nationwide starting tomorrow, March 16, until March 27. I believe that is the right thing for our community. In fact, I believe it is our duty—to do all we can to help keep one another safe in this unprecedented moment.
That also means all employees from these stores will be paid during this temporary closure. And, even with our stores closed, we will be working hard to do everything we can to continue to serve our customers. All orders through REI.com will get free shipping while our stores are closed. Customers who have questions about gear and local outdoor activities that they’d normally ask in our stores can get answers through our digital community, REI Conversations. Co-op Journal will feature articles that help people find ways to get outside even during these challenging times.
I you know a farmer, thank them. If you know a truck driver, thank them. If you need a “calming elixir” aka vino, thank winery owners and workers. We have plenty of food in this country!
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/there-is-plenty-of-food-in-the-country/
(Please also thank TJ, Costco, etc. employees who restock the shelves and deal with our madness.)
On a non C-19 Side note. Walked pass a REI this week. And for the first time realized it stood for “recreational equipment inc”. as it was emblazoned on the facade. Never knew that and made perfect sense. Lol.
Young people can get very sick with coronavirus too.
Teaneck NJ is a local hot spot. Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck has got 11 patients, all male, all young-ish (ages 28 to 48). Six are in the ICU. [As of yesterday. Probably more today.]
https://www.roi-nj.com/2020/03/14/opinion/life-at-the-epicenter-of-n-j-s-coronavirus-outbreak/
Lululemon closes all of its stores through March 27. Why keep them open when no one shops?
"DENVER, March 15, 2020: Due to extensive spread of COVID-19 in a number of mountain resort communities, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) strongly recommends that anyone who lives in or has visited those communities in the past week minimize their contact with other people, in order to reduce the spread of the virus. "
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/2019-novel-coronavirus
Lots of locals go skiing on the weekends, so the number of infected is likely much higher than stated. A neighbor on NextDoor said she went to the ER with high fever, was tested for flu (negative) and told that she would only qualify for COVID testing if she has trouble breathing.
UColorado-Boulder moved all classes online starting next week, but didn’t send students home. Many students had large off-campus parties for St.Patrick’s Day.