Coronavirus in the US

Parent Cafe
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Vermont governor asks anyone entering state to quarantine for 2 weeks

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott announced a new order today that tells anyone who enters Vermont from another state to self-quarantine for 14 days.

“That means heading directly to where you’re going with no stops in-between,” Scott said in a news conference.

Scott said the new order he signed also clarifies the types of lodging that he suspended last week.

The order suspending lodging applies to hotels, bed and breakfasts, as well as short-term rentals such as Airbnb and campgrounds, Scott said.

“This is a violation of the stay at home order,” Scott said, adding they are suspending online reservations today.

Florida governor to sign stay-at-home order for southern part of the state

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced at a press conference today he will be signing an executive order for the state that “codifies a common set of rules regarding safer at home for southeast Florida.”

DeSantis cites the high number of Covid-19 cases in south Florida as the reason behind the order. The order applies to Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, DeSantis said.

“With this order and all that these counties have done we’re going guns blazing and doing all that we can to slow the spread of Covid-19,” DeSantis said.

[No, you’re not.]

CNN

11502

Former Baltimore health commissioner says it’s “insulting” to suggest hospitals are hoarding supplies
CNN

Addressing comments made over the weekend by President Trump, Dr. Leana Wen, former health commissioner for the city of Baltimore, said it’s insulting to suggest hospitals are hoarding supplies.

Without providing any evidence or examples, President Trump raised questions on Sunday about why there is such a large demand for masks in hospitals and again charged there is some “hoarding” of ventilators.

Speaking with CNN’s Alisyn Camerota, Wen said, “It’s not as if we get through today and we’re done. We need to be preparing for months or years, and frankly, it’s insulting to suggest that hospitals are somehow keeping equipment away from health care workers, and jeopardizing their lives.”

“We’re looking at the numbers of patients coming in, and we can easily see how much equipment is needed and not only that, but it’s not just the equipment that we’re using right now, we also have to be prepared for the equipment that we’re going to be needing in the months to come, because this is not a one-time event. It’s not as if we get through today and we’re done,” Wen said.

Wen said in the Baltimore area, “this is still the relative calm before the storm but we know that storm is not far away because we are hearing and seeing the reports of our colleagues in New York."

New York paramedic: For the first time in my 17-year career, I cried
From CNN’s Aditi Sangal

New York City Fire Department paramedic Anthony Almojera said he has seen a lot on his job — but dealing with the coronavirus crisis has posed new challenges.

He described how he tried to comfort a husband after his wife, who was a health care worker, died — but he couldn’t touch the grieving man.

“When people pass away, the grief component has to transfer,” he said. “Normally, I would put my arm around him but this time around, I had to keep distance and I watched this man’s grief come over him, his anger, his sadness. We tried to comfort him from a distance because there’s a high probability he has it and I have to be concerned for not only my safety but my crew’s safety," he said, adding that the husband was also a health care worker.

"It didn’t allow me or the crew as well the capability of consoling the living like we do. For the first time in my 17-year career, I went back inside the truck and I cried,” Almojera said.

He said that while his crew is vulnerable, they’re still working to help people.

“I just want to say to everybody out there, if you call 911, we’ll be there," he said.

Johnson & Johnson will test its coronavirus vaccine by September
From CNN Health’s Jacqueline Howard

Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson announced on Monday that it plans to initiate human clinical trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate by September, and anticipates the first batches of the vaccine could be available for emergency use by early next year.

The vaccine development comes as part of a partnership between Johnson & Johnson and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.

BARDA and Johnson & Johnson “together have committed more than $1 billion of investment to co-fund vaccine research, development, and clinical testing,” according to a press release from Johnson & Johnson.

“The world is facing an urgent public health crisis and we are committed to doing our part to make a COVID-19 vaccine available and affordable globally as quickly as possible," Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky said in the press release on Monday.

“As the world’s largest healthcare company, we feel a deep responsibility to improve the health of people around the world every day,” Gorksy said. "Johnson & Johnson is well positioned through our combination of scientific expertise, operational scale and financial strength to bring our resources in collaboration with others to accelerate the fight against this pandemic.”

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Treasury Secretary suggests there could be hazard pay for first responders
From CNN’s Betsy Klein

US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin suggested there will be a fourth stimulus package to handle the effects of coronavirus, which could include hazard pay for first responders, as the President suggested earlier today.

“I think I agree with the President. I think that makes a lot of sense,” Mnuchin told Fox Business of potential hazard pay, adding that it will be “definitely something we will put in the next bill.”

The negotiation team is not yet working on a fourth bill, he said, noting that the Treasury Department is “working around the clock” to get the third stimulus programs up and running, but “We’re ready to work with Congress if we need more enhancements or additional funds.”

He added, “If we run out of money and this is a huge success, we will absolutely go back to Congress and ask for more money.”

Mnuchin reiterated that this will be a rough quarter and the administration is “sympathetic” to those who have lost their jobs.

“I think we’re going to have a rough quarter because we’ve shut down major parts of the economy,” he said.

He said loans through the Small Business Administration should be available starting on Friday, and documents and instructions will be released “later today,” calling it a “very simple process.”

New York City mayor says US Navy hospital ship docking soon is “amazingly important”
From CNN’s Aditi Sangal

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the US Navy Hospital Ship Comfort — which is expected to dock in the city today — will be provide a “morale boost” to the people.

“The fact the Navy is here, the military is here to help new York City in our hour of need, that is amazingly important to this city” he told Alisyn Camerota on “New Day.”

“What a shot in the arm to be able to see our military here to help us in such a powerful way. It’s very poignant and moving for all of us. We need the help,” he added.
About the Comfort: The ship will help ease the burden on hospitals treating coronavirus patients. It will be used to relocate shore-based patients undergoing treatments that are not coronavirus-related.

It contains 12 fully-equipped operating rooms, 1,000 hospital beds, radiology services, a medical lab, pharmacy, optometry lab, a CAT-scan and two oxygen producing plants, according to the Navy.

The government is responsible for ensuring hospitals have supplies, White House coronavirus coordinator says
From CNN’s Jacqueline Howard

Federal, state and local governments have the responsibility of ensuring that hospitals are receiving the supplies they need to respond to the US coronavirus crisis, Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Monday morning.

“It is our job collectively — the state and local governments along with us — to ensure that the hospitals are receiving the supplies they need,” Birx told Gayle King during an appearance on “CBS This Morning.”
She continued: “What’s really important here is to look at all aspects of the supply chain. What does each hospital have and how are they being supplied? Are they being supplied by the private sector or are they relying on the pre-movement of the stockpile that went into warehouses.”

“The hospitals are too busy to define what they need,” she said.

11504

I read many stories on this each step of the way and his accounting rings true to me.

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NFL stadium construction continues after worker tests positive for coronavirus
From CNN’s Stella Chan

Construction of Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, the future home of the NFL’s Rams and Chargers teams, will continue after a worker tested positive for coronavirus.

“The worker was assigned to an isolated, material pre-assembly area outside the building. The individual had not at any time entered the building or used any of its common areas. All equipment that may have been used by the worker is being disinfected. Workers who were in contact with the individual has been identified and contacted,” according to a statement from Turner AECOM Hunt, the joint venture overseeing construction of the Inglewood stadium.
The indoor, 70,000-seat venue is expected to open this July.

[ I’m curious as to why this work is deemed essential?]

White House coronavirus coordinator to rural Americans: “You have to prepare”
From CNN’s Gisela Crespo

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, urged rural communities in the US to prepare for the spread of Covid-19, "even though you think it’s not there.”

When Birx was asked on NBC’s “Today” show what her message was to rural areas in the country, she said this:

“This virus, we think, can spread with a lot of asymptomatic and mild cases. It’s not until it gets into the vulnerable groups that you start to see the hospitalizations.”
“If you wait for that, if the metros and rural areas don’t take care now, by the time you see it, it has penetrated your community pretty significantly. And that’s what we’re concerned about. And that’s why you have to prepare, even though you think it’s not there,” Birx told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie.

[ It’s going to be tough on rural areas with such limited health care resources. ]

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Vermont already has a high coronavirus death rate per capita, behind only New York, Louisiana and Washington. Quarantining is fine, but they need to worry about the virus already in the state.

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Israel’s Netanyahu will self-isolate after aide tests positive for Covid-19
From Mike Schwartz and Andrew Carey in Jerusalem, CNN

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several members of his office are to self-isolate after a close aide, Rivkah Paluch, tested positive for coronavirus.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu and colleagues would enter self-quarantine as a precaution while an epidemiological investigation was carried out into any possible exposure to the virus.

The statement said that the Health Ministry in consultation with the Prime Minister’s personal doctor would determine when self-isolation would end.

Prince Charles out of isolation and in good health after coronavirus diagnosis
From CNN’s Max Foster in London

Prince Charles is in good health after completing amandated seven days of self-isolation for coronavirus.

“Clarence House has confirmed today that, having consulted with his doctor, The Prince of Wales is now out of self-isolation,” a royal source told CNN.
A self-isolation period of seven days is in accordance with government and medical guidelines in the UK. The Duke of Cornwall was diagnosed with coronavirus last week and self-isolated at his residence in Scotland.

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall continues to self-isolate because she needs to see if she develops symptoms, according to the source.

[ I don’t get this 7 day thing in the UK. They seem to be alone in having such a short period. ]

11508

30 million plaquenil pills are being “donated” (?) to hospitals to treat covid-19 patients.

Great. I truly, from the bottom of my heart, hope it works because right now they’re putting the lives of people who are KNOWN to benefit at significant risk.

11509

If it is indeed the same family, the omission would be just another example of callous fear manipulation by a member of the press. The first Amendment depends upon a high level of integrity on the part of news outlets, especially the most high profile ones, to uphold democracy. A love of the truth should be pre-requisite in news reporting and fact-driven decision making in service of the greater good should be pre-requisite in political and corporate leadership. More and more, I fear the fate of our country hangs in the balance as these traits appear increasingly less common.

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Tokyo Olympics rescheduled for July 2021
From CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo

The rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics are set to open on July 23, 2021.

The Tokyo 2020 organization committee president Yoshiro Mori said he had a phone call with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach today, where they agreed to hold the Tokyo Olympics from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

From Wednesday, it will be compulsory to wear face masks in Austrian supermarkets
From CNN’s Nadine Schmidt in Berlin

The wearing of face masks in supermarkets will become compulsory from Wednesday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced.

‘‘As of the moment these masks are handed out in front of the supermarkets and it will become compulsory to wear them in supermarkets’’, Kurz said, adding that ‘‘the goal is in the medium term to not only wear these masks in supermarkets but also more generally wherever people have contact with each other’’

''It would be a mistake to think that such masks protect you - that is definitely not the case. But what can be ensured by this is that there is no risk of transmission in the air. By wearing the mask you can protect other people, ‘’ Kurz added.

Hotel and restaurant ban for tourists: Austria’s government also announced Monday it will ban the use of hotels and its restaurants ‘‘for touristic use’’ until after Easter to help slow the spread of coronavirus.

First coronavirus treatment test results due at end of week, says French minister
From Ya Chun Wang and Benjamin Berteau in Paris, CNN

The first test results for various coronavirus treatments will be made available later this week, the French Minister of Research Frédérique Vidal said Monday.

The clinical trials of four possible treatments began a week ago, and involve more than 3,000 volunteers across Europe.

According to France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), the trials are analyzing the efficacy and tolerance of therapeutic options for patients within a controlled timeframe.

The four treatments being tested are:
Remdesivir, which was used to treat Ebola
Lopinavir-Ritonavir, known as an anti-HIV treatment
Hydroxychloroquine, known for treating malaria.
and interferon-beta.

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Germany has twice as many vacant ICU beds as Italy has ICU beds in total
From CNN’s Fred Pleitgen in Berlin

Germany has almost twice as many vacant intensive care (ICU) beds as Italy‘s entire number of ICU beds, the country’s health minister Jens Spahn said in an interview with Germany‘s public broadcaster ZDF.

Germany has the highest number of ICU beds in Europe and is looking to double that number, Spahn said.

“Around half of Germany’s intensive care beds are vacant over the whole of Germany. We are preparing ourselves as best we can for what might happen next,“ Spahn said.
“And if I may add this: In Germany there are almost twice as many intensive care beds vacant as Italy has intensive care beds in total.”

Germany has among the highest number of coronavirus cases worldwide, but a fairly low death toll so far. German virologists believe that is the result of early and extensive testing as well as the widespread availability of intensive care capacities. Patients from hard hit European countries are being flown to Germany for treatment.

Zimbabwe starts 21-day lockdown
From Columbus Mavhunga in Harare, Zimbabwe, CNN

Zimbabwe started a three-week lockdown on Monday as part of the government’s efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19, but critics are calling for more action.

Police are driving around using loudspeakers asking people in Harare to stay indoors. Their message: “Please do not force the police to show you the way to your homes. Kindly go back now.”

On Friday President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he said he feared the situation would worsen with winter around the corner, despite Zimbabwe having few cases of Covid-19. The country had seven confirmed cases, including one death, as of Monday

Most supermarkets are open, Monday. The country’s largest brewing company, Delta Corporation, was given an essential services letter by the government, allowing it to continue to operate during the three-week lockdown.

Concern over lockdown impact: Meanwhile, workers are concerned about how the lockdown will affect Zimbabweans and their livelihoods.

“The lockdown on its own is not the panacea to solving Covid-19. It has to be supplemented by extra measures such as increased case detection, increased community surveillance and expansion of testing centers across the country. During the lockdown, let’s test more people – not just about 200 as of today to harness the impact of the lockdown. Medical personnel are still demotivated because of lack of PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment),” said Dr Fortune Nyamande a public health specialist and a spokesman for Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights.
“Zimbabwe is largely an informal economy – what mechanisms are being put in place for those who lose their entire livelihood because of the lockdown? Where do they get money for rent and food? That may force some to get back on the streets during the lockdown.”
Mnangagwa is expected to meet business leaders Monday.

“I hope they find a way to help us. I have no other way to get money if I remain at home,” said Shadrick Muhovo a vegetable vendor. “I will comply with the directive though to stay home.”

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UK researchers develop breathing machine to help coronavirus patients
CNN

British researchers have redesigned a breathing aid so that it can be used to treat people with coronavirus-related breathing problems – and keep them out of intensive care beds.

The machines are normally used to treat patients with sleep apnea.

According to University College London, the design process took less than two weeks and has been approved for use by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).

“One hundred devices are to be delivered to UCLH for clinical trials, with rapid roll-out to hospitals around the country ahead of the predicted surge in Covid-19 hospital admissions,” UCL said in a statement.
The university says the redesigned CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines will help relieve pressure on hospital ventilator capacity by treating patients who need less intensive support.

The machines were designed in collaboration with clinicians, along with engineering support from UK-based Formula 1 teams.

Professor Tim Baker from UCL’s Mechanical Engineering department said this in a statement:

“Given the urgent need, we are thankful that we were able to reduce a process that could take years down to a matter of days.
“From being given the brief, we worked all hours of the day, disassembling and analysing an off-patent device. Using computer simulations, we improved the device further to create a state-of-the-art version suited to mass production.”
Health-care workers in many parts of the world are having trouble getting enough critical supplies, such as masks, gloves and ventilators, to deal with the influx of patients suffering from the highly contagious virus.

WHO stands by recommendation to not wear masks if you are not sick
From CNN’s Jacqueline Howard

World Health Organization officials on Monday said they still recommend not to wear face masks unless you are sick with Covid-19 or caring for someone who is sick.

“There is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any potential benefit. In fact, there’s some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a mask properly or fitting it properly,” Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO executive director of health emergencies program, said during a media briefing in Geneva on Monday.

“There also is the issue that we have a massive global shortage,” Ryan said about masks and other medical supplies. “Right now the people most at risk from this virus are frontline health workers who are exposed to the virus every second of every day. The thought of them not having masks is horrific.”

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO infectious disease epidemiologist, also said during Monday’s briefing that it is important “we prioritize the use of masks for those who need it most,” which would be frontline healthcare workers.

“In the community, we do not recommend the use of wearing masks unless you yourself are sick and as a measure to prevent onward spread from you if you are ill,” Van Kerkhove said. “The masks that we recommend are for people who are at home and who are sick and for those individuals who are caring for those people who are home that are sick.”

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"According to France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), the trials are analyzing the efficacy and tolerance of therapeutic options for patients within a controlled timeframe.

The four treatments being tested are:
Remdesivir, which was used to treat Ebola
Lopinavir-Ritonavir, known as an anti-HIV treatment
Hydroxychloroquine, known for treating malaria.
and interferon-beta."

I really hope the results are good!

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Virus triggers collapse in garment industry demand, putting jobs in Asia at risk
The garment industry is witnessing a collapse in demand due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, putting jobs across Asia at risk.

“Across the entire industry, shops are closed, brands and retailers actually right now have an oversupply situation with whatever orders they have placed. They fear that they may not be able to sell it, so they are actually canceling orders or delaying shipments of orders,” said Stanley Szeto, executive chairman of Lever Style, a Hong Kong-based garment maker.

“I guess nobody is lacking a shirt to go out,” said Szeto, who is also an honorary chairman at the Textile Council of Hong Kong.

Lever Style’s customers include Hugo Boss and Everlane. (CNBC)

EasyJet grounds entire fleet

British low cost carrier EasyJet has grounded its entire fleet of aircraft following more stringent travel restrictions across many European countries.

The full grounding starts on Monday, the airline said in a statement, adding that there’s no certainty on when it would resume commercial flights.

“We will continuously evaluate the situation based on regulations and demand, and will update the market when we have a view,” the statement read.

A food crisis looms as farms stay idle and countries hoard supplies

The coronavirus outbreak could affect food security as the global pandemic disrupts labor availability and the supply chain.

“We risk a looming food crisis unless measures are taken fast to protect the most vulnerable, keep global food supply chains alive and mitigate the pandemic’s impacts across the food system,” said the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in a recent post on its website.

The FAO said disruptions can be expected in April and May.

CNBC

11515

Be careful of confirmation bias (something they learn in AP Stats).

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Estimates of coronavirus infections for every county in the US by researchers at Columbia using data from The New York Times and US Census:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/20/us/coronavirus-model-us-outbreak.html

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FEMA sends refrigerator trucks to NYC to serve as temporary mortuaries for coronavirus victims

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending refrigerator trucks to New York City to serve as temporary mortuaries for deceased coronavirus patients, Thomas Von Essen, the agency’s regional administrator, said.

“We are sending refrigeration trucks to New York to help with some of the problem on a temporary basis,” he said at a press conference with Mayor Bill de Blasio as local officials welcomed the Naval medical ship the USNS Comfort to New York City. Von Essen said the military has provided 42 people to the Manhattan Medical Examiner’s Office where there is a “desperate need” for help in Queens.

When asked whether Madison Square Garden would be converted into a temporary mortuary, Van Essen ruled out that idea.

De Blasio said the city is preparing for a “horrible increase in the number of deaths.”

Coronavirus job losses could total 47 million, unemployment rate may hit 32%, Fed estimates

Millions of Americans already have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus crisis and the worst of the damage is yet to come, according to a Federal Reserve estimate.

Economists at the Fed’s St. Louis district project total employment reductions of 47 million, which would translate to a 32.1% unemployment rate, according to a recent analysis of how bad things could get.

The projections are even worse than St. Louis Fed President James Bullard’s much-publicized estimate of 30%. They reflect the high nature of at-risk jobs that ultimately could be lost to a government-induced economic freeze aimed at halting the coronavirus spread.

“These are very large numbers by historical standards, but this is a rather unique shock that is unlike any other experienced by the U.S. economy in the last 100 years,” St. Louis Fed economist Miquel Faria-e-Castro wrote in a research paper posted last week.

Yum Brands CEO to forgo 2020 salary to fund general manager bonuses

Yum Brands CEO David Gibbs will forgo the rest of his base salary in 2020 to fund one-time $1,000 bonuses to the company’s nearly 1,200 restaurant general managers across KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill.

His salary will also help fund the Yum Brands Foundation Global Employee Medical Relief Fund, according to a Monday regulatory filing. The fund will provide financial hardship grants to those directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, including company and franchise restaurant employees. Yum plans to also accept donations to the fund.

King stood to make $900,000 from his salary this year, excluding any performance-based bonuses.

CNBC

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There is absolutely no reason to believe that plaquenil/hydroxychloroquine works for people in ventilators and doctors should stop using it that way. Even the charlatan Didier Raoult doesn’t say it works in the later stages of the disease, when the damage is done and the body is trying to repair itself.

11519

Don’t worry about me. I am well versed in stats, confirmation bias, and analysis. :slight_smile: No thanks for the insult.

11520

Our hospital emptied as many beds as possible and increased the total number of beds by 150. We expect the tide to start rising by Sunday.
Regarding true numbers in China, rfa.org ( Radio Free Asia ) has some interesting article.