CORONA Main Coronavirus thread

[Heliobas Disciple]

Florida sets coronavirus record with 10,000 new cases; Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa cited as hot spots

Florida reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, a grim single-day record for the state that surpassed the previous high of more than 9,300 infections less than a week ago. And …

www.orlandosentinel.com

(fair use applies)

Florida sets coronavirus record with 10,000 new cases; Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa cited as hot spots
Naseem S. Miller
By Naseem S. Miller
Jul 02, 2020 at 8:06 PM

Florida reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, a grim single-day record for the state that surpassed the previous high of more than 9,300 infections less than a week ago.

And in more bad news, Jacksonville – where the GOP convention is slated to be held next month – is the fastest-growing metro area in the nation for coronavirus cases, followed by the Orlando and Tampa metro areas, according to an analysis based on data from Johns Hopkins University.

The 10,109 coronavirus cases Thursday bring the state’s total to 169,106, with 67 new fatalities raising the death toll to 3,617.

During a press conference with Vice President Mike Pence in Tampa on Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis was asked if he takes any responsibility for Florida’s skyrocketing coronavirus numbers. He didn’t answer the question and instead cited the state’s low death rate.

“Well, do you give credit for Florida for having much lower fatalities per 100,000 than all the states you just praised?” DeSantis responded to a reporter who asked about Florida and other Southern states’ case numbers compared with the Northeast.

“We have fewer fatalities than some of those states have just in nursing homes,‘' he said. “And we’re more populated than all of those. So we’ve worked very hard to protect the most vulnerable ... and I think that the numbers bear that out.”

Although the number of deaths in Florida have stayed relatively stable since June, experts say the growing number of cases is not without consequences, even if it’s affecting a higher percentage of younger adults who are more likely to beat the infection without needing hospitalization.

“It’s unlikely that older people won’t be affected by all these young people getting COVID-19,” said Dr. Mary Jo Trepka, professor and chair of the department of epidemiology at Florida International University. “Also, we haven’t seen the effect on mortality from the cases we have now. It’s going to be several weeks before we see if deaths remain low, but I think they will go up, because some of those young people right now are in intensive care.”

Meanwhile, although the proportion of younger people with COVID-19 is growing, the number of older adults with the infections hasn’t stopped increasing.

There was almost double the number of cases in the 65- to 74 year-old age group reported last month, compared with all of March, April and May.

“Those are the people that we are worrying about getting hospitalized and potentially dying from COVID and that’s my concern with what we may be seeing over the next few weeks,” said Dr. Cindy Prins, assistant dean for educational affairs and clinical associate professor of epidemiology at University of Florida College of Public Health.

And there’s no guarantee that young people are immune for dire outcomes from a COVID-19 infection.

Local doctors say that they see more young people in the hospital and intensive care units compared with the start of the pandemic.

“We still have patients that come in there are elderly or patients with comorbidities, but from an overall perspective, half of our patients tend to be younger than 50, 55, which wasn’t that way before,” said Dr. Eduardo Oliveira, executive medical director for critical care services at AdventHealth. “That’s why I would reiterate the point that young people will get sick with this and very much sick.”

Central Florida hospitals have been reporting a steadily increasing number of COVID-19 patients in their general beds and intensive care units in recent weeks. They say they still have enough capacity and better ability to care for them and they have better tools and knowledge in treating the patients. But they’re watching the numbers closely.

“We’re able to keep up with the volume so far but obviously as [the numbers] continue to increase, it starts to become a concern,” said Dr. Antonio Crespo, medical director of Orlando Health Infectious Diseases.

In Orange County, 324 people were hospitalized, with 68 in the ICU as of Tuesday evening, according to the latest data shared by the county health department officials.

The day before, 290 people were hospitalized and 64 of them were in the ICU.

In Seminole County, 110 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized as of Thursday, an increase of 31 patients from a week ago and a jump of 18 from Monday.

Lake and Osceola counties have not shared their hospitalization numbers, and the state does not publicly report the data.

The state on Thursday reported 584 new cases in Orange for a total of 11,458; 155 in Seminole for 2,837; 153 in Volusia for 2,372; 185 in Osceola for 2,349; and 98 in Lake for 1,508.

If Orange County’s current social distancing practices continue as they are, there could be more than 3,600 cases a day here by July 19, according to projections by PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Seminole County’s daily count can reach to more than 800 cases a day by then and Osceola to more than 500. The model doesn’t have projections for Lake County.

Alan Harris, Seminole County’s emergency management director, called the rapid rise in positive coronavirus cases over the past week “very alarming” and “very concerning.”

He said the current rise in cases can be linked to the Memorial Day weekend and the week after, when most people had time off from work and attended gatherings without taking precautions, such as social distancing and wearing masks.

“We’re hoping that people make the right choice this weekend and do the right thing,” Harris said. “We want to slow the spread, and medical experts have told us how to do that and also keep the economy moving: It’s wearing facial coverings or masks. It’s hand washing. It’s staying at home if you’re sick. It’s social distancing. And facial coverings and masks are now widely touted as the key to the whole thing.”

The model also projects that counties throughout Arizona, Texas, and Florida will not be able to quickly flatten the spike in cases they have experienced in recent weeks, despite new masking recommendations and restrictions on bars and restaurants.

“During a heavy travel season, the absence of a strong national response, including a nationwide masking mandate, will continue to threaten the viability of our economy and the ability of our schools to reopen in the fall, while depleting and surpassing available health care resources to care for the sick,” said Dr. David Rubin, director of PolicyLab at CHOP in a statement.

At the press conference in Tampa on Thursday, Pence acknowledged what he called “this outbreak in Florida,” and said he and President Donald Trump supported DeSantis’ efforts to combat the rise in cases.

“We’re all in this together,” Pence said. “We have been from the beginning. ... We can beat this moment. We can slow the spread [and] flatten the curve in Florida just as we’ve flattened it in other parts of the country.”

He also said “we’re excited about coming to Jacksonville” and that he thinks the growing number of cases in Florida can be brought under control before the planned Republican National Convention in Jacksonville next month, when Trump plans to accept the nomination to run for president again.

.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

Arizona’s Death Record Chips at Pence Virus Talking Point

(fair use applies)

Arizona’s Death Record Chips at Pence Virus Talking Point
Margaret Newkirk and Renata S. Geraldo
1 day ago

The coronavirus ignored a Trump administration talking point Wednesday as Arizona reported record numbers of new daily Covid-19 cases -- and a record number of deaths from the disease.

On a day that Vice President Mike Pence was visiting Arizona, its Department of Health Services reported 4,878 new Covid-19 cases and 88 fatalities.

Arizona is among several Sun Belt states that have become pandemic hot spots. Texas has reported a record number of new cases and on Wednesday one of Florida’s biggest hospital operators said it would limit inpatient surgeries amid a crushing surge.

Jackson Health System in Miami-Dade County said it would handle only emergency cases. The hospital system continues to see a “steady increase” in Covid-19 patients, according to an emailed statement. The county, the state’s most populous, reported the highest numbers of Covid-19 intensive-care patients since at least early April.

While case numbers are soaring in states spared the brunt of the initial wave of the pandemic, deaths have remained relatively low. That may change.

Nationally, “the number of people in hospitals has increased by an average of 673 per day over the past week, up from 196 over the previous week,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist for Pantheon Macro, an economic research firm. “The trend of deaths is stable but will soon start to increase.”

Pence’s Optimism

The administration has highlighted the apparent disconnect between cases and mortality as proof Covid-19 is under control. Pence noted the trend in a coronavirus task-force briefing in Washington last week.

“Fatalities are declining all across the country,” he said, and called the rise in new cases in people under 35 “very good news,” because he said the young aren’t as likely to die from Covid-19.

After his meeting with Ducey Wednesday, Pence said the federal government would “spare no expense” to help Arizona get what it needs to combat the surge, including the state’s request for 500 medical personnel.

“We’re with you,” Pence said. “We’re going to make sure that Arizona has whatever it takes to meet this moment.”

Pence didn’t mention the death record.

Joe Gerald, a University of Arizona researcher, said the 165 confirmed Covid-19 deaths in Arizona in the week ended June 14 set a record, eclipsing the previous weekly high of 142 in the week ended May 10th. The June 14th week total is likely to rise as more reports trickle in.

Because of delays in reporting, that’s the most recent week for which largely full death data is available in Arizona, Gerald said. But based on preliminary information, Covid-19 deaths will likely set a record for the week ended June 21st, he said.

On Monday, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey suspended his May 16 order reopening the state and said bars and gyms would close.

Arizona’s most populated county, Maricopa County, accounted for 62% of cases and 47.5% of deaths in the state. The county was criticized last week after reports that public health officials in the county were not following CDC guidelines for contact tracing, leaving about 35,000 positive Covid-19 cases without proper contact tracing, according to a letter by Arizona U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton.

Galveston Storm

Elsewhere, Texas posted its worst day yet for new cases on Wednesday, with 8,076 new cases, that pushed the total to 168,062, according to state figures. Fatalities rose by 57, to 2,481, the highest one-day increase since May 14. Hospitalizaion of Covid-19 patients hit a record the previous day, while intensive-care wards in Houston, the fourth-biggest U.S. city, overwhelmed normal operating capacity, forcing doctors to tap so-called surge beds.

“We have been constantly busy with coronavirus patients,” said Maria Longoria, a front-desk administrator at Hospitality Health ER, a 24-hour, free-standing emergency clinic in Galveston. Beaches in the Gulf Coast resort town have been packed “and with the 4th of July coming, we’re just bracing ourselves.”

Austin Mayor Steven Adler Wednesday said the city has seen a doubling of new admissions, intensive care unit beds and ventilators over the past week, adding that he expects total case numbers in the Austin area to eclipse 10,000 by the end of the day.

“On the current trajectory, Austin/Travis County is looking at our hospitals –and ICUs especially– being overwhelmed probably within the next two weeks,” Adler said in a phone interview.
Data Disconnect

The disconnect between new cases and deaths may also have to do with quirks in collection and reporting of death data, as well as the fact that younger people are a greater proportion of new cases.

Complicating matters, there can be a weeks-long lag in many states between when someone dies and when that’s included in the daily reports. That means deaths could be on the rise days before states say they are.

In Georgia, which has seen new cases surge since June 1, deaths typically take between 18 and 20 days to be recorded but can take months in some cases, said Nancy Nydam, spokeswoman for the state’s Department of Health. The lag is common with or without Covid-19, she said.

Experts also question whether the disconnect between death and case trends reflect improved treatment, like smarter use of ventilators than earlier in the pandemic, or new drugs like Gilead Sciences Inc.’s remdesivir.

“The uncertainty right now is as high as it has ever been since the very scary early days in mid-March,” said James Scott, a professor of data science at the University of Texas in Austin who is part of a modeling team that predicts that deaths will tick up in July.

.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

LA Mayor Garcetti admits 'connection' between coronavirus outbreak and protests, after downplaying link

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday that public protests are likely causing the number of citywide coronavirus cases to spike, just two days after claiming there wasn't "any conclusive evidence," showing a connection between the two.

www.foxnews.com

(fair use applies)

LA Mayor Garcetti admits 'connection' between coronavirus outbreak and protests, after downplaying link
"We are certain that there is going to be spread"
By Nick Givas
Published 4 hours ago

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday that public protests are likely causing the number of citywide coronavirus cases to spike, just two days after claiming there wasn't "any conclusive evidence" showing a connection between the two.

Garcetti, a Democrat, was speaking at a press conference concerning the recent Black Lives Matter protests in Los Angeles when he was asked if the demonstrations were contributing to the spread of COVID-19.

He claimed he'd consulted with Dr. Barbara Ferrer, LA County's director of public health, and determined the protests were in fact contributing to the spread of the virus.

“I talked again with Dr. Ferrer about that this morning. She does think some of the spread did come from our protests," he said. "It’s not the act of protesting – that’s a great and American thing to do no matter what your opinion is… but protesting without maintaining physical distancing, without wearing your mask, without having sanitizer – we just have to be smart. Whether you’re at a protest or at your home, whether in your workplace or whether you’re out shopping, these rules don’t change.”

He added, “We do believe there is a connection, we don’t believe that everybody has been doing this safely and wherever you can, please stay at home.”

Fox News reached out to the County Health Department for comment and received a video of a Wednesday interview with Dr. Ferrer, where she affirmed the statement.

"In situations where people are close together for longer periods of time and it’s very crowded, we are certain that there is going to be spread. So, we’ve never said that there’s no spread from people who were protesting," she explained.

After being asked earlier in the video if government officials were downplaying the protests' effect on coronavirus stats, she said, "We’ve been really honest and said from the beginning that for any people that are in crowded situations for long periods of time – which long for us means more than 15 minutes – where you’re in close contact with people, less than six feet apart and people aren’t wearing a cloth face covering you have a heightened risk of either transmitting the virus if you are an asymptomatic spreader, or getting the virus from someone else who is spreading because they also are an asymptomatic spreader."

This clashed with statements made by Garcetti during the Tuesday press conference, however, where he called the idea a hypothesis and minimized the potential impact mass public demonstrations were having on the number of COVID-19 cases in the city.

"We follow the data closely," he said, according to Fox 11. "There's no evidence yet that the protests led to much spread though it's something that Doctor Ferrer has hypothesized, but we haven't seen any conclusive evidence there."

Fox News reached out to Mayor Garcetti's press office for followup, but they did not return the request for comment.

.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

Young Americans Are Partying Hard and Spreading Covid-19 Quickly

Covid-19 is increasingly a disease of the young, with the message to stay home for the sake of older loved ones wearing off as the pandemic wears on.

news.bloomberglaw.com

(fair use applies)

Young Americans Are Partying Hard and Spreading Covid-19 Quickly
Rachel Adams-Heard
July 1, 2020, 6:56 PM

• ‘There’s complete burnout,’ says mayor of Lakeway, Texas
• From Arizona to Florida, young people drive positive cases

Covid-19 is increasingly a disease of the young, with the message to stay home for the sake of older loved ones wearing off as the pandemic wears on.

The dropping age of the infected is becoming one of the most pressing problems for local officials, who continued Wednesday to set curfews and close places where the young gather. U.S. health experts say that they are more likely to be active and asymptomatic, providing a vast redoubt for the coronavirus that has killed almost 130,000 Americans.

In Arizona, half of all positive cases are people from the ages of 20 to 44, according to state data. The median age in Florida is 37, down from 65 in March. In Texas’s Hays County, people in their 20s make up 50% of the victims.

At the start of the pandemic, young people were told to stay at home as an act of selflessness: Do it for dad. For grandma. For your neighbor. Then states started reopening and, almost instantly, photos began circulating of packed clubs and crowded restaurants. There were massive street protests over police brutality and racial injustice. Case counts soared to record levels.

“We did jump the gun on reopening too soon,” said Ian Grimes, 27, of Austin, home of Texas’s flagship university, scores of technology companies and a self-consciously bohemian party culture. “Especially us Austinites, we’re impatient when it comes to having fun.”

Grimes, who is in real estate, sits outside when grabbing a beer and wears a mask if he’s out and about. But his brand of conscientiousness is offset by rambunctious peers bursting out of lockdown.

“There’s complete burnout,” said Sandy Cox, mayor of Lakeway, an Austin suburb. Last week, Cox posted a live video on Facebook warning residents that high schoolers had held a “very large party” just outside her city. Since then, a number of those who attended have tested positive for Covid-19, according to Austin Public Health.

“You’re young, you’re invincible, you don’t think it’s going to happen to you, and if it happens to you, you think you’re going to be fine,” Cox said in an interview. “The messaging is care for thy neighbor, but it is hard to get through to people.”

Officials around the nation are trying their best. On Wednesday, Miami Beach instituted a 12:30 a.m. curfew. California closed restaurants, bars, museums and movie theaters in 19 counties, including Los Angeles.

Arizona and Texas had already closed their bars. Madison, Wisconsin, and surrounding Dane County did the same on Wednesday following a surge in cases. Over roughly two weeks in June, 614 people in the county tested positive, almost half of them from the ages of 18 to 25. Of those cases, 132 people traced their infection to bars.

“Gathering in bars in particular is a concern because groups of people mix, bars are often loud spaces that require loud talking to communicate (which can spread infectious droplets farther), alcohol impairs the judgment of patrons, and people often are not able to identify or provide contact information for the people they were in close contact with,” the local public health office said in a statement.

Packed clubs and high-school ragers are obvious dangers. But many cooped-up people in their late teens and 20s have engaged in what they thought were lower-risk activities only to be unpleasantly surprised.

Sequoia Gregory, a 17-year-old in Eugene, Oregon, got to see her friends for the first time two weeks ago. She was in isolation for four months. They kept their distance, particularly because Gregory’s mother has stage 4 colon cancer and Gregory worried about making her sicker still. She’s glad she did: Turns out that her friends had been hanging out with people who tested positive after a house party.

Younger people are far less likely to die from Covid-19 than those 65 and older. And because testing was initially limited to those who were hospitalized, the drop in median age may be partially attributable to increased access to tests.

“It’s hard to assign causality to some of the aspects of this, but there is no question that it’s a real uptick in cases and that’s not simply a reflection of testing,” said Caroline Buckee, associate director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

‘Extremely Ill’

In Houston, where hospitals have been strained by the influx of patients, many young people are in intensive care, David Persse, the city’s director of emergency medical services, said during a media briefing Monday.

“They are extremely ill,” Persse said. “If they’re thinking, ‘I’ll get sick and then I’ll get over it,’ recognize that 15% of the people in ICUs now are in their 20s and 30s.”

Simran Bal, a 23-year-old Chicago resident, fears the only way some of her peers will get the message is if a close friend gets severely ill.

“It’s pretty disheartening to say that I feel like extreme measures are the only way people are going to get the idea,” said Bal, who has to navigate crowded pubs when she picks up orders for Door Dash.

That’s part of the reason 21-year-old Kate Capitano plans to be especially careful when she returns to the University of North Carolina this fall, even though she’ll be surrounded by students and not aging relatives.

“Our biggest thing is getting people to be able to socially distance inside the house,” said Capitano, who’s president of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority chapter. Each room will house just two women versus the typical four, she said, and there won’t be any social functions at bars.

One way public health officials can help prevent the type of lockdown-burnout that may have led young people to flock to bars and parties is by emphasizing risk reduction, said Catherine Troisi, an epidemiologist at the UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston.

“As we know with sex education, abstinence doesn’t work that well,” she said. “It’s really about risk reduction, not holing yourself up in your bedroom for weeks.”

But Lily Scott, an 18-year-old Austinite, said she’s probably going to cancel a trip with friends to the beach town of Port Aransas as cases in Texas climb.

“It’s hard to see our generation being represented this way, because so many of us are being cautious and trying to flatten the curve,” she said. “I’m trying to be a team player.”

.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-service-agents-preparing-for-pence-arizona-trip-contracted-coronavirus/2020/07/02/8029280c-bc97-11ea-bdaf-a129f921026f_story.html

(fair use applies)

Secret Service agents preparing for Pence Arizona trip contracted coronavirus
By Carol D. Leonnig and Josh Dawsey
July 2, 2020 at 8:57 p.m. EDT

Vice President Pence’s trip to Arizona this week had to be postponed by a day after several Secret Service agents who helped organize the visit either tested positive for the coronavirus or were showing symptoms of being infected.

Pence was scheduled to go to Phoenix on Tuesday but went on Wednesday instead so that healthy agents could be deployed for his visit, according to two senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private details of the trip.

Arizona has seen a spike in cases in recent weeks, and Pence scaled back the trip before the delay because of the growing amount of infections in the state.

Pence’s staff was concerned last weekend about their ability to hold planned public events in Tucson and Yuma due to the outbreak, one administration official said, and decided on Saturday to visit only Phoenix for a much smaller meeting — a public health briefing with Gov. Doug Ducey (R) and local health care leaders.

On Monday night, the Secret Service urged Pence’s staff to delay the Tuesday trip until Wednesday because at least one agent on the ground had a confirmed case of covid-19 and other agents and federal officers preparing for the Arizona visit were showing signs of illness, according to two administration officials.

The Secret Service needed time to bring in healthy agents and other personnel to replace the ones who were either sick or most likely sick, one of the officials said. The official said the Secret Service estimated that a total of eight to 10 agents and other officers from sister agencies — all of whom were helping prepare for Pence’s visit to Arizona — had fallen ill.

This is the second time in recent weeks that Secret Service agents preparing for a White House or Trump campaign event outside Washington have contracted the virus. At least three Secret Service personnel working on the advance team for President Trump’s Tulsa rally on June 20 tested positive for the coronavirus. Two agents tested positive hours before the indoor stadium event was held, and dozens of agents who were on site for the rally were ordered to self-quarantine when they arrived home.

Trump was criticized for holding the rally in an area with an increasing number of cases, but he brushed aside the concerns raised by public health officials and urged his supporters to turn out. Far fewer people than expected attended the rally. Pence has faced criticism over his recent travels as he has sought to get out of Washington and visit areas hit hard by the coronavirus that are also key swing states in the upcoming election, such as Arizona and Florida.

A spokesperson for Pence, who heads the administration’s coronavirus task force, declined to address the specific issues of the trip’s delay.

“Instead of highlighting Vice President Pence’s concerted effort with Task Force members to visit and support states with new cases, The Washington Post is choosing to use its pages to report on a story of little use to every day Americans attempting to learn more about how coronavirus affects them or the Administration’s response efforts,” Pence spokesman Devin O’Malley said in a statement.

One administration official defended Pence’s trip to Arizona and said the vice president values traveling the country so he can see some of the hardest-hit areas, meet with state and local officials and have an informed opinion while showing the administration is paying attention. Pence traveled to Arizona with other administration officials, including Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator.

While in Phoenix, Pence was asked by a reporter why he needed to travel to Arizona to be briefed on the outbreak.

“Well, the rising cases here in Arizona is why I’m here. It’s why we brought the White House Coronavirus Task Force here,” Pence said. “I’m a real believer, as President Trump is, in — in sitting down with the people that are leading the effort.”

The heightened risk of agents getting sick while they try to prepare for events for Trump and Pence in cities far from Washington has begun to frazzle agents and their families, according to several people who have spoken to agents. The Secret Service’s foremost mission is protecting the safety and health of the president and vice president, as well as 39 members of their family and senior leaders in the administration.

Trump’s news conferences are typically broadcast live, and Pence could have communicated with the governor of Arizona and other local leaders through video conference.

Pence did not leave the airport during his Phoenix trip, which lasted about two and a half hours.

Many of the activities that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn can increase the chance of infection are similar to what advance agents are required to do to plan the major events the White House and campaign have chosen to host. The agents must travel significant distances away from home, meet with strangers, and spend many hours indoors with other teams to coordinate security planning.

Secret Service communications director Catherine Milhoan declined to comment on any specifics on number of agents who were infected or steps taken to protect them, but she stressed that the agency follows CDC guidelines and issued the following statement.

“The health and safety of our workforce, their families, and that of our protectees remains the agency’s highest priority,” she said. “As a matter of practice, the Secret Service does not comment on the means and methods used to carry out our protective operations. The men and women of the Secret Service continue to meet operational mission requirements without fail.”

Despite the illnesses that were found among advance team members at the president’s June 20 rally in Tulsa, Pence’s office soldiered forward to try to hold events in Arizona.

The White House has said that Trump and Pence are tested daily for infection.

At the Tulsa event, six advance team members tested positive in the hours before the rally, which was reported by media outlets that afternoon. The news set off a scramble by the campaign to determine if the tests had been flawed, but also to quiz health care workers conducting the tests about whether they had leaked the information to the media. Two Secret Service personnel — an advance agent and an officer in charge of screening rally attendees — also tested positive that day.

Later, a group of Secret Service agents in the Tulsa field office arranged to be discreetly tested in the parking lot of a hospital, avoiding the normal routine of entering the emergency room and answering questions about their potential exposure, according to two people familiar with the agency’s decision. Dozens of Secret Service agents on the Tulsa trip were instructed to self-quarantine at home for two weeks when they returned from Tulsa.

.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

Still won't hurt to send up some prayers for this fella.. . ..

BREAKING : Herman Cain hospitalized due to Coronavirus.

Legend1966 @Legend19661
11m Replying to @KamVTV

He fine he talking so all is good

Joining you in prayer.

Herman Cain is receiving treatment for coronavirus at an Atlanta hospital

Former 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is receiving treatment for coronavirus at an Atlanta-area hospital, according to a statement posted to his Twitter account.

www.cnn.com

(fair use applies)

Herman Cain is receiving treatment for coronavirus at an Atlanta hospital
By Veronica Stracqualursi
Updated 2:35 PM ET, Thu July 2, 2020

Former 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is receiving treatment for coronavirus at an Atlanta-area hospital, according to a statement posted to his Twitter account.

Cain, a contributor for conservative media outlet Newsmax, was hospitalized Wednesday "after he had development symptoms serious enough that he required hospitalization" and was informed Monday that he tested positive for the virus.

"Mr. Cain did not require a respirator, and he is awake and alert," according to the statement released Thursday.

Cain, as a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump, was one of the surrogates at President Donald Trump's June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

"We honestly have no idea where he contracted it. I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of traveling the past week, including to Arizona where cases are spiking. I don't think there's any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected. We'll never know," Dan Calabrese, who has been editor of HermanCain.com since 2012, said Thursday in a post on Cain's website.

At least eight Trump advance team staffers who attended the Tulsa rally tested positive for coronavirus.

After interacting with several colleagues who later tested positive, all of Trump's campaign staffers who attended his Tulsa rally quarantined the following week, CNN previously reported.

Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh told CNN that Cain did not meet with Trump at the Tulsa rally.

"Contact tracing was conducted after the Tulsa rally but we do not comment regarding the medical information of individuals. Regardless, Mr. Cain did not meet with the President," Murtaugh said.

Cain posted a photo of himself at the Tulsa rally, seated among other attendees without a facial covering.

Paris Dennard, pictured smiling right behind Cain in the picture on Cain's Twitter page from the rally, told CNN he has not been informed about Cain's positive diagnosis or his hospitalization.

Dennard, who is a Republican National Committee adviser for black media affairs, said he himself has not been tested for coronavirus since the Tulsa rally because he has "exhibited zero symptoms" and is regularly wearing a face covering.

As a cancer survivor, Cain, age 74, is considered at an increased risk for coronavirus, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.

In 2006, he was given a 30% chance of survival from stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver. He underwent chemotherapy and surgery to remove the cancer from his liver and was declared cancer free in 2007.

The former Godfather's Pizza CEO announced his candidacy for president in 2011 and his 9-9-9 tax reform plan gained traction. After about seven months, he dropped his bid for the GOP nomination amid sexual harassment allegations, which he denied.

Cain was named in April 2019 as one of Trump's picks for two open seats on the influential Federal Reserve Board. He withdrew from consideration within the same month after four Republican senators said publicly they would not vote to confirm him and amid concerns that his nomination hearing would resurface the harassment allegations.

.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

Trump administration has no regrets about reopening push, says Mnuchin

Treasury secretary’s comments come as the country sees another day of more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases

www.theguardian.com

(fair use applies)

Trump administration has no regrets about reopening push, says Mnuchin
Treasury secretary’s comments come as the country sees another day of more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases
Daniel Strauss
Thu 2 Jul 2020 21.36 EDT | First published on Thu 2 Jul 2020 14.20 EDT

The US treasury secretary has said the Trump administration has no regrets about pushing states to reopen their economies, one day after the country reported more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases – the fourth record-breaking single-day toll in just over a week, according to Johns Hopkins figures.

Asked if he regretted that the White House pressured states to reopen as quickly as possible despite the repeated warnings of the country’s top public health experts, Steven Mnuchin told a press conference on Thursday: “No, absolutely not.”

Cases are rising significantly in more than 40 states, particularly across southern and western America, with California, Florida and Texas – the three most populous states in the country – seeing record increases. Florida, among the states hardest hit by the June surge, reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, its largest spike so far.

“What we’ve seen is a very disturbing week,” said Dr Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, in a live stream with the American Medical Association.

More than a dozen have been forced to pause reopening plans, while numbers of available hospital beds and testing capacity come under strain.

“The crisis is being handled,” Donald Trump insisted at the press conference to trumpet the latest jobs figures, which showed the unemployment rate drop to 11.1% in June from an initial estimate of 13.3% in May.

“It’s opening up far faster than anybody thought even possible, and more successfully,” said Trump, who has repeatedly downplayed the rise in cases and now faces a steeper path to re-election in November.

“Today’s announcement proves that our economy is roaring back. It’s coming back extremely strong,” he added.

“I think we’ve had a very careful plan,” Mnuchin said of the push to reopen, while underlining that the strategy was still “primarily the states’ responsibility”.

Some Republican-led states that moved quickly to reopen this spring at Trump’s urging, such as Texas, have now pressed pause on that strategy. The state’s governor, Greg Abbott, on Thursday ordered that face coverings must be worn in public across most of the state despite previously undercutting efforts by local governments to enforce mask requirements.

But others, such as Florida continue to refuse to change course. Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, insisted the state was “not going back” on reopening its economy, saying “people going to a business is not what’s driving” the increases. Instead, he said, younger people had not been adhering to social distancing measures.

Democratic-led California, which not long ago was celebrated for bringing case numbers under control, has now been forced to close bars, restaurants and other businesses again in 17 counties ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Ohio, Kansas and Louisiana, all of which appeared to have controlled the spread of the virus just a month ago, have reported some of their highest single-day totals in weeks. North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas set records for single-day cases on Wednesday.

The Covid Tracking Project said on Wednesday that the US’s seven-day average for new daily cases had doubled since 13 June, and that hospitalizations had jumped by the highest number since 21 April.

“We got hit very badly, worse than any country, with regard to the number of cases, and the number of deaths,” Fauci told the BBC’s Today program on Thursday.

“The problem we’re facing now is that in an attempt to reopen or open and get it back to some form of normality, we’re seeing very disturbing spikes in different individual states in the United States … and that is not good news. We’ve got to get that under control, or we risk an even greater outbreak in the United States.”

But Trump and his team have repeatedly contradicted the country’s public health experts, telling the public it is safe to push ahead with reopening the economy while carefully adding the caveat that the ultimate responsibility for reopening lies with each state.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the US surgeon general, one of the top healthcare officials in the federal government, reiterated calls for Americans to follow social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus ahead of the holiday weekend, including wearing face masks.

“There’s a reason we keep coming back to these same public health messages – they are tried and true,” the statement from the surgeon general, Jerome Adams, said. “We all have a role to play in beating this virus and getting back to school, work, worship, play and overall health.”

But the public messaging from the White House continues to contradict such advice. In an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday, Trump was asked whether he really believes, as he has stated previously, that the virus would simply disappear.

“I do. I do,” he said. “Yeah, sure. At some point. And I think we’re going to have a vaccine very soon, too.”

Trump added: “We’re headed back in a very strong fashion … And I think we’re going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point that’s going to sort of just disappear. I hope.”

Trump has faced fierce criticism for downplaying the risks of the virus, and for his refusal to promote simple safety measures such as wearing a mask. Asked about this on Wednesday, he said he “thinks masks are good” but said he did not believe making masks mandatory was necessary.

Responding to the jobs figures on Thursday, the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said: “Today’s jobs report may just be a slight peak in a much larger valley, and unless President Trump demonstrates real leadership in fighting the health crisis … the pain America is experiencing will only worsen.”

.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

More on the mutation we've been discussing on this thread for over a week. It's just hitting the MSM now. Seems like this thread is maintaining it's 'ahead of the MSM' trend it's had since the start.

Study confirms new version of coronavirus spreads faster, but doesn't make people sicker | CNN

A new, mutated version of coronavirus spreads faster and now dominates, but doesn't make people sicker, a study finds.

www.cnn.com

(fair use applies)

Study confirms new version of coronavirus spreads faster, but doesn't make people sicker
By Maggie Fox
Updated 8:51 PM ET, Thu July 2, 2020

A global study has found strong evidence that a new form of the coronavirus has spread from Europe to the US. The new mutation makes the virus more likely to infect people but does not seem to make them any sicker than earlier variations of the virus, an international team of researchers reported Thursday.

"It is now the dominant form infecting people," Erica Ollmann Saphire of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology and the Coronavirus Immunotherapy Consortium, who worked on the study, told CNN.
"This is now the virus."

The study, published in the journal Cell, builds on some earlier work the team did that was released on a preprint server earlier in the year. Shared information on genetic sequences had indicated that a certain mutant version of the virus was taking over.

Now the team has not only checked more genetic sequences, but they have also run experiments involving people, animals and cells in lab dishes that show the mutated version is more common and that it's more infectious than other versions.

"We do know that the new virus is fitter. It doesn't look at first glance as if it is worse," Saphire said.

The mutation affects the spike protein -- the structure the virus uses to get into the cells it infects. Now the researchers are checking to see whether this affects whether the virus can be controlled by a vaccine. Current vaccines being tested mostly target the spike protein, but they were made using older strains of the virus.

The study, published in the journal Cell, confirms earlier work suggesting the mutation had made the new variant of virus more common. The researchers call the new mutation G614, and they show that it has almost completely replaced the first version to spread in Europe and the US, one called D614.

No effect on patient survival

"Our global tracking data show that the G614 variant in Spike has spread faster than D614," theoretical biologist Bette Korber of Los Alamos National Laboratory and colleagues wrote in their report. "We interpret this to mean that the virus is likely to be more infectious," they added. "Interestingly, we did not find evidence of G614 impact on disease severity."

This could be good news, said Lawrence Young, a professor of medical oncology at the UK's University of Warwick, who was not involved in the study.

"The current work suggests that while the G614 variant may be more infectious, it is not more pathogenic. There is a hope that as SARS-CoV-2 infection spreads, the virus might become less pathogenic," he said in a statement.

The team tested samples taken from patients across Europe and the US and sequenced the genomes. They compared these genome sequences to what's been shared publicly. Comparing these sequences helped them draw a map of the spread of the two forms.

"Through March 1, 2020, the G614 variant was rare outside of Europe, but the end of March it had increased in frequency worldwide," they wrote.

Even when the D614 form had caused widespread epidemics, in places such as Wales and Nottingham in England, as well as in Washington state, G614 took over once it appeared, they found.

"The increase in G614 frequency often continues well after stay-at-home orders are in place and past the subsequent two-week incubation period," they added. There are a few exceptions, including the Santa Clara, California, area and Iceland, where the older, D614 form was never replaced by the newer, G variant.

Three to nine times more infectious

The new version seems to multiply faster in the upper respiratory tract -- the nose, sinuses and throat -- which would explain why it passes around more easily, the researchers said.

But tests on 1,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients in Britain showed those infected with the new version did not fare any worse than those who caught the original strain.

David Montefiore of Duke University and colleagues tested the virus in the lab. "We were able to test whether the G form of the virus was more infectious than the D form," Montefiore, director of the Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine Research and Development, told CNN.

"All the results agreed that the G form was three to nine times more infectious than the D form," he added. "We now had experimental evidence that supported, in part, what Bette was seeing in her analysis of the sequences across the globe -- the G form had a fitness advantage in terms of infectivity."

The lab tests of the virus in action confirmed what the genetic maps had shown.

"These findings suggest that the newer form of the virus may be even more readily transmitted than the original form. Whether or not that conclusion is ultimately confirmed, it highlights the value of what were already good ideas: to wear masks and to maintain social distancing," Korber said in a statement.

Other mutations often go along with the G614 mutation, but it's not clear what effect they have. "The earliest sequence we detected that carried all four mutations was sampled in Italy on Feb. 20," they wrote. "Within days, this haplotype was sampled in many countries in Europe."

The G614 mutation can be neutralized by convalescent serum -- the blood product taken from people who have recovered from a coronavirus infection, Saphire said. Her team tested blood donated by six coronavirus survivors in San Diego.

"We looked to see whether the range of antibodies in the blood of the people was just as effective at neutralizing the new virus as the old virus and it was. It was, in fact, a little better," she said. "That was a relief."

The researchers had worried that if the new mutation made the virus grow faster and to higher levels, it would take more immune system effort to neutralize it. "In these six San Diegans, that wasn't the case," Saphire said.

More work is needed, of course, to solidify the findings and to see what the changes mean for the epidemic and for patients, the researchers said.

"There are potential consequences for the vaccines. We are actively investigating those possible consequences," Montefiore said.

And, of course, they're keeping an eye out for other mutations. "We might have dodged a bullet with this particular mutation, Saphire said. "However, that is not to say that another mutation couldn't come on top of this one," she added.

"It would behoove us to remain vigilant."

Fauci Says New Mutation May Speed the Spread of Coronavirus (1)

The novel coronavirus is showing some signs of mutating in a way that may make it easier for the pathogen to spread, according to Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

news.bloomberglaw.com

(fair use applies)

Fauci Says New Mutation May Speed the Spread of Coronavirus
Michelle Fay Cortez
July 2, 2020, 2:42 PM

The novel coronavirus is showing some signs of mutating in a way that may make it easier for the pathogen to spread, according to Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

There is research underway that suggests a single mutation affecting a specific amino acid is emerging that allows the virus to replicate better and create a higher viral load, measures that could make it easier to transmit, Fauci said at an online event hosted by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The news of a change that may hasten the spread of the virus around the world comes as the number of cases continues to surge globally, with more than 10.7 million people infected and 517,000 dead from the disease that was identified just six months ago. Many U.S. states are reconsidering efforts to reopen their economies, while countries in Latin America and elsewhere are getting pummeled with soaring infection levels.

There is some dispute about the findings, which stem from an in vitro examination of the mutations, and it’s not clear whether people who become infected with a newer variation of the pathogen fare worse than those with the original strain, he said.

“It just seems that the virus replicates better and may be more transmissible,” he said. “This is still at the stage of trying to confirm that.”

.

 

[OldArcher]

I have been paranoid about this since Day One. I am waiting for the info that shows that people with little or no symptoms find five years down the road that their liver is rotting away. That'l fix it.

Good Morning, Troke

About two weeks ago, whilst abed from mental and physical fatigue, unable to do more than get to the head and back, I had a "come to Jesus moment." Such times are oft not pretty or pleasant. Evaluating, reevaluating one's life, in my case, was less than happy.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda... Anyone could get the idea that there were mistakes, "lost victories," and regrets. At 70, there were more than a few. And not a beer or bottle of wine to be had...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not an alcoholic, nor do I oft imbibe. I'd enjoyed the ocaissional adult beverage, lastly a year ago, a once a week beer, or a rare Crown Royal (drink, not bottle). In four more weeks, I'll be completely off of insulin, and then on to the elimination of metformin. Docs said, "never happen."
Next, heart meds, and whatever else they're giving me. Hope to be off of "everything," before supposed time of November's General Election, one way, or another...

BTW, instead of "paranoid," though that's not a crime, think "forewarned." Knowing and accepting the knowledge of an oncoming catastrophe, is a defense mechanism. DOING something about it, takes time, let alone detailed processing of that oncoming threat, and the ancillary functions and needs to address it.

"Ah, time..."

That recent period of "dream time," was a stark awakening. Stripping way mis- and pre-conceptions, is sometimes uncomfortable, cosmically frustrating, at best. If that happens only once in seventy year intervals, it will be too much. Then, I began to crave the thought of my favorite, Mead... Elixir of the Gods...

*sigh*

Naturally, around here, SW MO, people think Mead means "office and school products."

*double sigh*

Your belief, fear, analysis of possible coming events are now being bandied about. Scientists, PR flacks, politicians, MSM, and others, have posited the same view. Imagine, if you will, having front row seats surrounding the ship's band, RMS Titanic, water lapping around your ankles, as they play, "Nearer My God to Thee..."

Many people have never been taught to think, let alone confront life/death situations. Fight, flight, freeze. They have the last two down perfectly. Why? Because they do not entail action or effort. Call it the Ostrich Effect. Ignore an issue, and it will go away. Or, think, "Ostrich, what we're having for dinner." Those are people who can't think outside of "The Box." Hell, they can't even FIND "The Box..."

Here is where Magic, true Magic, comes in...

I wonder what the mean age is here, on TB2K... If you're "old," say 65 and up, you may not have the same strength, agility, or menal acuity of your most productive years. What can you do?

Share what you know with others. Network. Spitball. Make yourself a pain in the ass, to those who refuse to open their eyes. Be patient- (Gods but I hate that one- ALWAYS have...) Never, ever, give up...

Where was I? Magic.

My caregivers say I do NOT want a tattoo. If I could have one, it would be thus:

"Magic is the Science and Art of influencing change." -Jason Miller's truncation of Alestair Crowley's definintion of Magic(k). I like Miller's definition better, so that's what I use...

Dabbling in The Craft many years ago, I had the requisite monk's robe, "bell, book, and candle," and all the accoutrements. Due to familial responsibilities, and living in "the Buckle of the Bible Belt," that pursuit went away... My respect for such wonderful people has never left, and remains to this day...

Magic is real... No, not illusionist entertainment. The "real deal."

HORRORS! Next he'll be advocating Devil Worship. Never. Likewise, Satan and his pantheon have no place in Heathenry or Paganism. They represent the enemy of all thinking beings, for they are the representatives of EVIL, and all that is wrong with the Universe. All Universes. And yes, EVIL does exist...

The young, the old, the hale and hearty, and those who have progressed into physical decreptitude, can, and do, have imaginations. Combine imagination with desire and discipline, and Magic can become very, very real...

You can help Universe shape, mold, define, encourage, direct, and otherwise influence people, places, things, and/or events. How YOU interact with everything about you or the "people, places, things, and/or events" you can think of or perceive, is your playground, your field of battle.

"Do what you will, and harm none."

"All is Mind, and Universe is Mental."

"As Above, So Below."

The three above are "truisms." I'm sure such as these must be infinite in number. For here, now, they fill the need for illumination and focus.

What we think, say, and do, has weight. It has consequences, both intended and unintended. All actions do have reactions. Creating/creations, come about at a cost. Time, effort, commitment? Yes, and maybe more, to influence change. Maybe YOU can wave a wand, and have your irritating neighbor turn into a toad. I can't, yet, and I would rather do things more helpful... Maybe some day... As Heinlein said in "Stranger in a Strange Land," "I've a little black list, that'll never be missed..."

We affect people through speech, writing, and actions. Their reaction to our thoughts, words and deeds, results in Magic. A baby being born, the progression of a seed to flower or crop, birds on the wing, the touch of a lover's breath upon one's cheek- all are Magic.

All Life is Magic. All that exists, is Energy, sentient and not, is energy. As all is Energy, that energy can be molded, shaped, directed, and concentrated or diffused. Again, "All is Mind, Universe is Mental." Keeping that in the forefront of your consciousness, you can begin as a pebble tossed into a pond. As the ripples move outward, bugs, leaves, and even fish or other creatures and things, are affected. The effects may be minimal, or result in "The Butterfly Effect."

There are NO coincidences. Cause and effect, results in creation, Magical or otherwise. A rock placed in a stream, changes things. Water's direction, rate of flow, and many other variables, affects what is around the rock, and what is down stream. Moving that rock may well have other effects.

So too, are the results, or effects of our thoughts, speech, and deeds. We are agents of cause and effect.

Always do things for "good." "Do what you will, and harm none." Karma is a stone cold, unforgiving, unrelenting, heartless, bitch. Never, ever, forget that. The consequences of your thoughts, words, or deeds, can be constructive or devastating. As in the practice of Magic, you are responsible for the results of your workings. Not somebody else, YOU.

What is coming should not be a surprise for any thinking, rational being. Of course, the number of such souls needs to increase, exponentially, for Humankind to survive, and hopefully, thrive. Likewise, with the oncoming changes to every aspect of Humankind, one would hope that future generations won't cleave to our, or our predecessors, same damned stupid mistakes and attitudes. Survival demands change. Change, adapt, overcome- or die.

Never, ever, be afraid to positively influence change, especially to help the helpless, the hopeless, or the innocent. Survival does not happen with just thoughts. It takes time, effort, commitment, and action- continuing until the desired result is attained.

(Notes on Heinlein's writings. He said if you are stuck with "deathless prose," kill it. Mercilessly. Like in many things, he was right.)

Don't sit and wait to die. There are very good books, and some MP3 files, available on Scribd. Minimal monthly cost subscription access. Also Amazon Prime Kindle "Unlimited" "free" offerings that have some books for monthly loan. In both cases, Scribd and Amazon's Prime Kindle "Unlimited" "free" offerings need to be returned... You can, as long as they stay available, "catch and release" them without additional cost- beyond your monthly subscriptions... Big time and money savers, those...

These are ruminations of a warehoused geezer with an agenda. What is it? To be a grain of sand in an oyster, whose thoughts, deeds, or actions, may affect or influence change. You can do the same thing, if you so desire. Be an agent for "good. Make a differentce, a positive difference, that can help others who can do, what you no longer can...

I, and my young feline companion, Emmy (a young black cat with emerald green eyes, gifted me by my DD) are exploring Magic. She's purr-fect for me, and her being here has influenced me greatly... Nobody should ever live alone...

Care for your loved ones, knowing that the world we live in is not the same as before. Too many spinning plates, juggling balls, and uncooperative actors, clutter the stage... Chaos in the the wings, and the directors are out to lunch... The audience grows restless, and somebody is lighting a string of firecrackers... Watch out, folks! It's gonna be a real lulu, this performance! Oh, and the little man with the broom, who follows the elephant act? He quit! Volunteers, anyone?

I wish you all well. May your lives be full of life, love, grace, and kindness. May you be strong, resolute, evenhanded, and when possible, merciful. I wish you long, healthy, happy, and productive lives, for you and yours.

So Mote It Be...

OldArcher

 

[Mixin]

Indiana
Mayor and health officials say mask requirement begins in Marion County on July 9
Posted: Jul 2, 2020 / 06:26 AM EDT / Updated: Jul 2, 2020 / 11:38 PM EDT

INDIANAPOLIS – For the most part, Indianapolis will follow Stage 4.5 of the state’s “Back on Track” plan amid the pandemic.

But there are some significant differences, including a mask and face covering requirement that begins on July 9.

The requirement applies to when residents are out of their homes in an indoor space (office buildings, retail establishments), Mayor Joe Hogsett said.

Masks are also required if you are outdoors and unable to socially distance (sitting in stands at a game, standing in line at an outdoor venue, for example).

There are exceptions: children ages 2 and under and anyone with a medical condition that prevents the use of a mask.

“I know that many will not agree with this policy. I know many more will feel inconvenienced by it,” Hogsett said. “This is a major change to what normal means here in Indianapolis.”

Mayor and health officials say mask requirement begins in Marion County on July 9

INDIANAPOLIS – For the most part, Indianapolis will follow Stage 4.5 of the state’s “Back on Track” plan amid the pandemic. But there are some significant differences, including a mask and face cov…

fox59.com

 

[Mixin]

More than 50 cases of COVID-19 connected to Calgary condo building
Michael Franklin
CTVNewsCalgary.ca Senior Digital Producer@CTVMFranklin Contact
Published Thursday, July 2, 2020 3:39PM MDT
Last Updated Thursday, July 2, 2020 6:45PM MDT

There are now 52 cases of COVID-19 connected to an outbreak at the Verve Condominium in Calgary.

CALGARY -- Officials in charge of a Calgary condo building at the centre of the city's largest coronavirus outbreak have sent out a list of recommendations to owners of units who rent their suites to others.

FirstService Residential, the company that oversees the Verve building on Sixth Avenue S.E., issued a letter to residents of the building Thursday. The message outlined a number of recommendations for owners of units who were using the suites as rental properties on a long-term basis.

The advice included:

Informing potential renters about the COVID-19 outbreak in place at the building
Speaking with insurance to determine the extent of liability insurance for renting units to tenants
During showings/viewings, everyone involved must wear personal protective equipment (PPE)
Book move ins and outs well in advance with the buildings concierge

As of Thursday, the province confirmed 29 active cases of COVID-19 at the building. With 23 people already recovered from their symptoms, there have been more than 50 cases of the illness connected to the outbreak.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) remain at the building to test all potential renters. They are also continuing to take steps to control the virus' spread.

The agency believes high-touch areas, particularly in regards to the building's elevators, had a lot to do with how many people got sick.

"Because this situation is a bit more unusual, we've taken some additional steps including doing some environment sampling, looking at the HVAC system, looking at the plumbing system to look for more 'exotic' causes of biotransmission," said Dr. Jia Hu, medical officer of health for the Calgary zone. Hu said all 400 of the residents at the building need to be tested in order for them to complete their work.

Earlier this week, FirstService banned all services that offer short-term rentals of units, such as Airbnb, because of the outbreak. AHS says all recent guests of any short-term rental at the building have been told to seek testing in their home jurisdiction.

It also increased cleaning and sanitization at the building and blocked all visitors from going there.

"We need resident help and cooperation to ensure everyone’s health and safety," the letter read. "Thank you in advance for your cooperation."

There have been no confirmed cases among short-term guests at the building so far, AHS says.

According to online listings, there are at least 10 open suites at Verve.

Another town hall meeting is scheduled to take place at Verve Thursday evening.

More than 50 cases of COVID-19 connected to Calgary condo building

Officials in charge of a Calgary condo building at the centre of the city's largest coronavirus outbreak have sent out a list of recommendations to owners of units who rent their suites to others.

calgary.ctvnews.ca

 

[Mixin]

Indiana will now post facility-level COVID-19 data for long term care centers
by: Kelly Reinke
Posted: Jul 2, 2020 / 03:20 PM EDT / Updated: Jul 2, 2020 / 08:33 PM EDT

INDIANAPOLIS – After months of pressure from families, lawmakers, advocates and news outlets, Indiana now plans to release facility-level COVID-19 data for their long-term care centers.

Starting in April, state officials refused to release COVID-19 data for each long-term care facility. State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said this is a personal thing between the facilities, residents and their families when FOX59 asked her why the state will not release the names. Governor Eric Holcomb also said he was not going to direct Dr. Box to release the names of long-term care facilities with COVID-19 cases even though several other states were already releasing this information. Up until Wednesday’s announcement, Indiana had decided to only publish aggregate totals for cases and deaths in these facilities.

In late April, the state ombudsman for long-term care in Indiana, Lynn Clough, took a different position and told FOX59 those facility names should be revealed.
Clough directs an independent agency in state government dedicated to the protection of residents in Indiana’s long-term care residential facilities, which include nursing facilities and licensed assisted living facilities.

It was a surprise when Dr. Dan Rusyniak, Chief Medical Officer of Indiana FSSA, announced on Wednesday the state would publish facility-level data. A few weeks earlier, the state admitted it did not have a cumulative list of COVID-19 cases and deaths in long term care facilities. “As we have all learned responding to this pandemic requires us to continually evaluate our approaches and when appropriate to change them,” said Dr. Rusyniak during the Wednesday press conference.

The state said ISDH’s resources until now have been focused on early identification and mitigation of COVID outbreaks in long-term care facilities. This meant focusing its resources on rapid testing and infection response and instructing facilities to communicate directly with residents and their families. The state said they now have resources available to build out the needed data systems to create a dashboard that will include information by facility.

Dr. Rusyniak said both the largest associations that represent long term care facilities and AARP who advocates for the residents in these facilities recently have expressed their support of providing facility-level information. More than 40 days before Wednesday’s announcement AARP Indiana sent a letter to the governor urging the state to publish the data.

The state confirms Indiana Health Care Association (IHCA) is one of the organizations that have publicly supported releasing the information. IHCA is the state’s largest trade association representing skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities and independent living. “We are looking forward to making sure what ends up getting reported publicly is as accurate as possible,” said Zach Cattell, president of IHCA.

Cattell hopes this dashboard will illustrate what has happened and show the more than 2,000 people who have recovered. He emphasized the importance of transparency to ensure trust exists with the public and the health care sector. “The concern that has come from the public and from the media needs to be answered and we need to move on beyond the drumbeat of that particular question because we really need to be focusing on the help long term care facilities need and their residents need to fight COVID-19 and focus on the bigger picture,” he said.

As of Monday, more than 45 percent of COVID-19 deaths statewide were linked to Indiana’s long-term care facilities. The state plans to create a dashboard to show when cases occurred, the number of residents and staff who have died and the number of people who have recovered at each facility.

The state expects to post preliminary data in mid-July and the dashboard will come two to four weeks after the release of that information.

“To have those tools available to everybody, not just a family member of a resident already there, but to anybody out there looking I think that’s an absolutely wonderful thing. And it’s about time,” said Sarah Troutman, a daughter of a nursing home resident. Troutman’s father lives at Bethany Pointe in Anderson. More than 30 COVID-19 related deaths have happened there. Troutman said at first, it was difficult to get information about cases inside. Now the company that operates that facility, Trilogy Health Services, posts updates on a dashboard online.

COVID-19

Trilogy Health Services is responding to the COVID-19 virus

www.trilogyhs.com

“I think it still comes down to everyday people are still looking for facilities to put their loved ones in. Just because coronavirus is out there doesn’t mean people their family members are not failing in their health and needing extra care,” she said. Troutman is relieved all families can get this information a little easier soon. She is still questioning why the state is deciding to publish the data now after months of saying no.

“I think enough pressure from families and the media. I think eventually they probably figured none of us were going to go away,” Troutman said.

Indiana will now post facility-level COVID-19 data for long term care centers

INDIANAPOLIS – After months of pressure from families, lawmakers, advocates and news outlets, Indiana now plans to release facility-level COVID-19 data for their long-term care centers. Starting in…

fox59.com

 

[Tom McDowell]

NYHET

– The most logical explanation is that it comes from a laboratory
The well-known Norwegian virologist Birger Sørensen and his colleagues have examined the corona virus. They believe it has certain properties which would not evolve naturally. These conclusions are politically controversial, but in this interview he shares the findings behind the headlines.

Aksel Fridstrøm Nyhetsredaktør
Nils August Andresen Ansvarlig redaktør
Publisert torsdag 02. juli 2020 - 19:10 Sist oppdatert torsdag 02. juli 2020 - 22:24


“I understand that this is controversial, but the public has a legitimate need to know, and it is important that it is possible to freely discuss alternate hypotheses on how the virus originated” Birger Sørensen starts to explain when Minerva visits him in his office one morning in Oslo.

Despite the explosiveness of his statements and research, Sørensen remains calm and collected.
Sørensen has been a point of controversy ever since former MI6 director Richard Dearlove cited a yet to be published article by Sørensen and his colleagues in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. The article claims that the virus that causes Covid-19 most likely has not emerged naturally.

“It’s a shame that there has already been so much talk about this, because I have yet to publish the article where I put forward my analysis”, Sørensen says in the form of an exasperated sigh.

Together with his colleagues, Angus Dalgleish and Andres Susrud have authored an article that looks into the most plausible explanations regarding the origins of the novel coronavirus. The article builds upon an already published article in the Quarterly Review of Biophysics that describes newly discovered properties in the virus spike protein. The authors are still in dialogue with scientific journals regarding an upcoming publication of the article.

News outlets are thus confronted with a difficult question: Are the findings and arguments Sørensen and his colleagues put forward of a sufficiently high quality to be presented and discussed in the public sphere? Sørensen explains that they in their dialogue with scientific journals are encountering a certain reluctance to publishing the article – without, however, proper scientific objections. Minerva has read a draft of the article, and has after an overall assessment decided that the findings and arguments do deserve public debate, and that this discussion cannot depend entirely on the publication process of scientific journals.

In this interview with Minerva, Sørensen therefore puts forward his hypothesis on why it is highly unlikely that the coronavirus emerged naturally.

On May 18th, WHO decided to conduct an inquiry into the coronavirus epidemic in China. Sørensen believes that it is important that this inquiry looks into new and alternate explanations for how the virus originated, beyond the already well-known suggestion that the virus originated in the Wuhan Seafood Market.

“There are very few who still believe that the epidemic started there, so as of today we have no good answers on how the epidemic started. Then we must also dare to look at more controversial, alternative explanations for the origin,” Sørensen says.

Birger Sørensen and one of his co-authors, Angus Dalgleish, are already known as HIV researchers par excellence.
In 2008, Sørensen’s work came to international attention when he launched a new immunotherapy for HIV. Angus Dalgleish is the professor at St. George’s Medical School in London who became world famous in 1984 after having discovered a novel receptor that the HIV virus uses to enter human cells.

The purpose of the work Sørensen and his colleagues have done on the novel coronavirus, has been to produce a vaccine. And they have taken their experience in trialling HIV vaccines with them to analyse the coronavirus more thoroughly, in order to make a vaccine that can protect against Covid-19 without major side effects.

Exceptionally well adjusted
“The difference between our approach and other vaccine manufacturers is that we have a chemistry background, and we analyse the virus in detail as if we were making a drug,” Sørensen starts to explain.

“Biology is also chemistry, so by considering the virus from a chemistry perspective, we carry out more detailed analysis, zooming in on certain components.”

Sørensen takes us through the basic elements of their approach:
“The first thing you need to establish is which parts of the virus are changing, and which parts are stable. If you want to make a vaccine that lasts, you must stimulate the immune system to react against those parts of the virus that are constant, otherwise the effect will disappear and, in the worst-case scenario, lead to increased illness.

“Once we know this, we can try to make a vaccine. Where we differ is that we are trying to make a vaccine that uses elements that have as little in common with the body’s natural components as possible, so that the immune system is taught to recognise exactly what the vaccine should protect against”, Sørensen elaborates.

Sørensen believes this is an important insight which will prevent the immune system from being falsely stimulated in a way that could lead the vaccine to create too many dangerous side effects in the vaccinated person.

“When we have not succeeded in creating an HIV vaccine, despite the enormous efforts put into that endeavour for the past 30 years, it is because we haven’t understood this,” Sørensen continues.

He believes that there has not been enough interaction between the part of the pharmaceutical industry that makes HIV medicines and the part that runs the vaccine research. As a consequence, the knowledge you need to make a successful vaccine against HIV in the big pharmaceutical companies has not been adequately exploited by the big, international HIV preventing vaccine studies that have been carried out.”

Asked about what significance his approached has had when he has analyzed the coronavirus, Sørensen explains:
“We have examined which components of the virus are especially well suited to attach themselves to cells in humans. And we have done this by comparing the properties of the virus with human genetics. What we found was that this virus was exceptionally well adjusted to infect humans.”

He pauses for a second.
“So well that it was suspicious,” he adds.

Perfected to infect humans
It is already known that the novel coronavirus, like the virus that caused the SARS epidemic in Southeast Asia in 2002-2003, could attach itself to the ACE-2 receptors in the lower respiratory tract.

“But what we have discovered is that there are properties in this new virus which enables it to use an additional receptor, and create a binding to human cells in the upper respiratory tract and the intestines which is strong enough to produce an infection,” Sørensen elaborates.

Sørensen says that it is the use of this additional receptor that most likely results in a different illness in Covid-19 patients than the one resulting from SARS.

“This is what enables the virus to transmit to a greater degree between humans, without the virus having attached itself to the ACE-2 receptors in the lower respiratory tract, where it causes deep pneumonia.

“That is also why so many of the Covid-19 patients have mild symptoms at the start of the illness, and are contagious before they develop severe symptoms,” he adds.

It might also explain why some people are ‘super spreaders’ without being ill themselves, Sørensen says.

In the already published article Sørensen and his colleagues Angus Dalgleish and Andres Susrud describe what they claim is curious about the spike protein of the coronavirus, which makes it especially well suited to infect humans. These findings are the foundation for the hypothesis Sørensen and his colleagues develop in the new article, where they claim that the virus is not natural in origin.

FACT BOX – Spike Protein​

A spike protein is a part of the virus attached to the surface of the virus. The spike protein is used by the virus when it enters cells, enabling it to stick in humans. The properties of the spike determines which receptors a virus can utilise and thus which cells the virus can enter to create illness.​

“There are several factors that point towards this,” says Sørensen. “Firstly, this part of the virus is very stable; it mutates very little. That points to this virus as a fully developed, almost perfected virus for infecting humans.

“Secondly, this indicates that the structure of the virus cannot have evolved naturally. When we compare the novel coronavirus with the one that caused SARS, we see that there are altogether six inserts in this virus that stand out compared to other known SARS viruses,” he goes on explaining.

Sørensen says that several of these changes in the virus are unique, and that they do not exist in other known SARS coronaviruses.

“Four of these six changes have the property that they are suited to infect humans. This kind of aggregation of a type of property can be done simply in a laboratory, and helps to substantiate such an origin,” Sørensen points out.

An artificially created virus
Asked about whether this implies that the virus is not natural, Sørensen goes on to explain the laboratory process that leads to the creation of new viruses.

“In a sense it is natural. But the natural processes have most likely been accelerated in a laboratory,” he explains. “It’s also possible for a virus to attain these properties in nature, but it’s not likely. If the mutations had happened in nature, we would have most likely seen that the virus had attracted other properties through mutations, not just properties that help the virus to attach itself to human cells.”

Sørensen vividly explains this argument:
“Imagine that you have cultivated a billion coronaviruses you have gathered from nature, then you take this mass of viruses and inject them into a human cell culture from for example the upper respiratory tract. As a result, a few of these viruses will change in order to better attach themselves to this type of cell in the nose and throat region and therefore to infect humans more easily. You end up with a virus with a spike protein which is perfect for attaching to and penetrating human cells.” Sørensen explains.

Asked about the particular mutations in the virus that lead to this conclusion, Sørensens says:
“What we see is that an area that you could observe in the first SARS coronavirus has been moved, so that the parts of the virus that are particularly well suited to attach to humans, have become part of the spike protein that the virus uses to penetrate human cells. And it is this moving of the area of the virus which makes the virus, together with the injected areas explained above, able to utilise an additional receptor to infect humans.”

Sørensen explains at the black board. Photo: Aksel Fridstrøm

On a board in the meeting room where Sørensen is hosting our meeting, he illustrates what he is trying to explain, and how a component of the virus which previously was situated on another part of the shell of the virus, now has become a part of the spike protein of the virus.

More than ninety percent confident
Sørensen is therefore quite confident that the virus has originated in a laboratory.
“I think it’s more than 90 percent certain. It’s at least a far more probable explanation than it having developed this way in nature”, Sørensen responds.

Sørensen also highlights other data than those related to the virus’ properties:
“The properties that we now see in the virus, we have yet to discover anywhere in nature. We know that these properties make the virus very infectious, so if it came from nature, there should also be many animals infected with this, but we have still not been able to trace the virus in nature.

“The only place we are aware of where an equivalent virus to that which causes Covid-19 exists, is in a laboratory. So the simplest and most logical explanation is that it comes from a laboratory. Those who claim otherwise, have the burden of proof,” Sørensen says.

Critical voices suppressed
There are indeed earlier known experiments where changes to the corona virus have been engineered. An interesting example of this kind of research is a collaborative effort between Wuhan Institute of Virology and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In a 2015 article, Menachery et al. describe experiments with laboratory created corona viruses – so called gain-of-function-studies. The purpose of this research is partly to be better prepared for new pathogenic variants of the virus. But the researchers also write: «the potential to prepare for and mitigate future outbreaks must be weighed against the risk of creating more dangerous pathogens». This risk must also be evaluated in light of previous known accidents where corona viruses have escaped from laboratories in China.

Fact box: Gain-of-function studies​

According to US Department health & human services, gain-of-function studies refer to research which aims to increase the ability of a pathogen to cause disease. The method is controversial, because it entails risks, such as viruses escaping from labs. Between 2014 and 2018, this kind of research was prohibited in the United States, but in December 2017, American authorities announced that the ban would be lifted.​

But several researchers have already pointed out that artificially created viruses would be easy to identify. We therefore ask Sørensen why this has not been identified earlier.

Sørensen believes there are several reasons for this.

“The first is that this is a very uncomfortable finding, and the production of new scientific articles that can be used to prove such findings has all but ground to a halt. Chinese scientists no longer publish articles that can be used to support such a hypothesis”, he says.

“And newer articles that are published about the virus must be thoroughly investigated, especially in relation to the basic material that is being used,” Sørensen expands, and points to a new x-ray article published in Nature by Shang et al., which Sørensen also earlier has criticised for being misleading.

“To do my analysis, I have therefore had to go back to the source material, and look at those articles that were published before the Covid-19 outbreak, where we have chosen to assume that the data that have been used is okay and reflects the actual conditions,” Sørensen says.

Asked about why there has not been more debate on this topic Sørensen has several explanations.

“This quickly becomes a discussion on politics, rather than science, Sørensen responds.

“Nobody wants to put forward the inconvenient truth, many scientists are also concerned about their own funding and position if they were to put forward such a controversial hypothesis, Sørensen elaborates. It is nevertheless a fact that many people on the web have engaged in such a debate. But so far, those who participate in such forums are characterized as conspiratorial. It is also the case that a debate about this type of viral research and the technologies used may damage reputation and lead to new restrictions on how to conduct molecular genetic research. With this in mind, it is not difficult to see that it must be difficult to get accepted papers in peer reviewed journals that focus on such research.

Hopes his arguments will be discussed properly
Sørensens himself is Chairman of the board at Immunor, a company which is working to develop their own vaccine candidate for Covid-19. Minerva has challenged him to address allegations that this hypothesis is launched publicly to attract funding for his own research.

“Of course, it’s in my interest that my research becomes known, but I am being completely open and have declared all my interests.

“At the same time, I argue that it must be possible for those of us who work for smaller biotechnology companies to present our findings and get them discussed properly. If anyone wishes to contest my findings, they are of course welcome to do so, but I hope they will engage thoroughly with the arguments rather than derail them by discussing my motives,” Sørensen responds.
***
Translation from Norwegian by Kathrine Jebsen Moore

– The most logical explanation is that it comes from a laboratory

The well-known Norwegian virologist Birger Sørensen and his colleagues have examined the corona virus. They believe it has certain properties which would not evolve naturally. These conclusions are politically controversial, but in this interview he shares the findings behind the headlines.

www.minervanett.no

===

via -

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbfvEKE3vKk


Read carefully.

===
.

 

[Mixin]

New outbreaks push inmate coronavirus cases past 50,000
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS Associated Press
Published: Jul. 3, 2020 at 2:22 PM EDT|Updated: 46 minutes ago

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The number of prison inmates testing positive for the coronavirus soared well past the 50,000 mark last month, as recent outbreaks threatened to undo control measures put in place earlier in the pandemic.

At the end of June, the total number of coronavirus cases among prisoners had reached at least 52,649, an increase of 8% from the week before, according to data compiled by the Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization focusing on criminal justice, and The Associated Press.

Of those, at least 35,796 have recovered, and at least 616 inmates have died, the data showed.

Among staff, more than 11,180 cases of coronavirus have been reported, including 43 deaths.

As of June 30, only Wyoming and Hawaii still had not identified any confirmed cases of coronavirus among prisoners.

New cases in prisons began to drop last month, with less of the rapid growth seen in the spring when Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and other states began mass testing of prisoners, the data shows.

But by the end of June, new outbreaks in Arkansas, California and Texas began to push the numbers up again.

The rising cases in prisons is mirroring a large increase in cases across the U.S., where there have been some 50,000 total per day over the past few days and hot spots are exploding in multiple states, including Arizona, Florida and Texas.

Prisons have been of specific concern because of social distancing worries, and the fear that outbreaks inside crowded facilities can affect surrounding communities as employees and vendors come and go.

The federal Bureau of Prisons recorded the most inmate deaths at 94. Ohio led states with the most deaths, with 86 reported through the end of June. More than 5,000 federal inmates have tested positive.

Coronavirus outbreaks in prison are an indictment of mass incarceration in the U.S., with many systems warehousing people in situations that make social distancing impossible, said Nicole Porter, director of advocacy for The Sentencing Project.

Porter said the response by governors has been inadequate, with only minimal releases of inmates in most states in an effort to free up space. At the very least, authorities should be moving to release all inmates scheduled to get out this year, she said.

In Louisiana, for example, a state panel tasked with examining up to 1,100 inmates for release ultimately approved just 100, of which 63 will be released, The Advocate reported.

“A global pandemic creates a level of urgency that people should not be kept in prison one day longer than necessary,” Porter said. “Many of those people pose absolutely no threat to public safety and their liberty would have been restored anyway this year.”

California saw a setback this week in its efforts to control the virus, when a third of the 3,500 inmates at San Quentin State Prison near San Francisco tested positive after officials transferred 121 inmates from the heavily affected California Institution for Men in Chino on May 30 without properly testing them for infections.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has defended his administration’s handling of the pandemic in prisons, noting that he has ordered about 3,500 early releases, plans about 3,500 more, and halted transfers from local jails to create more space in prisons for social isolation.

In Ohio, cases have now been reported in nearly all prisons, but two account for the majority of cases: Pickaway Correctional Institution in central Ohio, which includes a medical wing, and Marion Correctional Institution in north-central Ohio, where virtually all inmates tested positive.

Thirty-six inmates died at Pickaway and 13 at Marion, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

Prison advocates in Ohio are using the pandemic to promote legislation working its way through the Statehouse that would reduce the number of people sent to prison for drug crimes.

“They could save lives by reducing the prison population as the COVID-19 death toll continues to rise behind bars,” said Piet van Lier, a researcher for Policy Matters Ohio.

New outbreaks push inmate coronavirus cases past 50,000

At the end of June, the total number of coronavirus cases among prisoners had reached at least 52,649, an increase of 8% from the week before.

www.wndu.com

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoWsg2CtxYA
58:47 min
War Room Pandemic Ep 263 - Therapeutic Guidance (w/ Jack Posobiec and Dave Ramaswamy)
•Streamed live 7 hours ago


Bannon WarRoom - Citizens of the American Republic

Raheem Kassam, Jack Maxey, and Greg Manz are joined by Steve Bannon to discuss the latest on the coronavirus pandemic as a new study on the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine has dropped. Calling in is Jack Posobiec with a live report from South Dakota. Also calling in is Dave Ramaswamy to give his analysis on the numbers of rising coronavirus cases.

-------------------------

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXTtLLthLOY
58:25
War Room Pandemic Ep 264 - Hydroxy Hysteria (w/ Dr. Peter Navarro and Dave Ramaswamy)

•Streamed live 6 hours ago

Bannon WarRoom - Citizens of the American Republic

Raheem Kassam, Jack Maxey, and Greg Manz are joined by Steve Bannon to discuss the latest on the coronavirus pandemic as there is new evidence the economy should come back roaring. Calling in is Dr. Peter Navarro to provide his insights on the pandemic and economic situation. Dave Ramaswamy also calls in to discuss his thoughts on China.

 

[Mixin]

Releasing inmates from jail because of Covid doesn't always work out well.

Miss. man went on violent crime spree after release from jail due to coronavirus, police say
Published: Jun. 26, 2020 at 1:37 PM EDT

BRANDON, Miss. (WLBT) - Police arrested a man after a high-speed chase early Friday morning.

Brandon Police Assistant Chief Chris Butts says the suspect, identified as Vincent Ogiamien, raped two people, stole several cars, and shot a woman overnight in Brandon.

After these incidents, police were led on a chase into Jackson where Ogiamien crashed at I-20 and Terry Road.

Police records indicate Ogiamien was released from the Rankin County Jail on Thursday afternoon after a DUI arrest. He has been booked seven times in Rankin County for crimes including motor vehicle theft, drugs, and fleeing police.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said Ogiamien was released from jail because he tested positive for COVID-19.

More at the link

Miss. man went on violent crime spree after release from jail due to coronavirus, police say

Police arrested a man after a high-speed chase early Friday morning.

www.kolotv.com

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FU61mJgGEo
29:36 min
Updates, US and Indonesia
•Jul 3, 2020


Dr. John Campbell

US Hot weather Increasing to 1m tests per day by September Thursday 25 June 39,000 Friday 26 June 45,300 Saturday 27 June 42,700 Sunday 28 June 39,000 Monday 29 June 41,400 Tuesday 30 June 45,700 Wednesday 1 July 51,200 Thursday 2 July 54,869 Cases, 2,739,879 Deaths, 128,740 Cases increasing after Memorial Day Mr. Trump thinking about wearing a mask Surgeon general, I’m begging you, wear a face covering Alabama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjeD5... Parties of college students Worst effected states https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-... Florida Cases, + 10,109 = 169,000 Deaths, 3,617 Arizona 30% of tests coming back positive Hospital capacity maxed out NY Much more progressive reopening People wearing masks Texas Hospitals under stress, 7,000 hospitalized State-wide mandatory mask order After initial resistance $300 fines South Carolina Increasing numbers of young people hospitalized California Bars, cinemas, closed again LA beaches closed for 4th July Money https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/13/one-t... 32% of working Americans currently some medical debt 28% of those owe $10,000 or more New York https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/01/ny...

Epidemiologists braced for a surge of new coronavirus cases But it has not come yet May 28th, spread in New York City was already slowing down Overall positive tests in NY in June, from 3% to about 2% Reasons Low risk of encountering a case Limited regional data from NY Organisers distributed masks Moving about Outdoors Dilution effects means viral levels did not reach an ‘infective dose’ Minnesota Increasing cases in young adults in June Protests or bars? Limited data Andrew Cuomo, dedicated 15 testing sites, data ‘not yet available’ Many protesters were young adults, less likely to be symptomatic City officials have instructed contact tracers not to ask new Covid-19 patients if they attended protests “Like most every other aspect of this pandemic the most predictable thing is the unpredictability,” (Professor Markel, historian and physician, University of Michigan) Ag Unity Link https://photos.app.goo.gl/Dy1oFijsehV...

_______________________

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1eUvnbvCmg
37:02 min
Global Undate, UK and other countries
•Jul 3, 2020


Dr. John Campbell
UK Leicester closed down Brent increasing cases, very poor social distancing Deputy first minister ONS https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulati... 14 to 27 June 2020 England, 25,000 infections COVID-19 at any given time 1 in 2,200 of the population Tracker App, 1,445 new cases per day across the UK The decrease in the number of people in England testing positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) is continuing to level off Flu Vaccine https://www.theguardian.com/politics/... Significant additional supply Pregnancy NHS and care workers Over 65s Primary school children Risk groups ? now for over 50s SAGE, (30th April) Consideration of whether to vaccinate the entire UK population R Values UK, R = 0.7 – 0.8 England, 0.8 – 0.9 Growth rate for UK = minus 0.8 to 0.9 Test and trace https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-he... May 28 to June 24, NHS test and trace 27,125 people who tested positive in England 20,039 (74 %) were reached and asked to provide details of recent contacts 6,245 (23%) were not reached However, 153,442 identified contacts 132,525 (86%) reached and asked to self-isolate Pubs https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...

Ireland Book a table Restrict their group to four Sanitise hands Not go to the bar Not sing 105 minutes England 4th July Independence Day Super Saturday First time since 23rd March Northern Ireland, opened Friday A and E doctors plead with drinkers not to get plastered https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandst...

England Quarantine https://www.theguardian.com/world/202... Dropped for Spain, Italy, France, Germany US will still need to quarantine for 14 days https://www.theguardian.com/world/liv... Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Aruba Australia Austria Bahamas Barbados Belgium Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Croatia Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dominica Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Germany Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Hong Kong Hungary Iceland Italy Jamaica Japan Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Malta Mauritius Monaco Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Norway Poland Reunion San Marino Serbia Seychelles South Korea Spain St Barthelemy St Kitts and Nevis St Lucia St Pierre and Miquelon Switzerland Taiwan Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Vatican City Vietnam The 14 British overseas territories will also be exempt Insurance issues

Philippines Largest single-day increase of cases Case, + 1,531 = 40,336 Deaths, 1,280 Netherlands

Another mink farm infected, now 18 Mink showed symptoms Two workers infected, first known animal-to-human transmissions

South Africa Cases, 168,061 Deaths, 2,844 40,000 to 70,000 before the end of 2020 Reopening Increasing cases Hospitals already struggling Johannesburg Considering reimposing some restrictions

Mexico Cases, 238,511 Deaths, 29,189 Arizona cases rise, considering border closure Screening incoming from the United States over the July 4th weekend Checking temperatures and asking about symptoms

Australia Victoria, 66 new cases 28 further cases under investigation Linked to a 'super spreader' Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos I sought some explanations. I wanted to know what had gone wrong Genomic sequencing report that seemed to suggest that there seems to be a single source of infection Further genomic sequencing under way

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK-DNyKnb5c
7:57 min
Coronavirus Pandemic Update 92: Blood Clots & COVID-19 - New Research & Potential Role of NAC
•Jul 3, 2020


MedCram - Medical Lectures Explained CLEARLY

There is mounting evidence that COVID-19 has a profound impact on the endothelium (the lining of blood vessels) which may explain the observed blood clots associated with this pandemic.

Roger Seheult, MD of https://www.medcram.com discusses new research from the Lancet on coagulopathies (clotting or bleeding problems) in COVID-19 and explains how reactive oxygen species (ROS) may set the stage for clotting.

Dr. Seheult also illustrates how the supplement N-acetylcysteine (NAC) may be beneficial to reduce excess ROS and prevent blood clots. Sloan Kettering is performing a clinical trial that studies N-acetylcysteine (NAC) with COVID 19 infection. (This video was recorded July 3, 2020).

LINKS / REFERENCES: The Lancet | https://www.thelancet.com/journals/la... Circulation Journal | https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.11... Silent Hypoxia - American Lung Association | https://www.lung.org/media/press-rele... ROS Pathophysiology from CSU | http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/... Johns Hopkins Tracker | https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html Worldometer | https://www.worldometers.info/coronav...

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOVChdVz3ng
4:57 min
More than 50,000 new U.S. COVID-19 cases reported Wednesday
•Jul 2, 2020


CBC News
The United States saw more than 50,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, breaking a single day record for new reported cases. In an interview, President Donald Trump reiterated his hope that the coronavirus will "sort of just disappear."

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnE6vEkSJvU
8:50 min
How to protect yourself from coronavirus over Fourth of July weekend
•Jul 3, 2020


CBS News

Health experts are expressing concern over the surging number of new coronavirus cases across the U.S. Some beaches and restaurants are expected to be crowded over the Fourth of July weekend despite restrictions in several states. Dr. Bob Lahita, a professor of medicine at New York Medical College, joined CBSN to discuss how to be safe over the holiday weekend.

______________________________

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGAmG14B0wU
5:21 min
What flying in the U.S. amid the coronavirus pandemic looks like
•Jul 3, 2020


CBS This Morning
On a normal July 4 holiday weekend, there would be full planes and jammed roads, but not this year. So what does flying look like during the coronavirus pandemic? CBS transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave finds out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NORWxPQz0eI

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMKYe6bxsTU
.30 min
Record coronavirus surge as US prepares for holiday
•Jul 3, 2020


Good Morning America
As more states take precautions ahead of July Fourth, the Miami-Dade mayor has implemented tougher rules including a curfew and mandatory masks at restaurants.

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nMFoqfzEhA
3:12 min
Why Texas is seeing a coronavirus surge - BBC News
•Jul 3, 2020


BBC News

For months, the state was doing well. Cases were low and the economy had just reopened. Now, it's one of the most recent coronavirus hotspots in the United States, seeing upwards of 6,000 new cases every day and hospitals are reaching capacity. Why the sudden surge? Video by Angélica M Casas, Chelsea Bailey and Franz Strasser

 

[marsh]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv_7IssX2dU
6:43 min
Coronavirus cases in India pass 600,000 | Covid Update
•Jul 2, 2020


DW News Germany

In India the number of confirmed coronavirus infections has now topped 600,000. The coronavirus has hit Delhi harder than any other city in the country. The government has introduced a revamped strategy to curb the spread of COVID-19, with pinpointed testing as a priority.

 

[ghost]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMuFYWoDbno
7:42 min
Coronavirus contact tracing apps are coming to your phone. Here's how they work.
•May 30, 2020

Washington Post

Apple and Google have launched a contact tracing system called Exposure Notification, which could allow their smartphone users and overwhelmed health officials to detect when a person has been exposed to the coronavirus.

The contact tracing apps are a trap, do not use them at all.
You may lose more then you bargained for, you will loose your freedom.
The apps are like the Chinese ones, they can track you all over the country.
The Chinese society, is told what they do, where to go, and if they can travel anywhere.
There government, is 100% communist, they kill there own people to get their way.

 

[ghost]

Screenshot is from a group I'm in.
They are doing everything they can to hide the true death toll
Right now. Hiding deaths and adding in false positive antibody tests into the equation. It's diabolical.

There is now cure for the covid-19 virus.
It may take 5 to 18 months play out, look at the 1918 flu, it took about as long.
Wearing a mask won't help, it makes us look weak, which we are.
We don't stand our ground and say no way, I will a mask, I am a human being, with God given rights.

 

[ghost]

Any vaccine is going to takes ages [months/years] before it is tested and approved anyway.

Why are they trying, the is no known cure for any virus what so ever. Look at the 1918 flu, it played itself out.

 

[bev]

Thought I’d drop this here.

 

[bev]

Dup

 

[bev]

Dup (trip?)

 

[Richard]

Why are they trying, the is no known cure for any virus what so ever. Look at the 1918 flu, it played itself out.

Coronavirus vaccine will not be a cure-all, virologist warns

Virologist Robert Lambkin-Williams told CNBC there was no clear evidence that antibodies produced to fight off the coronavirus gave people any protection against being reinfected.

www.cnbc.com

Looks like CV is playing itself out maybe in fits and starts.......

 

[mzkitty]

Um............... not good:

 

[Burrito]

Why are they trying, the is no known cure for any virus what so ever. Look at the 1918 flu, it played itself out.

are you drunk posting?

 

[marsh]

Um............... not good:

View attachment 206924

Remember that the R0 is exponential.

 

[marsh]

Hydroxychloroquine Lowers COVID-19 Death Rate, US Study Finds

www.theepochtimes.com

Hydroxychloroquine Lowers COVID-19 Death Rate, US Study Finds
July 2, 2020 14:54, Last Updated: July 3, 2020 8:47
By Zachary Stieber

The anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine lowers the death rate of COVID-19 patients, U.S. researchers have said.

Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of over 2,500 patients hospitalized between March 10 and May 2 in the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan. Over 2,000 of the patients were given hydroxychloroquine or the anti-malarial with azithromycin, an antibiotic.

The study found 13 percent of those who received hydroxychloroquine alone died compared to 26.4 percent who didn’t receive the drug.

Hydroxychloroquine alone decreased the mortality hazard ratio by 66 percent and the anti-malarial with the antibiotic decreased the ratio by 71 percent, researchers said.

The vast majority of patients were given the drug within 48 hours of admission.

“Our analysis shows that using hydroxychloroquine helped saves lives,” neurosurgeon Dr. Steven Kalkanis, senior vice president and chief academic officer of the health system, said in a statement. “As doctors and scientists, we look to the data for insight. And the data here is clear that there was benefit to using the drug as a treatment for sick, hospitalized patients.”

Patients who received hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin also had a lower mortality than people who received neither, as did patients who received azithromycin.

A view of the front entrance to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich., on April 8, 2020. (Elaine Cromie/Getty Images)

“The findings have been highly analyzed and peer-reviewed,” added Dr. Marcus Zervos, division head of Infectious Disease for Henry Ford, who co-authored the study with epidemiologist Dr. Samia Arshad.

“We attribute our findings that differ from other studies to early treatment, and part of a combination of interventions that were done in supportive care of patients, including careful cardiac monitoring,” Zervos said. “Our dosing also differed from other studies not showing a benefit of the drug. And other studies are either not peer reviewed, have limited numbers of patients, different patient populations or other differences from our patients."

None of the patients experienced side effects, researchers said, although patients who were monitored for a heart condition were recommended not to take the treatment.

The median age of patients was 64. The group was 51 percent male and 56 percent African-American.

The conclusions came from a peer-reviewed study that was published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Regardless of what treatment they received, mortality was highest in patients older than 65, patients who identified as Caucasian, patients admitted with reduced oxygen levels, and patients who required care in intensive care units, researchers said.

The results should be interpreted with some caution, Zervos said, and require further confirmation in randomized controlled clinical trials. Hydrxychloroquine should be used outside hospitals, he said.

A group of Canadian researchers said in a commentary published in the same journal that the results were fundamentally limited because the study was retrospective and questioned whether proper methods were used by the Henry Ford researchers. The patients who did not receive any treatment, the critics wrote, may have been heading towards death, which would skew the numbers.

Hydroxychloroquine and the closely related chloroquine have been closely scrutinized since President Donald Trump touted them earlier this year as potential treatments for COVID-19, a disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. The drugs were prescribed for both hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients across the United States after anecdotal accounts suggested some efficacy against COVID-19.


This April 7, 2020 file photo shows a bottle of hydroxychloroquine tablets in Texas City, Texas. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)

Some clinical trials later found the anti-malarial was ineffective in certain dosages. Several trials studying the drug were stopped last month.

The most circulated study, a retrospective that researchers claimed involved nearly 100,000 patients, was retracted in early June after three of them said they couldn’t verify the figures.

Other studies have suggested hydroxychloroquine is effective. One showed it led to a higher rate of discharge from hospitals when combined with zinc and azithromycin.

Indian researchers said the anti-malarial is an effective prophylactic against the CCP virus.

The Food and Drug Administration ended the emergency use authorization for the the anti-malarials last month.

It is no longer reasonable to believe that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine may be effective in treating COVID-19, the agency’s chief scientist, Denise Hinton, said.

Some of the trials pointed to side effects, including irregular heart rhythms, the agency warned.

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, which supports hydroxychloroquine and compiled a list of studies suggesting it is effective, said the authorization only applied to doses donated to the Strategic National Stockpile. Because hydroxychloroquine was approved decades ago for use against malaria, it can be prescribed off-label by doctors for other ailments.

 

[marsh]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1279055036052656130

View: https://twitter.com/RobertANugent1/status/1279055036052656130?s=19&fbclid=IwAR1nAZxJP-zUsIggFNT0ZTWh1ju-rd_yvKQsqZsDKL2BgA7Zt91_xYmiAwY

 

[marsh]

COVID-19 Outpatients – Early Risk-Stratified Treatment with Zinc Plus Low Dose Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin: A Retrospective Case Series Study

Objective: To describe outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the outpatient setting after early treatment with zinc, low dose hydroxychloroquine, and azithromycin (the triple therapy) dependent on risk stratification. Design: Retrospective case series study. Setting...

www.preprints.org

COVID-19 Outpatients – Early Risk-Stratified Treatment with Zinc Plus Low Dose Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin: A Retrospective Case Series Study
, ,

Version 1 : Received: 30 June 2020 / Approved: 3 July 2020 / Online: 3 July 2020 (08:52:22 CEST) [Not peer reviwed]

 

[Advocations]

I add my thanks as well to everyone who continues to contribute to the thread. Most have moved on from following the topic, either for political reasons or just because our attention span in the modern technological world is very short, there's always something else to click on and focus on and it doesn't 'excite' the way it did at first. Honey badger virus doesn't care about our attention span, just like it doesn't care about politics. It keeps keeping on, growing, finding new victims, finding new ways to spread. It's here, it's not going away. Imho, anyone who is still following the story is ahead of the curve, just as we were in March and April. Now is definitely not the time to let our guard down or walk away and say, "all done... next?"

HD

.

Yep, we’re just getting started by the looks of things.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

Um............... not good:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1279267914810626049

View: https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1279267914810626049

BNO Newsroom@BNODesk
12:16 AM · Jul 4, 2020

Over the past 24 hours, the U.S. reported 54,142 new cases of coronavirus and 592 new deaths. Records were broken in 8 states + the U.S. Virgin Islands

James Robert @JamesRobert1022
44m
So if LA county reported, would we have likely broken another national record?

BNO Newsroom @BNODesk
42m
Yes, that's right. It would have taken the number of new cases in the U.S. today to more than 56,000

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1279268545533222912

View: https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1279268545533222912


BNO Newsroom @BNODesk
12:19 AM · Jul 4, 2020

Los Angeles County did not report any cases today because the health department is making improvements to its systems. If it had, it would have set a new record

Intel Dude @TheIntelDude
44m
Replying to @BNODesk
‘It’ meaning the county or the United States daily total record? Thanks BNO!

BNO Newsroom @BNODesk
42m
It would have been a national record. Los Angeles County usually reports well over 2,000 new cases a day, which would have taken the number of new cases to 56k+

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

One in 10 Covid patients who lose sense of taste and smell DON'T get it back

CORONAVIRUS patients who lose their sense of taste and smell may never get the sensations back, experts have claimed. A loss of taste and smell are recognised as core symptoms of Covid-19 along wit…

www.thesun.co.uk

SOUR TASTE One in 10 Covid patients who lose their sense of taste and smell ‘DON’T get it back’
Terri-Ann Williams, Digital Health & Fitness Reporter
3 Jul 2020, 12:05Updated: 3 Jul 2020, 17:28

CORONAVIRUS patients who lose their sense of taste and smell may never get the sensations back, experts have claimed.

A loss of taste and smell are recognised as core symptoms of Covid-19 along with a new continuous cough and a high temperature.

New research states that one in ten patients who lose these senses may never get them back.

Researchers compiled their data from Italian patients and found that 49 per cent had fully regained their sense of smell or taste after recovering from the virus.

This is while just 40 per cent reported improvements and 10 per cent said their symptoms had worsened.

So far in the UK more than 43,000 people have died from the virus and globally around 521,000 people are believed to have died.

A loss of taste and smell (anosmia) were symptoms that were added to key signs of the virus at a later stage after a number of people presented with them.

The NHS states that anyone experiencing these symptoms should take precautions and should isolate for 14 days.

Experts published their findings in the journal of JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

The researchers have now warned that thousands of people could face long-term health issues because of the virus.

The researchers surveyed 187 Italians who had the virus but did not go to hospital.

They were asked to rate their sense of smell and taste when they were first diagnosed with Covid-19.

Then a month after they were asked to rate their senses again.

Of those who were surveyed 113 reported an alteration in their sense of smell and/or taste.

This is while 55 participants said they had fully recovered, 46 said their symptoms had improved and 12 found their symptoms had stayed the same or had gotten worse.

Patients who said they had severe symptoms said it took them longer to get better.

Writing in the journal, Dr Joshua Levy said there are “frustratingly low interventions” for people experiencing these issues.

Dr Levy, who is a specialist at the Emory University School of Medicine, said: "Even with a high rate of resolution, the staggering number affected by this evolving pandemic suggests an almost certain deluge of patients likely to present for the treatment of unresolved symptoms."

Dr Levy advised that in long-term cases people should consider smell training in order for them to regain their senses.

This is while another expert said some people recover quicker than others due to how many cells are affected.

One of the researchers on the study and the president of the British Rhinological Society Dr Claire Hopkins said some people will get better but others will recover slowly.

Speaking to the BBC she added:"For people who recover more quickly it is likely the virus has only affected the cells lining their nose.

"For people who recover more slowly it may be that the virus has affected the nerves involved in smell, too. It can take longer for these nerve cells to repair and regenerate."

She added that charities such as AbScent are a great resource for people struggling to deal with their symptoms.

.

 

[Heliobas Disciple]

Ochsner Health study reveals numbers of COVID-19 up to 40 times more deadly than flu

Based on the prevalence rate, doctors presume that more than 64,000 residents in Jefferson and Orleans parishes have been infected.

www.fox8live.com

(fair use applies)

Ochsner Health study reveals numbers of COVID-19 up to 40 times more deadly than flu
By FOX8Live.com Staff
July 2, 2020 at 11:34 AM CDT - Updated July 2 at 2:29 PM

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Ochsner Health announced key findings Thursday from a COVID-19 study, conducted in Jefferson and Orleans Parishes in mid-May.

The study, which tested more than 2,500 Jefferson and Orleans Parish residents for COVID-19 and antibodies, provides valuable insights about the true spread of the virus in our community.

If found that nearly found 8% of Jefferson and Orleans Parish residents have been exposed to the disease.

Based on the prevalence rate, doctors presume that more than 64,000 residents in the two parishes have been infected.

More concerning is the fatality rate is 10 to 40 times higher than the seasonal flu.

However, 75% of infectious people were asymptomatic and approximately 40% of people never experience symptoms of COVID-19.

“Data collected in this study tells us that the actions of our state and local leaders to limit the spread of COVID-19 during the height of the outbreak in the spring were effective and necessary,” said Dr. Robert Hart, Chief Medical Officer, Ochsner Health. “The collective efforts of our leaders, businesses and neighbors have saved lives.”

They encourage people to continue washing their hands, wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

Virus spread in Jefferson and Orleans Parishes does not indicate that we are near herd immunity, which would occur with an exposure rate of approximately 70%.

A total of 2,640 adults were tested, selected from a pool of over 25,000 volunteers. Study participants represented all zip codes, ages, races and ethnicities of Jefferson and Orleans Parishes to accurately reflect the region.

.