Coronavirus thread for June

Parent Cafe
3281

Finally, for the first time out local Publix supermarket had a “Mask Required” sign out front. Amazing how many people were ignoring the county rule put in effect last week. This virus is about two things:

  1. Finding a vaccine, and, etc.)
  2. Personal behavior (masks, social distancing

It will be so much more normal for these college kids to adhere to masks in the fall if they get used to it now. Otherwise they’re all going to be back in their bedrooms taking online classes. Enough with the politics. This is about science, common sense, and personal responsibility.

3282

30yo S2, who lives in DC, has been really good about limiting his activities outside of home, really only going for walks, getting takeout, going grocery shopping. He was even taking his walks at ungodly hours to avoid people. OTOH, he did go visit a friend 2 weeks ago who needed to use his laptop to file her taxes. He swears he kept his mask on and sat 6’ away from her.

I live 5 miles away in NoVA where I’ve seen and heard plenty of people his age who aren’t being as careful. Before someone objects, I know that people my age have also ignored guidelines.

3283

“We have a four-alarm fire” with coronavirus surge, former health commissioner says
From CNN’s Shelby Lin Erdman

The first White House coronavirus task force briefing in months demonstrated a “stunning disconnect” between the administration and the reality of the coronavirus pandemic, a former Baltimore city health commissioner said Friday.

“It just appeared that there was this stunning disconnect between what the vice president was saying and the reality on the ground, because, frankly, we have a four-alarm fire,” Dr. Leana Wen told CNN. “We have exponential spread of coronavirus in multiple metropolitan areas around the country. In multiple states, we’re seeing ICUs being filled."

“We’re basically seeing the same picture that we saw back in March, in New York City, but in many places in the country and without a plan to be able to address it," Wen added.

Wen said she agreed with Vice President Mike Pence when he said the US had flattened the curve of the disease.

“But then what happened?” Wen asked. “When we reopened without having the capability to rein in these infections, and now all the sacrifices that people have made are going to go in vain and we still don’t have a national strategy, or even recognition from the vice president that we have a problem here.”

Wen faulted Pence for not endorsing the simple act of wearing a face covering. The administration, on the other hand, has touted the drug remdesivir, which helps critically ill Covid-19 patients.

“Well, we actually have a treatment right now, if you will. If you wear a mask, that reduces your risk of getting coronavirus by up to five times,” Wen said. “Imagine that this is a medication that we can all be taking. This is a basic intervention that all that should be doing right now in order to save lives.”

3284

Vice President Pence and airline executives agree to move forward with contact tracing of passengers
From CNN’s Pete Muntean

Vice President Mike Pence has told major airlines to move forward with an industry-led solution for the contact tracing of passengers.

A source familiar with the matter told CNN that Pence gave his blessing to a “compromise solution” for contact tracing during a Friday meeting with airline executives.

Airlines initially balked at the government’s demand that they collect detailed contact information on all passengers and distribute it to public health officials if requested.

The airlines said it would be impossible to quickly overhaul the massive legacy computer systems that handle the industry’s vast booking networks

The source told CNN that Pence now supports the airlines’ proposal for a third-party app and website that would require passengers to input five points of data.

The industry group, Airlines for America, said in a statement after the meeting that it looked forward to implement some initiatives to help relaunch the airline industry.

“We appreciate the collaboration and interest of the Administration since the onset of the pandemic. We had a constructive conversation today with the Vice President and remain grateful for his leadership through this health crisis. We look forward to working with the Administration to identify and implement initiatives that help relaunch the U.S. airline industry, get people moving again and rebuild the American economy," the statement said.

The 45-minute, closed-door meeting also covered temperature checks and expected European Union restrictions on Americans traveling abroad, but the source underscores the most substantive talks centered on contact tracing.

3285

San Francisco delays reopening as coronavirus cases rise
From CNN’s Cheri Mossburg and Alexandra Meeks

San Francisco is delaying its reopening as coronavirus cases rise, according to Mayor London Breed.

Noting that San Francisco has seen a rise in cases, from 20 on June 15 to 103 on Thursday, Breed said in a series of tweets that at the current rate cases could double rapidly.

“If that continues and we don’t intervene, we’ll be at such a high number that our only option would be to shut down,” Breed said.
San Francisco had planned to continue reopening the city on Monday.

The mayor urged residents to wear face coverings, maintain social distance, and practice good hygiene. Breed also encouraged essential workers and those with symptoms to get tested.

“I know people are anxious to reopen, I am too. But we can’t jeopardize the progress we’ve made,” Breed said. “Let’s protect each other so that we can safely reopen San Francisco.”

Despite San Francisco’s stay-at-home orders and various programs to flatten the curve of Covid-19 cases, the curve in the city is getting “quite steep,” Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said at a news conference Friday.

“We’ve talked about flattening that curve but that curve is not flat right now,” Colfax said. “In fact, that curve is getting more and more vertical.”

In the last couple of weeks, San Francisco has seen a near doubling in the rate of diagnosed infections, Colfax said.

There have been no indications that the rise in cases are tied to a specific facility or event, but health officials say the data within the next few days in particular will be critical to see whether the pattern is sustained.

“We’re taking a pause here, we’re not reversing, and I think we’re just going to have to watch the data,” Colfax said.

3286

Wait, San Francisco has the within 30 foot outside wear a mask rule. Why are the numbers going up?

3287

A young woman on my team left NYC to go home to NC because she had autoimmune disease. Few weeks ago I asked her if she felt a lot better to be home. She said her parents were going out to restaurants and having people over. She was quarantining herself in her room or down in the basement because of her parents. She was thinking about coming back to NYC.
I kind of wonder what’s her parents’ rationale.

3288

Absolutely the virus doesn’t recognize any borders. In reality though many areas of this country, regions, states, counties, etc are in different stages of this battle. One county in Maryland has had 10 total cases with no new ones in the last two months. Another county 150 miles away has 18,000 cases with new ones daily. I’ve heard of other states with vastly different situations in different areas also. There’s no reason these areas should be treated exactly the same. The northeast is do different from some southern areas right now.

If handled properly the different responses should be the most effective way to handle this entire situation. This allows some areas to get a little reprieve when their numbers go down and other areas to lock down harder when their numbers make it necessary.

3289

^If we had simultaneous and enforced lockdown across the country for a few weeks in March, we wouldn’t have the issues we have in many southern and western states right now. Wouldn’t you agree?

3290

No, I would not agree. There was no reason to lock down Arizona in March.

3291

^Yes, some Arizonians would have been inconvenienced back in March, but the country, including Arizona, would be better off today.

3292

Arizona locked down April 1. They could just as well have locked down in March.

3293

Here in San Diego we are in Phase 3 I think but rising cases.

Today the Navy issued strict orders to all on base and off base personnelDiego. Back to Stay At Home. Only essential trips to grocery stores or medical appointments allowed. I’m guessing there is an outbreak at one of the bases.

3294

I went to a suburban grocery store today for the first time, looking for a special bottle of something since they have a good selection. I was worried about mask compliance, since I’ve heard tales about this particular suburb.

Everyone was masked, and there was a PA announcement about social distancing while waiting in line shortly after I went inside. Phew! The store was well stocked and even had a few canisters of Clorox wipes, but not my special whiskey. Gave me some hope.

3295

None of the lockdowns were 100%. “Essential” business/operations (political rather than objective definitions) were permitted to remain open. So even in locked down areas the virus would spread. Not as fast but it would still be there. Ready for exponential growth once lockdowns were relaxed.

Part of the issue is you really pay attention once an issue smacks you in the face. Texas, California and Florida until recently have been low on a per capita basis basis compared to other states. Comfortable in bottom half of deaths and cases. Couple days ago, Texas had 8/100k. NY had 160/100k. Easier to lose focus when its not as close to you. You become more focused when you get smacked in the mouth. Human nature. Countries that got burned by another virus (Sars/Mers for example) have tended to do better because they put in place procedures to avoid repeat.

3296

Tennessee reports highest daily number of new Covid-19 cases
From CNN’s Jennifer Henderson and Jamiel Lynch

Tennessee has reported its highest number of new cases of coronavirus today since the start of the pandemic.

The state has reported 1,410 new cases of coronavirus, which is the highest daily number of new cases reported to date.

The previous highest day was June 19, which is when 1,188 new cases were reported.

The state is reporting 39,444 total cases and 577 total deaths.

According to statistics on the state’s coronavirus dashboard, 16,513 of the cases are people between the ages of 21 and 40.

3297

Covid-19 vaccine trials started in Brazil this week
From CNN’s Luke Henderson and Marcia Reverdosa in Sao Paulo

Brazil began human trials this week to test an experimental vaccine for Covid-19 developed by the University of Oxford.

Volunteers in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are being given 3,000 shots of the vaccine.

Doctors, nurses and ambulance drivers are among those recruited for the trial due to their increased risk of exposure to the virus. Volunteers are between 18 and 55 years old and must have tested negative for Covid-19.

Brazil’s Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) gave pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca permission earlier this month to begin the trial. The studies of the vaccine could take up to a year, according to the Federal University of Sao Paulo.

Why this matters: Brazil was selected because it’s one of the countries hardest-hit by the virus. Second only to the United States, the country has recorded more than 1.2 million cases and at least 55,000 deaths, according to Brazil’s health ministry.

The country has not yet signed a deal to produce the vaccine.

Human trials of the vaccine are also underway in the United Kingdom, where researchers announced last month that they had moved into the second phase, involving 10,260 participants.

3298

The surge in Covid-19 cases is real and serious, Houston mayor says
From CNN’s Janine Mack

There are at least 18,056 cases of coronavirus in Houston and at least 216 people have died from the virus in the city, Mayor Sylvester Turner said during a news conference on Friday.

The current surge in Covid-19 cases in Houston is real and it is serious, Turner added.

“The community’s infection rate is three times higher today than it was three months ago," he said.
The Texas city has seen increases in hospitalizations, intensive care unit numbers and the number of young people testing positive for Covid-19, according to Turner.

“I do support the government’s decision to close bars and reduce restaurants capacity from the current closed bars completely for now," Turner said.

Some context: The mayor’s comments comes after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Friday in an effort to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the state.

The new order places strict limitations on businesses and services. Bars that get more than 51% of their gross receipts from the sale of alcoholic beverages must close today, among other measures.

Turner added that he’s working on a “wall of shame” for businesses that are caught not following the governor’s new order.

The “wall of shame” will include posting onto the city’s social media site and onto a huge board during news conferences, Turner said.

3299

That came out yesterday and covers bases in a lot of states. They are also asking civilian employees and families to comply. They need to keep sailors deployable.

3300

Argentina president reimposes Buenos Aires lockdown due to accelerated Covid-19 spread
From CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon, Taylor Barnes and Claudia Rebaza

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández reimposed a lockdown on the metro area of Buenos Aires, telling Argentines that “cases have grown exponentially” in recent days.

“Coronavirus is an invisible enemy that one never knows when they have finally defeated it. When it looks like things are calm, it starts to return,” Fernandez said on Friday as he announced that residents in the Buenos Aires metro region will be expected to stay in their homes unless they are performing essential work or purchasing necessary provisions from July 1 to July 17.

Fernández said that “practically 97%” of new cases in Argentina were detected in the Buenos Aires metro area.

The president himself has been in self-isolation due to the pandemic at his official residence Quinta de Olivos since June 17.

The country has reported a total of 52,457 Covid-19 cases with 2,606 new cases, an increase of 5.2% in the last 24 hours, while the death toll reached 1,167 on Friday.

“Quarantine is a remedy for the pandemic, the only one that we know,” Fernandez said.

He added: “The economy will deteriorate but the economy will recover. What we will unfortunately not recover are those thousand Argentines who have left us.”