Coronavirus thread for June

Parent Cafe
1701

Norway suspends coronavirus contract-tracing app over privacy concerns
From CNN’s James Frater in London

Norway’s public health body (FHI) has suspended the use of its coronavirus contact-tracing app following an order by the country’s data protection authority over the collection and use of users’ location data. The FHI has also deleted all information collected so far by the app.

The Norwegian privacy regulator Datailsynet expressed concerns with the way the app, called Smittestopp, collected both GPS location data and Bluetooth data from users. Its assessment said the app “can no longer be regarded as a proportionate intervention on users’ basic privacy rights.”

In a statement, the watchdog said “we believe that FHI has not demonstrated that it is strictly necessary to use location data for infection detection” and recommended that the app only used data collected via Bluetooth instead, pointing out “EU countries have developed infection tracking apps based only on Bluetooth technology, and not GPS location data as well.”

What the numbers say: According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 8,639 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 242 deaths in Norway.

The app was being tested in three regions of the country, but as the rate of infection in those areas is low, the health authority had said last week it was difficult to test whether the Smittestopp app was notifying “those who may actually have been exposed to infection”.

The watchdog also questioned the “lack of freedom of choice for users” signing up to the app.

According to Datailsynet, the data required for tracking infections was also being used for analysis and research, which the regulator said are two different purposes and requires “different personal information.”

There were also concerns raised about how data collected remained anonymous. “A solution for anonymization and aggregation of data for analysis is also not in place,” said Bjørn Erik Thon, Director of Datailsynet in a statement. “Still, the app continuously collects personal information from all users,” added Thon.

The FHI disagreed with the assessment of the regulator.

In a statement FHI Director Camilla Stoltenberg said that suspending the app would weaken “an important part of our preparedness for increased spread of infection, because we are losing time in developing and testing the app.” Stoltenberg warned that the pandemic is not over, adding “without the Smittestopp app, we would be poorly equipped to prevent new outbreaks that may occur locally or nationally.”

Stoltenberg added: “We hope it will be possible to find a solution so that infection notification and analysis of infection control measures can be introduced in the long term.”

The FHI has until the June 23 to remedy the issues raised by the regulator.

1702

I would suggest that rules that appear irrational to an outsider might not always be.

I’ve only been in NYC for a grand total of about a week of my life (and that nonconsecutively), so I’m not going to try to imagine that I know what playgrounds and such there are like. I do know, however, that some decisions on what stayed closed or not where I live (before we reopened too early, given the second wave we’re having now) certainly looked stupid to outsiders, but were based in on-the-ground realities.

In the interest of assuming good will, I’m quite happy to figure that NYC’s decisions, especially since they got hit quite early in the pandemic and before a lot was known about the virus, were made in good faith. (And given what their curves have looked like lately, it appears they made some good choices.) And if they want to slow-walk reopening, well, given how hard they got hit, I’m not going to criticize them for that.

1703

Online school has created an environment that in some cases has simplified social dynamics for students, providing relief from class bullies and social media pressure.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/15/health/online-class-bullies-fade-wellness/index.html

Elsewhere, Japan, China, South Korea seeing upticks in cases again.

1704

Having two children that have been relegated to this inadequate distance learning and with talking to many others with children that are failing to thrive in this “new normal”, I am thoroughly opposed to mass online learning. While it certainly is beneficial for a select few it is utterly devastating to a majority, or so it seems from my personal experience and those I have spoken to about it.

Most kids need social interaction. Many are struggling with our current situation. Hopefully this gets addressed soon.

1705

Can I say how happy I am to see you posting these news stories, @doschicos ?!

1706

Chinese company says its experimental coronavirus vaccine induces antibodies
From CNN Health’s Maggie Fox

A Chinese company says its experimental coronavirus vaccine caused the body to produce antibodies against the virus.

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. is testing the vaccine in more than 700 volunteers in an accelerated trial that combines Phase 1 safety testing and the next step, Phase 2.

“The phase II clinical trial results show that the vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies 14 days after the vaccination,” the company said in a statement.

No one has been able to show if these neutralizing antibodies can protect people against infection with Covid-19, but vaccine makers hope they will. More than 90% of the 600 volunteers in the Phase 2 arm developed these antibodies, the company said in a statement.

“Sinovac is collaborating with Instituto Butantan in Brazil to prepare and conduct a phase III clinical study,” it added. Phase 3 testing is the last step to test whether a vaccine or drug works before seeking approval from regulators.

How it works: Sinovac is using an old-fashioned approach to making a coronavirus vaccine, one that that uses an entire virus to prompt the body to develop immunity. The virus is inactivated so it cannot cause disease. This whole-virus approach is slower because batches of virus must be grown in factories to make large amounts of vaccine, but it is effective. Whole-virus vaccines still in use include polio shots, flu shots and the rabies vaccine.

The US is pushing ahead with newer vaccines made using genetic material from the virus. They are faster to make but scientists have to figure out which part of the virus is the best part to replicate in order to induce an strong immune response.

1707

Coronavirus clusters in Japan linked to young people, those without symptoms
From CNN Health’s Arman Azad

New research from Japan suggests that many coronavirus clusters outside of hospitals may have been started by people who are younger than 40 or don’t feel sick.

The findings offer insight into who might be driving coronavirus transmission – and they underscore the importance of certain measures, such as face coverings, to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Researchers behind the study looked at more than 3,000 coronavirus cases in Japan. They identified 61 clusters linked to places such as health care facilities, restaurants, bars, workplaces and music events. A cluster was defined as five or more cases where people were exposed at a common venue – not including transmission within a household.

The researchers identified 22 patients who likely started clusters outside of hospitals; half of them were between 20 and 39 years old. That is “younger than the age distribution of all COVID-19 cases in Japan,” according to the study.

“We do not know whether social, biological, or both factors play a role in the difference in transmission patterns between the younger and older persons,” the researchers wrote.
“We also noted probable primary COVID-19 case-patients appear to transmit the virus and generate clusters even in the absence of apparent respiratory symptoms, such as cough.”
The research was published last week as an “Early Release” in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means it could see changes before being published.

Overall, the study found 18 clusters linked to health care facilities and ten linked to other care facilities such as nursing homes and day care centers.

Ten additional clusters were from restaurants or bars, eight were from workplaces, and seven were from music-related events such as live concerts, chorus group rehearsals and karaoke parties.

“The largest non–healthcare-related cluster we observed was among >30 persons who attended a live music concert, including performers, audience members, and event staff,” the researchers wrote. Five other clusters were linked to gyms, two to “ceremonial functions” and one to an airplane.

“We noted many COVID-19 clusters were associated with heavy breathing in close proximity, such as singing at karaoke parties, cheering at clubs, having conversations in bars, and exercising in gymnasiums,” the researchers wrote.

1708

The problem is that it works for some, but not all. Purely anecdotal evidence here, but my D25 was extremely bored with the online environment because there was less opportunity for individualized instruction (which I recognize is possible online, but not when it’s being assembly-lined), and the lack of in-person interaction threw my hyper-extroverted D23 into a tailspin with pretty serious depressive symptoms.

So yeah, online learning can be a godsend for many students, but for many other students it’s pretty hellish.

1709

I definitely think online learning is less than ideal but did find the story interesting to see at least positives for some.

1710

That’s what my dad and his siblings did with my grandmother. Being stuck in her room was just making her weaker and weaker and not having visitors was confusing to her. She’ll be 105 at the end of the month and they saw no reason for her to live out her final days alone in one room. Her children and hospice are taking care of her. If need be, she can move back to the facility at some point when things are calmer and a bit more “normal.”

1711

I would love this but I don’t know anyone who is being as careful as we are being. And those who were close to us in how careful are starting to take more and more chances lately. I still hope to go swimming with my best friend this summer outdoors. I hope we can make that work. It would make me feel so much better.

1712

We were all surprised that some of our students did much better with distance learning. This was often the ADHD students as well as those who were very into being social with friends. But some ADHD kids didn’t do well at all. Those who struggled with organization tended to do the worst and got the most overwhelmed.

1713

So we had an interesting concurrence where the first day that bars were allowed to be open on Bourbon Street was also the day of the naked bike ride. Hmmmm, that one guy with a mask on has nothing else on except shoes! Thank goodness for the shoes.

He showed up in the background behind a TV newscaster. I saw it online as a screen shot, I have no idea what they did with the footage on TV, lol.

1714

@greenwitch Hilarious!! Can imagine them trying to edit out the naked bike riders from the news footage

1715

In the newspaper photos, they seem to find strategically placed shrubbery quite often, lol.

1716

A group of young women formed a quoranteam of 15 and went out to a bar to celebrate a birthday in Jacksonville Beach.

12 tested positive from their group, plus others who were at the bar.

1717

Doesn’t fit the definition of quaranteam.

1718

Outbreak linked to a church in rural Oregon. 99 cases and counting. https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/06/99-new-coronavirus-cases-reported-in-union-county.html

Super spreaders strike again. Also, don’t sing in groups. Please.

1719

I knew that preexisting conditions make one more vulnerable but was surprised by these numbers from the CDC.

“ About 45 percent of patients with underlying conditions were hospitalized, compared with 7.6 percent of those who did not have significant preexisting conditions”

1720

The article says that more than half of the Union County(Oregon) tests are coming back positive, and there are still a lot more tests that have not yet been processed.

Do not stand close together inside and sing. This is not a good idea.