July 30, 2020
Rt for Texas is 0.91 Wed. evening, the lowest in the Nation–I guess because we are all spread out and are wearing masks? J.H.
(J. HARRIS: Notice that all of the Texas Counties listed above are still increasing in COVID cases. Hopefully, these cases per thousand population in the counties will go down before the anticipated opening dates for schools. Except for Cass and Bowie counties, Harrison County is lower than most.
MASKS WORK!
Rep. Louie Gohmert, who had been scheduled to travel with Trump, tests positive for the coronavirus
A fellow in NY wrote this: Wearing a mask says: “I’m not just concerned about myself. I’m concerned about you, too. We are all part of the same community, the same country, and the same struggle to stay healthy.”
FROM JOHNS HOPKINS:1. German and U.K. Officials Warn Of A Possible New COVID-19 Wave In Europe (NPR) The European Union successfully flattened the curve of COVID-19 cases in the spring – but a second wave could be building in parts of the EU, according to both British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the head of Germany’s disease agency.
2. ‘It’s Like You Injected Adrenaline Into Them’: Facebook’s Vaccine Misinformation Problem Faces a New Test with Covid-19 (STAT) As scientists begin to clear a path to a potential coronavirus vaccine, researchers and advocates are increasingly sounding the alarm over what they see as a looming threat: Facebook’s apparent inability to police dangerous falsehoods about vaccines.
3.Haplotype networks of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the Diamond Princess cruise ship outbreak
The Diamond Princess cruise ship was put under quarantine offshore Yokohama, Japan, after a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong was confirmed as a coronvirus disease 2019 case…. As of March 8, 697 COVID-19 cases had been identified among the 3,711 persons on the DP and 7 people had died (4)…”…SARS-CoV-2 dissemination on the Diamond Princess originated from a single introduction event before the quarantine started…. (J. Harris: Genetic testing on the virus from the ship is thought to prove that all the illness on the ship came from one passenger who had previously disembarked).
Houston doctor behind hydroxychloroquine drug video was sued in Louisiana woman’s death
Estimation of Viral Aerosol Emissions From Simulated Individuals With Asymptomatic to Moderate Coronavirus Disease 2019Conclusions and Relevance In this modeling study, breathing and coughing were estimated to release large numbers of viruses, ranging from thousands to millions of virus copies per cubic meter in a room with an individual with COVID-19 with a high viral load, depending on ventilation and microdroplet formation process. The estimated infectious risk posed by a person with typical viral load who breathes normally was low. The results suggest that only few people with very high viral load pose an infection risk in poorly ventilated closed environments. These findings suggest that strict respiratory protection may be needed when there is a chance to be in the same small room with an individual, whether symptomatic or not, especially for a prolonged period.
As COVID-19 pandemic reopening strategies are contemplated and enacted, understanding asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs is critical…We report a 4.8% difference between COVID-19–facing (5.4%) and non–COVID-19–facing (0.6%) HCWs, potentially indicating transmission from patients or coworkers.5
(J. Harris: Health care workers on patient wards and allied departments involving patient care had a 5.4% rate Covid infection. Other hospital workers who were outside or in non patient buildings and environment only had a Covid infection rate of 0.6%. The conclusion was that the workers who were around patients were either being infected by the patients or each other or both).
FROM JAMA: Self-collected Midnasal vs Clinician-Collected Nasopharyngeal Swabs to Detect SARS-CoV-2 Infection:Unsupervised home midnasal swab collection was comparable to clinician-collected nasopharyngeal swab collection for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic patients, particularly those with higher viral loads. During this rapidly evolving pandemic, we enrolled 185 individuals presenting for SARS-CoV-2 testing, including 41 with positive test results. We used novel home-based swab self-collection and rapid delivery services, thus avoiding participant contact with the health care system.
(J. Harris: Swab collection by patients at home was almost a good as when done by professionals — although many of these patients were health care professionals).
When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.
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