March 25, 2020
Marshall: I have no local information. One C-19 test done 8 days ago (swab) is still awaiting a report.
***Interesting web site I got from a stockbroker that has lots of stats which might help leaders make decisions.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
JOHNS HOPKINS WEB SITE: YOU MIGHT WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO THIS FREE SITE.YOU CAN TOGGLE AND READ ANY OF THE ARTICLES YOU WISH.
| New From the Center How to Reduce COVID-19 Spread in Long-Term Care Facilities: Challenges and RecommendationsBy Diane Meyer, RN, MPH, and Elena Martin, MPH Long-term care facilities (LTCFs), including nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and assisted living facilities, take care of some of the most vulnerable populations, including elderly people and those with chronic medical conditions. This, coupled with the proximity in which the residents live, staffing shortages, and often poor infection control measures, makes them highly susceptible to infectious disease spread, including the current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)._____________________________________________________________ COVID-19 World COVID-19 total surges past 400,000; more nations lock down (CIDRAP) The global COVID-19 total passed 400,000 cases today, fueled by more steep rises reported from Italy, Spain, other parts of Europe, and the United States. New York notes dizzying COVID-19 numbers as Trump mulls lifting restrictions soon (CIDRAP) Today New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the COVID-19 pandemic case count is doubling every 3 days in his state, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the United States could become the next epicenter of the novel coronavirus, given that the country accounted for 40% of new cases recorded globally over the past 24 hours. White House Reaches Deal With Lawmakers on $2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Bill (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Required) Lawmakers and the Trump administration reached an agreement on an estimated $2 trillion stimulus package aimed at shielding the U.S. economy from the worst consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. How to Lead in a Time of Pandemic (Foreign Affairs) The world has never before confronted a crisis quite like COVID-19, one that has simultaneously tested both the limits of public health systems everywhere and the ability of countries to work together on a shared challenge. What the UN Security Council Can Do on Coronavirus: A Global Goods Coordination Mechanism (Just Security) Leaders around the world, including President Donald Trump, are increasingly referring to their response to the novel coronavirus in terms of “war” against an unseen enemy. It is a truism that in times of conflict it’s good to have allies, and better to have established means by which to coordinate decision-making. Clinical Practice Hospitals turn to remote monitoring tools to free up beds for the sickest coronavirus patients (STAT) Desperate to free up beds for only the sickest Covid-19 patients, hospitals nationwide are weighing the use of new technologies to monitor patients from their homes. Public & Global Health How to improve adherence with quarantine: Rapid review of the evidence (medRxiv) The January 2020 outbreak of coronavirus has once again thrown the vexed issue of quarantine into the spotlight, with many countries asking their citizens to self-isolate if they have potentially come into contact with the infection. However, adhering to quarantine is difficult. Decisions on how to apply quarantine should be based on the best available evidence to increase the likelihood of people adhering to protocols. We conducted a rapid review to identify factors associated with adherence to quarantine during infectious disease outbreaks. Why Germany’s coronavirus death rate is so much lower than other countries’ rates (Washington Post) For weeks, virologists here have been asked a persistent question: Why, compared to other countries, are so few of the Germans who are diagnosed with the coronavirus dying? China’s Progress Against Coronavirus Used Draconian Tactics Not Deployed in the West (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Required) U. S. and European leaders are looking at China’s progress in curbing the coronavirus pandemic to guide them on how to beat the virus within their own borders. Coronavirus Threatens Catastrophe in India (Foreign Affairs) This week, the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has affected nearly 200 countries, will begin to ravage one of the biggest, most vulnerable nations in the world. India, home to more than 1.3 billion people, is bracing for a surge in COVID-19 cases. Startups touting at-home coronavirus tests suspend plans after FDA warning (STAT) In a rapid about-face, a handful of startups that had already rolled out at-home coronavirus test kits or planned to start selling them soon have suspended their efforts. FDA Allows Emergency Use of Investigational Convalescent Plasma for Critical COVID-19 Patients (Global Biodefense) The FDA is facilitating access to convalescent plasma, antibody-rich blood products that are taken from blood donated by people who have recovered from the COVID-19 virus, that could potentially shorten the length, or lessen the severity, of the illness. COVID-19 Case Demographics From New York City (Avian Flu Diary) New York City, with more than 15,500 confirmed COVID-19 cases, currently accounts for more than 25% of the nation’s 55,000+ diagnosed coronavirus cases. Given that the real number of infections in NYC is likely several times higher than currently reported, the city may be only days away from seeing a `Lombardy-style’ surge on hospital resources. Can Africa Withstand COVID-19? (Project Syndicate) Less than five months after the first documented case of the COVID-19 coronavirus, infections exceed 340,000 globally, with nearly 15,000 deaths. This pandemic is devastating societies and economies all over the world, but Africa stands to face particularly severe and long-lasting damage. The Arab World’s Perfect COVID-19 Storm (Project Syndicate) Middle Eastern and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies are heading toward a recession in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, collapsing oil prices, and the unfolding global financial crisis. The Virus Turns South (Project Syndicate) The COVID-19 coronavirus has arrived in Latin America, but effective measures to deal with the pandemic have not – at least not in every country. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in México and President Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, mimicking US President Donald Trump, are still holding rallies and hugging supporters, in a reckless attempt to burnish their macho strongman credentials. A more serious, ambitious, and targeted response is necessary to prevent a public-health crisis from becoming a social and economic catastrophe. The G20’s Pandemic Moment (Project Syndicate) This week, G20 leaders will convene virtually to discuss the COVID-19 crisis. One hopes that the emergency summit marks the beginning of a thoughtful collective response to this grave challenge. Science & Technology Scaling up whole genome sequencing of COVID-19 (Ginkgo Bioworks – Blog) Scaling up the infrastructure for testing and tracking COVID-19 is one of the most important things we can do at this stage of the pandemic. Towards this broader effort, at Ginkgo we are focusing our next generation sequencing (NGS) pipeline with a target of being able to sequence 10,000 full viral genomes per day from de-identified patient samples in order to effectively track the evolution of the virus as it spreads. Aggregated mobility data could help fight COVID-19 (Science) As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic worsens, understanding the effectiveness of public messaging and large-scale social distancing interventions is critical. The research and public health response communities can and should use population mobility data collected by private companies, with appropriate legal, organizational, and computational safeguards in place. |
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