Corona Virus Updates Part 6

a reply to: Fowlerstoad

Take Singapore lauded for its containment measures, now its taking off. What seems to be happening is that people get it and it stays asymptomatic, then the virus decides to hit the carrier. Which suggests you can have it for a while before it decides to attack. So their is no other way except strict lockdown for as long as it takes.

Another Smithfield Food plant has been struck by the coronavirus

The Health Department in Bladen County, N.C., confirmed that another Smithfield Foods processing plant reported one or more positive cases of the novel coronavirus. The department's director, Teresa Duncan, said agencies both local and national are working to protect public health and ensure the safety of employees while further mitigating the spread of the virus, according to a press release obtained by local outlet WECT.

thehill.com...

originally posted by: RP2SticksOfDynamite
What is the true % of HIV infections in Africa I wonder?

Multiple sources say around 15% overall. Remember, Africa isn't one country. It's 54 countries. Africa's the continent. So on the continent of Eurasia there might be a spot with no HIV and another spot with 20% HIV.

I did not say that the weak immune system helps but suggested the opposite would be the case. "Will those carrying HIV in Africa survive the infection because their immune systems will be weak will they not?"

I read that as "will the people survive because they have weak immune systems." After you protested my interpretation, I have tried to reconstruct the sentence (sorry if I seem dense.... I'm not neurotypical and I sometimes interpret sentences very differently than the way people intend.)

Now I *think* you intended "after they recover will they still be able to survive?"... but I can't tell if the next clause means "because HIV patients have a weak immune system so if they manage to live will they have a significantly shorter lifespan than HIV patients who don't catch COVID-19" or if you mean "they may not survive because I think COVID-19 permanently damages the immune system"

Is either of those interpretations what you meant?

California farmer plows under lettuce after coronavirus shutters restaurant market

The decision to destroy the crop didn’t come easy for Vessey. But he said he couldn’t justify paying for labor, and packaging and storage for a crop that distributors were not buying. He laid off 150 to 200 seasonal workers up to two weeks early. Vessey, a fourth-generation farmer, plowed under some 350 acres of lettuce, or approximately $1.46 million worth of crop. He is not alone. Other growers in California, the top U.S. fruit and vegetable producing state, are facing the same dilemma.

The uprooting of crops come as food banks across the United States witness a surge in demand as millions face unemployment due to the lockdown. While farmers make the hard decision to plow under crops, David Magana, a senior analyst at Rabobank said the drop in food supply will be felt by consumers eager to buy produce at grocery stores. “We could see a decline in supplies in the next few months,” he said. “Prices are going to increase.”

This is something that I keep thinking about... if we have to remain shut down for much longer this issue will get worse. And all signs point to us staying "closed" for a lot longer. This along with the meat packing plants getting shut down due to outbreaks...

www.reuters.com... dUSKCN21Y02M?il=0

4 confirmed and five probable cases today in Aotearoa/New Zealand with one more death bringing total to 12 dead, the 12th person also over 70 and is the only non-hospitalised death.

originally posted by: pasiphae

I agree. There was the report of the woman who had been self isolating because she has an autoimmune disorder.... hadn't been in contact with anyone other than her husband for weeks and she wound up getting it.

And who had the husband been in contact with? And where were they staying? Technically, my husband is self-isolated, but I go out and get groceries and the lawn service guys came by and mowed the lawn (though we didn't speak t them.) Mail delivery comes by and the daughter came by and brought fast food and ate it in the living room while she talked with me.

So although he's isolated, there's a lot of opportunity for the virus.

Pink... the singer... hadn't left the house in weeks either and she got super sick.

Same question. Did she see producers? Does she have household help or does she do the dishes and sweep and mop and wash clothes all by herself? Does anyone live with her and did they all stay locked down?

It's obviously getting to people even in isolation so saying that you cant get it from your groceries is kind of irresponsible because we KNOW it can live on surfaces and so far NO ONE is required to wear a mask. How do we know Jo the grocery stocker isn't asymptomatic and breathing it all over the stuff he's stocking? I'm in a major, very liberal city and the grocery staff are still only half masked depending on what store you go to.

You're actually more at risk from the non-mask wearing shoppers picking up something, breathing on it as they read the ingredients or the fine print, and putting it back on the shelf. Direct from the receiving dock, it hasn't been touched or handled by a lot of folks.

I'm going along with the CDC recommendations mainly because I never had the time or energy to do the biohazard wipedown.

originally posted by: anonentity
a reply to: Fowlerstoad

Take Singapore lauded for its containment measures, now its taking off. What seems to be happening is that people get it and it stays asymptomatic, then the virus decides to hit the carrier. Which suggests you can have it for a while before it decides to attack. So their is no other way except strict lockdown for as long as it takes.

Right! If this turns out to be the way the virus operates then the consequences will be very serious. Too damn much about this virus is still unknown so it's far better to err on the side of caution and to continue to learn more about it rather than taking the risk of rushing forward now.

a reply to: pasiphae

So if no one has any symptoms is the mutation of this strain a weaker mutation than 1 putting others in hospital?

If it is can we share this strain as a "live" vaccine giving it to all young healthy adults as a controlled release isolate them all for 21 days to build the herd immunity?

From the 16th so it might have been posted already. So many reports of contaminated tests.

Thousands of kits meant to screen for COVID-19 delivered to New Brunswick from a supplier in China last week were contaminated and can't be used at this point. Premier Blaine Higgs told reporters Thursday that he learned about the defective kits a week ago and found the news "disappointing." The problem appeared to be "related to the packaging and the situation around the company," Higgs said when asked about the test kits at his regular coronavirus briefing. Dr. Richard Garceau, a microbiologist-infectologist at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton, told Radio-Canada more than 6,400 test kits were contaminated prior to being used. "As soon as we received them, we realized that they were all contaminated with bacteria … In addition to being contaminated, the product was defective," Garceau said.

www.cbc.ca...

originally posted by: puzzled2
a reply to: pasiphae

So if no one has any symptoms is the mutation of this strain a weaker mutation than 1 putting others in hospital?

If it is can we share this strain as a "live" vaccine giving it to all young healthy adults as a controlled release isolate them all for 21 days to build the herd immunity?

We can't even assume that recovery confers immunity. There are stories of people who have recovered getting it again.

originally posted by: puzzled2
a reply to: pasiphae

So if no one has any symptoms is the mutation of this strain a weaker mutation than 1 putting others in hospital?

If it is can we share this strain as a "live" vaccine giving it to all young healthy adults as a controlled release isolate them all for 21 days to build the herd immunity?

We don't know yet if they are"presymptomatic". The same thing has occurred on Navy ships with lots of them testing positive with no symptoms. They could get sick later. Still so much we don't know about how this virus acts.

In Pursuit of PPE

A story involving the FBI and and the Department of Homeland Security

As a chief physician executive, I rarely get involved in my health system’s supply-chain activities. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed that. Protecting our caregivers is essential so that these talented professionals can safely provide compassionate care to our patients. Yet we continue to be stymied by a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the cavalry does not appear to be coming. Our supply-chain group has worked around the clock to secure gowns, gloves, face masks, goggles, face shields, and N95 respirators. These employees have adapted to a new normal, exploring every lead, no matter how unusual. Deals, some bizarre and convoluted, and many involving large sums of money, have dissolved at the last minute when we were outbid or outmuscled, sometimes by the federal government. Then we got lucky, but getting the supplies was not easy. A lead came from an acquaintance of a friend of a team member. After several hours of vetting, we grew confident of the broker’s professional pedigree and the potential to secure a large shipment of three-ply face masks and N95 respirators. The latter were KN95 respirators, N95s that were made in China. We received samples to confirm that they could be successfully fit-tested. Despite having cleared this hurdle, we remained concerned that the samples might not be representative of the bulk of the products that we would be buying. Having acquired the requisite funds — more than five times the amount we would normally pay for a similar shipment, but still less than what was being requested by other brokers — we set the plan in motion. Three members of the supply-chain team and a fit tester were flown to a small airport near an industrial warehouse in the mid-Atlantic region. I arrived by car to make the final call on whether to execute the deal. Two semi-trailer trucks, cleverly marked as food-service vehicles, met us at the warehouse. When fully loaded, the trucks would take two distinct routes back to Massachusetts to minimize the chances that their contents would be detained or redirected. Hours before our planned departure, we were told to expect only a quarter of our original order. We went anyway, since we desperately needed any supplies we could get. Upon arrival, we were jubilant to see pallets of KN95 respirators and face masks being unloaded. We opened several boxes, examined their contents, and hoped that this random sample would be representative of the entire shipment. Before we could send the funds by wire transfer, two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrived, showed their badges, and started questioning me. No, this shipment was not headed for resale or the black market. The agents checked my credentials, and I tried to convince them that the shipment of PPE was bound for hospitals. After receiving my assurances and hearing about our health system’s urgent needs, the agents let the boxes of equipment be released and loaded into the trucks. But I was soon shocked to learn that the Department of Homeland Security was still considering redirecting our PPE. Only some quick calls leading to intervention by our congressional representative prevented its seizure. I remained nervous and worried on the long drive back, feelings that did not abate until midnight, when I received the call that the PPE shipment was secured at our warehouse. This experience might have made for an entertaining tale at a cocktail party, had the success of our mission not been so critical. Did I foresee, as a health-system leader working in a rich, highly developed country with state-of-the-art science and technology and incredible talent, that my organization would ever be faced with such a set of circumstances? Of course not. Yet when encountering the severe constraints that attend this pandemic, we must leave no stone unturned to give our health care teams and our patients a fighting chance. This is the unfortunate reality we face in the time of Covid-19. Andrew W. Artenstein, M.D. Baystate Health, Springfield, MA

www.nejm.org...

a reply to: Tamsuan

Its not just Singapore now Japan is doing the same thing. Remember when they tested that homeless shelter in San Fran around thirty plus per cent had it and were asymptomatic, Or rather not showing symptoms as of the present. This thing is tricky, as you seem to be able to carry it for weeks thinking its all roses, have an attack then get over it then wham!....If that is the case then we are looking at something like the Bronze age collapse.

originally posted by: Byrd

originally posted by: RP2SticksOfDynamite
What is the true % of HIV infections in Africa I wonder?

Multiple sources say around 15% overall. Remember, Africa isn't one country. It's 54 countries. Africa's the continent. So on the continent of Eurasia there might be a spot with no HIV and another spot with 20% HIV.

I did not say that the weak immune system helps but suggested the opposite would be the case. "Will those carrying HIV in Africa survive the infection because their immune systems will be weak will they not?"

I read that as "will the people survive because they have weak immune systems." After you protested my interpretation, I have tried to reconstruct the sentence (sorry if I seem dense.... I'm not neurotypical and I sometimes interpret sentences very differently than the way people intend.)

Now I *think* you intended "after they recover will they still be able to survive?"... but I can't tell if the next clause means "because HIV patients have a weak immune system so if they manage to live will they have a significantly shorter lifespan than HIV patients who don't catch COVID-19" or if you mean "they may not survive because I think COVID-19 permanently damages the immune system"

Is either of those interpretations what you meant?

Apparently after a little research it is said that there are approx. 24m known cases of HIV in Africa and 91% of the world’s HIV-positive children live in Africa, but I would guess there are a fair number of unknown also.

What I meant was simply, if they have HIV and get the virus are they likely to survive it because their immune systems maybe already seriously impaired.

So yes pretty bad for the HIV infected. So when you consider that and those without HIV that may die then the number of fatalities could potentially be millions before this outbreak is brought under control, even if that is possible in nations that have little or no health service infrastructure or provision. Its going to be messy.

originally posted by: Byrd

originally posted by: pasiphae

I agree. There was the report of the woman who had been self isolating because she has an autoimmune disorder.... hadn't been in contact with anyone other than her husband for weeks and she wound up getting it.

And who had the husband been in contact with? And where were they staying? Technically, my husband is self-isolated, but I go out and get groceries and the lawn service guys came by and mowed the lawn (though we didn't speak t them.) Mail delivery comes by and the daughter came by and brought fast food and ate it in the living room while she talked with me.

So although he's isolated, there's a lot of opportunity for the virus.

Pink... the singer... hadn't left the house in weeks either and she got super sick.

Same question. Did she see producers? Does she have household help or does she do the dishes and sweep and mop and wash clothes all by herself? Does anyone live with her and did they all stay locked down?

It's obviously getting to people even in isolation so saying that you cant get it from your groceries is kind of irresponsible because we KNOW it can live on surfaces and so far NO ONE is required to wear a mask. How do we know Jo the grocery stocker isn't asymptomatic and breathing it all over the stuff he's stocking? I'm in a major, very liberal city and the grocery staff are still only half masked depending on what store you go to.

You're actually more at risk from the non-mask wearing shoppers picking up something, breathing on it as they read the ingredients or the fine print, and putting it back on the shelf. Direct from the receiving dock, it hasn't been touched or handled by a lot of folks.

I'm going along with the CDC recommendations mainly because I never had the time or energy to do the biohazard wipedown.

If I go to the shop and pick up some more provisions (every few weeks) I go with gloves and mask etc, get 2nd pair of gloves on top provided as you enter the supermarket, keep distance. When arrive back home, all the items purchased are washed/wiped down using a disinfected bleach cloth, then they are put on balcony to dry. My gloves go in bin and mask and clothes go into the washing machine and I go shower. Half the folk at the supermarket don't have masks nor do the shop staff. Assume this will help.

I posted this: www.abovetopsecret.com...
something to think about

One of the better sources for what is going on in Mainland China. It looks like a second wave is starting in the mainland.
youtu.be...

Rats living in major US cities are resorting to war and cannibalism to survive the coronavirus lockdown, a rodent expert has told the media. In addition to rat armies fighting “wars” with each other over prime residential garbage, “now the adults are killing the young in the nest and cannibalizing the pups,"

www.youtube.com...

originally posted by: Drachenfel


Many thanks for the link, and yes, anyone hoping for an outcome from releasing a novel virus in a single city would need to be Nostradamus to be confident that it would go their way.

Only Russia could just conceivably gain from US/ China war, but they would most likely suffer badly along with the rest of us.

Oh, I know this is just silly and I have absolutely no basis of fact for this feeling, but I just can't shake the grinning image of Kim Jong-un about all this. I don't think you can presume that a sane mind would be necessary to do something of this nature.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warns of ‘shocking’ action, new strategic weapon

IMHO, of course.

originally posted by: Rich Z

originally posted by: Drachenfel


Many thanks for the link, and yes, anyone hoping for an outcome from releasing a novel virus in a single city would need to be Nostradamus to be confident that it would go their way.

Only Russia could just conceivably gain from US/ China war, but they would most likely suffer badly along with the rest of us.

Oh, I know this is just silly and I have absolutely no basis of fact for this feeling, but I just can't shake the grinning image of Kim Jong-un about all this. I don't think you can presume that a sane mind would be necessary to do something of this nature.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warns of ‘shocking’ action, new strategic weapon

IMHO, of course.

He's likely feeling somewhat emboldened by his friendship with agent Orange and his new found presence in the global arena.