Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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Ugh. Can personally report our main local blood bank doesn’t “get it”.

They’ve sent out the all-call for blood - critical levels. So I made an appointment and went in. I should have known from the waiting room - same cluster of chairs all crammed up against each other in two groups facing each other - and the front desk - no wiping between donors, no gloves - that they hadn’t made enough changes to stop the spread if a Covid-19 donor came through the doors.

When it was my turn to answer the disqualifying questions, it didn’t get any better. The interviewer (no gloves) typed on a laptop to enter my name, then handed me the laptop so I could use the touchscreen and keyboard to answer the questions. When I was done, a third interviewer (no gloves) came in, took the laptop and typed on it to retrieve my responses. Gah.

I was temporarily disqualified because 2 weeks ago I had a chickenpox vaccination (needs to be more than a month since that vaccination before you can donate), so I didn’t see what precautions were or weren’t being taken in the blood draw areas.

But based on what I observed in the waiting room and interview room, I’m not hopeful.

If they don’t tighten up their processes soon, the blood bank could be the next source of infection around here. I was one of dozens who went through in just the 30 minutes or so I was there, and it only takes one person whose infected…

I’m going to write an email to the blood bank now.

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Write to your state DOH. Inacceptable!

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“everybody will know of someone dead or dying from this virus (which would be the case in the “let it run” strategy)”

^^^This. We had that with the opioid epidemic. People thought addicts would just OD on their own/were hopeless/not worth saving. It hurts to live in a community where children are being raised by grandparents because no one was willing to step up when needles were lying in the parks. Not until cadavers started showing up in the alleys, parking lots and parks did people move into action. For a lot of children that was too late to save the home they were born into.

Flattening the curve builds herd immunity over a longer period of time and gives more people a chance to survive. Not just those afflicted with Covid-19. When the hospital is overrun and their isn’t healthy staff available for emergency surgery from accidents, strokes, heart attacks, labors, etc. there will be more collateral damage.

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If “inacceptable” is the combination of the words inconceivable and unacceptable - I agree! :slight_smile:

I loved it when my kids were little and made up words. The words they made up were so interesting and made so much sense. All time favorite was when my four year old told me if so and so didn’t behave, the teacher would have to “confisticate” the toy. He even made the fist to show me the hand that would be doing the confisticating.

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Putin is being protected from coronavirus around the clock, Kremlin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin is being protected from coronavirus around the clock, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, Reuters reported, saying all Kremlin staff involved in his events schedule were undergoing mandatory testing for the virus.

Russia has recorded 147 cases of coronavirus so far and the authorities have temporarily barred foreigners from entering the country in an effort to prevent it spreading further.

“Everything needed to protect the president from viruses and other illnesses is being done around the clock,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “The president’s work schedule is public and the best proof of the state of his health.” (CNBC)

Pope Francis tells Italians: ‘Don’t waste these difficult days’

Pope Francis has advised Italians to try to make the most of the coronavirus crisis by re-discovering the joy of family, as the country struggles to cope with the most acute outbreak of the virus outside China.

“During these difficult days we can find small, concrete gestures expressing closeness and concreteness towards the people closest to us, a caress for our grandparents, a kiss for our children, for the people we love,” Pope Francis told Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper in an interview published Wednesday.

France hopes for slowdown in coronavirus infections in 8-12 days
France could start seeing a slowdown of coronavirus infections in about eight to 12 days following the government’s decision to lock down the country, Health Minister Olivier Veran said Wednesday.

“We will intervene where necessary to make sure people respect the confinement. When I look outside my window, I see that gradually people are getting the message,” Veran told LCI TV, Reuters reported.

Olympics ‘would not make sense’ if countries can’t send athletes, Japan’s minister says
Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said that even if Japan can control the COVID-19 outbreak, the 2020 Summer Olympics “would not make sense” if athletes from other countries cannot come, according to a Reuters report.

The 2020 Summer Olympics is set to take place in Tokyo in July, and there has been much debate about whether it would go on as the pandemic continues in Japan and globally.

Aso, who is also Japan’s finance minister, said, according to Reuters: “As the prime minister said, it’s desirable to hold the Olympics in an environment where everyone feels safe and happy. But that’s not something Japan alone can decide.”

That follows, and contradicts, comments from Japan’s Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto, who said March 13 that “The IOC and the organizing committee are not considering cancellation or a postponement – absolutely not at all.” — Weizhen Tan

CNBC

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NYSE to temporarily close trading floor, move to electronic trading because of coronavirus

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

New York Stock Exchange said Wednesday that it will temporarily close its trading floor and move to electronic trading due to the coronavirus pandemic.

All-electronic trading will begin with Monday’s market open. The facilities to be closed comprise the NYSE equities trading floor in New York, NYSE American Options trading floor in New York, and NYSE Arca Options trading floor in San Francisco. The decision to temporarily close the trading floors represents a precautionary step to protect the health and well-being of employees and the floor community in response to COVID-19.
“NYSE’s trading floors provide unique value to issuers and investors, but our markets are fully capable of operating in an all-electronic fashion to serve all participants, and we will proceed in that manner until we can re-open our trading floors to our members,” said Stacey Cunningham, President of the New York Stock Exchange. “While we are taking the precautionary step of closing the trading floors, we continue to firmly believe the markets should remain open and accessible to investors. All NYSE markets will continue to operate under normal trading hours despite the closure of the trading floors.” (CNBC)

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JPMorgan Chase says it will close 20% of its branches

JPMorgan Chase will temporarily close about 20% of its branches and reduce staffing in the ones remaining open. JPMorgan, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, is the first of the U.S. megabanks to announce widespread closures of branches because of the coronavirus.

“We are planning to temporarily close about 20% of our branches,” the bank told employees. “This will help us protect our employees as we provide essential services to our customers and the communities we serve.”

The New York-based bank has 256,981 employees and 4,976 branches. (CNBC)

Portugal declares state of emergency over coronavirus
From CNN’s Mia Alberti in Lisbon

Portugal has declared a state of emergency, which will take effect at midnight (8 p.m. ET on Wednesday) and will last for 15 days.

The Portuguese president announced the decision in a national address on Wednesday.

The decision gives the government more powers to restrict rights, access funds and set minimum public services, among others. Any practical measures will only be decided, announced and put into place after an extraordinary cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday. However, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa said during a news conference that “democracy won’t be suspended.”

The country was a dictatorship for decades, with democracy being restored in 1974.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa called the COVID-19 pandemic “a true war,” which will bring true challenges to the country’s "way of life and economy.

Rebelo de Sousa also praised the behavior of Portuguese citizens, “who have been exemplary in imposing a self-quarantine,” which reflects “a country that has lived through everything.”

By the numbers: Portugal currently has 642 cases of coronavirus, including two deaths.

French officials urge citizens to save protective masks for health care workers
From CNN’s Barbara Wojazer in Paris

French citizens were urged to keep protective masks for health care workers and to support the strained health care system at a news conference on Wednesday.

National health agency director Jerome Salomon noted that “there was no shortage,” but said there are tensions around masks, which have become a “rare resource.”

Salomon further warned that “it is only with a strict discipline and the complete mobilization of all citizens that we will able to protect one another and support health workforce that is at the frontline of the fight against coronavirus.”

People were also urged to continue donating blood, following an alert from the French blood agency saying that current reserves of red blood cells are sufficient for “less than 15 days” and reserves of blood platelets are sufficient for “less than three days.”

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Census Bureau suspends 2020 census field operations for two weeks

The U.S. Census Bureau is suspending all 2020 census field operations for two weeks starting on Wednesday until April 1, Steven Dillingham, the bureau’s director, said in a statement

“Beginning today, in support of guidance on what we can all do to help slow the spread of coronavirus, 2020 Census field operations will be suspended for two weeks until April 1, 2020,” Dillingham said.

[ About time. Can’t imagine doing that job right now unless they send you out in a hazmat suit. ]

Automakers to temporarily close all US factories

Detroit’s Big Three automakers plan to temporarily close all U.S. factories. Ford said it plans to close its factories in the U.S., Canada and Mexico after Thursday evening and through March 30. General Motors said it’s closing all North American factories at least until March 30 and will evaluate the situation on a weekly basis after that. Fiat Chrysler, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, also plans to close its U.S. factories, according to people familiar with the matter.

The closures would affect 25 final-assembly factories between the three automakers and 150,000 union workers, according to the UAW and each automaker. General Motors has 11 factories, the most between the Big Three, followed by Ford’s eight factories and Fiat Chrysler’s six.

[ Nice contrast to Musk, IMO. ]

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Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group lays off 80% of workforce

Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group laid off about 2,000 workers, citing a “near complete elimination of revenue” due to the pandemic.

“Never could I have fathomed a time where the only path forward would be to lay people off so they can receive unemployment, while this company fights to see another day when we can return to our full staffing levels,” CEO Danny Meyer said in a statement.

The National Restaurant Association estimates that between 5 million to 7 million restaurant jobs will be lost over the next three months.

Experts recommend suspending fertility treatments

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommended the fertility industry suspend certain treatments because amid the outbreak, according to a statement from the organization. ASRM advised health professionals to hold off on in vitro fertilization procedures, intrauterine inseminations and elective procedures. The group also recommended that doctors rely on telehealth rather than in-person interactions.

Biggest US mall owner closes all properties

The biggest mall owner in the U.S., Simon Property Group, announced it will be closing all of its malls and outlet centers in the country, effective at 7 p.m. until March 29. “The health and safety of our shoppers, retailers and employees is of paramount importance,” CEO David Simon said in a statement. Simon is the first U.S. mall owner to take such a broad-sweeping effort, as retailers altogether have temporarily closed thousands of locations in recent days.

[ That’s a pretty far out date in the world of Covid-19. ]

Delta says March revenue fell by nearly $2 billion, will slash capacity by unprecedented 70%
Delta Air Lines said it plans to cut its flying by an unprecedented 70%, on a year-over-year basis, after March revenue fell nearly $2 billion short of the same month last year as COVID-19 devastates demand.

The carrier is also halting capital spending, including for new aircraft, and parking “at least” half of its fleet.

April’s revenue drop could be even worse, Delta warned. The reduced flying will last “until demand starts to recover,” CEO Ed Bastian told employees.

CNBC

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Lol. I guess my iPhone is making up words! ?

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Merck CEO calls on all Americans to take precautions

Kenneth Frazier, chairman and CEO of U.S. pharmaceutical giant Merck, is appealing to every American to take coronvavirus precautions for the benefit of society.

“Right now, we have the power as citizens to … slow the spread of this virus,” Frazier told CNBC, stressing the best practices of hand-washing and social-distancing as things everyone must do.

“That’s what we can do in the next week, month, etc., to ensure we actually don’t have the kind of situation that we see in Italy,” he said on “Squawk on the Street.”

Hotels face drop in occupancy, revenue

Major hotel chains are temporarily closing properties and seeing occupancy rates tumble as travelers stay at home during the coronavirus outbreak.

Global hospitality research company STR said that for the week of March 8-14, hotel occupancy was down 24.4% to 53% year-over-year. Meanwhile, revenue per available room, a key industry metric, fell 32.5% to $63.74. —Harriet Baskas

Medicine is changing dramatically in this critical period, and Silicon Valley hopes changes are here to stay

In the midst of crisis, the U.S. health system is dramatically changing.

Doctors have been told by the federal government that they can have a FaceTime or Skype call with seniors enrolled in Medicare. Hospitals are setting up chatbots, symptom checkers and telemedicine tools virtually overnight to triage patients so the healthy ones can stay home. Some providers have transitioned almost entirely to virtual consults, and hospitals are offering training sessions for those who aren’t yet using telemedicine in their practice.

For many of them, including the UC San Francisco cardiologist Ethan Weiss, the experience has been a pleasant surprise.

Telemedicine was “waaaaaaaaay better than I thought,” he told CNBC.

Trump administration wants to send $500 billion in payments to Americans in two rounds

The administration’s proposed stimulus package to combat economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic will include two rounds of direct payments to taxpayers totaling $500 billion, according to a document obtained by NBC.

The White House hopes to send out its first round of checks on April 6, and the second on May 18. It will base payments on income level and family size, according to the document.

Beyond direct payments, the government is looking to set aside $50 billion for the ailing airline industry, as well as $150 billion for “other distressed sectors.” It was not immediately clear which industries would be covered, but the tourism and hotel industries are among those that have also asked the government for relief.

CNBC

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For those who seem to think that the most at-risk group, people over 60 with other health issues are relatively expendable, consider the age of our current leadership, including the line of succession.

Donald Trump- over 60, obesity, high cholesterol

Joe Biden, over 60, history of AFib.

Bernie Sanders- over 60, multiple heart attacks

Mike Pence- over 60, minor heart condition (asymptomatic left bundle block)

Nancy Pelosi- turning 80 next week, hypothyroidism

Chuck Grassley- 86, (other health issues? Info. N/A)

It isn’t until you get to Sec. of State Mike Pompeo that you get to someone under 60, although it could be argued that at 56 and rather hefty he could be at increased risk.

The average age of our senators is almost 62. Anthony Fauci is 79. Let’s not get complacent.

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Mnuchin says taxpayers must file by April 15, can delay payments for 90 days

The Treasury Department won’t extend the tax filing deadline for 2019 returns, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on CNBC.

While the Treasury is giving taxpayers a 90-day reprieve on paying amounts owed from last year, you are still required to get your 2019 income tax return submitted by April 15, Mnuchin said on a phone call with CNBC’s Jim Cramer.

Restaurant industry asks for $145 billion government recovery fund

The National Restaurant Association is asking the federal government for financial relief for the industry as it forecasts sales declines of $225 billion over the next three months.

In a letter to President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Major Leader Mitch McConnell, the lobbying group asked for a $145 billion recovery fund from the Treasury Department for the restaurant and food-service industry. Other proposals included federally backed business interruption insurance, tax measures and disaster unemployment insurance.

CNBC

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Honda, BMW close plants in US and Europe

Honda North America and BMW are closing plants throughout the U.S. and Europe this week due to an anticipated decline in demand for cars related to the global coronavirus outbreak. Honda said it will be closing four U.S.-based plants for six days starting Monday due to an anticipated decline in market demand.

Approximately 27,600 Honda associates in North America will be affected by this temporary suspension of production, but the company said it will continue full pay for all its associates. In Europe, BMW announced it has started to shutter its dealerships and plants, which will close by the end of this week. The interruption to the plants is scheduled to run until mid-April, the company said.

Coronavirus will infect half the global population, EIU predicts

The new coronavirus will infect half of the global population and have a fatality rate of up to 3%, analysts said.

“We assume that the virus will infect around 50% of the world population; 20% of the cases will be severe, and 1-3% will result in deaths,” analysts from the Economist Intelligence Unit said in a note.

As a result of the pandemic, the EIU predicted global growth would stand at just 1% for 2020 — down from its outlook of 2.3% before the outbreak began. It would mark the lowest rate in global gross domestic product growth since the global financial crisis, analysts noted.

Volunteer threatened with lawsuit after 3-D printing an $11,000 valve for $1
In Italy, a good Samaritan could be facing legal action for providing a hospital with special valves needed for breathing equipment that keeps coronavirus patients alive, according to a report from Techdirt.

Cristian Fracassi used a 3D printer to make the valves after the original manufacturer could not provide them due to overwhelming demand. Fracassi had to design the valves himself after the manufacturer refused to provide the 3D files, and he ultimately donated more than 100 valves to the hospital, each one costing him around $1 to make.

The regular listing price of the valve is about $11,000, and the manufacturer has threatened to sue Fracassi for patent infringement, leaving him fearful of sharing the 3D file with other hospitals that need the valve.

Good for this guy! <3

CNBC

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88 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ohio; Ages range from 2 to 91

26 hospitalized and some require treatment in the ICU. The cases range in age from 2 to 91, with 33 females and 55 males.

https://fox8.com/news/coronavirus/ohio-gov-dewine-to-provide-daily-coronavirus-update/

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Russia deploying disinformation to sow panic in West, EU document says

Russian media have deployed a “significant disinformation campaign” against the West to worsen the impact of the coronavirus, generate panic and sow distrust, according to a European Union document seen by Reuters.

The Kremlin denied the allegations, saying they were unfounded and lacked common sense.

The EU document said the Russian campaign, pushing fake news online in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French, uses contradictory, confusing and malicious reports to make it harder for the EU to communicate its response to the pandemic.

What America can learn from China’s use of robots and telemedicine

As countries around the world grapple with COVID-19, front line medical workers are deploying robots, telemedicine, and other technologies to help contain the pandemic. China and Spain have used drones to monitor people during lockdown campaigns, while South Korea has deployed them to help disinfect areas in Daegu, an epidemic hotspot.

Antwork, a group company of Japanese industrial drone maker Terra Drone, flew medical samples and quarantine materials in China’s Xinchang in February during the height of the epidemic.

Earlier this month, a field hospital staffed by robots opened in the Hongshan Sports Center in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic began. Dubbed the Smart Field Hospital, the facility is a project involving Wuhan Wuchang Hospital, China Mobile, and CloudMinds, a maker of cloud robotics systems based in China and the U.S. The Smart Field Hospital is a trial aimed at relieving exhausted health-care workers even as the outbreak in China slowed in recent weeks.

Mayo Clinic CEO assures ‘there’s a significant supply of ventilators’

Mayo Clinic CEO Gianrico Farrugia said the U.S. could have enough ventilators to treat critical COVID-19 patients if Americans take social distancing seriously enough. “There’s a significant supply of ventilators. They may not always be in the right place,” he said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” While it’s impossible to predict how many the U.S. will need, Farrugia said the “less cases we have in the United States, the less ventilators we’re going to need, and if we can space that over time then I do think we’ll have enough ventilators.”

Absolut Vodka-owner Pernod Ricard to help make hand sanitizer

French premium alcohol company Pernod Ricard, whose products include Absolut Vodka, is offering its services to fulfill worldwide demand for hand sanitizer. In the U.S., the company will convert manufacturing facilities in Kentucky, West Virginia and Texas to make the gel. It is taking similar measures in Spain, Ireland, and Sweden and plans to do so in the United Kingdom. In France, the premium liquor-maker is donating 70,000 liters of alcohol to Labratoire Cooper, a major supplier of hand sanitizer. <3

CNBC

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World Health Organization concerned at lack of information on coronavirus cases in Syria and Yemen

From CNN’s Nada Altaher, Tamara Qiblawi and Mohammed Tawfeeq

The World Health Organization on Wednesday expressed concern about lack of information on coronavirus cases in the war-torn countries of Syria and Yemen.

Abdinasir Abubakar, head of the Infectious Hazard Management Programme at WHO’s Regional Office, told CNN that due to the current situation there that we might expect an “explosion of cases.”

Abubakar said WHO is concerned “because the countries who might not be having cases are those with weak health and weak surveillance system.”

So far, Syria, Libya, and Yemen are the only three Arab countries who have not reported coronavirus cases. All three are in the midst of ongoing conflict.

Missouri confirms its first coronavirus death
From CNN’s Raja Razek

A Missouri resident from Boone County has died of coronavirus, according to Gov. Mike Parson.

This is the first coronavirus death in the state.

Columbia Mayor Brian Treece said the patient had been isolated at home, but the family called for help Wednesday when his or her condition worsened. Emergency responders who brought the patient to the hospital are now in quarantine.

Treece said the patient’s case is believed to be related to recent travel.

The former Manchester United footballer, Gary Neville, has said the 176 beds in his two hotels will be handed over to medical staff who need to isolate themselves from their families for free from Friday. The businesses will be closed to the public, though staff will continue to operate the hotels for the health workers. And Neville promised that no employee would be made redundant or asked to take unpaid leave. <3 (Guardian)

The London Underground’s 24-hour weekend night Tube service is closing with immediate effect.

The move will help restrict non-essential travel to bars and restaurants, as the prime minister contemplates a crackdown. It also comes among increased staff anger at the risk of working on Tube lines at night to serve passengers ignoring public health advice to avoid gatherings.

The service operates on Friday and Saturday nights on the Northern, Central and Victoria lines, as well as parts of the London Overground. The Waterloo and City line will also be suspended from Thursday night in response to declining demand and staff availability.

Guardian

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University of Washington faculty member, Professor Stephen Schwartz has died of Covid 19. :frowning:

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Another Brazilian minister has tested positive for Covid-19, the country’s president Jair Bolsonaro has announced.

The energy minister, Admiral Bento Albuquerque, is the second government minister to contract the virus. The institutional security minster General Augusto Heleno’s first test was positive, while the press secretary Fabio Wajngarten has also become infected.

On Wednesday, Bolsonaro hosted a press conference on the pandemic flanked by nine ministers and top officials – all wearing masks which they removed when talking.

He attacked the media, called Tuesday’s home-based, pan-bashing protests against him “an expression of democracy” and defended defying medical advice to mingle with demonstrators last Sunday.

As “leader of Brazilian nation, I have to be at the front together with my people,” said Bolsonaro, a former army captain.

But he did little to assuage fears the pandemic could overwhelm Brazil’s health service when he said it “is unable to accept a considerable quantity” of people sick with Covid-19. Brazilian states have reported 393 confirmed cases. The defence minister, General Fernando Azevedo e Silva, said:

This is a war, against an invisible, ferocious and unwavering enemy. Brazilians can depend on the armed forces.

The health minister, Luiz Mandetta, warned of “tough days” ahead, explaining that reducing the challenge ahead from the size of Mount Everest to a more scaleable Brazilian mountain demanded the cooperation of the population.

Another senior Brazilian political figure has tested positive.

Davi Alcolumbre, the head of the country’s Senate, is without severe symptoms, but feels a little sick and is in quarantine at home, his office has said, adding that an initial test was negative, but a second one was positive.

(Guardian)

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The issue I have is taking Samuel Shem’s witty but silly pronouncements as a fair assessment of medical students’ actual capabilities, and setting policy based on that.

The legal issue is different. I think a war time President, faced with deaths that could be averted by putting uncertified people in to perform some tasks, could cut through the legal problems quite easily.