Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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Egyptian officials have announced that the country will close its airports and halt all domestic and international air travel from Thursday until the end of March.

The country has banned large gatherings, limited prayer times and curbed many public activities in order to respond to the spread of the disease.

Separately, Egyptian officials and the World Health Organization responded to scientific research published by the Guardian on the likely number of COVID-19 cases in Egypt.

Infectious disease specialists at the University of Toronto detailed how the total number of those infected in Egypt was likely higher than Egypt’s official infection rate, which currently stands at 126. “We estimated an outbreak size of 19,310 cases,” they said, adding that this figure is an average, with the range between 6,270 and 45,070 cases.

The disparity is likely due to a lack of widespread testing, Egypt’s overwhelmingly young population who are less likely to show symptoms, and a reticence among some to self-report their illness. At least 97 foreign nationals reported symptoms of COVID-19 after leaving Egypt since mid-February.

The Canadian scientists findings’ sparked angry rebukes from the Egyptian authorities, including Egypt’s Ministry of Health who denied the report and labelled it “a complete disgrace to health.” The spokesman for Egypt’s Ministry of Health, Khaled Megahed, added the “the ministry announces any cases who test positive for the emerging coronavirus.” He did not respond to further requests for comment by the Guardian.

The World Health Organization in Cairo said it could not verify the methodology used by the Toronto-based researchers. A WHO official told reporters that the organisation draws the data it publishes from hospitals, meaning there are normally reporting delays. “It is possible that there are many other cases with mild symptoms which did not result in hospital visits, and therefore are not detected and reported,” the official said.

The Egyptian authorities have repeatedly threatened anyone they believe is spreading “false news,” about the virus, arresting three on this charge on Monday after three were arrested last week.

Egypt ranks 163rd out of 180 countries on Reporters Sans Frontiers World Press Freedom Index. (Guardian)

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Does locking down the world right now really mean this virus will disappear? I mean, what if it does not disappear? Was this all for naught?
Maybe someone has read some scientific information about this they can share?
If we all go back to moving around in two months, won’t it all just ramp up again

Just trying to understand.

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Six San Francisco Bay Areas to announce “Shelter in Place” for all.

The six counties are San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda.

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Idris Elba?

S**** just got real.

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Some experts think it won’t disappear but become like seasonal flu, ebbing and flowing in different parts of the country like seasonal flu. Truth is, we don’t know how it will behave.

The lockdowns, social distancing are being done for a couple reasons - flattening the curve to slow transmission and not to overwhelm health care systems which would lead to a much higher death rate for Covid-19 plus anyone else needing hospitalization for other ailments. Also, to buy more time until a workable vaccine can be created and tested.

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@Lizardly Also here in San Antonio. Tried to order groceries from my HEB this am, first available pick up day is 3/27!!! So i drove over… Store was stocked up, i was able to get bread and eggs (why do those disappear so fast??). I did notice that they were out of tortillas!

Everyone was orderly and I know it seemed much less panicky when there was food on the shelves.

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This chart of the 1918 Spanish flu shows why social distancing works (mitigation strategies to flatten the curve)

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/chart-1918-spanish-flu-shows-173312236.html

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Bread and eggs - because scrambled eggs and PB&J are the only things folks who can’t cook can actually prepare. ?

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Yes, or scrambled eggs on toast. Yum.

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@romanigypsyeyes… Yep but gotta move him out at some point so thinking about going Friday to get some of the bigger stuff like his futon that he is not really using and boxes of stuff he doesn’t need. Take that to my mom’s house in Oak Park. See her for a day or two then head back and see what else I can take from him. But will see. Will let him know about the resource association. He is on North Campus and uses the bus system. Seems to be just like Kroger on Plymouth and those malls there. Not really a lot around him. Lots of restaurants but he cooks and has food. You know… Parents worry… ?

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**San Francisco orders residents to shelter in place
From CNN’s Cheri Mossburg

San Francisco’s mayor is ordering residents to stay home in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Mayor London Breed announced in a tweet that residents will be required to stay home starting at midnight, except for essential needs.

London Breed
:heavy_check_mark:
@LondonBreed
Effective at midnight, San Francisco will require people to stay home except for essential needs.

Necessary government functions & essential stores will remain open.

These steps are based on the advice of public health experts to slow the spread of #COVID19.

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2:57 PM - Mar 16, 2020
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“The most important thing you can do is remain home as much as possible,” Breed said in a tweet.

This shelter in place order will not apply to necessary government functions and essential stores, Breed said.

[Anyone seen case counts from San Fran?]

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LOL, my brother in New Hampshire just told me this morning that at a local Walmart he ran into someone with a full face mask and filter (maybe an N-95 respirator) who was purchasing 20 jars of the Smucker’s “Goober” combined peanut butter and jelly. People are truly insane.

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No Fluff ? Gotta have your fluffernutter sandwiches. :slight_smile:

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I just saw an interview with him, he said he had no symptoms. How did he get tested? Because of his Celebrity?

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Ohio closes gyms, movie theaters and more

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered the closure of many facilities across the state in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, including…

Fitness centers
Gyms
Bowling alleys
Movie theaters
Recreational centers
Indoor water parks
These facilities must close by end of day Monday.

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@doschicos, as of a few days ago, Santa Clara County (one of the affected counties, and where Stanford is located) had 91 cases.

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Louisiana just closed all bars and casinos, and restaurants have to be take out only. In Nola, any place with a drive through can only sell food through the drive through.

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Indiana reports its first coronavirus death

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced the state’s first death due to novel coronavirus.

The patient had health issues and was in the high-risk category of being over 60, according to Dr. Ram Yeleti, the chief physician executive with Community Health Network.

The patient’s significant other is also infected, Yeleti said, so the two could not be together when the patient passed away.

The hospital had to use iPad conferencing so the two could see each other, Yeleti said. One nurse stayed in the room, so the patient didn’t have to die alone, the doctor said.

Several healthcare workers have now been quarantined, Yeleti said. There are not enough beds, so hospitals stopped all elective surgeries this past weekend.

The Indiana State Department of Health reported that there are at least 24 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus.

(CNN)

[ not enough beds already. think about that. new hospitals need to be created, somewhere, converting buildings like China did because our government certainly doesn’t have the capacity to build them in a week, like China also did. ]

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Idris Elba was at an event with RIta Wilson (Tom Hanks’ wife) and I know other people at that event have tested positive. I assume that’s why he was tested.

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President - Avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people, avoid bars and restaurants.