CORONA Main Coronavirus thread

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkUBPGFDqeU
1:40 min
Glenmark launches COVID-19 drug in India | Coronavirus Pandemic | WION News
•Jun 20, 2020


WION
Glenmark announced the launch of the first oral Favipiravir claiming that it is backed by strong clinical evidence showing encouraging results in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdGsB5_UF1U
3:09 min
Delivery demand surges due to coronavirus
•Jun 22, 2020

CNBC Television
CNBC's Frank Holland takes a look at how coronavirus has created a surge in demand for delivery services.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWbFF3PLnQw
2:03 min
How Scientists Test Face Mask Effectiveness Against Coronavirus | NBC Nightly News
•Jun 21, 2020


NBC News
Scientists around the world have conducted research that finds wearing face masks can significantly decrease the spread of the coronavirus by blocking droplets created when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks that would carry the virus.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaaeS4AfkX4
3:38 min
IRS expands eligibility to tap 401(k) amid coronavirus pandemic
•Jun 22, 2020


CNBC Television
Millions of Americans are out of work and many are also out of emergency cash. This is leading some to tap their retirement benefits to fill the financial gap. CNBC's Sharon Epperson reports..

Zagdid said:

COVID-19 rules drive Erie schools to revamp busing

Erie School District, other school systems scrambling to figure out how to get students to school with social distancing,

www.goerie.com

COVID-19 rules drive Erie schools to revamp busing
Posted Jun 21, 2020 at 12:03 AM Updated at 5:47 AM By Ed Palattella

Erie School District, other school systems scrambling to figure out how to get students to school with social distancing,

On a typical day during this past school year, the Erie School District relied on Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority (EMTA) buses traveling 28 routes to get 3,264 students to and from school on time.

But typical days will not return to the district for an extended period — and neither will the usual bus patterns.

The pandemic has the Erie School District scrambling to assemble a transportation plan that could include staggered start times for schools or even caps on the number of middle school and high school students who attend school each day.

The plan is meant to accommodate as many students as possible while the district abides by social distancing requirements that will severely limit the number of riders on each bus, particularly those that EMTA operates.

The numbers — and the number of needed adjustments — are staggering.

For the district to get all the 3,264 EMTA passengers to school on time and abide by social distancing guidelines, the number of EMTA routes would have to increase from 28 to 272, which is clearly an impossibility.

The alternative is not much better.

By following social distancing guidelines, in which students would have to sit as much as 6 feet apart, EMTA’s fleet would be able to transport only 600 students per day to and from school, far fewer than the 3,264 students its buses transported under regular circumstances in 2019-20, the district said.

The problem also extends to yellow school buses in the Erie School District and elsewhere.

The 11,000-student Erie School District in 2019-20 used yellow buses to transport another 794 students, including those with special needs and students who attend nonpublic schools. The district ran 26 routes for yellow buses that the district owns and operates.

Under social distancing guidelines, the average number of students per yellow bus could drop from 30 to as low as 15, requiring a total of 53 routes rather than 26, the district said. The students would sit one child to a seat in every other seat.

A bus that has capacity of 72 passengers could be allowed to hold no more than 24 under some rules.

“Certainly,” Erie schools Superintendent Brian Polito of getting students to school, “it is going to be a problem.”

And not just for the Erie School Districts. School districts and schools across the United States must also try to figure out, in a matter of months, how to bus students in accordance with the coronavirus safety regulations.

“It is not just a problem for us,” said Jeremy Peterson, the executive director of EMTA, which has been working closely with the Erie School District on route adjustments. “It is going to be nationwide.”

Waiting on the state

Firmer guidance on transportation is a major concern for the Erie School District. The state Department of Education does not have a date for when it will release updated guidelines for reopening schools, including arrangements for transportation, a department spokesperson said.

The state Department of Education released preliminary guidance on June 3, when Education Secretary Pedro Rivera authorized the reopening of schools for 2020-21. The state in March closed schools due to the pandemic, forcing schools to teach students remotely.

The Erie School District has been studying other transportation recommendations while it remains committed to following the guidelines of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which calls for social distancing of 6 feet, said Neal Brokman, the Erie School District’s executive director of operations.

The district has not decided on whether bused students must wear masks, Brokman said. He said athe district is reviewing a report on school reopenings, including the wearing of masks, that the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and other groups released on Thursday.

“We have a facility committee that will help make the determinations,” Brokman said.

He said the state gives more leeway to school districts in counties in the green phase of reopening, but that the Erie School District’s standards for social distancing will not change under any situation until the pandemic passes. Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday announced that Erie County will enter the green phase this coming Friday.

“We plan to the maximum extent possible have social distancing on the bus,” Brokman said.

He said the district could put more passengers on buses depending on other possible changes to the guidance, and he said the guidelines allow siblings to sit next to each other when they ride.

But no matter what, Brokman said, the Erie School District must reconfigure its bus routes before Aug. 31, when the district’s 16 school buildings reopen for students.

He said the district is also working toward determining how many students can fit in classrooms and how to teach students remotely if they must stay home from school due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

But transportation to school? That is something different altogether.

“Getting the kids to school is going to be way more difficult than developing the education plan,” Brokman said.

Limits on capacity

Added multiple runs and buying more buses could be a more workable solution for smaller school districts.

But a shortage of school bus drivers has persisted nationwide for years, and new buses are also expected to be hard to find as school districts across the country put in orders to increase capacity in response to social distancing, said Ken Berlin, superintendent of the 1,400-student Wattsburg School District in rural southeastern Erie County.

“Right now it is a very big concern,” Berlin said of busing during the pandemic.

The Erie School District has 28 yellow buses, though it is buying two more to update the fleet. Twenty full-time bus drivers and six part-time drivers work for the district, which expects to hire five more part-time drivers, said the district’s transportation manager, Marc Longstreet.

The drivers will have more responsibilities when schools reopen. Drivers will have to sanitize the buses between routes and make sure children stay socially distant. The cleaning requirements will add time to how long the buses need to get children to and from school.

“That is what we are working on right now,” Longstreet said. “A lot of hurdles and challenges there.”

When the children will go to school is still under discussion in the Erie School District. Polito’s administration is considering busing elementary school students at different times because of the need for more routes. It is also considering having middle and high school students learn remotely from home on some days because buses could not get them all to school at the same time every day.

“We are looking at every option,” said Randy Pruchnicki, the Erie School District’s director of non-instructional support services.

Once the children get to school, the district will be ready for them as it adjusts classrooms and other spaces to follow social distancing rules.

“There is going to be a space for every student who wants to come to school,” Polito said.

“The buses,” he said, “we are still working through.”

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We have the same type of situation in Chicago with elevators. Using social distancing recommendations, it is thought that it will take about 6 hours to get everyone into Willis Tower and 6 hours to get them back out.

COVID-19 antibodies fade quickly after infection, prompting questions about long-term immunity, study finds

This could impact how we move forward


Medical staff from myCovidMD provide free COVID-19 virus antibody testing in observance of Juneteenth at the Faith Central Bible Church, in the predominately African-American city of Inglewood, California, on June 19, 2020 (Photo by MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)

AARON COLEN

A recent study from China found that the antibodies produced in COVID-19 patients fade relatively quickly, meaning people who contract the virus may not have immunity to reinfection for more than a few months, according to the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

The study was conducted by Chinese researchers and published June 18 in Nature Medicine. It focuses on 37 individuals from the Wanzhou district who tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms in the previous 14 days or during their time in the hospital.

The 37 were pulled from a group of 2,088 people who were tested due to recent close contact with confirmed COVID-19-positive individuals. Researchers used 37 mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients as a control group.

The antibody levels in 93% of the asymptomatic group and 97% of the symptomatic group dropped by more than 70% after eight weeks. Some of those individuals — 40% of the asymptomatic group and 12.9% of the symptomatic group — showed no sign of the COVID-19 antibodies at all after that eight-week period.

"Together, these data might indicate the risks of using COVID-19 'immunity passports' and support the prolongation of public health interventions, including social distancing, hygiene, isolation of high-risk groups and widespread testing," the researchers wrote.

A previous study out of Wuhan that was published June 16 similarly found that "after SARS-CoV-2 infection, people are unlikely to produce long-lasting protective antibodies against this virus."

Patients who contracted previous coronaviruses such as SARS or MERS showed antibody responses for 2-3 years after the outbreaks.

The Wanzhou study also found that asymptomatic patients shed the virus longer than symptomatic patients, although that doesn't necessarily mean the virus particles being shed are infectious.

Yale viral immunologist Akiko Iwasaki said the results show that a strong vaccine is needed because natural infection may not be enough to create herd immunity.

Jerusalem Post Health & Science
Hadassah doctors crack the cause of fatal corona blood clots

Hadassah researchers discovered that patients who form fatal blood clots have an increased level of alpha defensin protein in their blood.

By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN
JUNE 16, 2020 18:31


Red blood cells (illustrative)
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

A research team at Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem has discovered what they believe causes coronavirus patients to become seriously ill and even die. They also say they have a way to treat the cause before it’s too late.

At least 30% of patients with coronavirus develop blood clots that block the flow of blood to their kidneys, heart and brain, as well as the lungs, according to international research.

Hadassah researchers discovered that the patients who form these fatal clots have an increased level of alpha defensin protein in their blood, explained Dr. Abd Alrauf Higavi, who directs a lab at Hadassah and has been studying blood clots for 30 years.

“Patients with mild symptoms have a low concentration of alpha defensin,” he said. “Patients with strong disease symptoms have high levels. The people who die have very high levels.”

The Hadassah team studied more than 700 blood samples from 80 patients who were admitted to the medical center during the first peak of the coronavirus outbreak in Israel. The results show that alpha defensin speeds up blood clot formation, which can cause pulmonary embolism, heart attacks and stroke. In addition, when blood clots form in the alveoli, whose function it is to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules to and from the bloodstream, this can lead to respiratory distress and eventually intubation.

Multiple studies have shown that around 80% of coronavirus patients who are intubated have died.

Higavi said his team are en route to a solution: administering the drug colchicine to coronavirus patients.

Colchicine is an approved drug used in the prevention and treatment of gout attacks, caused by too much uric acid in the blood.

Higavi said they have completed testing colchicine on mice and found that it successfully inhibited the release of alpha defensin. Now, they are waiting for the necessary approvals to test it on human coronavirus patients.

The researcher said that clinical trials would look at use of the drug both for severe cases and administering it to patients with mild or moderate symptoms to see if it will help decrease the chances of their developing a severe case of the disease.

“The drugs available today in the blood-thinning market do not fully address this clotting, since its mechanism differs from the mechanisms for which these drugs currently exist,” Higavi said. “Resources should be diverted to finding a suitable drug for coronavirus patients.”

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBmw1Vzbb_w
33:35 min
Global Updates
•Jun 22, 2020


Dr. John Campbell

COVID -19, Global Update, June Margaret from Queensland, Don’t talk on trains

Brazil https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-lati... Cases, + 17,000 = 1,083,391 Deaths, 50,591 Testing 20 times less than needed President Jair Bolsonaro, mass protests Two health ministers (both doctors) have left their posts São Paulo, 12,500 deaths Rio de Janeiro, 8,800 Spreading faster in deprived neighbourhoods Remote areas, such as indigenous communities, x2 death rate Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina

US Cases, 2,2291,355 Deaths, 120,121 COCID Tracking Project and the Antiracist Research and Policy Center COVID data Racial tracker 25,176 block lives lost so far 13% of the US population and 23% of deaths where race is known Black people are dying at a rate more than 1.5 times higher than their population share https://covidtracking.com/race Washington state Some hospitals overwhelmed Florida Cases + 1,000 per day for last 14 days May need to shut down again NYC Reopening continuers as cases drop

South Korea Battling second wave Around Seoul Seoul will reimpose stronger measures if new daily cases remain above 30 Complacency of citizens on physical distancing Increase in public transportation usage KCDC Country could see as many as 800 new cases a day by mid-July R = 1.8 Driven by small but persistent outbreaks stemming from a holiday in May

We originally predicted that the second wave would emerge in fall or winter Our forecast turned out to be wrong As long as people have close contact with others, we believe that infections will continue

UK Cases, 306,761 Deaths, + 15 = 42,731 New cases + 3,612 25% down on last week R = 0.8 4th July, announcement Tuesday Saliva antigen test https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-531... No swab, spitting into a pot Looking for RNA fragments (Optigen test) 14,000 GP staff in trail for 4 weeks, (Southampton University) Could identify asymptomatics Could get under 1 hour Indicate self-isolation for 14 days https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m...

Pakistan Cases, + 4,471 = 181,088 Deaths, + 89 = 3,661. Around 30,000 tests a day, (50,000 recommended WHO) "smart lockdown" on infection hotspots Rawalpindi, not enough police to enforce lockdowns in hotspots Hospitals are turning patients away Continues lifting restrictions

India Cases, 435,282 Deaths, 13,699 Infections soar in rural areas Migrant workers fleeing major cities 98 of 112 of the country's poorest districts Iran Cases, 207,525 Deaths, 9,742

High Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency among Iranian Population https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Defined as serum 25(OH) D less than 20 ng/mL (less than 50 nmol/L) Meta-analysis of 48 studies identified n = 18,531 Males, 45% Females, 62% Pregnant women, 60% Significantly different in various geographical regions

Germany Cases, 191,768 Deaths, 8,899 https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-lat... R = 2.88 Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases Saturday = 1.79, to 2.88 7-day 'r' value = 2.03 Mainly due to local outbreaks in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia 1,300 workers at a meat-processing plant infected Are case numbers increasing outside of outbreak contexts?

Meat packing plants in the USA and Canada Many workers black or brown Somalis gravitate to this type of work Chemicals used for processing meat in the USA may affect respiratory health Crowded conditions: people work elbow to elbow Poor ventilation Lack of natural light Limited access to hygiene Workers who are foreigners or migrants often live in dormitory-style residences Take a crowded van or bus to work Access to fresh food

Mixin said:

According to the Regenstrief dashboard, the young ones (under 20 yo) aren't being hospitalized. IMO, the officials almost have to know where these cases are coming from and why. Tourist season in Shipshewana and Middlebury is crazy this time of year so I would expect to see an increase in LaGrange and Elkhart Co from that, if for no other reason.

View attachment 204787

COVID-19 Dashboard - Regenstrief Institute

www.regenstrief.org

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tno5 said:

my mother lives in northern Indiana in the Wawasee/Syracuse Lake region. they had really no cases until the "lakers" started coming to their summer homes from other States and bringing it with them. Also all their college age kids are with them, partying on the lake together, parties at homes, etc. and the cases have gone up quickly. Even my nephew, his wife and baby are constantly at the lake with a ton of other people - I worry about them, none wear masks and they work for the trailer industry in Elkhart.

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summerthyme said:

As far as "why so many under 20?"... it's Amish country. While I've noticed few communities have the size families ours does (absolutely NO birth control is considered or allowed under any circumstances, which means the average family is 10+ children), they all have a LOT more kids than any other demographic. Plus, they cram them into 4-5 bedroom homes, with everyone gathering in the living room area once chores are done. Once influenza hits one family member, it's pretty well guaranteed that everyone in the family will be sick within a week... and if they happened to attend church that week (church is every other Sunday around here) it travels through the community like wildfire.

In can't think COVID would be any different.

Summerthyme

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psychgirl said:

Yeah, Lake Wawasee is HUGE for the “weekend getaway, lake house crowd” in Indiana. I’m not surprised by what you posted at all.

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All good explanations. I think it could be both - a combination of summer visitors and Amish families.

HD

marsh said:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRMGy98rBn4
33:14 min'
Coronavirus in Texas: Gov. Abbott gives COVID-19 update | KVUE
•Streamed live 101 minutes ago

KVUE

Gov. Greg Abbott is giving a live update on the state’s response to COVID-19 after hospitalizations in Texas hit a new record for 10 days in a row. As of June 22, more than 3,400 people are in Texas hospitals because of coronavirus, which is an increase of 162 patients in the past 24 hours. On June 19, COVID-19 cases in the state passed 100,000.

Click to expand...

More on Texas:

(fair use applies)

Texas reports largest daily COVID-19 increase as Greater Houston sees spike in cases
Houston's health authority said the situation in Greater Houston is getting worse by the day.
Author: Matt Dougherty
Published: 11:05 PM CDT June 20, 2020
Updated: 11:05 PM CDT June 20, 2020

HOUSTON — Texas reported the largest daily increase in COVID-19 cases Saturday since the pandemic began.

The city of Houston reported its largest daily increase in cases on Friday.

Dr. David Persse, the Houston Health Department's leading health authority, said the data show the coronavirus situation in Greater Houston is getting worse by the day.

“I think that Houstonians did a really good job, right up until now,” Persse said, “where apparently it looks like we’re not doing a very good job anymore.”

Houston reported 972 more cases of COVID-19 on Friday and 844 more cases on Saturday.

Persse said lab companies have taken time returning test results and that some of the past days’ results are from tests performed as far back as June 8.

Nonetheless, Persse said the tests are merely a sample of what is really happening.

“I guess it would be fair to assume that our numbers are much much greater than that?” KHOU 11 asked Persse.

“That’s right,” Persse said. “When you do the testing, you’re not testing everyone in the community, it’s a sample of the community. Yeah, it probably is much larger.”

Local hospital admissions shows a more timely picture of the disease in the Houston area.

The Texas Medical Center’s hospitals compile COVID-19 admissions for all of their system hospitals in Greater Houston.

There have been almost 400 new patients admitted to their hospitals with COVID-19 in the last two days.

The hospital stays for patients admitted with COVID-19 are not short.

“If you’re going to get better and go home, it’s about eight to 10 days,” Persse said. “But if you wind up in the intensive care unit, it can be 25 to 35 or longer.”

That is if the patient recovers.

According to the TMC regional hospital data on resolved cases, more than 22 percent of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals will die.

That is roughly one in five patients.

“Earlier on, when we were seeing predominately elderly folks getting the virus, and this is the ‘nursing home phenomenon,’" Persse said. “Obviously, they’re quite ill and they have a lot of co-morbidities.

"As we move forward and we see a younger population becoming infected and hospitalized, I’m hoping that they will be more resilient and we’ll see a lower death rate.”

Right now, patients are currently being admitted faster than they are discharged.

Persse said local hospitals are now seeing a rise in ICU admissions, which he said was predictable.

He said ICU beds are running at about 90 percent capacity across Harris County.

Data from TMC reveal ICU bed capacity could be exceeded in Greater Houston in two weeks.

“There are multiple factors all occurring at once,” Persse said. “Our concern is that too many of them are moving in the wrong direction.”


(fair use applies)

‘We are moving in the wrong direction’ | Houston sees a 'significant' increase in COVID-19 cases in June
On Monday, the Houston Health Department reported 1,789 more cases, which includes a large data feed from Texas DSHS that date back from June 9.
Author: Chloe Alexander
Published: 4:08 PM CDT June 22, 2020 | Updated: 6:27 PM CDT June 22, 2020

HOUSTON — The city of Houston is seeing a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases which has the mayor making a desperate plea for residents to mask up and social distance when around others.

During a press conference Monday afternoon, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner reported an additional 1,789 coronavirus cases in Houston, bringing the city's total to 14,322. Turner also announced five additional deaths, bringing the city's death toll due to coronavirus to 196.

The new cases reported include the case count from Sunday and a large data feed from the Texas Department of State Health Services that date back to June 9.

"We are moving very fast and we are moving very fast in the wrong direction," said Mayor Turner. "The course that we are currently on is not in the best interest of our city or state."

Mayor Turner said the numbers being reported within the last week are some of the highest numbers he has seen in Houston.

"All of the good work we did collectively in March, April and May -- closing down conferences and conventions -- we are now engaged in activities that are wiping the success we achieved," Turner said.

Mayor Turner said the new mask order that went into effect Monday is just one of the proactive options the city is taking to help slow the spread of coronavirus. Turner said city officials are also utilizing their voices and encouraging people to do the right thing by practicing good hygiene and social distance when at stores, restaurants or any other businesses.

"At the very minimum we are asking people to put on their masks or face coverings," Turner said.

Turner went on to say that the goal of the mask order is to save lives and he said it’s a sign of respect for other people as well.

Dr. David Persse, director of the Houston Health Department, said the number of hospitalizations due to coronavirus is increasing.

Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena said within the last week the fire department has seen an increase in 911 calls from patients who have COVID-19. He says this is impacting his firefighters because those exposed to coronavirus patients must quarantine for two weeks which means public safety is being jeopardized.

"When you take 100 firefighters and police off the streets due to quarantine if affects the city," Chief Pena said.

Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledged Monday there are some alarming coronavirus trends in Texas over the last week and the virus "must be corralled."

When comparing the numbers in late May to the last five days, they've at least doubled across the board.


(fair use applies)

Public safety impacted after dozens of firefighters, police quarantined due to COVID-19, chief says
According to Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena, 146 HPD officers have tested positive for the virus and more than 80 firefighters are currently in quarantine.
Author: Chloe Alexander, Marcelino Benito
Published: 6:35 PM CDT June 22, 2020 | Updated: 10:35 PM CDT June 22, 2020

HOUSTON — The exponential growth in COVID-19 cases in Houston is now starting to impact public safety.

The Houston Health Department reported just under 1,800 new cases over the last two days. Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city is moving very fast in the wrong direction.

According to Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena, 146 officers with the Houston Police Department have tested positive for the virus. More than 100 are in quarantine and are unable to work right now.

"It is getting critical," said Chief Pena. "For the fire department, the numbers are even more pronounced."

Chief Pena said the Houston Fire Department has seen a 140 percent increase in firefighters needing to quarantine in the last 10 days.

On June 12, 36 firefighters were quarantined with COVID-19. As of Monday, that number stands at 88 with two admitted in the hospital, Chief Pena announced Monday afternoon during a press conference with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

Even more troubling, Chief Pena said his department is seeing an increase in 911 calls coming from COVID-19 patients and if his firefighters are exposed, they have to quarantine for two weeks and monitor their symptoms. This, he says, impacts public safety.

"When you take 100 firefighters and police off the streets due to quarantine it affects the city," Chief Pena said.

Chief Pena and city leaders are pleading with the public to mask up, social distance and practice good hygiene.

"This is very real," said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. "This is a healthcare crisis."

The Houston Health Department said the spike in cases isn't due to one particular event. Officials said it's reopening bars and large groups gathering without masks.

Officials recommend anyone who's been in any type of huge crowd to get tested right away.


(fair use applies)

Gov. Abbott says 'tougher actions will be required' if COVID-19 case counts continue climb
'COVID-19 is spreading at an unacceptable rate in Texas,' the governor admitted.
Author: Michelle Homer
Published: 9:19 AM CDT June 22, 2020 | Updated: 6:22 PM CDT June 22, 2020

HOUSTON — Texas Governor Greg Abbott acknowledged Monday there are some alarming coronavirus trends in Texas over the last week and the virus "must be corralled."

"COVID-19 is spreading at an unacceptable rate in Texas," the governor said.

Texas reported its largest daily increase in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began on Saturday. Hospitalization numbers are up 126% statewide since Memorial Day.

When comparing the numbers in late May to the last five days, they've at least doubled across the board.

Cases in Texas are up from about 1,500 a day to more than 3,500. Hospitalizations have jumped from about 1,600 a day to more than 3,200. The percentage of people testing positive is up to 9 percent, compared to 4.5 percent in late May.


"If that spike continues, further action will be necessary," Abbott said. "We don't have to choose between jobs and health We can have both. We can protect Texans lives while also restoring their livelihoods."

Abbott said closing down Texas again will be the last resort but it could happen.

"If we do not start wearing masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, it could result in [businesses] actually having to close back down," Gov. Abbott said. "Our goal is to keep businesses open, to keep society engaged, and one of the most effective tools that we can do that is by people wearing masks."

The mask debate has turned political in Texas and other states.

"I know that some people feel that wearing a mask is inconvenient, or that it is, like, an infringement of freedom," said Gov. Abbott. "But I also know that wearing a mask will help us to keep Texas open."

.

marsh said:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1zDaZphZRE
3:38 min
Florida May Surpass 100,000 Coronavirus Cases
•Jun 22, 2020

News4JAX
Today Florida is likely to hit a grim milestone in the number of coronavirus cases. The Sunshine State may surpass 100-thousand confirmed cases.

Click to expand...

We did. Total cases as of 10 AM June 22 was 100,217.

HD

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marsh said:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWbFF3PLnQw
2:03 min
How Scientists Test Face Mask Effectiveness Against Coronavirus | NBC Nightly News
•Jun 21, 2020


NBC News
Scientists around the world have conducted research that finds wearing face masks can significantly decrease the spread of the coronavirus by blocking droplets created when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks that would carry the virus.

Click to expand...

THIS IS GREAT.

Thank you for posting it. I wish it could be viewed by everyone on TB

HD

.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWdin109fY0
25:31 min
Three gorges dam could collapse, expert says; US customs seizes 10 tons of smuggled meat from China
•Premiered 6 hours ago


China in Focus - NTD
Five Chinese provinces sending medical teams to help combat the virus cluster in Beijing. One of the biggest hospitals in the capital now equipped with a virus testing department. Chinese authorities are claiming the CCP virus is under control. But one funeral home in Beijing has reportedly been cremating corpses under strict virus protection measures. With the continuous rainfall in China, an expert warns that one of the world’s largest dams sitting above the Yangtze river is at risk of collapse, possibly impacting over 400-million people downstream. US customs officials in California are warning that prohibited meat from China could contaminate US livestock. And the leader of the GOP’s China Task Force is considering a new move to counter China’s propaganda, by forming a special working group that was once deployed during the Cold War era.

marsh said:

COVID-19 antibodies fade quickly after infection, prompting questions about long-term immunity, study finds

This could impact how we move forward

www.theblaze.com

COVID-19 antibodies fade quickly after infection, prompting questions about long-term immunity, study finds

This could impact how we move forward

View attachment 204874
Medical staff from myCovidMD provide free COVID-19 virus antibody testing in observance of Juneteenth at the Faith Central Bible Church, in the predominately African-American city of Inglewood, California, on June 19, 2020 (Photo by MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
AARON COLEN

A recent study from China found that the antibodies produced in COVID-19 patients fade relatively quickly, meaning people who contract the virus may not have immunity to reinfection for more than a few months, according to the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

The study was conducted by Chinese researchers and published June 18 in Nature Medicine. It focuses on 37 individuals from the Wanzhou district who tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms in the previous 14 days or during their time in the hospital.

The 37 were pulled from a group of 2,088 people who were tested due to recent close contact with confirmed COVID-19-positive individuals. Researchers used 37 mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients as a control group.

The antibody levels in 93% of the asymptomatic group and 97% of the symptomatic group dropped by more than 70% after eight weeks. Some of those individuals — 40% of the asymptomatic group and 12.9% of the symptomatic group — showed no sign of the COVID-19 antibodies at all after that eight-week period.

"Together, these data might indicate the risks of using COVID-19 'immunity passports' and support the prolongation of public health interventions, including social distancing, hygiene, isolation of high-risk groups and widespread testing," the researchers wrote.

A previous study out of Wuhan that was published June 16 similarly found that "after SARS-CoV-2 infection, people are unlikely to produce long-lasting protective antibodies against this virus."

Patients who contracted previous coronaviruses such as SARS or MERS showed antibody responses for 2-3 years after the outbreaks.

The Wanzhou study also found that asymptomatic patients shed the virus longer than symptomatic patients, although that doesn't necessarily mean the virus particles being shed are infectious.

Yale viral immunologist Akiko Iwasaki said the results show that a strong vaccine is needed because natural infection may not be enough to create herd immunity.

Click to expand...

This makes a lot of sense to me because people I know who could've sworn they had COVID back in Jan/Feb and were tested in late May had no antibodies and assumed they didn't have it. They probably did have it but were tested after they lost the antibodies to prove they did.

I see two reasons this is significant. If no antibodies show up now for people who had this in the winter, we'll never know how many had it back then and recovered at home. Plus all those people didn't acquire any immunity even though they were hoping they did (which is why they got tested).

HD

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Miami-Dade’s largest cities to require masks in public as COVID-19 numbers spike
By Joey Flechas, Ana Claudia Chacin, and Douglas Hanks
June 22, 2020 04:58 PM , Updated 5 hours 53 minutes ago


The COVID-19 crisis in Miami-Dade is taking a bad turn as the number of confirmed infections and hospitalizations swell, prompting government leaders from City Hall to Tallahassee to urge the use of face masks and plead for people to practice social distancing.

Days after the state’s top health official quietly issued a health advisory recommending people wear masks in public, some of Miami-Dade’s largest cities on Monday announced plans to require face masks in public almost all the time, meaning violators risk being charged with a misdemeanor. Mayors acknowledged the measure won’t be easy to enforce.

Several more cities pledged to beef up enforcement of existing rules meant to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in a partially reopened economy, where people can go to the beach, restaurants, hair salons, shopping malls and strip clubs under the county’s “New Normal” guidelines.

Even as local commerce remains in first gear, infection and hospitalization rates are surging. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Miami-Dade hit a record high Monday, and the number of people in intensive care units is on the rise.

The alarming figures underscore a renewed urgency to get residents to strictly adhere to social distancing rules, capacity restrictions and mask requirements while reigniting commerce to keep an ailing economy above water.

It does not appear that county or city leaders are prepared to shut down businesses or reissue stay-at-home orders. Not yet.

“I think we owe it to our community and livelihood of members of our community to try everything we can before we reverse to a shutdown again,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. “Obviously, if we get to a point where our healthcare system is going to be overrun, we’ll have to consider everything on the table.”

Masks in public

At a Monday press conference for members of the local League of Cities, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announced a new rule requiring anyone within city limits to wear masks in public, except for people doing rigorous exercise. Several of the county’s most densely populated cities, including Hialeah, Miami Gardens and Aventura, committed to implementing a similar regulation.

The announcement appeared to be sudden and not anticipated in Miami City Hall — city administrators have not drafted an emergency order outlining the rules. City Manager Art Noriega is expected to sign the document in the coming days.

In a reflection of the parochial nature of political leadership across Miami-Dade’s 35 local governments, it was unclear exactly which cities were agreeing follow Miami’s lead on mask rules. At the press conference, mayors of cities stood in several socially distanced rows behind the lectern and hollered their cities’ names as Suarez tried to clarify who was committing to a new mask rule.

Key Biscayne, North Miami Beach, Aventura and Miami Shores are on board. Even though Suarez included Miami Beach on the list, and the Herald initially included that city on the list, Beach officials later clarified they are not mandating masks in public. At least not yet.

The confusion resembled earlier days in the COVID-19 pandemic when state, county and city officials grappled with how to create definitive public health policies across a patchwork of local governments, from closures to reopenings.

The question of mandating masks came days after Scott Rivkees, Florida’s surgeon general, recommended “all individuals in Florida should wear face coverings in any setting where social distancing is not possible.” The advisory also recommended against social gatherings of more than 50 people.

Under a punishing Monday afternoon sun outside Miami City Hall, Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert said he came to the press conference from a funeral for someone who died from COVID-19, and he has another one to attend later in the week. He explained that the mask measure and stricter enforcement are urgent because “there are real consequences to us not following the rules.”

“This is what has to happen. We have to become more serious about this,” he said. “We know that the natural and probable consequence of more higher positive infections are more hospitalizations. The more hospitalizations you have, the more people eventually will go on ventilators. The more people go on ventilators, the more people will die eventually. That’s why we’re speaking out on this.”

Suarez said city code enforcement and police officers will embark on a campaign to force the public and business owners to comply or face a misdemeanor charge. He acknowledged it will be difficult to patrol.

“Without a doubt, enforcement will be a challenge,” Suarez said.

Suarez faced criticism after he was seen twice in recent weeks at Swan, a swanky Design District restaurant that was shut down over the weekend for hosting crowds of people without masks. On Monday, he faced a barrage of questions from reporters, so many that Miami commissioner and League of Cities president Keon Hardemon stepped up to the lectern to urge reporters to direct more questions to any of the other 14 mayors who were present and to follow up with Suarez afterward.

The mayor acknowledged posing for a photograph without wearing a mask himself was an “error on my part.”

“I obviously take a lot of pictures, and I try in every single instance to comply with the rules,” he said. “In that particular case, rules were not complied with, and that’s something that I regret, understanding that I’m an example. I have to try to set the standard in every moment and every occasion, and that’s an obligation that I have as mayor. So I regret taking the picture in that way.”

Record number of hospitalizations

The announcement of the tougher rules landed on a day that saw more alarming COVID-19 statistics for Miami-Dade County. A daily survey of hospitals across Miami-Dade found a new record for COVID-19 hospitalizations, with 776 patients with the disease occupying hospital beds. That’s about 30 percent more than the 591 COVID patients Miami-Dade hospitals reported just two weeks ago.

On Sunday, Jackson Memorial Hospital officials reported the facility had admitted 182 patients who had tested positive for COVID-19, the highest number since April. A spokesman for the hospital said a higher proportion of patients testing positive are younger than patients in April and May, a trend cited by Gov. Ron DeSantis in recent comments about an “erosion of social distancing” among younger people. At Jackson, the share of patients who need intensive care is smaller than earlier in the spring.

Countywide, patients with serious COVID symptoms are surging. The 157 COVID patients listed as in intensive care is 62 percent more than there were two weeks ago.

The surge in hospitalizations tracks a rebound in coronavirus infections in the general population, too. The two-week average for positive COVID tests crossed the 10 percent mark on Sunday, the first time it crossed that threshold since County Mayor Carlos Gimenez lifted closure orders on businesses on May 18 and imposed “New Normal” rules requiring social distancing and face coverings.

Breaking the 10% barrier officially moved that metric into a “Red Flag” status on the county’s daily COVID dashboard. The general trend in cases has been in the Red Flag area since May 31, as daily cases have been increasing overall during the month of June.

Hospitals have reported hundreds of empty beds even as COVID admissions grow, allowing that metric to retain its “Green Flag” designation.

The trends extend beyond South Florida. In the past two weeks, Florida has seen the number of new coronavirus cases added to its dashboard by the Health Department increase, often breaking records. The State Health Department registered 4,049 additional cases on Saturday, the highest number the state has recorded.

DeSantis has attributed the increase in new cases to increased testing. However, the COVID Tracking Project, a data collection website run by volunteers who have rated Florida’s data transparency as exemplary, said on its Twitter account Friday that the increase in cases could not be attributed to the increase in tests, since last week tests decreased by 3%, while new cases grew 88%.

Miami-Dade had seen encouraging trends in COVID-19 statistics in May that Gimenez cited when he began lifting the closure orders he imposed in March. But those trends have reversed as hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19 have increased and accelerated through June.

A large portion of the coronavirus test results are also showing positive results across the county. Miami-Dade’s goal is to keep the two-week average for positive results below 10%.

“The past few days we have been seeing fairly consistent evidence of increased community transmission,” Mary Jo Trepka, an epidemiologist at Florida International University, told the Herald last week. “This week, things have not gone in the right direction.”
Stricter enforcement

On Monday, Gimenez issued a statement suggesting he may follow the cities’ lead and impose a stricter countywide mask rule. The current Miami-Dade emergency regulation, which applies inside city limits, requires masks inside businesses and at parks, beaches and other outdoor areas when social distancing isn’t possible.

“Wearing masks outdoors in congested cities like Miami, North Miami Beach, Aventura, Hialeah and Miami Gardens is a good idea. I commend the mayors of those cities for making that a requirement,” Gimenez said in the statement. “I will be meeting with the County’s medical experts tomorrow to discuss whether the use of masks in less congested unincorporated areas of the County is necessary.”

Throughout the coronavirus crisis, there’s been friction between Gimenez and mayors from larger cities, who rejected some county reopening timetables in favor of later lifting of rules within municipal limits. While the county can impose emergency rules cities must follow, cities can issue stricter ones. Gimenez, who trumpeted last week’s shutdown of a restaurant violating COVID rules while Miami’s mayor was inside, urged cities to focus on enforcement.

“None of this means anything unless the New Normal rules are enforced by the County’s 34 municipalities,” he said.

In some cases, people have taken to social media to shame businesses that are not complying.

A new Instagram account, @covid_305, recently began posting videos of restaurants and hotels that appear to be flouting social distancing and mask rules. Posts showed a pool at the SLS Hotel surrounded by partygoers dancing shoulder to shoulder. On Sunday after the videos emerged, the SLS closed its Hyde Beach day club.

Proprietors are struggling to balance a customer-is-always-right policy with the threat of social and legal pressure from disgruntled patrons with cellphones and police who could arrive and close down the business. The “New Normal” rules are the result of local business owners eager to reopen their doors after being shuttered for months. As people disregard the rules, political leaders are emphasizing personal responsibility in their pleas for people to comply. Officials are not publicly questioning the state’s decision to end shutdowns and reopen.

After Monday’s press conference, a reporter asked Suarez if he thought Florida’s economy reopened too soon. The mayor stared at the ground silently for about 15 seconds before responding. He did not give a direct answer, saying it is a delicate balance to navigate between a listing economy and a persistent public health threat. He referenced the differing stances he and Gimenez have held through the pandemic — a divide that has extended to mayors of other cities who have announced initiatives with Miami.

“I got criticized when I was lagging behind Miami-Dade County, saying that it was something personal,” he said. “It wasn’t. It’s just, we’re looking at the data, and the data was disturbing. The data continues to be disturbing, so we’re continuing to take actions to the best that we can.”

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South Carolina protest canceled after demonstrators come down with coronavirus
By David Aaro | Fox News
Published 1 hour ago

A protest organizer in South Carolina said he will postpone future demonstrations after at least 13 people who took part in recent rallies tested positive for the coronavirus.

With cases climbing in the U.S. following the states' reversals of shutdown policies, an increase in testing, as well as protests across the country -- Lawrence Dishawn Nathaniel urged those who attended previous rallies to get tested.

Protesters and police clash in Columbia, S.C., on Sunday. People protested against police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis on May 25. (Jason Lee/The Sun News via AP)

Nathaniel has helped lead protests across the state over the past month through an initiative called I Can't Breathe SC, following the death of George Floyd in police custody. He also founded a nonprofit community organization, People Demand Action.

He said those infected attended protesters from May 30 to June 17 in Columbia, Charleston and Greenville. Four organizers, three photographers, and six protesters tested positive, he said.

"We're canceling all protests," he said. "We must do our part, so if you're gonna go out, make sure you have your mask, make sure you have your hand sanitizer."

Nathaniel said they will conduct advocacy efforts online and virtual. He asked community leaders to do the same.

Experts have debated whether protests can add to the spread of the virus, with a study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research finding they had little effect on the recent spike in cases -- even though many were seen gathering in close proximity, with some yelling and shouting. The study did add that it was possible the protests caused an increase in the spread of COVID-19 among those who attended.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top disease expert, said protests and reopening the economy too soon could be the perfect recipe for a surge in cases.

Vice President Mike Pence said Monday that younger people, seen as the majority of those who attended recent protests across the country are increasingly testing positive for COVID-19. The virus also impacts the African American community at a disproportionate rate.

"We are seeing more people test positive under the age of 35, particularly in our discussions with the leadership in Florida and in Texas," Pence said on a conference call with state governors Monday, which ABC News reported.

The younger population has the potential to spread the virus to the elderly or those with preexisting conditions, seen as those more vulnerable to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The recent growth appears to be primarily due to increased cases in younger age groups, especially those aged 21-40,” said experts at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in an analysis released Monday, according to The Washington Post. “In June, 50 percent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 30 percent of ICU patients have been under 50 years old.”

The Department of Health and Environmental Control in South Carolina has reported record increases in daily cases within the past week.

The state has seen more than 25,666 confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 659 deaths from the virus as of early Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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WHO warns of 'accelerating' pandemic as Brazil reaches 50,000 deaths
AFP Relax News•June 22, 2020

The World Health Organization sent out a fresh warning on Monday over the dangers of the new coronavirus even as France returned to life by staging an annual music festival and sending millions of children back to school.

In spite of numerous European countries further easing their lockdown restrictions, cases around the world are rising especially in Latin America with Brazil now registering over 50,000 deaths.

There are also fears of a second wave with Australians being warned against travelling to Melbourne.

"The pandemic is still accelerating," WHO's director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the virtual health forum organised by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

"We know that the pandemic is much more than a health crisis, it is an economic crisis, a social crisis and in many countries a political crisis.

"Its effects will be felt for decades to come."

Ghebreyesus said the greatest threat facing the world is not the virus itself, which has now killed over 465,000 people and infected nearly nine million worldwide, but "the lack of global solidarity and global leadership".

"We cannot defeat this pandemic with a divided world," he said. "The politicisation of the pandemic has exacerbated it."

Brazil falls into that bracket with President Jair Bolsonaro comparing the virus to a "little flu" and arguing that the economic impact of shutdowns is often worse than the virus itself.

Brazil is the second worst-affected country behind the United States, another country where political infighting has prevented a unified policy to handle the virus.

The spread of COVID-19 is accelerating across Latin America, with Mexico, Peru and Chile also hard-hit as death tolls soar and healthcare facilities are pushed toward collapse.

Mexico City has delayed reopening markets, restaurants, malls, hotels and places of worship, with the country now recording over 20,000 COVID-19 deaths.

Highlighting the region's woes, Peru passed 8,000 deaths on Sunday despite preparing to reopen shopping malls on Monday.

- Fete in France -

In Europe, meanwhile, the feelgood factor continues as countries ease their lockdown restrictions.

Thousands of French danced and partied well into Monday for an annual music festival, in the first big blow out since the lockdown.

Revellers packed the streets of Paris, most shunning masks and social distancing, to enjoy concerts in cafes and on street corners.

Although none of the usual extravaganzas were held beyond what French electronic music legend Jean-Michel Jarre billed as the world's first live virtual "avatar" concert, many felt the authorities were too lax.

"This is not what a gradual end to the lockdown looks like," said Dr Gilbert Deray.

"I understand that the Festival of Music is something of a liberation, but did we really have to have it this year?"

Swimming pools and cinemas also reopened on Monday -- with one cinema opening one minute after midnight for a sneak preview of the upcoming French comedy, "Les Parfums" (The Perfumes).

Children up to the age of 15 also returned to school as attendance was switched from voluntary to compulsory.

-- Second wave --

Fears remain, however, that the virus, may be on its way back even as countries where infections have ebbed lift their lockdowns to restart battered economies.

Australians were warned Monday to avoid travelling to Melbourne, as the country's second biggest city tightened restrictions over fears of a second wave.

Victoria state has recorded more than 110 cases in the past week -- many of them in Melbourne -- prompting leaders of other regions to warn against visiting the city's six designated virus "hot spots".

China, Germany and Japan are also battling new outbreaks with some reintroducing containment measures.

Kyrgyzstan also reported a significant rise in coronavirus cases on Monday, less than a month after the Central Asian nation's government lifted restrictions in key cities.

- Markets dip -

The spike in infections increased nervousness in the business world as markets mostly fell on Monday.

After enjoying a broadly positive week, with equities rallying from their March trough, traders turned cautious on news of a worrying jump in fresh cases in several US states including California, Texas and Florida.

German airline group Lufthansa, meanwhile, says it has backup plans ready in case shareholders reject a nine-billion-euro ($10.1 billion) pandemic rescue plan agreed with the state.

Like rival airlines, Lufthansa was plunged into crisis after efforts to contain the coronavirus brought air travel to a near standstill for several months this year.

Investors are to meet Thursday to sign off on the rescue.

- Sporting concerns -

The sporting world has been reemerging from the darkness, although for every step forward it seems to take one back.

Japan announced that up to 5,000 fans will be able to attend football and baseball games from July 10 but the presence of fans at other sporting events, notably in the Balkans, appears to have caused problems.

Five players from Serbian club Red Star Belgrade tested positive for coronavirus after playing a match attended by 16,000 people, the club said Monday.

Montenegro, which had declared itself virus-free, announced a new cluster of cases, predominantly football fans who had travelled to Belgrade to watch the match.

In neighbouring Croatia, Borna Coric became the second top tennis player, after Grigor Dimitrov, to test positive after taking part in an exhibition tournament featuring world number one Novak Djokovic.

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Coronavirus hospitalizations grow in Arizona, Texas as cases continue to increase across the U.S.
Noah Higgins-Dunn
Published Mon, Jun 22 202010:55 AM EDT | Updated Mon, Jun 22 20203:11 PM EDT

Key Points

• As of Sunday, the nation’s seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases increased more than 24% compared with a week ago, according to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.
• Hospitalizations due to Covid-19 were growing in 14 states as of Sunday, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by the Covid Tracking Project.
• Texas and Arizona have reported increases in people currently hospitalized with Covid-19 based on a seven-day moving average.

The average number of people currently hospitalized with Covid-19 has grown in states such as Texas and Arizona as the nation’s number of cases continues to gain since mid-June.

As of Sunday, the nation’s seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases increased more than 24% compared with a week ago, according to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Cases are growing by 5% or more in 25 states across the U.S., including Arizona, Texas, Florida and Oklahoma.



Hospitalizations due to Covid-19 were growing in 14 states as of Sunday, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by the Covid Tracking Project. Coronavirus hospitalizations, like new cases and deaths, are considered a key measure of the outbreak because it helps scientists gauge how severe it may be.

States like Texas have recently reported record-breaking spikes in hospitalizations. There have been 2,913 people currently hospitalized in Texas with Covid-19 based on a seven-day moving average, a 37% increase compared with a week ago, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project.

Arizona reported 1,702 people currently hospitalized on a seven-day average, a near 29% increase compared with a week ago. As of Saturday, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported that 83% of inpatient beds and 85% of intensive-care unit beds were in use.



Both Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have pointed to the ability of their states’ hospitals to activate surge capacity if additional beds are needed.

Last week, Ducey issued an enhanced Covid-19 action plan to contain the virus’ spread in the state, including additional awareness of social distancing and face-covering guidelines.

He also announced new policies that allow local officials to require that residents wear masks and follow social distancing rules in public and at businesses.

“I said two weeks ago that there is not a trend here,” Ducey said on June 17 while presenting a chart of daily new cases across the state. “Looking at the last two weeks of data, there is a trend. And the trend is headed in the wrong direction and the actions we’re going to take are intended to change that direction and reverse this trend.”



Florida, Texas, Arizona and other states seeing major spikes in new coronavirus cases are heading into a “pivotal week” that might determine whether “they’re tipping over into exponential growth or not,” former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Monday.

In Florida, the state’s seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases increased nearly 87% compared with a week ago, according to Hopkins data. Research shows that it can take anywhere from five to 12 days for people to show symptoms from the coronavirus, which could delay reporting.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday that the share of people who test positive is accelerating faster than the number of tests being run. The percentage of people testing positive for the virus in Florida has risen from about 4.2% on June 7 to more than 8% on June 14, the most recent data available, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Florida was among the first states to reopen, allowing most restaurants and businesses to restart with limited capacity on May 4.

“We’re not shutting down. We’re going to go forward. ... We’re not rolling back,” DeSantis said at a news briefing last week. “You have to have society function.”



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Coronavirus Strikes Israel Again
By Micha Gefen
June 22, 2020

After weeks of increased loosening of coronavirus rules, cases in Israel have begun to climb once again.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has claimed that he will reinitiate the lockdown if cases continue to mount and citizens continue to flout the little restrictions that are left.

“If we don’t change our behavior on wearing masks and keeping distance, we will bring reimposed lockdowns on ourselves,” Netanyahu said at the outset of the weekly cabinet meeting.

Others like DM Benny Gantz are insisting lockdowns are not necessary due to the need to keep the economy going.

Health professionals are insisting that people gather outside instead of inside where it is easier for the virus to spread.[...]

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U.S. coronavirus death toll surpasses 120,000 as China, South Korea work to contain new outbreaks
The coronavirus has infected nearly 8.8 million people as of Sunday and killed more than 464,000, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
June 21, 2020, 9:05 AM EDT
By Isobel van Hagen

More than 120,000 people have now died from coronavirus in the United States, according to an NBC News tally, which shows that over 2.2 million people have been infected across the country.

The grim figure was reached hours before President Donald Trump told a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma that he wanted to "slow the testing down," on Saturday. The White House later said he was joking.

The head of the World Health Organization also warned on Friday that the virus’s global spread is accelerating after a daily high of 150,000 new cases was reported last week.

Worldwide, almost 8.8 million people have been infected with the respiratory illness as of Sunday and it has killed more than 464,000, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The true number is thought to be much higher as many cases go untested.

In China, officials said Sunday that 2.3 million people have so far been tested in the country’s capital, in an effort to contain a significant outbreak in Beijing after an easing of lockdown restrictions.

Medical aid teams from Wuhan — where the virus originated late last year — arrived in Beijing late on Saturday in order to help carry out more testing, Chinese state media reported.

There had been no new domestic cases in the city for 56 consecutive days, but since June 11, the capital has reported 227 new cases.

Nearby South Korea also continues to struggle to contain an outbreak resurgence that has seen some of the country’s hard-won pandemic gains erased since social distancing rules were eased in April.

South Korean health authorities on Sunday warned the nation of a new “summer wave” if the public fails to wear masks and keep social distance.

Health officials said 24 of the new 48 cases on Sunday were in the Seoul region, which has been the center of the country’s latest outbreak since late May. Ten of the new cases, however, are from the central city of Daejeon, which indicates the virus is beginning to spread more broadly again.

Elsewhere, South Africa continued to loosen lockdown measures under economic pressure, despite reporting nearly 4,000 more COVID-19 cases on Saturday. The country has reported more than 92,000 cases as of Sunday, according to the Africa Center for Disease Control, about 30 percent of the virus cases on the African continent.

The New Development Bank approved a $1 billion COVID-19 emergency loan on Saturday to South Africa to help reduce the significant socio-economic impacts from pandemic.

Meanwhile, badly-hit Brazil on Saturday had total number of cases had rise by more than 50,000 from the previous day, the health ministry said. President Jair Bolsonaro has been downplaying the risks of the virus despite his country surpassing 1 million cases, with nearly 50,000 fatalities.

As virus case numbers are rising in the Americas and across Africa, European governments continue to ease lockdown restrictions as infections slow.

As of Sunday, 47 million Spaniards will be able to freely move around the entire country for the first time as the national state of emergency ended after three months. The lockdown measures have been rolled back gradually over recent weeks.

In nearby Italy — which for a time this spring had the most cases and deaths in the world — Pope Francis welcomed doctors and nurses from the hard-hit Lombardy region to the Vatican on Saturday to thank them for their work and sacrifice.

Francis said Lombardy’s medics “gave witness to God’s proximity to those who suffer” and became literal “angels” helping the sick recover.

In the U.K. — which on Friday lowered its COVID-19 alert level to "epidemic" from "exponential" — the government said it would announce next week whether it will ease social distancing rules that say people should remain six feet apart.

Many areas of Europe, however, are dealing with new localized spikes with some of the largest centered around meat-processing plants. German officials said Saturday that the number of workers infected at a slaughterhouse in the northwest of the country had risen above 1,000.

This may be of some importance:

So, whether you have checked into the hospital for elective surgery, a car accident, the chicken pox or a facelift, if you test positive for COVID-19 in Texas your “case” gets added to the grossly-inflated number referred to as “COVID-19 Related” in the Lone Star State whether you are showing any symptoms or not.

Click to expand...

marsh said:

COVID-19 antibodies fade quickly after infection, prompting questions about long-term immunity, study finds

This could impact how we move forward

www.theblaze.com

COVID-19 antibodies fade quickly after infection, prompting questions about long-term immunity, study finds

This could impact how we move forward

View attachment 204874
Medical staff from myCovidMD provide free COVID-19 virus antibody testing in observance of Juneteenth at the Faith Central Bible Church, in the predominately African-American city of Inglewood, California, on June 19, 2020 (Photo by MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
AARON COLEN

A recent study from China found that the antibodies produced in COVID-19 patients fade relatively quickly, meaning people who contract the virus may not have immunity to reinfection for more than a few months, according to the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

The study was conducted by Chinese researchers and published June 18 in Nature Medicine. It focuses on 37 individuals from the Wanzhou district who tested positive for COVID-19 but had no symptoms in the previous 14 days or during their time in the hospital.

The 37 were pulled from a group of 2,088 people who were tested due to recent close contact with confirmed COVID-19-positive individuals. Researchers used 37 mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients as a control group.

The antibody levels in 93% of the asymptomatic group and 97% of the symptomatic group dropped by more than 70% after eight weeks. Some of those individuals — 40% of the asymptomatic group and 12.9% of the symptomatic group — showed no sign of the COVID-19 antibodies at all after that eight-week period.

"Together, these data might indicate the risks of using COVID-19 'immunity passports' and support the prolongation of public health interventions, including social distancing, hygiene, isolation of high-risk groups and widespread testing," the researchers wrote.

A previous study out of Wuhan that was published June 16 similarly found that "after SARS-CoV-2 infection, people are unlikely to produce long-lasting protective antibodies against this virus."

Patients who contracted previous coronaviruses such as SARS or MERS showed antibody responses for 2-3 years after the outbreaks.

The Wanzhou study also found that asymptomatic patients shed the virus longer than symptomatic patients, although that doesn't necessarily mean the virus particles being shed are infectious.

Yale viral immunologist Akiko Iwasaki said the results show that a strong vaccine is needed because natural infection may not be enough to create herd immunity.

Click to expand...

There have already been comments on the Blogs that the first vaccines may have a longevity of 6 months or so. Hundreds of millions are being spent on this

Sure wish they would chase prophylactic pills as hard.

Troke said:

There have already been comments on the Blogs that the first vaccines may have a longevity of 6 months or so. Hundreds of millions are being spent on this

Sure which they would chase prophylactic pills as hard.

Click to expand...

The latter chase nets no profit.

Heliobas Disciple said:

South Carolina protest canceled after demonstrators come down with coronavirus

A protest organizer in South Carolina said he will postpone future demonstrations after at least 13 people who took part in recent rallies tested positive for the coronavirus.

www.foxnews.com

(fair use applies)

South Carolina protest canceled after demonstrators come down with coronavirus
By David Aaro | Fox News
Published 1 hour ago

A protest organizer in South Carolina said he will postpone future demonstrations after at least 13 people who took part in recent rallies tested positive for the coronavirus.

With cases climbing in the U.S. following the states' reversals of shutdown policies, an increase in testing, as well as protests across the country -- Lawrence Dishawn Nathaniel urged those who attended previous rallies to get tested.

Protesters and police clash in Columbia, S.C., on Sunday. People protested against police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis on May 25. (Jason Lee/The Sun News via AP)

Nathaniel has helped lead protests across the state over the past month through an initiative called I Can't Breathe SC, following the death of George Floyd in police custody. He also founded a nonprofit community organization, People Demand Action.

He said those infected attended protesters from May 30 to June 17 in Columbia, Charleston and Greenville. Four organizers, three photographers, and six protesters tested positive, he said.

"We're canceling all protests," he said. "We must do our part, so if you're gonna go out, make sure you have your mask, make sure you have your hand sanitizer."

Nathaniel said they will conduct advocacy efforts online and virtual. He asked community leaders to do the same.

Experts have debated whether protests can add to the spread of the virus, with a study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research finding they had little effect on the recent spike in cases -- even though many were seen gathering in close proximity, with some yelling and shouting. The study did add that it was possible the protests caused an increase in the spread of COVID-19 among those who attended.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top disease expert, said protests and reopening the economy too soon could be the perfect recipe for a surge in cases.

Vice President Mike Pence said Monday that younger people, seen as the majority of those who attended recent protests across the country are increasingly testing positive for COVID-19. The virus also impacts the African American community at a disproportionate rate.

"We are seeing more people test positive under the age of 35, particularly in our discussions with the leadership in Florida and in Texas," Pence said on a conference call with state governors Monday, which ABC News reported.

The younger population has the potential to spread the virus to the elderly or those with preexisting conditions, seen as those more vulnerable to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The recent growth appears to be primarily due to increased cases in younger age groups, especially those aged 21-40,” said experts at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in an analysis released Monday, according to The Washington Post. “In June, 50 percent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 30 percent of ICU patients have been under 50 years old.”

The Department of Health and Environmental Control in South Carolina has reported record increases in daily cases within the past week.

The state has seen more than 25,666 confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 659 deaths from the virus as of early Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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In the back of my mind is the prospect that this is a virus engineered to target the elderly, the chronically ill and dark skinned people. That the protests were intentionally planned to spread the virus among black people. We shall see....

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oib2dd11O1U
17:51 min
100 - The COVID-19 crisis in Latin America
•Jun 23, 2020


Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Several Latin American countries are seeing a wave of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Dr. Carlos Castillo-Salgado, who has trained hundreds of epidemiologists in Latin America, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what’s going wrong, what’s going right, and what needs to change fast on the continent to save lives.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxhacWoRSCA
1:00:48 min
Report from Israel
•Jun 23, 2020


Dr. John Campbell

Thank you very much Mali, fascinating discussion about your 2020.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2o5EcaxI1E
1:00:00 min
War Room Pandemic Ep 245 - Woke Capitol (w/ Burgess Owens and Chris Chmielenski)
•Streamed live 4 hours ago


Bannon WarRoom - Citizens of the American Republic
Steve Bannon, Jack Maxey, Raheem Kassam, and Greg Manz discuss the latest on the coronavirus pandemic as Antifa/BLM protestors and rioters attempt to set up another autonomous zone, this time in the nation's capital of DC. Calling in is Burgess Owens to discuss how the discussion around black issues is flawed. Also calling in is Chris Chmielenski to discuss the proclamation President Trump made regarding guest worker visas.

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH_2bmquuf8
1:09:16 min
War Room Pandemic Ep 246 - Action for America (w/ Foreman Mike and James O'Keefe)
•Streamed live 3 hours ago


Bannon WarRoom - Citizens of the American Republic

Steve Bannon, Jack Maxey, Raheem Kassam, and Greg Manz discuss the latest on the coronavirus pandemic as the need for action from the President and conservatives at large heightens. Calling in is Foreman Mike with an update from the Southern border wall. Also calling in is James O'Keefe to discuss his latest video exposing the horrendous bias Facebook has built into their algorithms discriminating against conservatives. Keep on top of developments:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLm547LQDt4
LIVE
Live: Fauci testifies on Trump admin's response to COVID-19 pandemic
•Started streaming 3 hours ago


Fox News
After over a month of battling with the Trump Admin, the doctors working at the center of the coronavirus pandemic will appear before the Democratic House Energy & Commerce Committee at an oversight hearing. The committee will hear testimony from Dr. Anthony Fauci, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir, MD, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, and CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, testify.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psTBti2WVwo
6:03 min
Sanofi CEO on two-pronged approach to developing Covid-19 vaccine
•Jun 23, 2020


CNBC Television

Investors are watching the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine closely for signs of when the U.S. economy can begin to get back on track. Sanofi is one of the drugmakers leading the charge with clinical trials, which are expected to start later this year. Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson joins "Squawk Box" to discuss the latest regarding vaccine developments.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-wMrFmOBcI
4:04 min
Surge In Coronavirus Cases ‘Not Surprising,’ Doctor Says | TODAY
•Jun 23, 2020


TODAY
Dr. Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, tells TODAY that the surge in coronavirus cases across the South and West is “not surprising” because “a good number of states ignored criteria” in reopening. “I’m worried that we’re not taking this seriously enough,” he says.

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec2OR26149E
18:15 min
Coronavirus Hospitalizations Surge In Arizona, Texas As Cases Increase Nationwide | TODAY
•Jun 23, 2020


TODAY
"Hospitals in Phoenix, Arizona, are seeing a record number of coronavirus patients as cases continue to spike in the South and West, led by a dramatic increase in young people. In other TODAY news stories, protesters attempted to tear down a statue of Andrew Jackson near the White House.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbe-Y9Kenec
16:08 min
Inside Wuhan: Life after coronavirus lockdown - BBC News
•Jun 23, 2020


BBC News

On 8 April, the Chinese government lifted lockdown in Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus pandemic began. Two months on, 11 million people are still trying to restart their lives – and one Wuhan film-maker has set out to capture it. How has Wuhan changed? And what can the rest of the world learn about life after lockdown? Producer: Natalia Zuo; Filmed by: Hong Chutian; Edited by: Natalia Zuo, Gordon Watt; Assistant Producer: Yitsing Wang; Executive Producers: Claire Williams, Adam Grimley, Howard Zhang.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fglWSQ5vl-k
3:05 min
Texas hospitalizations from coronavirus rise 60% in a week, governor calls spread "unacceptable"
•Jun 23, 2020


CBS This Morning

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the coronavirus is spreading in Texas at an "unacceptable rate" Monday, and did not take shutting the state back down off the table if conditions continue to deteriorate at the current rate. Meanwhile, hospitals in several major cities are seeing an alarming increase in coronavirus hospitalizations and some health care workers are getting sick. Mireya Villarreal reports.

The CFR is falling nationwide, fatalities as gross numbers are plummeting, and Texas in particular is low in both. Based on the article I posted above, the hospitalization statistics are being gamed like the fatalities were not so long ago. Dammit.

BREAKING NEWS Massachusetts Coronavirus: 7,890 deaths, 107,439 total cases Massachusetts Coronavirus: 7,890 deaths, 107,439 total cases 16 new deaths down from yesterday 182 new cases also down

Heliobas Disciple said:

This makes a lot of sense to me because people I know who could've sworn they had COVID back in Jan/Feb and were tested in late May had no antibodies and assumed they didn't have it. They probably did have it but were tested after they lost the antibodies to prove they did.

I see two reasons this is significant. If no antibodies show up now for people who had this in the winter, we'll never know how many had it back then and recovered at home. Plus all those people didn't acquire any immunity even though they were hoping they did (which is why they got tested).

HD

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And 3rd, it is going to take a pretty potent vaccine to go for more than six months.

I don't recall much discussion about Covid cases in Chicago. This article talks about a strain that seems to be unique to that area. See the bolded part about virus in the airways. If less is found in the airways, does that make it less transmissible? I posted the Chicago dashboard below this article; maybe we can find others to compare numbers with.

Chicago coronavirus: Northwestern Medicine study finds COVID-19 virus strain unique to city
By Cate Cauguiran
Thursday, June 18, 2020 11:48PM

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Researchers at Northwestern University have genetically sequenced the COVID-19 virus in 88 patients and found many infected in the city have a unique strain of the virus rarely seen around the world.

Early results from a Northwestern Medicine study suggest Chicago has a unique strain of COVID-19 in addition to other strains, including one globally impacting people and centered in New York.

"It's interesting to us that there were so many different types of viruses here in one place so early on in the pandemic," said Dr. Egon Ozer, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The Chicago COVID-19 variant appears to be directly from the early outbreak in China, experts said. The early results are the first evidence this Chicago unique strain may have a different impact and transmission rate than the one impacting those around the world.

The study examined the genetic makeup of dozens of Northwestern COVID-19 patients in March and compared their genome sequencing with others around the country and world.

"It suggests that maybe this version of the virus is one that is centered around the Chicago area," Ozer said.

The samples taken from Chicago COVID-19 patients uncovered three different, major virus strains, including the predominant strain centered in New York that is impacting people globally. But the strain found more abundantly in city patients was rare, unique to Chicago.

Dr. Ozer, who is the lead investigator on the study, said they found differences between those impacted by the New York-centered strain versus the Chicago one. "They had more virus in their airways, compared to patients on average that had the more Chicago-centered virus," he said.

"It also just gives us the ability to sort of compare these different kinds of viruses to each other in terms of how significant a disease they cause," Ozer added. "Is there any difference there? Are there any differences in the kinds of patients that get infections with different kinds of viruses?"

All of Illinois is positioned to transition to Phase 4 of reopening next week, which would allow for limited indoor dining and gatherings of up to 50 people.

But in 20 other states across the nation cases are spiking, and hospitalizations are increasing in at least 18 states. Oklahoma reported record high cases Thursday, just days ahead of a Trump rally in Tulsa.

The study still needs to be peer-reviewed and researchers stressed these results are still preliminary. More studies on virus strain mutation need to be conducted, they said but they hope those studies may lead to an effective vaccine.


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Chicago dashboard:

50,642 cases, 269,386 tested, 2523 deaths

danielboon said:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1275518480746512395

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/EndGameWW3/status/1275518480746512395

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With 100 counties, the chart shows an average of 9 people hospitalized per county. Does this sound like a pandemic? The governor will probably declare some draconian new restrictions this week. Power is addictive, apparently.

Troke said:

And 3rd, it is going to take a pretty potent vaccine to go for more than six months.

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Exactly. The annual flu shots do not protect you next flu season even if it is the same flu. I looked up the stats and we are now testing nearly half a million people a day and yet people seem amazed we are finding as many or more cases than we did when we were only testing 10,000 per day. It makes no sense when we knew all along that there were many more cases out there than we were finding.

Nich1 said:

With 100 counties, the chart shows an average of 9 people hospitalized per county. Does this sound like a pandemic? The governor will probably declare some draconian new restrictions this week. Power is addictive, apparently.

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The governor has a choice; be active or be passive. In our culture which one do you think he will automatically pick?