Chickenpox and measles have a very high R0. Pretty interesting article and graphs in the link below. Luckily the Covid19 R0 is much lower.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/a-visual-history-of-pandemics
My brother (and D of @collage1 ) arrived at JFK last night on the last flight allowed to take off out of Morocco. My brother said getting through customs & immigration was perfectly normal. I heard the same about our airport here in the DFW area. So whatever problems they had seemed to have been addressed. Whether they adequately screened for COVID-19, I cannot answer.
@momofsmartdancer thank you!
Does anyone have information or speculation on how long an asymptomatic person is contagious? My youngest son just returned from college and in self quarantine in our basement. Not sure how long he should stay down there - a week?
Re the argument “you can’t close schools because workers in critical positions need childcare”.
Today was the first day of closed schools in the European state my H teaches and my two younger kids go to school.
H first went to my youngest’s school (elementary) to pick up his homework package (due to travelling back from Italy, the kids haven’t been in school for a while. There is an emergency rota for kids of critical workers (there is a list of who can send kids but there are no checks). Out of about 200 kids, 6 showed up.
He then went on to his own school (middle/high) in order to record YouTube lessons with a few of his colleagues. There is an emergency rota for 5th and 6th graders. NO ONE showed up. He’s on duty tomorrow, but expects to go on recording stuff.
They just do not have enough data to so confidently say that schools aren’t major loci for transmission.
@privatebanker
You’re welcome :). Best of luck to you and your wife.
And again
Trading stopped for 15 minutes at the open as stocks fall
From CNN’s Anneken Tappe
US stocks opened sharply lower on Monday as investors grew concerned that the emergency policy measures by global central banks over the weekend meant the economy is in much worse shape than previously believed.
Instead of soothing the markets, another emergency interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve had the opposite effect.
Here’s where things stand:
The S&P 500 opened down 8.1%. The index hit a circuit breaker after falling more than 7%. Trading is now halted for 15 minutes.
The Dow opened 9.7%, or 2,250 points, lower.
The Nasdaq Composite fell 6.1%.
H has seen his first chest CTs that show Covid19. He said that it’s a big dose of radiation so they are usually ordered reluctantly, but it is a way to confirm a case if testing is delayed or unavailable.
One Italian hospital was running out of valves for a “reanimation device” and couldn’t get new ones. They called around and found a firm that could come on site with a 3D printer to make new ones.
If you click on the link, please excuse the goofy photo.
https://fudzilla.com/news/50481-3d-printing-saves-italian-lives
@Gourmetmom - out of an abundance of caution, my kid is self quarantining for 14 days. Our pediatrician said that is what she would recommend.
Michigan to close all bars and restaurants at 3. We were all expecting this last night when our gov closed the casinos.
@Nrdsb4 , great news! Thank you for letting us know.
As mentioned already, CT scans carry a lot of radiation. In an emergency, in the absence of a test option, that is one thing. But, for a routine check, it seems like overkill to me and much pricier that a test. If the promised millions of tests become available, hopefully at some point one can get tested.
2 weeks!
Wuhan health officials say novel coronavirus still “severe,” urge citizens to exercise caution
From Alexandra Lin in Hong Kong
Wuhan, the Chinese city where the novel coronavirus was first identified, is still facing a “severe” epidemic, amid a continuation of locally transmitted cases, the city’s municipal health commission said in a press conference Sunday.
Wuhan, which is home to an estimated 11 million people, has been on lockdown since January 23. It is considered to be the epicenter of the global pandemic.
“Although the number of new (daily) cases in Wuhan remains in the single digits, there are still cases in the community,” Zheng Yun, deputy director of Wuhan municipal health commission, said.
He added that there is still a risk of community infection, as some recent patients are believed to have contracted the virus in their neighborhoods, citing an epidemiological investigation.
Zheng reminded citizens who are relaxing vigilance to maintain cautious and avoid going out as much as possible.
Connecticut, New York and New Jersey ban gatherings of more than 50 people
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have announced a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday on a call alongside Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
The three states agreed to close:
Casinos
Gyms
Movies theaters
These will all close at 8 p.m. ET today.
All eat-in services from bars and restaurants will close at 8 p.m. ET Monday and transition to take-out only services. (CNN)
Trump administration is discussing curfews across the country
From CNN’s Barbara Starr and Betsy Klein
There is active discussions within the Trump administration to encourage a possible “curfew” across the nation in which non-essential businesses would have to close by a certain time each night, according to an administration official and another source familiar.
The guidance would likely focus on malls, restaurants and bars. Grocery stores and pharmacies could be exempt from the curfew. The idea would be fashioned after the European model, but would likely have to be enforced at a local level.
The source familiar tells CNN that a curfew is likely to be strongly encouraged at the state level during the President’s video teleconference with governors today.
The White House has not yet responded to CNN’s request for comment.
Kentucky will also close bars and restaurants
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will put out an order today to close all restaurants and bars, as part of new steps the state is taking to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“We’re going to have exceptions in there for drive-thru, for delivery but we are to the point now that this is a step that we have to take,” Beshear said.
Beshear also said that the state’s Emergency Operations Center has moved to level 3 — which allows them to have heightened preparedness.
He is also asking all hospitals to cancel all elective surgeries by end of day Wednesday.
Regarding having more testing available in the state, Beshear said that they hope there will be widespread testing, but they don’t have a timeline for that.
“Every time we get a timeline, it seems to be extended,” the governor said.
Earlier today, Michigan announced it was closing all bars and restaurants. Ohio, California and New York City, among other areas, announced similar bans yesterday. (CNN)
Trading has resumed, but there are more “circuit breakers” if stocks fall again
From CNN’s Anneken Tappe
Stocks resumed trading at 9:45 a.m. ET, after the New York Stock Exchange halted activity following a more than 7% drop in the S&P 500.
The S&P 500 was down 9.8%, the Dow fell 11.8%, or 2,725 points, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 11.7%.
About the pause: The NYSE has a series of “circuit breakers” that will kick in to halt market trading if we see severe declines in the S&P 500 Index, basically an automatic breather to try and calm market.
Level 1: (A drop of 7%) decrease – 15 minute halt
Level 2: (13%) – 15 minute halt
Level 3: (20%) – market closes for the day
Egypt suspends all flight for 2 weeks
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi and journalist Magdy Sama’an in Cairo
Egypt will suspend all flights in Egyptian airports starting Thursday to stop the spread of coronavirus, state media reported.
Most of the countries in the Middle East have partially or fully suspended flights over the past week.
Egypt heavily relies on tourism for its economy. In February alone, 900,000 tourists visited Egypt, according to Egyptian tourism minister Khaled Al Anany.
The Egyptian government has already suspended schools and universities for two weeks, according to state media.
Drive-through testing sites spring up across America
From CNN’s Tina Burnside
A federal pilot program to implement drive-up testing sites will be operational by midweek, according to a news release.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a statement that the city would participate in the program.
This is a crisis," she said. “This is real. You have to pay attention. The news this morning of a second death in Orleans Parish is heartbreaking, personally – and is additional tragic news for the people of our City. We are losing loved ones. We all have a role to play – every resident in this City. ‘Social distancing’ isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way to save lives and slow the spread of this infection in our community.”
Drive-through testing sites are also in the works in Broward County, Florida to help respond to the high number of Covid-19 cases there, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news conference on Sunday.
DeSantis said that the state of Florida had deployed hundreds of national guardsmen to the county to help supplement its medical team. As of Sunday, 170 national guardsmen were in Broward, with hundreds more expected to arrive in the county on Monday.
Virgin Atlantic will ground 75% of its fleet and ask staffers to take 8 weeks unpaid leave
Virgin Atlantic said it will reduce 80% of its flights per day by March 26, grounding approximately 75% of its fleet. At points in April, that will go up to 85%.
The airline said it will terminate its London Heathrow-Newark route permanently with immediate effect.
Among other measures announced, it will also ask its staff to take eight weeks unpaid leave over the next three months, with the cost spread over six months’ salary, to drastically reduce costs without job losses, Virgin Atlantic said in a statement.
Here’s more from the statement:
“The aviation industry is facing unprecedented pressure. We are appealing to the Government for clear, decisive and unwavering support. Our industry needs emergency credit facilities to a value of £57.5bn, to bolster confidence and to prevent credit card processors from withholding customer payments. We also need slot alleviation for the full summer 2020 season, so we can match supply to demand – reducing costs and preventing unviable flying and corresponding CO2 emissions. With this support, airlines including Virgin Atlantic, can weather this storm and emerge in a position to assist the nation’s economic recovery and provide the passenger and cargo connectivity that business and people across the country rely on," Virgin Atlantic said. (CNN)
Passengers removed from flight in India because UK national with coronavirus was on board
From CNN’s Swati Gupta and Esha Mitra
All passengers were taken off a flight scheduled to depart from the Indian state of Kerala for Dubai on Sunday morning after officials learnt that a UK national who had tested positive for the coronavirus was on board, an Emirates spokesperson said.
The UK citizen had been touring Munnar, a hill station in the southern Indian state, and was under surveillance after testing positive for the coronavirus, the spokesperson said.
He and his wife were a part of a group of 19 British tourists who were also among the 290 passengers removed from the flight at Cochin International Airport in Kochi.
“Fifteen minutes prior to departure we learnt that a UK national who had tested positive for coronavirus was onboard the flight,” said the Emirates spokesperson. The 19 tourists and one Indian national were isolated at the airport, and the remaining 270 passengers took the flight to Dubai after a three-hour delay.
“The husband and wife have been sent to a local hospital for quarantine and further tests while the remaining group of tourists has been quarantined at a makeshift facility at a hotel near the airport,” said P.S. Jayan, a spokesperson for Cochin International Airport. The Indian national was let go as he was not under suspicion of contracting the virus, Jayan added.
An American couple who had flown from London to Kochi earlier this month were apprehended at the same airport on Friday while trying to fly to Doha, after an alert was issued by a hospital.
They had visited the hospital earlier that day because the woman was suffering from diarrhoea. After examination, staff asked that they be tested for coronavirus and quarantined until the results came back. The couple left the hospital without taking the test.
They are currently under quarantine in hospital.
[ people are so self-centered ]
Borders between Spain and Portugal will close because of coronavirus restrictions
From CNN’s Mia Alberti
Borders between Spain and Portugal will be closed by the end of Monday, leaving only nine active crossings open to allow for the transit of products and workers who are required to cross the border, Portugal’s Minister of Internal Affairs Eduardo Cabrita said today at a news conference.
According to Cabrita, the decision – which was made jointly by authorities in Spain and Portugal – will see continued coordination between the two countries to ensure that the flow of essential goods will not be affected.
"The economy has to keep going, and so it is essential to guarantee the transport of food and essential products within the EU,” Cabrita said, confirming that all those required to cross the border will be receive health checks, including truck drivers.
Portugal’s Minister of Internal Affairs added that officials will also be enforcing new controls at airports, with temperature checks on all passengers.
The new measures come as part of a wider look at air operations between Spain and Portugal, with upcoming talks between Cabrita and his Spanish counterpart expected to focus on a potential ban on incoming flights from Spain.
New Jersey introduces statewide 8 p.m. ET curfew
New Jersey residents are no longer allowed to travel from 8 p.m. ET to 5 a.m. ET, with the exception of essential travel, Gov. Phil Murphy announced today.
This remains in effect for the foreseeable future.
Paris will close all of its parks and gardens
The city of Paris announced today the closure within a few hours of all public parks and gardens in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
In a statement, the city did not mention how long the closure would last but said these venues would be closed on Tuesday. (CNN)
The UK is a global outlier in its coronavirus response. That might start to change later today
From CNN’s Luke McGee
The UK government is walking a tightrope in its response to the coronavirus outbreak
On one hand, it is doing everything it can to keep the public calm, and delay taking the most drastic measures to prevent the spread until absolutely necessary.
On the other, it is scrambling to let the British public know that it’s taking this pandemic seriously.
Over the weekend, public criticism that the government’s response had been less drastic than that of other countries – and accusations that it was playing roulette with the nation’s health – led to confusing briefings from government officials. And those briefings in some cases seemed to directly contradict what Prime Minister Boris Johnson had told the nation in a high-profile press conference days earlier.
Over the weekend, suggestions that over-70s would be placed in lengthy quarantine and that public gatherings could soon be banned caused confusion among the public, soon after the prime minister had urged the public to remain calm and explained why these measures were not being taken immediately.
Last Thursday, flanked by the UK’s chief medical officer and chief scientific advisor, Johnson explained that even as the nation upped its response to the virus, it would not be shutting schools or banning mass gatherings. Johnson explained that the scientific evidence suggested that doing so would not do anything to prevent the spread and could have a negative impact on the National Health Service.
This slow approach made the UK an outlier, as its response was less strict than its European counterparts. It didn’t take long for Johnson’s critics to accuse him of playing roulette with the nation’s health. Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of the respected medical journal The Lancet, tweeted: “What is happening in Italy is real and taking place now. Our government is not preparing us for that reality. We need immediate and assertive social distancing and closure policies. We need to prepare the NHS. This is a serious plea.”
Government sources acknowledged to CNN on Monday that the longer-term scenario was moving faster than initially expected. They explained that the number of confirmed cases had grown quicker than planned and that the number of elderly people testing positive had caused the government to move faster than they’d have initially liked to. “There is an approach that hasn’t changed but might have accelerated depending on the evidence,” said one government minister.
Impartial civil servants working directly on the government’s response to Covid-19 are less generous, claiming that Johnson’s inner circle was caught off guard. “I don’t think Number 10 are taking it seriously enough. Lots of people are very lax … Number 10 are taking the approach of being the last people standing,” one civil servant told CNN.
Downing Street was approached for comment on not taking it seriously enough but had declined to respond at time of publication
However, for all the noise over the weekend, very little has actually so far changed in terms of policy. For the time being, this is more government officials putting out fires than anything else.
Downing Street is being uncharacteristically helpful and responsive to journalist questions over its Covid-19 response and has committed to giving daily press briefings.
Johnson will give the first of these later today. It will be the first indication of whether or not this flurry of activity over the weekend actually marks a serious change in government policy, or if the Johnson is happy that the UK remains a global outlier.
[ Sounds familiar to me in many ways ]
Google-related coronavirus testing information website rolls out — but its users are confused
From CNN’s Brian Fung
Confusion greeted the launch of a coronavirus testing website built by Verily, a subsidiary of Alphabet and sister company to Google. The site launched Sunday night and is intended for people in the San Francisco Bay Area initially.
The website was supposed to direct Californians who live in the wider San Francisco area to one of two locations in the state where they could be tested for the novel coronavirus, if they met certain criteria established in an online questionnaire.
At first, users who reported they were suffering from symptoms such as “severe cough, shortness of breath, fever or other conceding symptoms" were advised they were not eligible for testing. If you went to the tool and answered “yes” to the symptoms question, the tool told you “based on your symptoms, in-person COVID-19 testing through this program is not the right fit.”
When asked why those with symptoms were being advised not to receive testing, Verily spokeswoman Carolyn Wang told CNN that the tool is meant for those who are unsure if they are infected.
"The initial question is meant to ensure that anyone who is seriously ill does not come to our sites because they are not prepared to provide medical attention,” she said in a statement. "We are early in this pilot and are going to be learning more that will help us refine this COVID-9 risk screening and testing.”
Verily later updated the questionnaire to ask if users are experiencing “severe symptoms,” and to emphasize that the tool is not for those with severe symptoms.
The tool still advises those who report severe symptoms to “seek medical attention” and refers those visitors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
However, in testing the website, CNN also discovered that answering the questionnaire correctly — meaning responding in ways that met the site’s criteria for coronavirus testing — led to another error message The message said: “Unfortunately, we are unable to schedule more appointments at this time,” suggesting that there aren’t enough testing appointments available even for those who warrant testing.
The Verily website launch follows a series of announcements from the Trump administration in recent days that Google was developing a large scale testing website. On Friday, Vice President Mike Pence promised that “for Americans looking on … we’ll be able to give specific guidance on when the website will be available, you can go to the website, as the President said, you type in your symptoms and be given direction whether or not a test is indicated.”
But only Verily, not Google, appears ready with a testing website at this time, and it is limited in scope to California. Google is developing an educational site to provide information about the coronavirus, but the company’s announcement stopped short of describing it as a website connecting users to test locations.
Remember: Verily’s site is distinct from a nationwide informational website Google is building to address the coronavirus.
Verily and Google are both owned by the same parent company, Alphabet, but Verily is a different business from Google.
FINALLY - gyms, bar, casinos closures !!! Good to see NY, NJ, and CT cooperating. That’s so important especially in the NYC metropolitan area.
It looks like they didn’t agree on the 8 pm curfew, as only NJ announced that one
@NYGovCuomo
BREAKING: NY, CT and NJ are taking joint regional action to reduce the spread of #COVID19:
Effective 8PM TONIGHT:
-Crowd capacity reduced to 50
-Restaurants/bars will be takeout/delivery ONLY
-Gyms closed
-Movie theaters closed
-Casinos closed
The #Coronavirus doesn’t care about state borders, so this agreement with
@GovNedLamont
&
@GovMurphy
will help protect the entire Tri-State Area.
These temporary closures will last as long as is necessary to protect the public health.
Grocery stores will remain OPEN.